Vazquez: “My goal is still to play”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Feb 13, 2010 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
A few weeks ago, Javier Vazquez caused a minor stir when he told a reporter that he wasn’t sure how much longer he would play. Now there’s a newer story dealing with the same issue, but this time Vazquez makes it clear that he’s not planning to retire any time soon.
“I have other interests outside of baseball,” he said according to the transation. “But I’m not developing anything because my goal is still to play.”
Vazquez has never indicated he would retire in 2010, he just doesn’t want to play well into his late 30s. The only way this could affect the Yankees would be if Vazquez retired after this season — eliminating the Yankees potential to cash in on a potential Type A or B free agent — but his most recent comments make that seem unlikely.
I still don’t like Gardner in LF at all, but:
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....rdner.html
Wow, so the Olympic officials are blaming the poor luger for his own death – unbelievable
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo…..t_to_.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/spo.....t_to_.html
glad to hear Gardner is working on his bunting skills
and yet they have modified the track, and he wasn’t the only one to crash…makes you wonder
I’m sad to say that this this doesn’t surprise me, Kate; what a thing for his friends and family to wake up to, sheesh. I suppose it makes this committee feel better to blame the athlete, but they just sound like they have no feelings at all.
i cant imagine how you could just dismiss the idea that he could have made a mistake that caused the crash. the guy is sledding at 90 mph, the slightest screw up can cause a crash. luge is dangerous. it may turn out to be that there were alot of contributing factors but how can you just dismiss the possiblility that he just screwed up?
were they expected to set up a luge track in a way that nobody would crash?
I don’t dismiss the possibility that it could be his fault. Many of these winter events are inherently dangerous sports that require quick judgement. He could quite possibly have screwed up. It is also possible some adjustments could be made to make the track safer, as others crashed as well.
And, I agree w/ Betsy, it does appear that the committee is unfeeling.
The IOC also determined earlier that women were unfit for Ski Jumping. Ironically, a woman holds the record for the longest jump ever on the course that the men will compete on for the Olympic Medal.
Sorry, I find their comments unfeeling……….and apparently the track has had a lot of detractors.
He’s still got a good three to four years. The media is blowing this out of proportion.
I would rather that Gardner work on leveling his swing.
They have modified the luge track.
I don’t know why they would have done that being that it was the drivers fault and all….
slow news day, and also possibly lost in translation
They should have moved the support pillars far fron the track, especially after such a turn…Also there should have been some form of SAFETY netting to prevent anyone from flying off the track……
they discontinued ski jumping, just like they didcontinued baseball in the summer olympics. does that mean they found men unfit for baseball?
I don’t think the media is making anything out of the Vasquez “story” as there is nothing about it in the major NY papers.
That’s an example of CYA. I wonder if a lawsuit can be brought by his family.
so you are now an expert on luge track design to say what they ’should have’ done? all of a sudden everybody’s an expert on luge and luge tracks…
yeah, that was my first thought too
Javy only needs to worry about 2010. Nothing wrong with going year to year. If he can still be a sub-3 in the NL, sub-4 in the AL, and eat up 200 innings a year, he’ll be able to pick and choose his spots. Writers don’t realize how much of a toll being a professional athlete is. Then they turn around and try to run the older guys like Andy Pettitte out of town. Can’t win with these guys.
I agree, Pat M. I no expert in Luge saftey, but there did seem to be ‘off’ about the track set up-lack of safty netting, exposed steel beams, ect.
It seems that “driver error”-be it inexperience with the speed or miscalculation of the turn- caused the crash but the track’s set up caused his death.
i never understood why anybody paid any attention to vazquez’s earlier comments. he’s not going to walk away from tens of millions of dollars he can make over the next few years. Mo made very similar comments just after he signed his first big contract. now he’s, what 42 and likely to seek another contract after this one.
Add “maybe they” in front of “should have” and his post is fine. It does seem like there may have been negligence.
like it or not, those guys who decided that it was the driver’s fault know more about luging and luge tracks than everybody who’s ever commemnted on this blog combined.
Thanks for the link to the Gardner story.
Also for the link to the Girardi with Mike F. audio. Girardi said one of the things they were going to look for (in addition to the #5 battle, bench, etc) was if Gardner can be an everyday player.
I know a lot of people don’t think he can, but good luck to him. Others don’t think he’s all that he’s made out to be on defense, but the fact is that he is one of our best defenders in the OF. So, I think that in the interest of run prevention, we should all be cheering for Gardner to turn into an everyday player.
I don’t want to put any added pressure on Javy, but he probably holds the key to the season. If he is even close to the pitcher he was last season (with a league adjustment), all things being equal, the Yankees would be unstoppable.
Some Yankees current and past off-season pictures. Some are kind of fun- Wang is a runway model – WHO KNEW!
http://www.daylife.com/search/.....?q=yankees
It also benefits their interest to make that finding. None of us are burdened by being in that position.
M, of course I’m cheering for Gardner, but I don’t think he’s a good player and I definitely don’t think he’s a starter. I hope I’m wrong, I really hope I do.
Why did “those guys who decided that it was the driver’s fault” also decide to modify the luge track, i.e. make it safer? There seems to be a disconnect there.
I’ll defer to them on that decision because, well, they “know more about luging and luge tracks than everybody who’s ever commemnted on this blog combined”.
Jim Leyland told Francesa that Granderson would be great in LF, and that it would enable him to exploit his throwing arm.
Holy crap this reply system is absurd.
I don’t think ski jumping for women was discontinued. From what I’ve read, it was never an olympic event to begin with. Now, however, the US team is losing their funding because they can’t put money into a sport that as no Olympic event.
Seconded.
Thriced.
we build roads to the best of our ability within the cost structure we can afford. then if we find a problem with some on-ramp or or turn that is dangerous, we correct them. does that mean that if somebody drives off a road and hits a tree in a spot where they later decide to install a guardrail that the disigners of the road were negligent?
Sorry I didn’t mean to derail any conversation, its just this is the first time I’ve been in the comments section since thursday. Big change and its really confusing to read and follow comments.
Following along during a 1000 comment game might be challenging.
That happens all too frequently. You assume too much by using the words “best of our ability.” Sometimes engineers take shortcuts, or don’t do their due diligence, and their negligence isn’t discovered until there is an accident.
They should have consulted Cashman.
pat,
Did you see my comment to you yesterday? I mentioned how it was easier to read through a nested thread afterwards than it is to follow it live.
Then maybe you can stop saying you don’t like him and don’t think he can do it in every post you write about him.
lemme guess, you’re a personal injury attorney (aka ambulance chaser)?
Correct if I AM wrong but javy has a one year contract ….so who cares?
Nope, and I’m in favor of reasonable tort reform.
I guess if you can rebut a post, then you engage in an ad hominem attack.
Blaming the victim is the easy way out.
Or you could just skip my posts, M.
can = can’t
I need an edit function.
calling him a victim infers guilt by another of which you have no proof whatsoever.
If he signs with another team other than the Yankees after this season, the Yankees get draft picks. If he retires, no draft picks.
I didn’t call him a victim. I don’t know the facts of this case. That’s why I used the word “may.”
I used the word victim in reference to the people who have been harmed by design defects on roads in cases where negligence has already been proved.
m -
I absolutely agree with you. I was out and am catching up now, and it’s simple enough to follow. However, once you start responding and following particular conversations, then it’s too much work – scroll up, scroll down; which particular post in a thread are you responding to – the outer one, or an inner one?
Works fine when there’s not much activity, like last night and this morning. But it’s busier now, and it’s a little more confusing.
Kind of ridiculous. Every time you refresh the comments section you have to read the entire page to check for replies, etc.
this is our society today, if someone drives off the road and hits a tree while texting, people assume the cel phone manufacturer must be liable…..
Working on both is actually critical for him.
I am glad to hear he’s trying to reclaim his bunting skills. How the Yankees allowed a player with negligible power and great speed abandon bunting in the minors is beyond me.
Needless to say, I completely agree he needs to level his swing. As it stands, that upper-cut swing he sported last season, with its feeble flyball generation, is not going to put pressure on defenses. I’m guessing the Yankees have to know something so elementary, but then again, considering how Gardner was allowed to discard bunting, I’m not taking anything for granted.
yeah, i don’t like it, too much scrolling
Patrick, I completely agree. I understand what they’re trying to do, but on a blog that gets so many comments, it’s going to get really hard to follow.
You’re right. No one is ever negligent except the person that was injured. If people are harmed because engineers or manufacturers didn’t want to spend a little more to ensure that what they produced was safe, then it’s their tough luck. No remedy should ever be available.
Besty
Gardner if given a full season- 500 abs- could put up Chone Figgins type #’s or Ellsbury #’s with less power than Ells (who has little to speak of) and play potentially great D.
If the yanks had signed Figginstoplay LF i think most would be very happy with that.
Gritty was a rookie last year and still hit for the same average and higher .obp than Gordan Beckham who was second in the R.O.Y. voting. Like Figgy power is not and will never be part of Gardy’s game. But you know what that’s okay. he still has the potential to be a dynamic offensive player with his speed alone.
I for one would like to see Long get with him and get him to use his legs a bit more in his swing as he would get more drive on the ball and that’s it.
I project that if given 500 abs in the #9 hole his ‘10 line will be .288/.374obp/.407slg/96runs/7hrs/68rbis/58sbs 30doubles/12triples and very,very good D in LF and Cf.
If he does that then we really have a killer team with him.
I did and I understand your point.
Days that I work from home, I can check in often enough that it’s not a problem.
On my commute days, I usually scan rather than read in depth what I missed and it is easier for me to scan when the posts are uniform so the nesting thing slows me down.
Probably will just take some getting used to.
Erin,
I don’t understand what they’re trying to do. Can you explain it to me?
So this is the second time I’m seeing this updated “We Are The World”. I guess it’s the official theme song for the Olympics.
My favorite is Lil Wayne.
You know if I “electrified” my voice or whatever it is he does, I might make it make it as a singer too.
Holy oversimplification!
It’s like the movie Major League 2 for me. It seemed like a good idea but doesn’t quite live up to the original.
The best part about people like you who say things like this is if someone in your family drives off a road and hits a tree or dies like the guy in the Olympics you are contacting an attorney the next morning.
you are inferring negligence where you have no evidence of any. what do you know about the people who designed that luge track? NOTHING. what do u know about luge NOTHING. but you are sure someone MUST BE at fault because something terrible happened. Bad things happen in life. Especially when travelling at 90 mph without any real protection.
even with an unlimited budget a luge track is still an ice sheet meant to propel a sled at increadible speeds. It is impossible to remove all possible risk.
as i said from the beginning, it may in fact be a case of negigence, but nobody here knows anything about luge or luge tracks, so all we can go by now is the initial findings from the people who DO know about both.
Re Gardy…
“I project that if given 500 abs in the #9 hole his ‘10 line will be .288/.374obp/.407slg/96runs/7hrs/68rbis/58sbs 30doubles/12triples and very,very good D in LF and Cf.”
I say…WOOHOO!
i cant tell who this is directed at but you dont know anything about what kind of person anyone who commented here is.
Yet you know me enough to falsely call me an ambulance chaser.
Champ, I disagree, but I guess we’ll find out……….
Boras may have lost Lopez as a client this week but he picked up Kendry Morales. I’m sure Artie Moreno is thrilled!
IIRC, isn’t Rich in NJ an atty?
if he’s not he must play one on tv
I think what they’re trying to do is increase the functionality of the comments section and improve the user experience.
Not all attempts at innovation are successful.
Not having read too much about it, I see that they’ve lowered the starting point to make the track slower.
Common sense tells me that padding on the steel girders might have been a good thing. I don’t know if the padding would’ve prevented the death, but I know they wouldn’t have hurt.
I’ve not seen the video, but my husband said that the luger hit the steel post and he was lifeless right after impact.
Vasquez will have a productive season and hopefully forget retirement FOR A LONG TIME. When he avenges his last WS showing with the Yankees thats what counts.
Olney, (MLBTR) is saying Damon would possibly only take 1 Yr. Looks like He/Boras wants to park somewhere next yr, hoping the Yankees will take him back at 37!! n/t
Boras might find a place for Damon, but everybody knows he and Damon burnt a bridge with the Yankees this offseason, with their ridiculous demands .
seems to me like boras is working hard to get out the story that they are turning down a 2 year deal. sounds to me more like the only 2 year deal that ever exsisted was the one they turned down from the yankees and he’s not setting up a cover story for when johnny only gets a one year deal.
there’s no face-save thats gonna work this time scotty!
there is NO CHANCE that vazquez retires after this season. he’d be turning down tens of millions of dollars. anybody have any examples where a ballplayer did that in the modern era? walked away in his prime earning years when there was that much money availble for him to continue playing? no because it doesnt happen and it is not gonna happen with vazquez. and he even denied it himself this week.
just replying to see how small this box can get
I am, but I have no interest in enhancing the fees of the personal injury bar.
For much of the 20th century, manufacturers were able to put products on the market that were inherently dangerous and victims had virtually no avenue for redress.
Granted, the pendulum may have swung a little too far in the other direction, but that doesn’t mean that people aren’t still injured by the negligence of others.
how ridiculously small can it get????????
I think they gave an email address so people could give their opinions about the new format to the IT person. Complaining here doesn’t help with making it easier to read.
You can carry on the conversation without hitting the reply button. In fact, its probably best if you don’t hit reply except to comment on very, very specific things that most people aren’t talking about.
Thanks, Nick. I have nothing witty to say to this.
Sorry m, I stepped away for a while. Nick did a much better job explaining than I would have anyway though.
then again – they do say that big things come in small packages
As of No. 4 starter, Javy Vasquez is capable of 12-14 wins and most importantly as an innings eater.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if Cashman wanted him back in 2011 depending on what the picture is for Andy Pettitte, a signing of Cliff Lee, and the development of Zach McAllister and Ivan Nova.
Damon told the Detroit Free Press that he had many offers to consider, I was laughing so hard because He/Wifey/Boras played the same press game with Cashman. That’s how come he is still unsigned!!
Tala08
I think that would be the way to approach this format.
but really who actually says that? people who can’t afford big packages and of course men and women who are cursed with uh, how can i say this – small packages
I do not think Damon burnt any bridge with the Yankees. Cashman is not emotional or callous enough for that. He is the first to know this is a business. If a bridge was burnt they would not have been negotiating 2 weeks ago.
The general belief is that the Yankees will look for a LF next season. If Damon has another good year offensively and bounces back defensively I hope and believe Damon will be on the list of guys the Yankees are interested in.
then again, $50,000 diamond rings do come in small packages so maybe there is a hint of truth in the big things come in small packages cliche
Yeah Doreen I think we should learn how best to work the format to our advantage based on this community before panning it so quick.
If we’re all talking about baseball no need to hit reply. But if someone asks for your email address, the title of a book or a recipe its easier for you to get their response if they reply instead of posting 215 comments later.
You complete me.
i like that expectations are being kept low, but there is every chance that vazquez will be the yankees #2 this year. Not that they will pitch him behind cc, just that he may well be the 2nd best starter on the staff. and he’s playing for a contract and for redemption in nyc.
Vazquez is much more capable than they way you are describing him. He was one of the best pitchers in baseball last year. In 2004, a year in which Yankee fans remember Vazquez as a nightmare he won 14 games.
Yup and easy enough to do a one-time search for the response.
That track needed more nesting.
come to think of it – a $50,000 diamond ring technically is a small thing, size wise, value wise its a big thing. so we are back to the – do big things really come in small packages? Can you even fit a big thing in a small package? If “assembly is required” and it comes in a small package does thst constitute a small thing in a small package or can you still label it a big thing in a small package. How much assembly, time wise, would be required for the cutoff of big thing/small thing?
I agree. I hate to bring up Melky again, BUT he did nothing exceptionally well. Gardner has shown that he is an exceptional defensive player and on the bases. I think his OBP was about .345, so if he can move that up this year, say 25 points, we could have a really good young player on our hands. Even if he isn’t in the Yankees long term plans, he could be a fantastic chip for the future. I say, give him a half year and let’s see what he can do.
Maybe the delay is the Tigers park, it won’t help his offensive stats like Yankees stadium, and his arm will highlight more weakness in that park. What a fool Damon was this off season. Leaving a team that works for his stats, and a city where his family loves to live.
A leopard can’t change his spots, Damon has always followed the money. This time it will cost him.
this is pretty cool, its like looking at a pyramid from above, i almost feel like i’m in egypt – or mexico.
I thought it was good things come in small packages.
I have had the Canadian coverage on all day, which I just glance at from time to time. They are currently showing some of the luge training runs. They reported that this track has been considered fast since in opened in 07. There have been complaints by the luge association. There have been many crashes, especially by inexperienced drivers, but also by veterans. They are having the men start at what is usually the women’s start place, a little further down, to slow the lugers down.
for sake of not wasting any more of my time, i’ll stop but can you imagine during a game thread if people keep replying to a reply, there would come a time that there would be one word per line, or even worse one letter per line
sab -
it doesn’t do that. It continues one word per line and you get a pinstripe effect. At that point it doesn’t get smaller.
Johnny Damon will not play another inning in LF while wearing pinstripes.
The words break out of the box, in a sense.
hi doreen – was that the saying? – so conversely bad things come in big packages? what about lincoln escalades are they bad? i know hummers are, hmmm interesting
Yes, the phrase is good things, not big things. But I’m not sure whether or not that invalidates sab’s experiment.
When Cashman spoke out 2wks ago about how hard it was for some people to face the truth, and agents spewing nonsense that seemed to suggest he (Cashman) was stupid, who do you think that was directed at? Damon/Boras!!
You can see that happening here, with my name and February.
And if the reply is particular long at this point, then it takes up a great deal of length on the post.
And there you have it – pinstripes.
Was Vince Vaughn there to take Dan Akroyd’s place in the original???
Hummers are bad things in bad packages!
I agree about Vazquez not retiring. But your question made me think about Pat Tillman. I cant express in words my feelings of gratitude.
Of course not, Nick.
hi again, yes i’m getting the pinstripe effect, but at this point the pinstripes have overwhelmed the box where you can read the thread and after i send this comment i’m sure there will be one letter per line – it’ll almost look like a eye chart at the optometrists office. This is freaky and cool at the same time
I think it becomes cumbersome when you are interested in multiple topics, and as the number of posts increase.
Are you sure you want to go out on a limb with such a bold prediction???
my bold damon prediction is that he will be out of baseball by the end of 2011
Nick, I owe you on the Miles bet. Let me know how you want to handle that.
Ok…. What does that have anything to do with what I said?
He wasn’t in his prime but Mussina probably walked away from a lit of money.
Of course Cashman knows it’s a business. He started the Hotstove saying pitching was his priority. The FIRST moves were Granderson, Johnson, then Andy, finally getting Javy almost toward the end. All teh while with Damon/Boras chatting up the press about how the Yankees still needed him, and all the interest in Pay Check Johnny.
Cashman had orders from the braintrust in Tampa (or so it seems), to not allow Boras to control their offseason. Cashman was on a mission, and mission accomplished, Boras was shut out, Damon was “stoopid.”
Hey Laura, good to see you. You can contact me off the board at sftweeindieguy@yahoo.com to discuss the particulars.
The silver lining for you is that you get to enjoy Miles for the season!
I agree. It is clear that Cash is going with younger position players and bullpen.
That may be the post-steroids trend for the teams that have the wherewithal.
You may see some veteran role/bench players, and maybe a proven veteran starter or two a la Vazquez, Pettitte or Lee (wishful thinking), but the days are over for the Damon and Cameron types patrolling YS in pinstripes.
No way he brings back a 37 yr old, Yankees are past the overpaid older veteran, Abreu, Giambi, Sheffield Damon!
Randy Winn sends his regards.
Absolutely, Nick. Add platoon to bench and/or role player.
You guys should look into http://disqus.com/ its far better than whatever this new system is
From your mouth to Cashman’s ears, hopefully the Yankees have seen the last of Damon. If he really wanted to be with the Yankees he waited too late to show it.
The designer of this new site has AD or something for sure, It’s the worst I’ve ever witnessed. disquis is far better!
This is one crazy SET UP!!
Cashman controlled the off season player assignments, Hal Steinbrenner controls the Yankees Corporation Operating and Capital budgets.
Player acquisition budget was a line item in each of those spreadsheets.
Cashman sees his line and plans out the strategy based on the numbers and information from his staff.
Scott Boras or Johnny Damon was never personal considerations, just tiles in the game of player acquisition.
The Johnny Damon tile was not worth the price, a gamer moves on to the next ones.
It doesn’t take much too see where the organization is going.
Look for young yet proven wheels out in left for 2011 with GGBG as the 4th OF.
I don’t think Cashman needed any orders from anyone regarding Boras. He had what he wanted to accomplish, he had his budget, he had his set $ values.
Javy may win 20 or move as the 4th starter. Think of the 4th starters each Team will put up against the Yankee batters and what the other team batters will have to face in 2010 when Javy takes the mound.
All those Managers on the other teams will be damn sure to have ALL their relief pitchers ready when he pulls that 4th starter once the Yankee batters get to 5 runs in the 2nd inning.
Does Old Timers Day count?
If Damon has a good year it would be stupid to not even take a look at him. The Yankees offered him a two year deal earlier this offseason, so they clearly think he is capable of playing at 37.
And who said he would be overpaid? Just because you are 37 does not mean you will automatically be overpaid.
What the hell is up with this nesting??? there was nothing wrong with the comments before this…. if you wanted to reply to someone’s comment you just addressed them by their poster name or what they said… there was never any confusion….. this sucks
Darn. I haven’t gotten the hang of who to reply to to keep it in a row so the above comment is in response to Damon…LF…pinstripes.
I have a question about the draft choices that Yanks might get if Vazquez is a Type A or Type B free agent. It’s my understanding that in order for the Yanks to get the draft choices, they would have to offer arbitration to Vazquez and he would have to refuse arbitration and become a free agent. I believe the Yanks didn’t offer arbitration to any player at all last year. So, how good are the chances that they will eventually get draft choice(s) in exchange for Vazquez?
May see Damon there soon.
P.S. I would vote against the nesting of comments.
Where are these young yet proven wheels coming from?
Randy Winn is not a platoon, bench, or role player at this point. He is in the competition to start in LF.
And what was the direction of the Yankees when Cashman offered 2 years to Damon?
New post.
Well, I emailed the IT guy Jeff about something else and he never replied, so telling us to e-mail them doesn’t really help
pat,
Doh! Forgot about that. Does it count as LF if he’s standing behind the SS?
Free agency, i.e. Crawford (29) or Werth (31) for starters.
Yeah. Don’t like this at all!!! Why ruin something that was working fine??? Monty
Yes – Nesting is for the birds
Woohoo… Yankee pinstripes
So signing one OF who relies on his legs for most of his game into his mid-30s is the direction Cashman is going in?
Or signing Werth, a 31 year old OF with a history of bad knees into his late 30s the direction?
True but how many non-baseball conversations are really going on? My suggestion is that if its baseball there is no need to hit “reply” at all just keep it going as usual. There would be far less nesting comments.
The majority of the nesting comments going on in this thread are about baseball.
Glad to read someone finally fired Boras. Damon should have done the same, maybe he’d still be with the Yankees. Instead Boras was busy milking the Cardinals dry, while Damon watched his market dry up!
Winn for 2010 only. And Damon’s role, if he’d have signed for a second year, would have been as DH, shared with maybe Posada. Never as the left fielder.
I believe going younger is the plan, and the main reason Cash didn’t fight harder for Damon.
How do you know this? Cashman never said that Damon was being signed as a LF for 2010 and DH for 2011. That was pure speculation from Yankee fans.
What do you mean fight harder? Cashman offered him to date the highest offer he has received. Was he supposed to bid against himself? He clearly wanted Damon back heading into this offseason.
As opposed to Damon at 36, yes. If Upton as in B.J. puts together a good season, who knows.
All I’m saying that I sense that the Yankees are looking to go younger and more athletic in the OF (call it wheels), either from within or through free agency.
Slim pickings for now.
How do you know it was not Damon who turned down that 2/14 offer? Boras works for Damon, not the other way around.
Sure he wanted his bat, speed and good nature on the team. But there was the competing goal of making the team younger where at all possible. That’s why we have Granderson.
As for how the Damon negotiations went down, I was not there. My sense is that as soon as Damon did not fall in line to what was available, Cash went in another direction.
I believe Matsui read the writing, and went his own way.
Signing guys like Crawford to long term contracts does not make the team younger and more athletic. Those guys are only short term solutions in which you are in the same problem if not worse in a few years. Not to mention you lose draft picks so you swing even further to the “if not worse” on the scale of getting younger and more athletic.
Getting guys like Damon, Cameron, etc. on 1-2 year contracts actually helps the team get younger and more athletic. They are still capable of playing at a high level throughout their short term contracts and at half the price. At the same time you buy time for guys like Heathcott to develop and actually get younger and more athletic. And finally you retain your draft picks and are able to draft younger and more athletic players
Not signing Damon did not make the team any younger, because as Nick pointed out they just ended up signing Winn.
Winn is a back up. They got a lot younger in the outfield and at DH.
I guess I missed the announcement that Gardner is starting in LF. Winn is absolutely in contention to start in LF.
The Yanks weren’t interested in Johhny with a glove this yr and they’ll be even less interested in him next yr. They were only interested in Damon as a primary DH and that’s it hence the 7mil offer.
I do think that Damon has rubbed Cash and some of the guys the wrong way with some of his comments and posturing this offseason in an effort to extract every penny from the org.
As for next season Damon’s light will look alot dimmer with Crawford and Werth on the market. His career in pinstripes are over and he’d be silly if there is a legit 2yr or 1yr with an option on the table not taking that offer. Why would he want to go through this all over again. He’d be beyond delusional to think that in next season’s FA market there would be a more attractive offer out there for him when he’ll be a yr older and coming off a 10 homer season.
And if Winn starts they actually got older in the OF.
Lets go, although it’s not been settled, I think LF is GGBF’s to lose.
I have to respectfully disagree. Gardner has proven nothing in the majors to have LF handed to him or it being his job to lose especially since he has at least 4 players competing with him for that job.
They did try to sign Damon – at least twice.
But to begin with, Damon was being envisioned primarily as a DH who could play LF. When they signed Johnson, and still entertained the idea of bringing Damon back, I imagine they were “okay” with the idea of Damon playing about the amount of LF as he did last season. But after signing Johnson, it would be difficult to make a strong argument that the Yankees NEEDED Damon. They wanted him. They didn’t need him. Hence, not going over their initial offer.
Gardner would have a short leash as he did in center beginning 2009.
And there’s Thames in the mix.
I do think, though, that Winn is there as a switch hitting bat who can platoon in LF, and Thames for his right-handed pop.
I agree. I think the over/under on Javy this season is 17wins and I’d bet the over for the very reason. Javy’s a starter that consistently works deep into games with the #1 offense in baseball squaring off against the average #4 starter in the Al,and a shutdown bullpen backing him up is a recipe for a lot of wins for Javy.
I see him pitching to a 3.7-3.8 era/220ks/19-7 record
Yeah but Gardner actually won the job in 2009 out of spring training. He was not handed the job. Nothing has changed since last year as Randy Winn is about on par with Melky if not better.
Fair enough. That’s why Winn is in for 2010 only.
That said, until you have a prospect that truly pans out (in the OF in this discussion) you could go with a Crawford for three years.
How long did we hear about Action Jackson, to end up going with a proven commodity as in Granderson?
You did miss that anouncement then as Giradi has pretty much stated that Gardy is the fave to start in the OF. In fact I think Girardi is leaning towards Gardner in CF and Grandy in LF.
Damon was being offered the opportunity to return to the team as the DH hence the contract offer in the DH pay scale range.
The Granderson trade was to replace Damon’s glove in the OF and Matsui’s bat in the lineup.
Had Damon resigned your opening day OF would look exactly the same Grandy-LF/CF,Gardy-CF/LF and Swish-RF with Damon as the DH hitting in the #2 hole.
Winn is here as the 4th OF’er and to push Gardy and keep him on his toes.
Problem is that there is no way Crawford signs for only 3 years
you can disagree til your blue in the face but the fact is that Girardi stated on Francesca’s show yesterday that the Yanks want to see if Gardner is an everyday player and he also basically said that he’s leaning toward Gardner in CF and Granderson in LF without coming out and committing to it.
There was always the hope that Melky would grow into his starting role in center. He did not.
On the contrary, Winn is in for 2010 only, if at all, or until, I believe Crawford is off the table at the trade deadline or 2011.
He said basically the same about Melky last spring.
So are correct Sir.
Seems no one remembers how Girardi had to check with Damon from Late July till the end to see if his legs weer ok to go.
And have forgotten how Johnny had to sit in the division series and the world series due to his legs “cramping”.
His days are a front line baseball player are over.
Damn it can you believe we traded Melky Cabrera for this loser…UGH!
Sounds like a challenge for Jeff and the Wordpress developers.
Perhaps they can add substantial AJAX techniques to the commenting process, and make it kind of like the GMail inbox– new “direct comments” would show up as new lines in the “inbox” of comments, while comments which respond to previous comments would initially be hidden under the initial direct comment but would also change the color of the initial direct comment, showing that there are more comments in that thread. Clicking on any initial comment would open up that thread and display the time and first line of each comment in that thread.
To take all of this a step further, You could have a level one step higher representing each new posting by Chad, Sam, and others.
… This would actually be a big plus, since it would encourage commenters to place their comments under the appropriate initial posting, rather than just on a continuous time-line approach.
Sounds good to me.. yes??