Sixteen minutes with Curtis Granderson
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- December
- 9
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When a traded baseball player speaks to the media for the first time, you expect him to give a generic comment about how great he expects the new fans to be. Curtis Granderson was no different during tonight’s conference call, except he had a specific example in mind.
“I think New York’s fan base is probably one of the most knowledgeable about tradition and the team,” he said. “Case in point, when I was walking around with Marcus Thames one time, a police officer pointed him out and said, ‘Hey, that’s Marcus Thames. First at-bat home run against Randy Johnson.’ It just amazed me that we’re walking down the middle of the street in Manhattan, there’s a ton of people walking on the street and this guy picked him out — not in uniform — and remembered that bit about him. That’s part’s probably going to be the most interesting because people know it and they study it and they learn it and they want to be all about New York.”
It’s tough to know much about a guy based on a 16-minute phone call, but Granderson seemed excited to get this phase of his career started. He’s played in New York during fairly meaningless regular season games, and he’s played in New York during the playoffs. He spoke at length about his Grand Kids Foundation and the idea of bringing it to the city. He called himself an “adaptor” who can hit pretty much anywhere in the lineup, steal a bag when he needs to and “can sneak in and do some positive things for our team.”
Granderson played against Robinson Cano coming up through the minors, and he played with Derek Jeter in the World Baseball Classic. Otherwise, he doesn’t seem to have a close relationship with many of the current Yankees, except one.
“Me and Swisher have played against one another when he was with Oakland,” Granderson said. “And with him playing first base, for some reason we clicked very well. Getting on first base, we would have full conversations throughout the game. Even in the American League Championship Series, Andy Van Slyke, our former first-base coach with the Tigers, had to calm us down because we were in full conversation.”
• The number 28. Granderson said he wore it in college and he’s worn it most of his major league career, but if Joe Girardi wants it, it’s his. “He’s the one that makes everything go, so he’s definitely going to have first dibs on it,” Granderson said. Granderson started laughing when he told us the two numbers that he wore when he was younger: 2 and 8. “Those aren’t options either,” he said.
• Cashman said Granderson is the Yankees center fielder. He does not foresee a situation in which Granderson becomes the left fielder.
• As for the batting order. Granderson said he’s comfortable hitting anywhere. Cashman said the Yankees will discuss it this winter, but right now he sees Granderson batting second against right-handed starters and “in the back of the lineup” against left-handed starters.
• Granderson was quickly asked what he can do to cut down on the strikeouts and hit better against lefties: “It’s going to be just a transition to try to continue to try to figure out what’s causing it,” he said. “There’s a simple answer to that: Don’t hit with two strikes. Of course, that would be the easiest and obvious one. But when it comes down to the actual mechanical and mental changes we have to make in the game, that’s going to come over time I think, and getting to be around hitters that have proven to be consistent hitters like a Jeter, like a Teixeira, like an A-Rod whose strikeout numbers are down, who can hit against both pitchers up there — Teixeira, of course, being a switch hitter. To see guys like Robinson Cano, who’s a guy I played against coming up all the way through the minor league system and has had great success batting against left-handers. Hopefully I can learn a lot of things from him and the rest of the Yankees offensive lineup there. Make strides moving forward, that’s what I always want to do. Just improve on something.”
• Cashman’s take on Granderson’s struggles against lefties: “He has hit lefties before,” Cashman said. “He was obviously very bad last year. We’ll have to wait and see. Kevin Long will work with him. If you look at video from a scouting perspective, you can’t really see any reason why, and a lot of times you can (with other players). In his case, it’s more of a head scratcher. There’s nothing you can see that explains why he didn’t hit left handers.”
• If Johnny Damon were to be re-signed, Cashman said Damon would likely return to the No. 2 spot in the order and Granderson would move into a more run-producing spot in the lineup.
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on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 9:10 pm by Chad Jennings.
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Sam Borden
Thanks Chad
ps good to hear your voice.
HA-HA why am I not surprised that Swish would have a full conversation with someone during the game.
Sounds good to me. I was a little ambivalent about the trade at first, but I’m really warming to it the more I think and read about it.
Granderson’s gonna be a very popular Yankee.
He certainly comes across as a likable guy. I look forward to seeing what he does with the team.
Loved reading Granderson’s blog back when he wrote for ESPN. Always seemed like a great, knowledgeable guy. I’m really glad he’s now on the Yanks!
I suppose ESPN will now have to drop his column…
I really liked reading Granderson’s positive comments to his old club as well as sounding like he knows the Yankees very well, even if it isn’t a close relationship.
I think this can work out very well for the Yankees. I like his playing and think he will work hard to improve his game.
I like it. I like it all. Seems like a really great guy. Will fit right in. I like that the Yankees are open to moving him around. I like that he’s comfortable hitting anywhere. And not shy about stealing a bag.
Rich, from the last thread. That’s why I want to keep Gardy around. He won’t set the world on fire, but every championship team needs role players.
http://www.wfan.com/pages/223566.php
Audio of CG if you want it.
I want to go buy his T-shirt! The Yankees need to have the PC so he can pick a number!
“I suppose ESPN will now have to drop his column…”
Not a problem. This is just opening up a column for one of their many morons to write.
“vinny, I live fairly close to Canada, the border crossing has gotten very tough. When you do travel to Canada you feel like you are a long way from the US. Amazing how different it can be just a few miles across the border”
———————————————
yes. When had entered Canada over Thanksgving via the Windsor border was talked down to by the canadian guard and not treated like a human being. Didn’t even say anything to have antagonized him. All i did was show him my license and passport. He then designated me for ’secondary examination’ where the entire vehicle was searched by canadian customs.
to be fair, i received similar treatment (complete vehicle search) at the US-Buffalo border. However, at least the US guards were professional. In the end, i don’t know if the guards didn’t like my face, the white Lexus i was in, or all of the above?
Is there audio anywhere on this?
“Gardner is not a good hitter right now, but I wouldn’t give up on him. He’s barely played a full season? But he fits the bill for the 4OF/pinch runner role that any team needs. Cheap and athletic”
————————————-
totally agree, m
Canadians can be very friendly, but I’ve also met up with a number who are very anti-American. Their attitude reminds me of how some Bostonians feel about New Yorkers.
vinny-b,
And besides, if Gardy goes, SB would plummet to dead last. Oh..wait, Granderson can steal a bit, too, no?
Gardy’s a pretty good hitter once he gets going. But it feels like he has to start from scratch at the start of every season or when he’s coming off an injury. Mid-season this year before he got hurt, he looked very good indeed.
m
yes. Granderson is an excellent baserunner. You have to be to net 23 triples in one season
still, prefer to retain Gardner as a 4th OF’er
Girardi’s numbers before the ASB made him one of the top CFs in the game. Check the numbers.
Well if Damon comes back, Curtis slips into the 5 hole I suppose …..
What I heard was Granderson in the 2-hole against RHP and late in the lineup against LHP.
If only Robbie could hit with/RISP.
Without Matsui, we have no one to protect Alex….
Girardi was playing Center Field? How did I miss this?
Granderson doesn’t steal a lot of bases. I think it has to do with how he runs. He isn’t a sprinter, he has a pretty long stride. Sprinters move their legs more in shorter steps and get up to speed quicker.
Gardner is more of a sprinter. Both Granderson and Gardner on the bases should score a decent number of runs.
“The number 28. Granderson said he wore it in college and he’s worn it most of his major league career, but if Joe Girardi wants it, it’s his. “He’s the one that makes everything go, so he’s definitely going to have first dibs on it,” Granderson said. Granderson started laughing when he told us the two numbers that he wore when he was younger: 2 and 8. “Those aren’t options either,” he said”
—————————————————-
he has to be given #28
“If only Robbie could hit with/RISP.”
He will.
Pat, thats a possibility I guess. However, as much as I like Granderson I can’t see teams pitching to Alex very often if he’s hitting behing him.
Dave,
I know he took some blow behind the plate, but I didn’t realize that Girardi took the field, too.
vinny-b,
I was just joking about Granderson. Of course he can steal!
Phil,
The book on Gardner is that it took him a while to adjust to each level. I don’t think he’s a finished hitter by any stretch of the imagination.
Holla December 9th, 2009 at 9:33 pm
Without Matsui, we have no one to protect Alex….
__________
Posada would probably be batting behind Alex. If Robbie can hit better with RISP he would be good to hit behind Alex.
I agree though that Matsui is better for that role.
Blake, I’ve been concerned about the 5 hole ever since Matsui filed for free agency
I would like to see Long get Gardner to stop uppercutting the ball.
I said it yesterday.. Cash is stealth and don’t count Holliday out.
http://twitter.com/stevehenson.....6511044330
Sounds like the Red Sox are going to be paying Lowell most of his salary to play elsewhere. That’s going to hurt.
December 9th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
“Pat, thats a possibility I guess. However, as much as I like Granderson I can’t see teams pitching to Alex very often if he’s hitting behing him.”
Maybe early – but I don’t think that it is a stretch to project 40 Hrs for Granderson given Yankee Stadium’s dimensions. If Damon could rake, Granderson will be even better imho.
Jeter
Cameron
Teixeria
Rodriguez
Granderson
Posada
Cano
Swisher
DH? Miranda? Cervelli?
Sox can sign Beltre to play 3rd… big upgrade for them.
Beltre at 3rd, Bay in the OF. They are good to go.
The Yankees are over Cameron.
Pat. There is nobody on the current roster that teams won’t just pitch around Arod to get to. If Arod is locked in and patient like he was in the playoffs then he’ll take the walks but if players behind him aren’t producing then he will expand the zone and start to chase pitches and try to do it himself. I think they need Matsui or someone like Holliday to hit behind him. I would cross Damon off the list because Granderson can take his place. If they sign another hitter it needs to be someone to hit in the #5 hole.
More like:
Jeter
Granderson
Teixeria
Rodriguez
Matsui (Yes he will come cheap)
Holliday
Posada
Cano
Swisher
“But he fits the bill for the 4OF/pinch runner”
From last thread-
Pinch runner- absolutely
OF? He’s played 17 games in LF and 0 games in RF. He’s a replacement CF.
If you think Melky is going to get too expensive, that means he’ll be putting up the numbers to do so. If he’s as bad as some people here seem to think, why would they pay him more?
Let the Sox have Beltre. Career 325 OBP and walks something like 5 percent of the time.
“lost in Holliday”
That certainly is a nasty lineup. I don’t think they will sign both Holliday and Matsui though. Maybe not either. If they do go after Holliday I think the DH will be filled from within.
I’ll leave you with one last bit..
Swisher was our everyday right fielder last year because Nady was on DL. Everyone is aware of his defensive woes in RF. Don’t expect him to be the everyday RF. He may platoon with Melky, if Melky sticks around. If Matsui does not come back, Swisher would DH mostly.
*night
Giradi needs to keep his number “27″ and give curtis his 28 for crying out loud.
Gardner’s offensive peak came on 6/26 when he went 5-6 against the Mets pushing his BA over 300. He then went into a deep slump for a full month before he got hurt on 7/25. Can’t blame that on the injury. Seemed to be more of a case of the league paying more attention to him and his not being able to adjust.
Beltre isn’t a significant upgrade over Lowell. Lowell is probably still a better hitter. The reports say Boston will have to pay a ton of Lowell’s salary to send him to the Rangers..doesn’t sound too smart to me, but who am I to question the genious Theo.
Swisher > Nady (both offensively and defensively), so that worked out. If they can upgrade, great. But Swisher won’t platoon with Melky.
I like Garnder but he’s not an everyday player in the big leagues. He’s a great bench player and pinch runner though which is valuable.
pat,
I’m not sure, but don’t players generally get a raise in arbitration?
I’m just looking at it like this. If we get a LF (Damon or other) and that moves melky back to being the 4OF, then the $3-4M he would be making is too much imo.
Now if they could move Swisher, I suppose they would then Melky’s salary would be reasonable.
But if they move Swisher, they also move his 25-30 homeruns, too.
been reading without posting for past couple days and some of the moves people are proposing are hilarious. david dejesus? where has it been said dejesus is available? ryan church? why would the yankees be so inclined to sign a mets/braves reject in church when they have melky and gardner? the same goes for mike cameron. cameron was only mentioned as an option before they signed curtis.
I really hope they hang onto Swisher. I was a fan of his even before he became a Yankee. I think he brings more to a team than just his production on the field. He has an affordable contract for his value and he can play 1B if heaven forbid Tex got hurt.
Gardner’s OPS in May was .955 (52 AB)
His OPS in June was .918 (48 AB)
July could have been a slump, because no one expects him to be .900 OPS guy. We don’t know.
If the Sox pick up Beltre and send Lowell packing while picking up the tab for him, it is costing the Sox about 23 million for 3rd base this year. The defense might be better but I’m not sure the offense is an upgrade.
timo
December 9th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
Gardner’s offensive peak came on 6/26 when he went 5-6 against the Mets pushing his BA over 300. He then went into a deep slump for a full month before he got hurt on 7/25. Can’t blame that on the injury. Seemed to be more of a case of the league paying more attention to him and his not being able to adjust.
=====
He’s just not a ML hitter. He is positively overmatched when it comes to hard throwers. His so-called plate discipline is more a matter of passivity than any kind of self-possessed patience.
He’s a PR. He needs an escort to 1B.
The Sox are after Beltre? A guy who was dumb enough to leave the family jewels vulnerable by not wearing a cup? Yeah, I’m really worried…NOT!
Lowell is one of their leaders too. He’s big in their clubhouse from what I’ve heard.
Angels will be looking at Beltre and his gold glove and 25 hr’s…..
Another reason why melky would be hard to move, too, imo is his salary is going to surpass his value at some point in the (near) future.
I think Gardner would become more valuable if he learned how to bunt. With his speed he should be able to get more infield hits than he does.
“Sox can sign Beltre to play 3rd… big upgrade for them.”
Under his contract Beltre made more than Lowell last year and didn’t put up his numbers, although he is five years younger and presumably healthier. Still can’t legitimately explain his last year (2004) with the Dodgers – 48 HRs? He hit 23 the year before and 19 the year after and never close since. Could it have been the effects of the “Dominican milkshake,” like the one Papi used to drink?
Hey Gardner “is one of the best bunters in baseball” -Tim McArver
Nice honest answers by both Granderson and Cashman..
“The Sox are after Beltre? A guy who was dumb enough to leave the family jewels vulnerable by not wearing a cup? Yeah, I’m really worried…NOT”
———————————-
lmao
Wouldn’t it be a riot if the Red Sox do trade Lowell away and find out Beltre is signed by the Angels already?
Of course they could move Youkilis to third and hunt for a 1st baseman, or get a catcher and move Martinez to 1st, but it would mess up their plans.
Beltre is a defensive upgrade for the Sox but a think they are a wash offensively. Lowell is a clutch hitter and has gotten a lot of big hits for them. I also wonder if Beltre can replace Lowell’s leadership and presence in the clubhouse.
“I’m not sure, but don’t players generally get a raise in arbitration?”
He’s likely to get a raise because the numbers he put up in 2009 are worth more than the $1.4 million he was paid.
How much will depend on what number the Yanks and his agent value him at and what the arbitor thinks is more reasonable.
They could also negotiate a contract with him before it gets to arbitration if they can have a meeting of the minds on a number.
Swisher > Nady (both offensively and defensively), so that worked out. If they can upgrade, great. But Swisher won’t platoon with Melky.
————————————————————–
the bleacher creatures wouldn’t have it any other way
murphydog, everytime I see a big change in power numbers like that I question vitamin and supplement use.
I guess it is possible, but you would think there would be other high seasons than one blip like that.
Question, if they sign Beltre then that must mean they are planning on leaving Youk at first and Catching the can’t throw anybody out combo of Varitek and Victor? Boston’s pitchers better work on the ole slide step this winter.
Abdababdaserser
December 9th, 2009 at 9:55 pm
I think Gardner would become more valuable if he learned how to bunt. With his speed he should be able to get more infield hits than he does.
======
That is puzzling. As for infield hits, this guy has an upper-cut swing. How did that happen?
He doesn’t use his legs at all at the plate. Not sure what that is all about – he certainly doesn’t have the power for that swing. If he sticks around, Kevin Long needs to get through to him that he needs to hit the ball on the ground.
Simon
December 9th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Wow, Buster Olney just said if Damon comes back we’re gonna look to flip Swisher. Then Jason Stark said KC called to see if Gardner was available. If Damon comes back something’s gotta give, and for sure, I’d rather see Swisher or Gardner go before Melky. I still can’t believe I was hearing “trade Melky” yesterday…
=====================================
It’s wishing & hoping.
….however – no one wants Melky.
Zero interest.
No one can even come up with a hypothetical trade of equal value for him !
Rather see Swisher or Gardner be traded than Melky ???
(must be a Boston Fan – or someone with a cute little man-crush on Melky – cannot be a baseball reason behind that wish)
blake, they still have the “C” to provide leadership.
Its harder to lead from the bench
pat,
No, I understand that part. Better performance=bigger bump in salary.
But apart from added value, you get a pay increase just for being alive for one more year.
If melky is a starter, then he’ll be valuable. But if he’s a 4OF, then I think he’ll be overvalued.
nature boy,
Its been said a lot of places. Google dejesus and see what happens.
Beltre plays Gold Glove D and hits 25 HRs… do not want to see him in Boston.
He is also a Yankee killer
Rich in NJ
December 9th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Gardner’s OPS in May was .955 (52 AB)
His OPS in June was .918 (48 AB)
July could have been a slump, because no one expects him to be .900 OPS guy. We don’t know.
_________________________________________
He got a fair number of walks in May and June (16 in 100 ABs). In September he got only two in 41 ABS and his OPS disappeared. To me, that’s the league adjusting.
Bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes I agree about Gardner’s swing.
It may be just habit. I recall Long working on his using his legs more, which seemed to help, but he isn’t consistent with it.
In a way, it makes me think of Damon’s throwing arm. Damon is strong enough to belt balls out of the park, even if it isn’t elite levels, yet he can’t throw the ball. Is it how he throws? Arm velocity shouldn’t be the problem because he has it to swing the bat.
Good deal by the Orioles to get Millwood for Ray. Millwood’s no ace but he’s what that team needs, a veteran to lead a young pitching staff. I look at kind of like when the Tigers brought in Kenny Rogers to front their young rotation of Verlander, Bonderman, Robertson
“He got a fair number of walks in May and June (16 in 100 ABs). In September he got only two in 41 ABS and his OPS disappeared. To me, that’s the league adjusting.”
I think the sample size is too small at this point.
m
“But apart from added value, you get a pay increase just for being alive for one more year.”
Only in Civil Service jobs.
It’s a joke civil service people so don’t freak out!
I think in Damon’s case, his upper arms are overly tight. I don’t want to speculate but…
Any way, I think that is why there’s little boing or zing off his throws, thus no velo…JMO
From Heyman on Twitter:
according to toronto sun, #angels offer LHP joe saunders, SS erick aybar and OF peter bourjos for halladay. but would he go?
Cashman on Granderson:
http://www.nesn.com/2009/12/br.....mpact.html
Chris Ray is out of the division? Bad news for Arod, he’ll lose 2 or 3 HRs at least.
Agent Scott Boras seeking $10-11 M per year for Adrian Beltre. #RedSox not eager to pay that much.
2 minutes ago from TweetDeck
Off Topic, but this is one of those what are they doing type things…
A House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee passed a bill looking to force college football to have a playoff for their championship.
What the heck does Government have any role in this? I get it that some Reps and Senators do this for getting votes, but to me it just seems really odd. Especially that particular subcommittee.
If Halladay goes to the Angels, I doubt they re-sign Lackey. So they lose Lackey, Saunders, Figgins, maybe Vlad; and add Halladay. Doesn’t seem like a problem from a Yankee standpoint.
Bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes … re Damon’s throwing…. that could be, but it still seems like there should be more than he has. That’s the weakest part of his game, even though the fielding and calf issues have been creeping upward, and it just doesn’t go with all else he can do.
Mark, If thats true aren’t they actually a worse team. I mean Halladay is great but he can’t make up for all that. Thats why I don’t see it making sense for them especially if he’s not signing an extension.
Abdababdaserser,
This is all I’ll say about it, don’t want to turn this into something else-I was happy when congress did the steroid inquiry thing, mainly because baseball had been so arrogant about everything. But now, looking back at it, with this CFB thing and the rest of what they are doing, what a mistake that was! Stay out of our lives!
blake,
That’s what I am saying. Good deal for the Yanks. With Halladay out of the AL East, chalk up 2 or 3 more wins as well.
That Angels offer is garbage
We can top that with IPK, Romine, and Melancon in
our sleep.
Mark in Tampa, that’s why such a move doesn’t make any real sense to me. They lose a starter in Lackey, so they are behind in that area already.
I don’t really get what the Angels are doing lately. I also question if Halladay would really want to go there. The tax situation in California is tough and the cost of living is high. That eats into his salary pretty decently.
And if he doesn’t sign an extension it leaves the Angels even worse when he leaves as a FA.
BX44, it would cost us to have to trade with the D’Backs to get IPK back first.
Abda,
I think it’s a testament to Damon’s genes that he’s been able to remain as athletic as he currently is, despite his, for lack of a better term, tightness…I think the calves are part of this, too…
Damon may have made himself made a tradeoff in this regard…again, my own speculation…
BX, i doubt that offer will top them especially since Kennedy is now a Dback.
BX 44
December 9th, 2009 at 10:22 pm
That Angels offer is garbage
“We can top that with IPK, Romine, and Melancon in
our sleep.”
_____________________________________________________
I thought you guys already traded IPK in the deal for Grandeson.
“What the heck does Government have any role in this?”
They have the power under the Commerce Clause.
I’m liking this stat on Granderson:
2009 road OPS- .516
If he slugged over .500 on the road in a down year, imagine what he could do at Yankee Stadium.
The Angels are very close to needing to rebuild totally. Halladay makes no sense for them especially if they have to trade some of those rebuilding parts to get him..
Mark, I agree. I only put it up because of it being sports related because this is not the place to talk politics.
I am really puzzled by how this subcommittee would even get into this in the first place. College football really doesn’t come under Energy and Commerce.
ray,
we had him cloned.
Abdababdaserser,
I brought up the CA tax situation last week. I also wondered if the extra 10% witholding I have heard about applies to ballplayers, or if contract employees are exempt from that. Even though they are supposed to get it all back after filing, I wouldn’t be too confident that CA is writing anybody a 2 million dollar check these days.
That was supposed to be .516 SLG, not OPS!
I became very concerned about Damon when I bought the Major League Baseball package in 2005.
I knew we were thinking about signing him, which I was emphatically against.
I saw nearly as many Boston home games as a Red Sox fan, and I was struck by how much his CF defense had declined.
When we got Damon, he was no longer a plus CF. As good as he’s been for us in other respects, he was not the CF people assumed they were getting. Knowing that, I wanted no part of him.
When he moved over to LF, it became easier to see his value. Now, of course, he’s an adventure on routine plays, although he stepped it up in the postseason and turned in a credible LF.
Rich, I think that is stretching it quite a bit. I know the colleges and universities get a lot of money to their schools through sports but its something that would affect their education.
Bodhisattva – Destiny Wears Pinstripes
December 9th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
ray,
we had him cloned.”
__________________________________________________
You guys really are cutting edge aren’t you?
Seriously, I know Kennedy may turn out to be a very good pitcher, but you all picked yourself up a fine addition in Granderson in my opinion.
Mark, I guess I missed that post of yours regarding the Cali tax. I know ball players have to pay taxes in all the states they play in, but even if it would affect half your salary it still is a lot.
I think Cali was also giving out IOUs instead of paying some bills, so that money could end up disappearing. I know I would be looking at that if thinking of a move.
“Official of team w/hi pick in Rule 5 speculates 1st pk is LHP Zach Kroenke from #Yankees & Wash sends him back to NY as PTBN in Bruney deal.”
http://twitter.com/ed_price
I am so excited about seeing Melancon this year. Now that he knows what to expect, he is going to thrive.
Considering we have given up some depth from our pen like Coke/Bruney and since presumably, Hughes/Joba will be in the rotation… Melancon is a virtual lock to make the opening day roster and will be relied upon pretty heavily. Who else do we have? Marte? Robertson?
Melancon will solidify the late innings next year. Though Girardi may use him like Scott Shields is used– from the 6th on to bridge the gap to the 8th or the SU man because of his ability to be economical and get eat innings.
Very excited to see Mark next year. He’s going to be thrown into the fire basically and be only behind Robby and Marte.
ray,
Now that we have The Boss under lock and key….
I cannot believe any team would take Lowell.
Especially the Rangers. In the Texas heat, they are going to take a career ending injury waiting to happen in Lowell.
How much of that contract is Boston going to take? 6-8 million?
They have that gigantic lefty dude playing first base/DH. Do they need another DH in Lowell?
Bodhisattva I know what you are driving at, and given the era and some of those who he was playing with, it wouldn’t be a shock.
I know he had his problems at times in the OF this year. He also made some very good plays. He hasn’t been a good CF for a long time.
I love this Granderson trade, and I think he is going to bring a lot to this team on and off the field. I also think that he will get better against lefties. At least he is going to have to if he is going to have a pleasant Yankee career. But just how awful was he this year vs. LHP?
180AB, 17 Runs, 33Hits, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 15BB, 42K, .484 OPS
138AB, 15 Runs, 30Hits, 4 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 14BB, 28K, .560 OPS
The first line is Curtis vs. LHP in 2009. The second line is Jose Molina against all pitchers. So, if he doesn’t improve, we basically have Molina production out of our star CF with a lefty on the mound. Kind of puts his struggles in perspective.
Even if he does improve, I don’t think he is going to be a .300 hitter vs. left. We need to be patient with him, the rest of the lineup is strong enough to cover until he starts holding his own against lefties.
Cloak,
Completely agree on that. He’s got an arsenal, the mentality and the maturity.
Good things to come from MM.
I have to believe they traded Millwood to save Money to sign Harden.
Why would they take on more money for a guy who is not all that useful to them, and give up a catching prospect at the same time (when their 2 catchers performed like losers last year).
What is so special about Kroenke?
He is 26, only struck out 55 in 72 innings last year and walked 30. Got shelled in the AFL.
He is another Billy Traber. I’d rather see Dunn and his 97 MPH sweeping slider. Yeah he walks guys, but who cares? As long as he doesn’t let them score. Kroenke’s walk rates are not the best either.
Abdababdaserser
It may be stretching it for prudential reasons, but that’s where the power flows from.
Obviously, if they acted, an aggrieved could challenge it and the USSC would decide if Congress overreached.
That Angels offer makes NO sense for either team. The Angels already lost Figgins and are likely to lose Lackey and Guerrero. I don’t see how they can afford to give up Saunders and Aybar as well.
It doesn’t make sense for the Jays either because neither Aybar nor Saunders are impact players, and both will be FA’s in just a couple of years.
CR9,
This is what the Red Sox do. They get sweetheart deals on all trades. They trade a righty specialist and Hagadone for the 2nd best hitting catcher in baseball.
Now they will get to shed Lowell’s contract, to a team with financial issues who already has a star 3B, no less.
Other teams just want to help the Sox. Where were these other teams when we could have unloaded Giambi or Pavano?
Abdababdaserser
December 9th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Bodhisattva I know what you are driving at, and given the era and some of those who he was playing with, it wouldn’t be a shock.
I know he had his problems at times in the OF this year. He also made some very good plays. He hasn’t been a good CF for a long time.
=====
And for my own part, I really like Damon. He’s a smart player and a survivor. The ABs in the WS were the Damon we signed up for… He’ll need more days off in 2010, obviously, as will all of our more senior set…especially having played into November.
I liked that Pettitte has already begun to address, with the idea of starting to throw 2 weeks later.
You know what’s amazing, I completely forgot that New York has a second baseball team. I was just reading about NY baseball news and the Mets were mentioned. I turned my head like a confused puppy when I saw that word.
Here’s the thing about Dunn. He can be wild, but it’s not like he’s Felix Heredia.
Hopefully, this gets fixed. But even when he wasn’t having control issues, his stuff made for an uncomfortable at bat. If he can get back to that, he can be devastating.
I agree Bodhisattva about Damon being a smart player. He can be a catalyst for the team even at his age, that AB was classic.
The resting issue is part of the reason I don’t like the DH to be revolving. Give a full day off and it does more for the older players. If you have a decent enough bench losing a guy for a game shouldn’t cause much grief.
NY has a second baseball team? lol.
I think the Yankees felt comfortable giving up Coke over Dunn. Coke was almost traded to the Pirates and then did pretty well for the Yankees. Over exposure seemed to diminish his value.
Dunn is still a bit raw and could improve.
A posting at ten this evening on WEEI stated that a good source told Ken Rosenthal that the Lowell to Texas deal probably will not happen.
ray,
The Granderson deal was dead Monday night.
• If Johnny Damon were to be re-signed, Cashman said Damon would likely return to the No. 2 spot in the order and Granderson would move into a more run-producing spot in the lineup.
******
Best line I have read all week
Phil
December 9th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
ray,
The Granderson deal was dead Monday night”
__________________________________________
Phil, your point is well received. I realize these things can very quickly change.
One of the things that Pete did very well was posting audio from a lot of the important conference calls, etc. Any chance on that feature returning?
Girardi also over-extended Coke. I think he was pretty worn down.
Ray, thanks for the update. No great surprise there, eh?
I can see why other teams want to help the Sox now.
The Yankees have the $$$$, and a much better decision making process under Cashman.
The baseball apocalype is upon MLB.
This does not bode well for CBA negotiations after 2011.
Abdababdaserser
December 9th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
I agree Bodhisattva about Damon being a smart player. He can be a catalyst for the team even at his age, that AB was classic.
The resting issue is part of the reason I don’t like the DH to be revolving. Give a full day off and it does more for the older players. If you have a decent enough bench losing a guy for a game shouldn’t cause much grief.
=====
Abda, I’m holding out hope Matsui returns.
Yeah, Coke was used a lot… (not THAT Coke
) but while I think he has talent he also can melt down. I can’t say I felt very comfortable with him coming in and the game on the line. He seemed to give up the HR at very bad times.
What does anyone think about Marlon Byrd as a Yankee…
Some left field…some platoon in CF
Always hits the Yanks…
Bodhisattva, me too.
I’ve seen a lot of players go, but Damon and Godzilla have really grown on me over the years. If it could be only one coming back, I think I would choose Matsui. I also think it makes a lot of financial sense for the Yankees to re-sign him. You can’t discount that Japanese market for him, and their love for Godzilla is huge.
ray
As a Sox fan, and one of the few reputable ones, what do you think of the way the Sox have treated their players such as Manny, and now Lowell.
They tried to move Lowell last year, although Lowell did not want to go.
Lowell was a WS MPV, IIRC, has played through injury, and they just want to boot him out the door, not just this year, but last year also.
I do understand getting rid of Lowell would help their team get better and give them more options, but I would hope Lowell would bad mouth Boston to future Free Agents, as Kenny Lofton did of the Yankees.
But knowing former Boston players, they leave and have nothing but praise for the Sox and their organization, no matter the circumstances in which they were given the boot.
“Nats will select Kroenke first in Rule 5″
The Nationals will take Yankees reliever Zach Kroenke first overall in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday and offer him back to New York as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Brian Bruney to Washington, according to a source familiar with discussions.
http://www.washingtontimes.com.....in-rule-5/
Beltre could well recapture his last Dodger year in the friendly confines of Fenway; that would not be good. Theo is mindful of the potential.
Abda,
He’ll cost less than Damon, and he loves NYC. We may re-sign both of them, though. Given the choice, I’d also opt for Matsui.
Well Harden and Wolf are gone, that leaves Sheets and duchscherer as potential short term options.
If the Sox get Beltre then that means they are committed to Victor and Varitek catching in 2010 so that means get your track shoes on American League.
CR9
December 9th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
ray
“As a Sox fan, and one of the few reputable ones, what do you think of the way the Sox have treated their players such as Manny, and now Lowell.
They tried to move Lowell last year, although Lowell did not want to go.”
________________________________________________________
Good evening CR9. You make some good points.
For me the case of Manny and Lowell are quite different. Back when Manny was traded to the Dodgers I know there were all kinds of discussions and articles about that.
I agree that Boston turned a blind eye to Manny’s antics for many years and so they could blame no one but themselves, and at the same time things had gotten so bad with Manny that I personally think they had to trade him.
I feel bad in the way that Lowell is being treated. He has been a good team player and by all accounts is a very positive influence in the club house.
Perhaps one of the most notable examples of how Boston mistreated a player is Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo had more years added to his contract at the time. Everyone including the Boston front office acknowledged it was a contract with the home town discount because Arroyo said he wanted to stay in Boston.
A month and a half later Arroyo was rewarded for signing the home town discount contract by being traded.
Mark DeRosa back on the Yankees radar or just his agent putting him in the conversation to try to build a market for him?
http://www.nj.com/yankees/inde.....in_ma.html
Mike Cameron vs LHP for his career: .267 .370 .489 .859
Mike Cameron vs LHP 2009: .271 .420 .534 .954
Maybe we should get Cameron to platoon in CF and entrust LF to Melky/Gardner. >:)
If I thought a round of Penicillin would clear up all this Cameron talk then I would prescribe it.
DeRosa worries me.
I don’t think we need DeRosa
You’re right. Manny and Lowell are 2 completely different cases.
I get tired of seeing Sox doing these things to their players, and then getting praised in the media as if they are so great to their players.
The media pushes free agents with their talk of Boston being a great place to play with great management and so on.
Lowell, IMO, is one of the good guys on the Red Sox. He is a good guy, great teammate, leaves it all out on the field.
My issue with the Manny situation was (and you might with the way the media portrayed it), all Manny ever did with the Sox was hit, hit, and hit some more.
On his way out the door, they said he quit on them. In his final month with the team (while supposedly quitting), he still batted something like .330.
They slandered him by saying he was a quitter and potentially cost him money in FA.
DeRosa = Low OBP
Pass.
blake December 9th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
If I thought a round of Penicillin would clear up all this Cameron talk then I would prescribe it.
____________
It may take something a bit stronger than that. lol
Is DeRosa even healthy? He ha a wrist injury last season, right?
Blake, Welcome to the Night Shift @ The LoHud
We could go Augmentin or a Z-pak
contract/$$ notwithstanding rate the following:
DeRosa
Cameron
Damon
Holliday
Bay
So, any news on Doc?
Pat, I have to go to bed soon, I’m just trying to get sleepy.
Tom in NJ
December 9th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
“Nats will select Kroenke first in Rule 5?
The Nationals will take Yankees reliever Zach Kroenke first overall in the Rule 5 draft on Thursday and offer him back to New York as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Brian Bruney to Washington, according to a source familiar with discussions.
http://www.washingtontimes.com…..in-rule-5/
====
So we effectively get Phil Coke back. Thanks, Cash covering the bases nicely.
10:32pm: ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark hears that Halladay would approve a deal to the Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox and Angels. The Rays and Dodgers are possibilities, and one person “who knows [Halladay] well” doesn’t think he’d go to the Mets.
nothing new.
“We could go Augmentin or a Z-pak”
What no thorazine?
Cash-man knows what hes doing.
It looks like Harden signed for 6.5 M$ base + 3.5 M$ incentives. Too bad the Yankees missed out on Harden but at least it sets an affordable comp price for Sheets and Bedard. – in case Cashman wants to go that Route
Good stuff on Granderson. Knowing what I know about this guy and how the Yankee clubhouse is, I’ll bet Granderson will be forming close friendships shortly after he meets his new teammates. He’s going to be a terrific addition…..
What no thorazine
We could, it may take IV vanco…as set in as its been around here.
Ed Price says the Jays want minor league players not major league players for Halladay.
Wow. Jayson Stark. ESPN at its finest. Lazy reporting at its finest.
Repeat the same thing that’s been reported ad nauseum over the past several days.
Texas got a GREAT deal on Harden.
If you can get sheets for a similar deal as Harden got then I think thats a pretty good deal. I’m sure Cash wants to sort out the Halladay situation first though.
Who wants to bet Grandy and CC become the best of friends.
I think Manny put them in the situation where they had to trade him. He pulled things such as not running to first any faster than Vlad can run in quicksand. Knocking down the travel guy. Rolling on the ground and laughing about not getting that ball. Just to name a few.
He pushed things with them for a while, but it got really bad that year.
I think Arroyo was a case that others should use to think very hard about giving a hometown discount. It can really come back at you unexpectedly.
Some players like Mauer would probably never get treated like that, but you could see it happen with some teams. I get that it is a business, but it still falls flat. Its another reason why you see NTC put in to contracts. The players can’t always determine where they will end up, but that clause can certainly help shape it and keep from giving a discount to sign one place only to be traded away from where you want to be.
I have no problem with a bench consisting of some combination of
Pena, Cervelli, Gardner, Melky, Russo
Why don’t they choose Colin Curtis in the Rule 5 draft?
He was probably the best batter in the AFL, and from what i have read, can play every outfield position and is a decent base runner.
Betsy,
Grandy is as urbane and thoughtful as they come.
I’ll be looking forward to seeing his contribution to the community – namely, the inner city kids who don’t consider baseball.
Yea I think Granderson, CC, and Jeter will be BFF’s
“Ed Price says the Jays want minor league players not major league players for Halladay.”
Cheap bastids.
CR,
I was surprised to hear that they are not friends already. They played in the same division for years, they both seem like they have the same kind of personality.
This Halladay situation could drag on forever. By the time something happens with that there may not be any pitchers left but Lackey.
Minor league players?
hmm…
Last I checked, McAllister, Romine, and Melancon are minor leaguers…..
hmm….
Granderson will win the MVP
get some rest blake. u got schooled today, try again tomorrow.
“This Halladay situation could drag on forever. By the time something happens with that there may not be any pitchers left but Lackey.”
No doubt. Toronto has no reason to rush anything. They can take this thing into February if they want. And they could decide not to trade him altogether at the end anyway.
The only options left now are Sheets and Lackey, and we’re probably not signing Lackey. Can’t take too much time or we’ll lose Sheets too.
That’s a misconception put out there by ESPN.
Manny did not run that slow to first. He ran maybe 1 second slower than usual.
The Red Sox did not care that he threw down the traveling secretary. They did not even suspend him for it.
The media did not even insult Manny for the secretary until after he was traded. After he was traded, that was the first thing that came out of Gammons mouth, although Gammons never mentioned it while Manny was a Sox.
Yes, the Arroyo case should be mentioned by the media annually, and would be if the Yankees pulled something like that.
Professor M, not real sure what you’re talking about and I’ve never seen you before, but thanks for the imput.
Brandon Lyon got 3/15 from the Astros pending a physical.
So much for the idea that Doc insists on playing on a team who trains in Florida or that he wouldn’t go to an NL team….That sucks.
m
December 9th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
contract/$$ notwithstanding rate the following:
“DeRosa
Cameron
Damon
Holliday
Bay”
______________________________________
Interesting question m.
I don’t know Derosa and Cameron as well as the other three, but I would rate them in terms of desirability in the following order:
1. Holliday
2. Bay
3. Damon
Cameron and DeRosa tied at 4 and 5
DeRosa only hit .228 the last 60 games of the season so if pushed I would take Cameron before DeRosa.
Well, if the Jays want minor leaguers with minor league potential, then Buchholz and Kelly ought to do the trick.
Betsy, he may go but likely wouldn’t sign an extension.
I don’t get the whole trading for a player that was in your system the second the Rule V draft started.
What about the roster rules? If he doesn’t “stick” who does he go back to? Who gets the $25,000 penalty? Do these rules not apply for traded players? Or players traded back to their original team?
What a wasted exercise, unless someone can explain it to me.
Of course, it’s possible that Stark is covering for his buddy, Buster, who said the same thing a week or so ago
SI_JonHeyman one competing gm on angels’ reported offer for #halladay of saunders, aybar & bourjos: “(jays) should take it.”
31 minutes ago from web
mel,
it is a waste of time doing all that. hopefully this is a decoy, and the Nats will actually select John Raynor or someone.
blake
December 9th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Professor M, not real sure what you’re talking about and I’ve never seen you before, but thanks for the imput.
====
Drive-by poster who has no life. To be pitied more than censored.
Kroenke, who couldn’t make it on the Yankees 40 man roster now needs to stay on the Yankees 25 man roster for the entire season or Bruney was basically traded away for nothing?
SI_JonHeymanone competing gm on angels’ reported offer for #halladay of saunders, aybar & bourjos: “(jays) should take it.
**Who is this GM? I’m not sure I want him running my team
klaw blake klaw.
it doesn’t help to get schooled if you don’t learn from your mistakes.
Here is a common misconception, that I have heard hundreds of times over the past couple years, mainly by ESPN, but also by FOX during Saturday baseball.
They say that Torre was fired. That is the biggest lie.
And also that P. Gammons is a Hall of Famer. He was honored by the Hall of Fame, but not inducted into the Hall of Fame.
All GMs value packages differently. As Yankee fans, we think our packages are the best and no team and compete with our secondary packages, but that might not be what the Toronto GM thinks.
ray-ray!
Good thoughts. DeRosa was fighting through a wrist injury to play for a team that just traded for him.
I don’t know much about them, but I do know that Jason Bay feller has a good bat.
I should find the hotel Bay’s staying at. Wanna pass on a message?
Just want to say thanks Chad and the staff for a job well done during the hot stove season. As a west coast fan I have never been so engaged after October. Plus learning more about the Yankees minor league system has been great! Keep up the excellent work!
I don’t think Cashman willlet the Halladay situation linger so long that he can’t make a run at Sheets or Bedard. He’s too good at his job to let that happen. He may choose not to act but he is not likely to get caught waiting around while everybody signs elsewhere. The agents should also be smart enough to check with cash before they let their guys sign.
m
I think (or I guess) he would have to be offered back to the Nats because they picked him.
In effect, it would enable the Yankees to protect one extra player.
What about Klaw? Who cares…I’m not sure what point you are trying to make.
That Angels package isin’t that bad. Saunders was an All-Star last year and was excellent in the 2nd half this year. He was a game 2 starter on the 2nd best team in baseball… he isin’t that bad.
Aybar had a good year and fills a position they want- SS.
It isin’t a great package, but what team has stepped up to judge it against? How do we know Cashman will offer something better (or what Anthopolous percieves as ‘better’)?
WOOOHOOOO
Lyon signed with Astros!!!!
I wanted no part of that bum.
#BlueJays prefer minor-league prospects for Roy Halladay, rather than big-league players 28 minutes ago from UberTwitter
****Undoubtedly because they’re cheap
The Jays may just take a package like that if the Yanks or Sox don’t up their offers. That package is better than 2 draft picks.
no. 27,
He’s developed another pitch and the Yanks like his progress. He replaces Coke as a potential lefty out of the BP. Bruney is RHP and cost us $$.
Kroenke also has had some success vs. righties.
It’s disappointing in terms of seeing those other power arms, but those guys were in high A, so they wouldn’t be able to stick on the 25-man.
Kroenke would be on the Nats roster. Then they would basically cut him loose and in the process he would not have remained on the 25 man all season. He would be returned to the Yankees like any other guy who does not stick on the 25 man roster
If boston were to get Beltre and trade Lowell, it would be an admission that they’re not able to get Gonzalez for 1B. Otherwise, they’d just move Youk to 3B.
I agree that the bench will need some work, as Pena, Cervelli, Gardner, Melky, and Russo won’t cut it. Bit more power needed.
lets go yankees (formerly lets go twins)
Sounds right.
If a team picks a Rule 5 Yankee and they don’t stick, don’t they get returned to the Yankees?
Could they be doing this to get him back and be able to put him back in the minors without having to add him to the 25 man roster?
DaSaint, thats a good point. I’m also assuming that also means that they aren’t going to move Victor to 1B and still won’t be able to throw anybody out behind the plate.
blake,
Exactly. It is also a safe package for them to take. They can’t wait around forever either with the “hope” that Cashman caves (which he never does) or Henry somehow intervenes and gives up the moon. They need to be realistic.
Missed earlier threads. Spending time with the misses.
Not worried about boston at all.
BJ’s want minor leaguers because they want to reduce payroll and get out from that $16 mil Halladay has coming to him.
Astros overpaid for Lyon. Yanks want no part of Soriano.
This thing dragging out until February would be torture… 2 more months of rumors and discussion of where he will go, what trade he will approve, if he will sign an extension… and more posturing by the Yanks and Sox to try and scare the other one.
IDK why the Red Sox think Vmart can catch a ton of games. The guy has caught a total of 140 games the past two seasons and his production drops the more he catches.
Rosenthal, Lowell to Texas for Max Ramirez waiting for owners’ approval.
one thing yankee fans can be happy about. we dont end up paying millions to players on different teams: ie Lugo and now Lowell.
what a genius that theo epstein is.
This guy covers the Jays for MLB.com :
http://mlbastian.mlblogs.com/
Halladay prefers to pitch for a team that trains in Florida, but a source told MLB.com that hemight approve a move to the West Coast for 2010, considering he is a free-agent next winter.
**I can’t imagine the Angels agreeing to a trade for just 1 year……
2. Anthopoulos said the Tigers’ haul in the Detroit-Arizona-New York trade that sent Curtis Granderson is similar to what he is seeking in trade talks. The Tigers acquired outfield prospect Austin Jackson, as well as pitchers Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke — all players under Detroit’s control for the next few years.
“It’s definitely similar,” Anthopoulos said. “I think the Orioles have definitely been similar with some of the things they’ve been trying to do — some of the trades that they’ve made. So, I think a lot of clubs obviously look at one of the greatest currencies in baseball is young, cheap controllable players. That’s why they’re so hard to acquire
I don’t understand that either. If I were the Sox I would have moved Youk to 3rd, moved Victor to first,and then signed a defensive catcher to split time with Varitek. But thats fine, we’ll just steal them blind.
I’m not familiar with Max Ramirez, but why would the Rangers want to take on salary?
Anthopolous is an idiot. He’s not selling multiple years of anything or reasonably priced young major leaguers. He’s selling 1 year of old and expensive.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox will pick up almost all of Lowell’s salary.
Betsy-
” Red Sox eating nearly all of 12 salary.”
http://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal
And the Sox get someone to take Lowell off their hands and give them more flexibility.
So dumb, what is Texas thinking?
Do the Sox plan on playing Vmart at first?
I don’t understand the Lowell deal at all for the Sox.
Granderson AND Jackson > Halladay.
Not to mention Granderson is under team control for 4 years and Jackson has 2 more years left.
They are not approaching the haul that Detroit got. Detroit made out very well in their trade.
They’re not getting more financial flexibility.
Make that, Red Sox eating nearly all of 12 salary.
5 minutes ago from txt Prelim agreement on Lowell to Tex for Max Ramirez. Red Sox owners must approve, teams must be satisfied with medicals. Red Sox eating ne …
6 minutes ago from txt
____
Looks like they kicked Lowelly to the curb like a sack of potatoes. Sad.
What’s even sadder is that it’s the Red Sox management that must approve the trade, and not the Rangers.
Oh well, at least the Sox picked up most of the 12 million. That means, for whatever 3rd baseman they get, they will pay that contract plus Lowell’s for only one spot.
Tom, it doesn’t look like it if they are trying to sign Beltre, then Youk has to stay at first.
Have to figure the Sox are about to make a big move. They just gave up their 3rd baseman and are paying all his salary.
They’ll prob get Gonzalez and move Youkallis to 3rd. They would not have made this move if they didn’t have something else lined up.
Betsy,
He’s a catcher.
http://toronto.bluejays.mlb.co.....p;c_id=tor
I wonder if people are just throwing the Phillies out there just because they train in Florida? Even their GM admits it is unlikely
I think the Sox would chase a bigger fish than Beltre.
Especially since Beltre is a Boras client and will get much more than he is worth from some team.
The Sox are probably signing Beltre.
Phil, thanks – is he good? Either way, isn’t that deal something like the Yankees used to do?
How does one suppose they are going to get Adrian?
They have nothing of any value near Adrian’s.
Nothing.
Buchholz could not even sniff Adrian’s jock.
One thing to consider – the Jays obviously like Aybar as they tried to get him in July. It doesn’t matter if we think he’s not much, it only matters that the Jays like him
Every trade the RS make is a stroke of brilliance. How can anyone even question that?
The Angels are offering a good package. The question is if they don’t sign Lackey, and having lost Figgins and probably Vlad, are they still good enough to win? That’s something Halladay will have to consider.
He’s 25 and has hit pretty well in a 6 year minor league career.
Got to agree w/Phil on this one. Beltre is still a premier defensive whiz at the hot corner. Boston loses financial flexibility though. Fine by me, as Beltre never scares meat the plate. Lowell did.
Tom, thanks for the link!
I guess it’s a good move for the Sox…..
Anthopolous should just wait until Henry gets desperate and intervenes.
Phil
December 10th, 2009 at 12:29 am
He’s 25 and has hit pretty well in a 6 year minor league career.
———————-
Yeah I saw that too at first. But focus on his AA and AAA numbers. He destroyed the lower leagues and then tailed off considerably when facing the big boys
“Abdababdaserser December 9th, 2009 at 10:15 pm
Off Topic, but this is one of those what are they doing type things…
A House Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee passed a bill looking to force college football to have a playoff for their championship.
What the heck does Government have any role in this? I get it that some Reps and Senators do this for getting votes, but to me it just seems really odd. Especially that particular subcommittee.”
my take is that most D1 football programs involved are Public Institutions so I’m ok w/ the Gov’t finally getting involved to get a real Championship not the farce that is the BCS. Settle you Champion on the Field like every other Sport in the World.
-Back to baseball My take from not being active on here much since the WS….I’d rather keep Matsui and let Damon walk….and I hope they don’t deal Swisher, I think New York has been perfect for him and would be sad to see him go..here is the lineup I’d like to see in April
Jeter
Granderson
Tex
AROD
Matsui
Posada
Swisher
Cano
Melky(LF)
Rich, I think that if they lose Lackey, Figgins, Vlad, and then lose Saunders and Aybar in a deal for Halladay they are a significantly worse team. Thats losing the whole left side of their infield, two good starters, and Vlad.
Halladay cant make up for all of that.
It was a good move for Boston. They got a young catcher and will sign Beltre… a gold glove, 25 HR guy.
It remains to be seen if he will have the clutchness of Lowell though. I always HATED seeing Lowell come up against us. Always put together a good AB, before he lost his legs in the 2nd half this year.
how can anyone say that is a good deal for the sox? they will bepaying 12 mil for a player they dont even have, plus the Lugo money.
I have no problem with the Angels getting Halladay. In terms of pure wins it will not be a huge jump over what Lackey provided them. Not to mention the AL West is getting tight. The Angels may finish in 3rd place next year with the way things look now.
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
10:08pm: David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Braves and Rays could finalize a deal for Soriano as early as tomorrow morning.
**Good move for the Rays
Phil
Are you talking about Max Ramirez? It does not matter how his stats look. Now that he is a Red Sox, the media and scouting organizations will turn ole Maxxy into a tradeable commodity.
The team trading for Doc will get an extension, so I see nothing wrong with what A.A. said. If Doc doesn’t agree to one, then the Angels may pull back the offer; why would they do that for a 1 year rental?
if boston was going to pay for lowell, why not just keep him on the bench, ouk to 3rd and v-mart to 1st?
makes no sense to pay for players to play for other teams.
That Angels package is not nearly as bad as some people are making it out to be.
Saunders is already proven to be an above average starter in the AL. He made an All-Star team and had a 3.4 ERA last year. He was a #2 starter on a winning team. He isin’t a top of the rotation guy, but he is a good pitcher.
Jays like Aybar as well.
If anything, the 3rd prospect in the deal is probably all that is keeping Toronto from taking that deal. If they upgrade that 3rd player, that is a good deal. And considering this is the Angels first offer… you have to figure they will be willing to negotiate.
Gonzalez, Alex $500,000
Lugo, Julio $9,250,000
Wagner, Billy $1,000,000
==========================
Nearly 20 million for 4 players that aren’t even on their team. Boy Genius showing ‘em how it’s done.
I should clarify, Saunders had a 3.4 ERA and made the AS team in 08.
With regards to Type A-rated FA players, I believe there is a date after which a team no longer has to offer draft picks. Is that correct, and if so, what is that date?
Saunders is arbitration-eligible, isn’t he? Not exactly a cheap, young player the Jays are looking for….
It is a good move for the Sox because they can absorb Lowell’s contract and replace him with someone younger and more productive. Lowell is shot. Beltre is a power bat with excellent defense. In Fenway with the Monster, he is going to put up some good numbers.
The finances of the move are not good, but the Sox can absorb that.
http://www.newsday.com/columni.....-1.1646272
3. Acquire Joe Blanton from the Phillies. I just don’t see the Roy Halladay trade working out for the Yankees. Both sides have natural reservations – the Yankees with the swap, particularly if Halladay insists on a multiyear extension, and the Blue Jays with the public-relations aspect of handing Halladay to the loathed Yankees.
So let’s assume Halladay goes to the Angels. It’s a seller’s market for starting pitchers, none of whom is very good in the first place besides John Lackey.
The Phillies are looking to unload Blanton, who 1) won’t make crazy money (probably about $7 million in arbitration); 2) will be in his platform year, as a free agent after 2010; and 3) consistently provides innings.
As a fourth starter on the Yankees, with the run support he’d get? He’d do just fine. If you’re the Yankees, you hope that Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes or both start to blossom, and you also have Chad Gaudin in reserve. And you always have July to make a trade for a starter.
It’s a modest proposal, free of bombshells. Then again, the Yankees just gave us their bombshell. It’s relatively light lifting from here.
****I don’t get it. If the Yankees don’t get Doc, it’s not because of the extension required, it’s because of the players. Part of me wants to get Doc badly just to shut these sportswriters up about how the Jays will never trade with the Yankees
I don’t want Blanton.
Sheets > Blanton
Forget Sheets – the Yankees aren’t paying him $12 million
“Forget Sheets – the Yankees aren’t paying him $12 million”
And you know this how? You really don’t believe their budget nonsense, do you?
Nobody is paying Sheets $12 mil… where did you get that number from? He isin’t making $5 mil more than Harden.
If the Yanks wind up with their own Zach Kroenke, then they’ve made a silly trade. That means they lost Bruney and will lose Kroenke if he doesn’t stay on the 25 man roster.
If they really wanted Kroenke on their team, they could have traded Bruney for prospects and protected Kroenke from the Rule 5 draft by putting him on their 40-man roster. That way, they would have prospects and they would be able demote Kroenke without losing him.
yeah right, who is going to give sheets 12 million?
just because he wants it doesn’t mean he will get it
The Bruney trade was very puzzling. They didn’t even get back an interesting guy from the Nats farm. They traded him for their own player. And the chances of Kroenke sticking on the 25 man all year is slim.
Yanks won’t take Blanton.
The Kroenke thing is not definite, Bruney was probably going to be non-tendered anyway, and if you read up you will see Kroenke does not have to stick on the 25 man
GordonEdes: Lowell deal requires John Henry signing off on absorbing salary
I think the trade with Washington was so that the Yankees could trade the #1 pick.
If I were the Yankees, I’d work something out with KC (someone there that we may want?) and send them the pick, as they also have the #4.
Cashman said four teams have called wanting first pick in Rule 5 Draft, but Yankees will likely use the pick instead.
6 minutes ago from web
Looks like the Rays are getting Soriano. They traded Aki to Pittsburgh for Jesse Chavez, who will go to Atlanta for Soriano.
Per Boston Herald
Max Ramirez is “an offensive-minded catcher with limited defensive skills who may end up as first base/DH type in the big leagues.”
WOW JESSE CHAVEZ
Maybe we can trade Nick Swisher and Alfredo Aceves for Jesse Chavez? Morons
So Max Ramirez=Victor Martinez?
Not that good a hitter.
“In an interesting revelation, the final holdup in the deal involved the Yankees requesting that Granderson visit an opthamologist. The Yankees wanted his eyes checked based on his exorbitant strikeout totals and his occasional bad jumps on balls in the outfield.”
http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....z0ZGVGPkUa
pat-
I had also read about the Yanks concern of depth perception based on some poor routes Granderson had taken.
Hope he doesn’t get his contacts from the same place Hughes did.
Ben Sheets will be The free agent signing of this offseason….
Steve Henson says DeRosa is the Giants’ first choice to play 3B.
Scott Boras’ comment on the Halladay Angels trade.
“It’s a general rule that you may give up money,but you don’t give up players.Or you may attach players but you don’t give up money.There aren’t situations were teams give up both because it’s entirely to costly.I don’t see with a year to go a club could satisfy what Toronto should demand.I think that would be a very,very unlikely event.”
Source,Toronto Sun,”Angels make a play forr Halladay.”
12-9-09
So Boras feels this deal is unlikely,even he can’t see it happening!
pat
How/why is the passage of the article that you quoted highlighted in yellow on the NYP site?
__
Given how often Damon appears unable to track a flyball, maybe he should see an opthamologist too.
Haiku-man
I was following Boras earlier in the afternoon,and he commented that for what Toronto wants is too costly for a team.So this article reinforces what he stated earlier.
blanton sucks. We have better pitchers already on the team and in the system.