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A.J. Burnett, who starts tonight, has fit in well with the Yankees.
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Jeb, one of our readers, published a piece for The Baseball Chronicle on the Topps 1971 set.
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on Friday, July 17th, 2009 at 7:16 am by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings joined the The Journal News in October 2009, having spent the better part of seven years covering baseball in Scranton, PA. He is a graduate of the University of Missouri and an award-winning beat reporter and features writer. E-mail me at cjennings@lohud.com
Sam Borden is an award-winning journalist who joined The Journal News
and LoHud.com in January 2008. He covered the Yankees for the New York
Daily News from 2004-06, and has also worked as a columnist for the
Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville. E-mail me at sborden@lohud.com
Copyright © The Journal News, a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper serving Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties in New York.
Baseball again baby! wooooooooo! Lets go Yankees!
lets get off to a good start in the 2nd half.
i am excited i finally get the yes network.
tonight will be the first night i watch a yankee game in 5 years except when they were on espn,fox,etc…
it is starting to look like we are not getting halladay wich is not a bad thing.
toronto said they prefer not to trade him in the division & it will cost more for the in division teams for him.
plus i don’t see the yankees taking on payroll wich will hurt their chance of adding any players next year.
Baseball in less than 12 hours. Let’s go Yankees!
Halladay too expensive for Yankees!
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07.....179777.htm
People forget that Cash had to go to the mat to get ownership to approve Tex. That was before the empty seats and price cuts.
JT
Joelol Sherman
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07.....179800.htm
Love these stories.
De Caster hit a walk off homer for scranton last night…
i saw the joba game last year when he won 1-0 over the rs against becket when he drilled youk.
he threw everything for strikes even his slider that people are saying hitters are laying off of.
if he throws his slider or all his pitches for strikes hitters can’t lay off of them.
i don’t think he is hurt.how can you hide an injury or prevent it from getting worse?
i believe he isn’t using his legs.if you watch him now he is all arms & throws against his body instead of in a straight line.
i am no expert but i have been looking at dvr footage & it looks like he is throwing at 50 %.
should he move over to the 1st base side of the rubber?
is he already doing that?
the game i saw on yes there is no way you could lay off anything he was throwing.
“Halladay too expensive for Yankees!”
good
I don’t believe that Post story for a minute but Cashman isn’t going to gut the farm for Halladay anyways.
Man, those 1971 cards are wonderful. I had a short but sweet card-collecting career (1985-1990) before Upper Deck appeared on the scene in 1990-91 and the card market really took off. Collected O-Pee-Chee hockey cards for a time and then discovered girls and rock music.
I would say the only set I was able to make that comes close to the 1971 cards was the ‘86 set. The strange typefaces for the team names and the red backgrounds with trivia did it for me that year. The wood-bordered ’87s weren’t bad either. But ‘85 and ‘88-’90 were train wrecks…
Great article, Jeb.
It’s Friday! Finally
“if he throws his slider or all his pitches for strikes hitters can’t lay off of them.”
Well that’s true of everybody…and Joba hasn’t been throwing his slider for strikes on anything close to a regular basis.
We’d better get used to the fact that there is a new Boss in town and, in this case, the apple DOES fall far from the tree. Hal is more of a businessman than a sportsman – his father would do anything to win, but not his son (not that he hasn’t spent money, but there’s obviously a limit). I would rather have the Yankees not get Halladay because of the cost in prospects, not $$$ – sort of frustrating.
That said, how does Joel Sherman know that Cash didn’t tell JP to get back to him when he’s nearing a final decision? Cash and co. could be deliberating on Doc at this very moment and Sherman would have no clue. A lot of that article is speculation based on the fact that Cash did have to wheedle Hal to spend the $$$ on Tex.
10 hours and 40 minutes until Yankee Baseball!!!!
Good morning everyone!
Those same “sources” insisted the Yankees would never be players for Tex after spending almost $ 40 Million (annual commitment) to AJ and CC. I wouldn’t put too much stock in that.
Even with the prime seats being empty and/or discounted there’s no question they are taking in more money than last year and payroll is lower, albeit slightly. The Yanks may choose not to go after Halladay, but they certainly can afford him.
There aren’t any potential FA that are all that attractive this year unless the Rays foolishly decline the option on Carl Crawford or the Indians do the same with Lee and I can’t see either happening. Lackey isn’t likley to leave the Angels and big bucks for a mediore defensive OF like Holliday or Bay does not make a lot of sense.
Angel Berroa did not get in the game for the Mets last night. Picking up on the fine Yankee tradition of keeping Berroa on the Bench. But its even more glaring considering princh hitting is much more common in the NL.
What is the over/under on games until Berroa makes his Mets debut?
Good article on AJ, Pete – thanks! He’s an interesting personality – I’m glad he decided to be himself instead of conforming to what he thought he needed to be to fit in. He’s also pitched very well…….and he stayed healthy. I’m not sure what to expect from him tonight, to be honest – he’s had 8 days off.
GF has it right. They may not get him but its not going to be because its “too expensive”.
What’s funny is if they don’t get him, the same people in the media saying they won’t get him will complain they didn’t get him.
Lupica and Sherman are VERY high on that list.
If they can afford 180 million for Tex, they can afford 22 million for Doc.
The player cost is greater than the financial cost on this one.
“What is the over/under on games until Berroa makes his Mets debut?”
I’d say under 4. He’ll probably end up playing for about a week and Jerry Manuel will declare that he’s tough as nails and the heart and soul of their team….
Oh, wait, he already said that about Alex Cora?
It is the player cost as JP has indicated that the Yankees or Boston would have to pay a greater cost in players than somebody like the Phillies.
Here’s the funny thing about the seating and how much its lack of sales are overblown.
The Yankees sold over 3.3 million seats BEFORE the season even started.
Think about that for a minute. Most teams don’t sell that many seats in a season. The Yankees sold them prior to the season starting.
Whatever “losses” they are experiencing with ticket sales are made up with the rise in ratings for the YES Network this year. That part of the company is able to raise its ad rates due to the ratings increases.
What makes the Yankeess such a formidable financial entity is when one part of the company is down, another part of it makes up for it with stronger revenues.
No team in MLB is better positioned in this economy than the Yankees.
Lara08
I had tears in my eyes reading what they are doing for the kids who cannot go out in day light.
Newsday had an article this morning saying that Zach McAllister only threw 16 pitches the other day … does not appear anything is wrong with him.
Speculation from the paper is that he is trade bait.
Something up?
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....s_aba.html
Phil Hughes
Speaking of the midget. I mean Lupica:
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....laday.html
Cash,
Where the rubber will meet the road on all of this is if JP doesn’t get what he wants outside the AL East and its getting near the deadline. If that happens, we will then find out what the “real” price will be for Doc. Until then, this is wild speculation and nothing more.
Everybody wants a lot on July 17. Let’s see how much he wants on July 30.
I think I buy into Sherman’s piece today. Cashman was looking for all the world to have a payroll under $200M this season, and edict I’d guess came from the bosses. They ended up around $210M by correctly making an exception to get Teixeira. But, they are already on the hook for roughly $20M in luxury tax for the season and the teams revenues for the year are nowhere close to what was projected ahead of the economic downturn. Put that on top of the prospect costs and it’s a no brainer to stay away. They are on the hook for $167M spread over 10 players for 2010. That doesn’t include arbitration figures for Bruney, Wang, and Cabrera, which would add up to another $8M to $10M. Figure another $5M – $7M in qualifying offers to the young guys (Joba, Hughes, Coke, Aceves, Gardner, etc) and you’re up around $185M. Having Halladay around puts that number up around $201M and may preclude the Yankees from pursuing the outfielder many seem to think they need next year.
I would be vary happy to see Halladay stay with the Jays or go to the NL. So long as the Sox don’t get him that is.
I’m not really sure why the Jays would deal him now anyway. Why not in the off season or during next season? To be honest the guy has not pitched well since coming off the DL and may still be hurt.
I guess if the right deal comes along you deal him knowing that you don’t have him after 2010.
The Yankees do need another starter but not another superstar. Let’s have some faith in the guys we have…
Let’s go Yankees!
I read the Sherman piece, of course, but I haven’t read Lupica in years ……..and I won’t. I didn’t read Madden’s article yesterday either.
*an edict
SJ44,
but they only own 38% of that part of the company.
Naturally if the Yankees pass on Doc, the Daily Spews will be all over Cash. Oh well – they’ve got one good writer on their staff, Mark Feinsand. Everyone else sucks.
McCallister appears to be hurt – from last thread, he was put on the DL.
disco stu
http://thunderbaseball.wordpress.com/
Sounds like dead arm
Dropping the changeup scares me, but I like that Yankees realize Phil is gaining in other areas and that they will find a way for him to develop that pitch during the off-season. Odd, Phil doesn’t seem to have a feel for it, but he’s got a feel for almost every other pitch, including the cutter (which is a very new pitch for him).
SJ, is that unusual and can Phil develop that feel?
>No team in MLB is better positioned in this economy than the Yankees.
The Yanks also fatten those revenue sharing checks.
“That’s a system I don’t particularly like. It’s a socialist system, and I don’t agree with it. Does it work? It depends on your point of view. But is it right? Is it even American? I’d argue no on both of those points.” ~Hank Steinbrenner
Bru, not sure if you’re getting the same YES network I’m getting (out of market through Verizon) but this version blacks out the games, but it does show the replays at like 1am. I was all pumped when I read the press release about Verizon picking up YES network, but it’s worth about 0 to me without the live games…
i don’t think anybody knows how much if anything the yankees are losing.
it might be a fear of the economy going forward & it not getting better.
it has to bother cashman a little if not a lot that payroll is at 210 million.
i believe he would like to see it going down even if it’s slightly.
10 hours till Yankee baseball!
Vary true statement.
SJ44
July 17th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Cash,
Where the rubber will meet the road on all of this is if JP doesn’t get what he wants outside the AL East and its getting near the deadline. If that happens, we will then find out what the “real” price will be for Doc. Until then, this is wild speculation and nothing more.
Everybody wants a lot on July 17. Let’s see how much he wants on July 30.
———————————————————–
Right now it would seem like it will take Phil/Joba, Ajax, Jesus, and another, Plus a 100mil extension.
If the price comes down to like Joba/Phil and a loweer level guy and no extension then OK.
I just can’t see them sending 4 good players and then spending another 100+mil. They didn’t do if for Santana, why do it for Halladay? Halladay is a big upgrade over Joba, but the price is vary, vary high.
Vary true statement.
SJ44
July 17th, 2009 at 8:34 am
Cash,
Where the rubber will meet the road on all of this is if JP doesn’t get what he wants outside the AL East and its getting near the deadline. If that happens, we will then find out what the “real” price will be for Doc. Until then, this is wild speculation and nothing more.
Everybody wants a lot on July 17. Let’s see how much he wants on July 30.
———————————————————–
Right now it would seem like it will take Phil/Joba, Ajax, Jesus, and another, Plus a 100mil extension.
If the price comes down to like Joba/Phil and a loweer level guy and no extension then OK.
I just can’t see them sending 4 good players and then spending another 100+mil. They didn’t do if for Santana, why do it for Halladay? Halladay is a big upgrade over Joba, but the price is vary, vary high.
The Yanks will be sharing a lot less money with other teams for the next ten years because Stadium Construction costs reduce your revenue sharing contribution. Of course ten years from now they’ll be contributing more than $ 100 Million a year, but for now the low revenue teams are essentially helping to pay for the new Stadium.
That’s another form of government re-distribution known as Corporate Welfare.
Hokiehill
very interesting.
i get mine through at & t.
i am getting on the phone right now.
i am nervous.
Hokiehill
Do you mean on verizon fios they don’t show the games live?
yeah, not trying to get you nervous, but didn’t want you to get all excited and ready to sit down for a game only to see some Yankees history video instead…the first game I tried to watch I just figured it had been rain delayed so they were showing some Yankee history…finally checked online and they were already in the 2nd inning. Not sure if the deal with AT&T is the same as Verizon…
Mike Lupica really is a big idiot, if you take a look at his stupid article today. He does not realize Wang is injured, or Joba is going through a hard time as a newbie young pitcher like many pitchers have in their careers?! All he does is whine about how the yankees spend money and its never enough. Hey its not HIS money and he should actually compliment the Steinbrenner family for being willing to spend the dough. Lupica Sucks !
86w183,
yea but they are spending 60-70M on debt service and maintenance they didn’t have to spend before this year.
Let’s not worry so much about next year; we’ve got the whole offseason to banter about that. But, I could see the Yankees just resigning Johnnie for 1 year to DH and play left 50% then go after Crawford in 2011. They have enough pop in Tex and A-Rod not to have a big power guy in LF or RF.
McAllister was placed on the DL yesterday. The below article mentions him only being the in the upper 80s during the all-star game. I thought his velocity usually was around 90-92, if so then maybe that threw up a red flag since Cashman was at the ballpark too.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/.....2671.story
“Hokiehill
Do you mean on verizon fios they don’t show the games live?”
They don’t out of market. I already had fios (which I love BTW) so it’s not like I switched just for YES, but I was disappointed when they didn’t show the live games. I still don’t get why Verizon would pay to have YES and not show the games…maybe they picked up a few subscribers from people who thought they were getting the games.
The name Lupica and anything associated with him should be banned from discussion on this blog.
“McAllister was placed on the DL yesterday. The below article mentions him only being the in the upper 80s during the all-star game. I thought his velocity usually was around 90-92, if so then maybe that threw up a red flag since Cashman was at the ballpark too”
Reads like maybe he’s going thru a dead arm period, which isn’t all that uncommon.
Lara08, thanks for posting the stories above…The sad thing is, if I didn’t come here I probably wouldn’t even hear those stories. I know the point of doing charitable work is not the recognition, but it wouldn’t hurt to loosen up the “big bad Yankees” view held by many.
Does Verizon offer the baseball package like DirecTV and other providers? If so that explains why they don’t show YES games live to out of market subscribers.
Hughes really does need to work on his change up when he gets back to the rotation.
He’s never really had a feel for it. But a good change up that he can command will take Hughes’ game to the next level when he goes back to the rotation.
This was yet another reason why I wasn’t thrilled about Hughes going to the pen. You could see this coming a mile away and I said the day they made that decision that he was going to put that change on the back burner.
“Does Verizon offer the baseball package like DirecTV and other providers? If so that explains why they don’t show YES games live to out of market subscribers.”
I believe so…
Why is the trade deadline when it is? And when was it established?
I am curious.
The division and wild card series have ensured that more teams will be vying for post-season play. Parity among teams as it is evident this season, with so many teams not even close to “out of it” at the all-star break ensures that more teams will be vying for a playoff spot for a longer period of time than we’re used to seeing.
Teams are not going to be so eager to trade players away.
Has the luxury tax contributed to this parity? And can a side effect of the luxury tax be seen in a less active trade market at this years deadline?
All the systems that have been set up to give all baseball teams as equal an opportunity to compete in the post-season as possible seem to really hurt historically successful teams. If you win, especially if you post a winning record year after year, you get hurt by not being able to get very good draft picks, so you have to rely on players (mostly pitchers) “falling,” and your hopes of every drafting an Evan Longoria type are nil. If you are financially sound enough to be able to pay free agents, you are taxed if you exceed an arbitrary salary figure. The road most open to you would be trade, but with parity, trades will certainly be down.
I think this is pretty interesting. And perhaps if I was a follower of a team like the Pirates I would look at it in an entirely different light. But it sure seems that teams that do well, either on the field or financially are at least somewhat penalized.
The other route for getting promising young players is becoming compromised by corruption – the Latin American market.
I’m surprised no one commented on the story about that 1971 Topps baseball card set. After I read it I wondered about the picture on that Cookie Rojas baseball card. It was obviously taken at Yankee Stadium. So I tracked it down–
August 16, 1970, Yankees vs Royals. Yankees won 5-1, Stan Bahnsen pitched a complete game victory. That picture was taken in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Yankee sliding was #9, Ron Woods, and it was the start of a 6-4-3 DP, started by a grounder to short by our very own Gene “Stick” Michael. Attendance that day was 13,200– for a Sunday afternoon game in the middle of August, how times have changed!
I don’t know how long there’s been a trading deadline but the reasoning behind it is to keep teams from altering pennant races with late acquisitions. After the July 31 deadline you have another month to make deals involving players who clear waivers and have them for thepost season. The 40-man roster for post-season is frozen on September 1st.
I would like to see them have a firm August 15th deadline that freezes the roster for the rest of the season. That would actually hurt wealthier teams, but would be fairer.
The NBA and NFL has deadlines much earlier in the season.
Luxury taxes have nothing to do with competitive balance. That money is retained by MLB for marketing and other common endeavors. The revenue sharing is what is designed for competitive balance and the Yankees have been the biggest contributor… however they won’t be for a few years since their revenue sharing contribution is reduced by new Stadium construction costs/debt service.
“Has the luxury tax contributed to this parity? And can a side effect of the luxury tax be seen in a less active trade market at this years deadline?”
No, it hasn’t. Since 2003, only four teams have had to pay it. Tigers and Angels each had to pay it one year and it was about $1M each. Boston’s paid about $15M over since ‘03 and the Yankees somewhere around $150M. That’s pretty small change.
The parity is about revenue sharing, which involves much larger sums of money than the luxury tax does.
86:
I’m not certain the Yankees still won’t be the biggest contributor to the revenue sharing program, but their contribution is reduced significantly with the stadium.
Steve B.
Have the Mets paid the Luxury tax?
-dennis
I’m going to throw something off topic out there :
Swapping Derek Jeter and Robinson Cano defensively. Jeter at 2B, Cano at SS. Thoughts?
I hated it at first, but then thought about it, and I kind of like it. Cano does have some nice range, an impressive arm, and while he’d never be a Gold Glover, I think he could be in the top 25% of shortstops defensively. It also assures Jeter a spot for the rest of his career, because he should be able to handle second base and we’ve never really been fretting about his bat…
You know – I really thought I had mastered the luxury tax/revenue sharing difference.
(I really do know the different, I just side-tracked myself.)
My thinking was that this is a very odd year in that there are so many teams, especially in the AL, that are still in competition for a place in the post-season, which has an effect on whether or not and how many players may be available via trade. So I thought that if this is going to be a new trend, perhaps the trade deadline should reflect that it will take longer for teams to drop out and be willing to enter into trades. I did forget about the waiver period, though.
And maybe this year is just an anomaly. But, the Yankees are not the only ones who may find it harder to make a trade to reinforce their team going into the final run.
At least while they have stadium debt the Yankees won’t be putting as much into revenue sharing. But that luxury tax is a killer.
So whatever financial calculus exists for establishing parity in the first place is working, apparently.
Oh, and I stand by my premise that teams that are consistently successful on the field and/or financially are penalized.
I believe the team that wins the World Series should get the first draft pick the following year, and then do it the way they’ve been doing it.
Stumbled across this to give me the idea:
http://www.prosportsdaily.com/.....?p=8148660
I could see the Yankees just resigning Johnnie for 1 year
—
I don’t.
The Yankees need to get younger.
I think Damon, Matsui, Pettitte and obviously Nady will be off the books.
I want to see them sign Figgins instead of Damon because Figgins is healthier, younger, faster and better equipped to lead off.
I also would like Cashman (or his replacement) to sign Rafael Soriano. He’s 29 and ready to close. When Mo retires, he’d come in handy.
Figgins is also more versatile defensively.
Neither Joel Sherman or Lupica has access to the books of the Yankees and are no authority as such.
Should the Yankees deal for Halladay, they’ll be the 1st to say it was a bad deal.
Carl, Thanks for posting the link to the Phil Hughes article. Interesting stuff.
“I want to see them sign Figgins instead of Damon because Figgins is healthier, younger, faster and better equipped to lead off.”
Figgins will also be 32 years old when next season begins and for a guy who’s main weapon is his legs I don’t want to overpay for him.
Damon is twice the hitter Figgins will ever be. Chone kills the Yanks but he sucks against everyone else, I don’t want him.
I’m hoping that the Rays don’t pick up Crawford’s option, but they will. It’d be nice to have an OF with Crawford, Gardner/Jackson, Cabrera/Swisher. Lots of options, great defense, decent enough hitting.
Oh well, it’s just a dream because the Rays will more than likely pick up Carl’s option.
If the Yankees don’t trade for Halladay, maybe they will sign Bedard to round out the rotation next year.
Sabathia, AJ, Wang, Bedard and Hughes/Joba ain’t too shabby of a rotation.
One of Hughes/Joba could be a late inning reliever to go with Mo, R. Soriano, Bruney and Coke.
For no prospects at all, the Yankees can add Bedard, R. Soriano, Figgins and Aroldis Chapman.
I wouldn’t feel completely devestated if Halladay goes to an NL team. It’s bad for 2009 but beyond that, we have enough money coming off the books and plenty of prospects in the system to improve in 2010 and beyond.
Yanks do need to keep as many good young players as possible if they can. Both Joba and Phil in the bullpen would make for a nasty ‘pen for a long time. Joba would need to be replaced in the rotation with Mitre and another if Wang is out long term.
Figgins will also be 32 years old when next season begins and for a guy who’s main weapon is his legs I don’t want to overpay for him.
—
No biggie. Damon will be 36. 4 years makes a huge difference for a baseball player in his 30’s.
Figgins has mainly played 3rd base the last few seasons. If he can’t play LF for the Yankees, I don’t see much value in getting him especially if he wants a 3-4 year contract.
Don’t overvalue a player just because he plays well against you.
“No biggie. Damon will be 36. 4 years makes a huge difference for a baseball player in his 30’s.”
It’s a biggie to me because I don’t want Damon either.
Figgins is a career .292 leadoff hitter. I’m not overvaluing him at all. I think you are overvaluing Damon’s abilities as a 36 year old. Every year he is banged up. Every year he is inconsistent.
Figgins can play LF blindfolded.
Reading Mike Lupica is like having a friend who comes to your house and tells you your contractor doesn’t know what they are doing, you overpaid on your new car and your kids are slackers yet you still invite them back to your next party.
Doreen
Revenue sharing is going to be a very interesting thing after this season.
Both the Yanks and the Mets, who are among the largest contributors, are going to have stadium exemptions which are going to impact the amount of revenue distributed to the smaller market teams going into 2010.
It’s a temporary situation but some people may need to clip a few coupons next year to make ends meet.
By the way, you give me a solid run producer at 32 years old who can still competently field his position, I have little problem giving him a 3-4 contract depending on a specific player.
However, give me a top of a lineup 32 year old that is strictly dependent on his legs is another matter.
This is why the Yanks need to keep guys like Austin Jackson instead of trading them away.
Their best options via free agency are going to be guys like Matt Holliday and Chone Figgins.
That’s why you don’t gut the farm for Roy Halladay. They need these younger kids for themselves.
They need a one year stopgap in LF next season and hopefully they can get a guy worthy of a 4-5 year deal like Carl Crawford after 2010.
Posada isn’t getting any younger either and his workload needs to diminish as well.
Montero could be part of the team next season behind the plate for a few dozen games and at DH.
Those who continue to bang the Halladay drum and don’t care if the Yanks gut the farm to get him don’t realize how much they hurt themselves in the long run trading away young kids they probably need for themselves.
“Figgins is a career .292 leadoff hitter. I’m not overvaluing him at all. I think you are overvaluing Damon’s abilities as a 36 year old. Every year he is banged up. Every year he is inconsistent.
Figgins can play LF blindfolded.”
What part of “I don’t want Damon either” you can’t understand.
Yes, you’re overvaluing him by letting his play against the Yankees cloud your judgement. Hopefully, Cashman won’t do the same thing.
However, give me a top of a lineup 32 year old that is strictly dependent on his legs is another matter.
—
I think his range in LF won’t be diminished by his age for at least 1 more year and probably 2.
I’d sign him to a 3 year deal with the idea of transitioning him to the bench after 2010. After 2010 the Yankees can sign Carl Crawford and make Figgins a super-sub.
His defensive versatility should remain an asset for 3 years.
“Those who continue to bang the Halladay drum and don’t care if the Yanks gut the farm to get him don’t realize how much they hurt themselves in the long run trading away young kids they probably need for themselves.”
I would trade one WS this year or next for any of those farm hands.
What part of “I don’t want Damon either” you can’t understand.
—
Chill out. I missed your post about that before I responded.
“I think his range in LF won’t be diminished by his age for at least 1 more year and probably 2.
I’d sign him to a 3 year deal with the idea of transitioning him to the bench after 2010. After 2010 the Yankees can sign Carl Crawford and make Figgins a super-sub.
His defensive versatility should remain an asset for 3 years.”
Figgins isn’t a super sub. He plays 3rd base, not good, but he plays it and he plays the outfield, mainly CF. I wouldn’t dare stick him at any other infielder position and probably not RF.
I think the Rays will pick up Crawford’s option and then look to trade him. Zobrist is probably their long-term LF and Crawford will have excellent value. They are near their limit payroll-wise and have other considerations including a HUGE arbitration increase for Garza.
Figgins is someone you’d love to have, but I think Cash is right.. he’s going to get overpaid by someone.
I’ve felt all along Damon returns for something in range of $ 7-8 Million but the others don’t. He DHs about half the time and plays some LF and gets regular rest. That free up more than $ 35 Million from what they are paying for Damon, Matsui, Nady, Pettite and Molina this year.
They need a one year stopgap in LF next season and hopefully they can get a guy worthy of a 4-5 year deal like Carl Crawford after 2010.
—
Figgins for 1 year stopgap and then 1 or 2 more years on the bench.
He plays 3rd base, not good
—
With Arod’s hip, yes good.
“Chill out. I missed your post about that before I responded.”
You’re the one that needs to chill out about your Figgins lovefest.;)
Cash is King July 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am
“Those who continue to bang the Halladay drum and don’t care if the Yanks gut the farm to get him don’t realize how much they hurt themselves in the long run trading away young kids they probably need for themselves.”
I would trade one WS this year or next for any of those farm hands.
———–
Try again. Halladay doesn’t guarantee you a WS ring.
“With Arod’s hip, yes good.”
The Yankees have younger and cheaper options than him if need be.
“Try again. Halladay doesn’t guarantee you a WS ring.”
There are no guarantees in sports which is why I didn’t use the word. So perhaps you need to try again.
Figgins is someone you’d love to have, but I think Cash is right.. he’s going to get overpaid by someone.
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Unless Yankees fans are dictating Figgin’s value then the market will act in a rationale manner. I can’t name a team that would overpay for him. Can you?
First of all, Figgins is not a competent run producer. You guys should probably actually LOOK at his stats before you decide you want him.
From 2006-2009 (his time with the Yankees) Damon has OPS’d .841, .747, .836, .872.
In that same period of time Figgins has OPS’d .712, .825, .685, .806.
Even though Damon is 4 years older than Figgins he is a far superior offensive player.
I don’t really want either in 2010.
Bret the Hitman July 17th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Figgins for 1 year stopgap and then 1 or 2 more years on the bench.
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Uh, no.
They already have a guy like that. His name is Brett Gardner, who may or may not be an everyday player himself.
I love Gardner, but the book is still out on him.
The Yankees have younger and cheaper options than him if need be.
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None that can play LF and leadoff for a season. Ramiro Pena is more suited for shortstop than 3b.
They already have a guy like that. His name is Brett Gardner
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I think Figgins is a better ballplayer than Gardner.
I’m thinking of using Figgins in an outfield rotation next year with Jackson, Melky, Gardner and Swisher.
-also as a backup 3b mainly and emergency middle infielder.
Cash,
This was your response:
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I would trade one WS this year or next for any of those farm hands.
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Getting Halladay doesn’t guarantee anything. They still have to play the games.
The Yanks were supposed to be unstoppable after acquiring A-Rod and that hasn’t exactly turned out like we expected.
Figgins will want $ 10 Million annually and at least three years. You don’t pay that for a guy who might play LF for a year and then be a super sub. He’s a nice player, but not for that money.
What’s with the “gut the system” comments regarding Halladay. Has anyone anywhere suggested sending the top five prospects in the organization to Toronto? I haven’t seen it. If an ace pitcher can be had fortwo of the top five and one or two of the next ten, that’s not “gutting” the system. Hyperbole is not truth.
Figgins will want $ 10 Million annually and at least three years.
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No biggie. Abreu wanted 3 years 45 million and got 1 year 5 mil in this economy.
I can’t name a team that will give Figgins, Juan-Pierre money.
G. Franco,
If not Halladay, then how would you construct your rotation next year?
Bret the Hitman July 17th, 2009 at 10:07 am
I think Figgins is a better ballplayer than Gardner.
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Figgins may be better right now but he’s also 6 years older and will cost at least five times as much as Gardner.
You also can’t have two center fielders with no power playing the outfield.
Cashman would never sign Figgins to play LF.
G. Franco,
How would you construct your OF for next year?
The Angels will try to keep him for a lot more than one year and $ 5 million. They guy hasn’t played LF since 2006, and has less than 40 games there in his career but you’re pencilling him as an everday LF and leadoff hitter? That’s odd.
It’s nice that you like him more than Damon, but Johnny is a vastly superior hitter. Figgins is a speedy Mark DeRosa.
Bret the Hitman July 17th, 2009 at 10:14 am
G. Franco,
If not Halladay, then how would you construct your rotation next year?
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Why don’t we wait and see how this season turns out before we worry about next season’s rotation?
But as of right now, it will probably be Sabathia, Burnett, Wang (depending how the rest of the year goes), Joba and Hughes.
The Angels will try to keep him for a lot more than one year and $ 5 million. They guy hasn’t played LF since 2006, and has less than 40 games there in his career but you’re pencilling him as an everday LF and leadoff hitter? That’s odd.
It’s nice that you like him more than Damon, but Johnny is a vastly superior hitter. Figgins is a speedy Mark DeRosa.
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They can put Melky in LF and Figgins in CF. I want Figgins in an OF rotation with Melky, Gardner, Jackson and Swisher. If I felt confident Jackson will be ready in 2010, I wouldn’t sign Figgins but rather go with an OF of Melky in LF, Jackson in CF and Swisher in RF with Gardner as the 4th OF.
Cashman will not sign Figgins. Forget it.
But as of right now, it will probably be Sabathia, Burnett, Wang (depending how the rest of the year goes), Joba and Hughes.
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With Joba + Hughes in that rotation, I think you can understand the cause for concern among fans and the pining for Halladay.
If they don’t land Halladay, I want Bedard in the rotation and one of Joba/Hughes in the pen.
With all the questions and concerns surrounding the 2009 rotation, you would go into 2010 with the exact same crew (minus Pettitte).
That’s a big N-O to Bedard.
Terrible clubhouse guy and he’s always hurt.
Cashman will not sign Figgins. Forget it.
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Figgins.
Figgins.
Figgins.
Giuseppe Franco July 17th, 2009 at 10:22 am
That’s a big N-O to Bedard.
Terrible clubhouse guy and he’s always hurt.
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But still…
With all the questions and concerns surrounding the 2009 rotation, you would go into 2010 with the exact same crew (minus Pettitte)?
Bret the Hitman July 17th, 2009 at 10:23 am
With all the questions and concerns surrounding the 2009 rotation, you would go into 2010 with the exact same crew (minus Pettitte)?
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So you’re solution is to sign a guy who can’t stay healthy?
That doesn’t seem too wise.
There are 70+ games to play the rest of the season. A lot can change between now and then.
Some of these questions may solve themselves.
Bret the Hitman
July 17th, 2009 at 10:15 am
G. Franco,
How would you construct your OF for next year?
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5 Outfielders :
Melky/Swisher LF/RF, Gardner/Ajax CF, Manny part time DH/LF
Posada part time DH/C, Cervelli/Montero C
Manny? LOL.
That’s not going to happen.
Hey Ray,
Forgot about Manny! LOL!
But nooooooo, they had to sign Teixeira.
“Getting Halladay doesn’t guarantee anything. They still have to play the games.
The Yanks were supposed to be unstoppable after acquiring A-Rod and that hasn’t exactly turned out like we expected.”
GF,
You and I can go round and round on this and neither of us is going to change the other’s view on it. So I’m going to be brief with my response and then I’m moving on to other topics.
I think acquiring Halladay improves the Yankees chances to win a WS this year and next. However, I’ve been going to baseball games for 50 years so I know better then to ever use the word “guarantee” because as you say they still have to play the games. At this point, I’ll trade another WS title or two for any of those prospects. Does acquiring Halladay guarantee that result? No, but it moves the needle closer for them to do so.
Anyhow, it doesn’t matter what we think anyway because Cashman isn’t going to overpay for Halladay while the Phillies get an opportunity to acquire him for a lesser package.
Some of these questions may solve themselves.
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Sorry but, to the naked eye, it does not appear that Joba or Hughes will solve himself. They have set no precedent to lead any of us to believe that both can be trusted with a rotation spot in 2009.
Anyhow, it doesn’t matter what we think anyway because Cashman isn’t going to overpay for Halladay while the Phillies get an opportunity to acquire him for a lesser package.
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It’s looking that way, Cash.
2010
Bret the Hitman July 17th, 2009 at 10:34 am
Sorry but, to the naked eye, it does not appear that Joba or Hughes will solve himself. They have set no precedent to lead any of us to believe that both can be trusted with a rotation spot in 2009.
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Sorry, but Cashman isn’t structuring his 2010 rotation before they’ve played a game in the second half of 2009.
Worry about next year’s rotation during the offseason. It doesn’t make any sense to do it now because anything can happen over the next three months.
Bret, you’re not suggesting that missing out on Halladay means we should start to focus on 2010 are you?
Bret, you’re not suggesting that missing out on Halladay means we should start to focus on 2010 are you?
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My line of thinking here is that the Yankees need Halladay for more than just 2009 considering the performance of Joba + Hughes. If they don’t acquire a starter by the deadline, they’re more likely to buy one on the free agent market for 2010 and beyond. Bedard might be the best available.
The Yankees might even be thinking that they can go with their current staff for 2009, keep all of their prospects and add Bedard + Chapman to the roster next year for money alone.
Would you rather have Bedard + Chapman + Joba/Hughes + Jackson + Romine or Roy Halladay?
Let me make this really simple. Chone Figgins sucks, the Yankees will not sign him.
Price is too high for halladay. There are a lot of miles on that used car.
Patrick the Prospect Hugger
July 17th, 2009 at 10:46 am
Let me make this really simple. Chone Figgins sucks, the Yankees will not sign him.
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Patrick – I don’t think I’d say Figgins sucks, but I can appreciate the spirit of what you are saying.
Fans fall in love with other teams’ players; they create legendary abilities for them, and then fixate on us acquiring them.
Figgins is old, he is not a great defensive player, despite his flair for making the dramatic “athletic” play from time to time, and he strikes out an awful lot.
It’s not that players come here and suck, it’s that once they’re ours, we get to see them regularly and realize, like the players we complain about because we see them so often, those deified players also have weaknesses.
Figgins’ age alone disqualifies him. You’re right. We are not signing Chone Figgins, lol.