Sabathia: “I don’t think we have to do much recruiting”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Jul 10, 2010 
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
For those of you who wanted Cliff Lee in pinstripes, yesterday wasn’t a total loss. Worse-case scenario would have been either Tampa Bay or Boston landing the lefty. Best-case scenio — non-New-York division — might honestly have been Texas.
The Rangers are are reportedly optimistic that they can sign Lee this winter, but for a team with significant financial and ownership issues, that might be a tough free agent move to make. They’ll have exclusive rights to early negotiations, but it’s not hard to picture Lee slipping through to the open market.
And if he’s on the open market…
“I don’t think we have to do much recruiting,” CC Sabathia said. “He knows what it’s like over here. I’ve talked to him a bunch about what it’s like in the clubhouse and being part of this team. Hopefully it works out.”
Sabathia spoke very highly of Lee. The two old Cleveland teammates talked three times during yesterday’s swirling trade rumors, and when Dave Eiland and Mike Harkey asked Sabathia about Lee, he gave a good report.
“I told them we got along great,” Sabathia said. “He was great in the clubhouse. He’s a good dude.”
Of course, Sabathia couldn’t help laughing at the reporters gathered around his locker for a second day in a row, asking questions that have nothing to do with Sabathia. First LeBron James, now this.
“Trades that ain’t happening and basketball players,” Sabathia said.
Associated Press photo of Lee during his brief press conference yesterday.
Any audio of this please please
Subtractions: Javy (contract), Andy (retire), Marte? (is his contract up?)
Additions: Carl Crawford & Cliff Lee
Jeter
Crawford
Tex
Alex
Cano
Swisher
Posada
Granderson
Cervelli/Romine?
CC
Lee
AJ
Hughes
?
Gardy
Nunez
Cervelli/Romine
Miranda
Phil Hughes tribute # 11
http://picasaweb.google.com/cybermrb03/NavajoLake#
You earned it Phil.
Cliff Lee has already made mention of the sweltering heat of Texas during the summer months. That doesn’t sound like somebody interested in signing with the Rangers for the future.
Can someone explain to me how Texas could sign Cliff Lee given their financial/ownership situation? I’m assuming they believe some sort of ownership will be established before the off season..? Thats the only explanation right?
The Rangers deal -
Seattle, in addition to Smoak, who was hitting .209 with eight homers and 34 RBI at the time of the deal, gets three minor leaguers, right-handed pitchers Blake Beavan and Josh Lueke and infielder Matt Lawson. The Mariners sent injured right-handed reliever Mark Lowe to the Rangers as well and chipped in $2.25 million to help defray what’s left of Lee’s $9 million salary for the year.
____________________________________________________
The M’s settled for a much worse deal than the Yankees offered, and they have to pay part of Lee’s salary. I think it was a deal done to keep Lee from becoming a Yankee.
What happened to the Rangers need for a catcher and 2B? They settled for a 1B that can’t hit in AAA. They hurt themselves in this deal, no wonder they’re losers.
Marte’s got another year at 4 mil.
2012 is a 4 mil option with a 250,000$ buyout.
Subtractions: Javy (contract), Andy (retire), Marte? (is his contract up?)
————————————————————————————–
Joey,
Damaso Marte has 2 more years on his contract. Since he’s a decent LOOGY I don’t see him going anywhere.
One contract that is UP after this season is Nick Johnson’s $6 million deal. Yanks won’t resign him.
Not that it matters but it is going to take at least 100 Mil to sign Lee IMO.
I’m not sure I agree Big Al — Smoak is really good. I saw him a good bit in college
The cash included is certainly a factor.
The Rangers have a budget approved by the bankruptcy court and if this fits I don’t think they need approval. However every MLB team that had an interest in Lee has to be ticked off that they are helping subsidize the Rangers and thus helping subsidize the acquisition of an All-Star pitcher who might cost them a post-season spot.
Little chance the Rangers could afford Lee OR that he’d be interested in staying there because of the heat and the small ballpark. It’s far from a pitcher’s paradise.
JoeyA — I think it is highly unlikely the Yanks shell out $ 12-15 Million a year for Crawford and relegate Gardner to the bench. Yes, he’s clearly the better player, but not THAT much better to justify that kind of payroll increase. And Marte’ is signed for 2011
The M’s have the best player in AA 1B that’s hitting .354 with good power #’s, why did they need Smoak? They also send 2.25 mil to Texas, and a player. How did MLB allow Tewas to add to the payroll while in debit? Tewas goes up for auction next week, and with Lee, they become the best team in the AL West, so the deal may have been made in part to put the value of the team higher, prior to the auction. IMO!
MTU — I bet Lee does not get that much. There won’t be that many teams chasing him and very few can consider adding a $ 20 M a year guy. He’ll probably get more than AJ/Lackey, but nowhere near CC.
I’m guessing five years, $ 90 Million. and if I’m the owner I’m probably not going that high.
Yesterday while the whole Lee thing was going down I was listening to Francesca.
He was characterizing the requisition as “overkill”.
“Yankee starters have 46 wins! (now 47) That’s insane! ” He kept on screaming over and over.
And he’s got a point but at the same time he was saying that the deal was totally doable because of the strength of the system. (Romine and Sanchez)
This is what I really liked to hear from him though.
“The Yankees are rich but they’ve always been rich. But now they’re rich and smart. It’s a deadly combination.”
Edit:
“requisition” is supposed to be acquisition.
Big Al — Interesting thought about the franchise value. Just might be a factor.
86w183 July 10th, 2010 at 9:45 am
I’m not sure I agree Big Al — Smoak is really good. I saw him a good bit in college
_____________________________________________________
When you compare Smoak and the players traded with him to the M’s, to what the Yankees offered, plus the cash deal, the Yankees offer was much better. Smoak will now be ahead of the 1B the M’s have in AAA, that’s an AS in AAA, and the MVP there, hitting .354 with power, makes no sense.
86-
OK. You’re on. Gentlemen’s bet. He wants Sabbathia money.
I don’t think they pay him the equal of CC but a little less, and a min. of 5 years.
We’ll see who is right. Either way I hope the Yankees get him.
A great replacement for Andy going forward.
If Pettitte continues to pitche well in the second half and decides he wants to pitch again in 2011, I have a hard time thinking the Yankees won’t bring him back even with Lee available to them as a free agent. I think the Yankees signs both of them.
If it becomes a matter of which team will pay Lee the most, the Yankees win that fight. Factor in , IMO, Lee would love to pitch in NY with his good friend CC, and a great chance for a ring, that’s all it should take. Afterall, it’s only money, and when you win a WS, the money a team earns would pay for Lee, and a lot of other players salaries.
Smoak is a really good player…he’s been compared to Teixera with slightly less power. He was a beast in college just as Tex was. Its why for me this trade is a big gamble for the Rangers seeing as how Lee is most likely a rental for them. If they don’t win the WS this year then they lose out….makes me think they will go after Adrian Gonzalez hard if they get an owner.
Craw-
I agree with you. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Andy back next year.
What I meant was whenever Andy retires Lee will be a good fill in going forward.
“What happens in Kangaroo Court stays in Kangaroo Court,” Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira said.
But Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes spilled the beans on one of the best most egregious offenses of the season, which involved Yankees bench coach Tony Pena.
On May 4 against the Orioles, catcher Francisco Cervelli chased a foul pop up toward the Yankees’ dugout. Cervelli leaned over the dugout railing to make the catch, but the momentum of his body sent him flying over the rail.
The coaches nearby stretched out their arms to brace the catcher from his fall — except for Pena. As Cervelli’s body passed over him, Pena ducked and covered.
Costly mistake.
From Star Ledger
Couldn’t Boston sign Lee also? What’s to stop them (or the Mets) from paying more and signing Lee?
If people are worried about overkill after yesterdays events, they will really be ticked off.
You burn the Yankees, they will just spend more money on their team.
Worst kept secret in baseball as to where Lee will be next year….and it ain’t in Texas. He will be a Yankee.
Before meeting with Pat M last night, I did Hughes a favor and hit In-Out-Burger before his start.
That’s how confident I was he would win.
Great first night all around in the OC.
Baseball America rankings:
Justin Smoak #13
Jesus Montero #4
I believe Montero has much more upside than Smoak, and the M’s needed a catcher. They failed to fill their needs, laid out money, gave up a player, a bad deal for the M’s, a good deal for the Rangers.
Who ever said the M’s GM was smart?
SJ,
Have a great time out there man…I’m jealous.
While I would love to see Andy come back yet again, I just think he has been dropping too many hints that this is his last go around. He was looking forward to going home during the All Star Break, he struggles each year to decide to come back as it is.
I have a feeling he will announce his retirement this year. I think that the Yankees have had conversations with Andy and think he is leaving which is why they were pushing to add Lee as well.
86w183,
I understand your point. But, much like trading for Cliff Lee, when a stud comes available, especially at the cost of only $$, you have to try.
We may not need Crawford, but GGBG would be the best 4th OF on baseball, especially since he’s cheap. Plus, we can always trade him.
You also forget, with Posada in the condition he’s in and Jeter & Alex, we don’t need to sign a DH. Crawford = GGBG with pop, which is scary.
Maybe it’s overkill, but getting Lee and Crawford is definitely a possibility, if not a strong one. We will definitely need a SP when Javy leaves and possibly Pettitte. Crawford is a rare talent, which is why they have to try.
$29.25M coming off books with Andy, Javy, & Nick J. That’s enough to add CC and CL. And I’m sure if they need an extra 2-3M, they’ll get it done.
Big Al-
The M’s may not see Montero sticking at catcher. Maybe they project him to be a 1b/DH type.
If that is true then the comparison with Smoak becomes a little different.
He has more projectable power than Smoak but as a defender he would certainly fall far short.
Just saying.
Big AL,
Montero probably does have more upside but Smoak is already in the big leagues. I also think there may be some component that they wanted to steal a good young player from another team in their division.
Trading Lee to a team in their division doesn’t matter because the Ms arent winning this year anyway….but taking Smoak off their team may make a difference in the long run…
86-
To add, Crawford may not be that much better ThIS YEAR. Let’s see what GGBG does in a full season. I hope he flourishes, for the sake of the Yankees.
That being said, Crawford has been performing at GGBG levels for a fee years now. Brett has done it as a full time starter for 1/2 a season. Crawford 14M per & Lee 18.5M per.
SJ44 July 10th, 2010 at 10:12 am
If people are worried about overkill after yesterdays events, they will really be ticked off.
You burn the Yankees, they will just spend more money on their team.
**********
I wish they could do something about it right now. But if the culture in baseball is to never assist the Yankees in any way, even if you are helping yourself in the process, the there’s nothing the Yanks can do about it until free agency.
We should sign Lee and Werth in the off season.
From the Seattle Times
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....ee_tr.html
Smoak is in it right now and struggling a bit with a .209 average and .670 OPS in 70 games for the Rangers, with eight homers and 34 RBIs. That doesn’t scare me off at all. He’s 23 years old and still learning on the job. I just talked to someone who believes that can Smoak approach being another Mark Teixeira (who is, like Smoak, a switch-hitting first baseman). I talked to a couple of scouts who definitely preferred Montero over Smoak. Said one: “I tend to believe in Smoak. I tend to think he’s a legit guy, but maybe more of a 5-hole hitter than 3 or 4. But Montero is a monster.”
I didn’t realize how cute Cliff Lee was. He has been inducted into the Baseball Hotties Club effective today.
The Yankees are going to have to re-sign Mariano and Jeter to big contracts….I doubt they will go hard after Crawford considering how good — and cheap — Gardner has been. No need for Crawford IMO.
Lee is the target and he will cost big $$$.
Meanwhile, welcome back to the real Tex. Glad you got rid of the imposter Tex who had been doing a poor imitation of you for so long.
“Meanwhile, welcome back to the real Tex. Glad you got rid of the imposter Tex who had been doing a poor imitation of you for so long.”
Amen !
As I’m currently “on the wagon” when it comes to burgers all the In n Out pledges has me pining for some cow flesh.
I’ve had In n Out once in SF. Very tasty but the Greek diners here are pretty good too. They could use an upgrade on the buns but the meat and the char form the broiler….oh boy.
These days I’m more in line with MTU’s honorarium.
But hiking is tough when you got a stoplight every hundred yards.
Bronx-
“But hiking is tough when you got a stoplight every hundred yards.”
Not to mention the exhaust fumes.
Gardner is better fit for the Yankees than Crawford. They have plenty of power hitters but outside of Jeter, no get-on-base, lead off guy.
The Yankees NEED Gardner, they don’t need Crawford.
And you’re crazy if you think you can go another year with Jeter leading off.
Jeers,
I tear up when I walk into the place. It’s a religious experience.
First stop I make when I leave the AP in California or Vegas.
This whole thing yesterday wasn’t about Seattle getting the best deal. Jack Z probably got all kinds of grief from people in the game about trading him to the Yankees.
He ended up trading him for the best Non-Yankee offer.
They just got Branyan back last month. They don’t need another first baseman. They needed a C.
In the end, Lee will be in NY next year, the Yankees keep their prospect assets, and Seattle is irrelevant.
Not a good day for Jack Z. Yesterday.
Plus, they didn’t even have to face Lee yesterday!
I’d say, it ended up being a good day for the Yankees.
I hope Jeter and Mo take pay cuts. Jeter more than Mo.
Now go out n find a reliever and a righty bat
MTU,
It’s been so hot here over the last week. We hit 103 the other day. A new record. Haven’t felt that since my salad days in Tucson.
So imagine walking down the street and getting a blast of exhaust fumes from a city bus. For a few seconds…you’re in Death Valley. And it’s toxic.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Cashman being very reluctant to engage Jack Z in any trade negotiations again. This is the second time that he took a lesser deal for a player instead of trading with the Yankees.
While I think Texas might have a bit of a shot, with the hot summer days still ahead it wouldn’t be all that unusual to see Texas stutter and have their lead in the west shrink.
The other owners in the league are not very happy about Texas taking on salary when they are being subsidized by the rest of the league, Bubba Selig seems to think that Texas will have a payback if they get to the playoffs, which they will, but even with their lead it isn’t a guarantee they will get there. What happens then?
Bronx-
It hasn’t exactly been frigid out here either. This time of year we are usually in triple digits every day. It’s dry heat but it’s still hot.
It’s why I go to the nearby cool mountains to escape.
Don’t miss those big City busses belching out nine million tons of mixed Diesel salad either.
My sympathies on that.
Burnt skin ain’t nearly as bad as burnt lungs.
“I’d say, it ended up being a good day for the Yankees.”
Oh most definitely. The worst case scenario was that they’re were going to keep their best prospect.
Some in here were dead set against the trade, some loved it and some didn’t really care either way.
Lee was “nice to have” not “need to have”. The best team in baseball was looking to make an affordable upgrade.
Lee and The Yanks obviously like each other. But I still think there may be a team willing to go higher for him. It’s not a CC type situation where it’s make him an offer he can’t refuse.
I hope I’m wrong on this because I like him but I do see a team like a Minny willing to bid strong.
Maybe Lee will pull a “LeBron” and just take the quickest path to a ring.
Maybe Lee will pull a “LeBron” and just take the quickest path to a ring.
***********************
If Lee does that we know he certainly won’t be going to South Beach and the Florida Marlins
Bronx-
What Lola wants Lola gets. That’s the Yankees.
And as far as Cliff Lee is concerned I think he is a hard core Environmentalist just like most professional athletes meaning he believes in going Green. The more the better.
The Yankees are a very,very Green team.
SJ- Could you clarify what you mean when you say “This whole thing yesterday wasn’t about Seattle getting the best deal. Jack Z probably got all kinds of grief from people in the game about trading him to the Yankees.”
What kind of grief, from whom?
Bronx Born-
Did you get the package ?
Jeter has to take a pay cut, right? I mean, he can’t seriously expect another $20M/yr deal at this point, can he?
Not to downplay his legacy, but this is a business. You can’t possibly pay a $10M/yr player double what he’s worth just because of his legendary status.
Of course, I can’t see Jeter taking $10M/yr, but even $15M would be excessive, imho.
MTU – I did.. we have been moving and renovating our new loft so have not looked at it yet.. my apologies. Will do over the weekend.
Bronx Born-
No problem. Just wanted to be sure it got there. That’s all. Enjoy.
I don’t believe in any of the starting pitching in Texas other than Cliff Lee.
I also think if the Angels find a way to get a 1b who could mash and replace Morales, they will make that a race in the AL West.
I don’t fault Texas for going for it. They paid a big price to get Cliff Lee. Pretty much equivalent to what we would have to pay except they at least know Smoak can play in the majors and hit the ball out of the park batting average aside.
What I do think is that Jack Z got hammered by other GM’s in the game and maybe MLB execs for being close to sending Lee to the Yankees.
It makes no sense that he would do a deal where he sends the guy to a division rival AND sends cash to his division rival. Think about that for a minute. The M’s ownership is already subsidizing their division rival and then on top of it sends 2.5 million dollars that can be used towards free agency, draft picks, etc. I know it’s supposed to go towards Lee salary, but a surplus is a surplus.
The Yankee fans (especially the shame of the payroll fans) need to stop worrying about what we pay people here. The rest of baseball charges us more in trades and does whatever they can to make sure we don’t get better. Yesterday we were about to trade one of the best power prospects in baseball who also happens to catch. The value of that is off the charts because since the crackdown on PED’s power is a luxury again.
I hope Cash and the Yankees keep spending. I don’t care what the Yankees spend. When the rest of baseball pulls nonsense and won’t make fair deals with the Yankees because they’re the Yankees, what else can the Yankees do?
Slash payroll until the other GM’s decide they’ll play fair with us?
That’s not how you run a winning organization.
Go out and spend Cash and have no compunction doing it. I hope they throw a giant bag of money at Cliff Lee the second he hits free agency that scares away every other team. That’s what they get for not playing fair when it comes to trade prices.
Baseball America rankings:
Justin Smoak #13
Jesus Montero #4
I believe Montero has much more upside than Smoak, and the M’s needed a catcher. They failed to fill their needs, laid out money, gave up a player, a bad deal for the M’s, a good deal for the Rangers.
Who ever said the M’s GM was smart?
————————————————————————————————————
Montero does not have “much more” upside than Smoak
M’s need a catcher, but in deals like this you trade for talent and value
Montero is ranked that high as a prospect because he is currently a catcher. What happens when SEA trades for him but he can’t catch at the next level? So that defeats that argument.
Oh, the Mariner’s are paying $2.5mil. Ruins the entire deal.
You do realize that over the next two years if Smoak produces at a league average level (2 WAR) he’ll be worth as much as Lee is to the Rangers the rest of the season? In other words, Seattle got a really good deal and Jack Z looks like a really good GM in this trade.
And I’ve read other GM’s aren’t too happy with Jack.
The Yankees are a very,very Green team.
———————————————————————–
The South Bronx chapter of the Audubon Society. And they’re never short on willing contributors.
“Not a good day for Jack Z. Yesterday”
Not many good days for Jack Z. He got killed on the Adam Jones deal.
This is a bit of hyperbole on my part, but this non deal could end up like not trading Mo or Andy in the 90′s.
On a side note, before last season everyone in the media killed the Yankees for spending over $300 million on AJ, CC, and Tex. I’m still waiting on the out cry against Miami Heat spending or “buying a championship.”
Also…other teams are on the record saying the Yankees winning every year is good for baseball because it raises the water level for everyone else. So I doubt all these other teams got involved with MLB to have SEA not deal with us.
Great video on Mariano Rivera on the NY Times site: http://www.nytimes.com/interac.....f=baseball
G. Love-
I’m with you. the Yankees should not have to apologize to anyone for their tradition, their resources, or their success.
Let them all eat cake ! I hope Cash puts Lee out of reach instantly just like he did with CC.
Let the rest of baseball choke on that for a while.
G. Love, doe we have any inference of this “What I do think is that Jack Z got hammered by other GM’s in the game and maybe MLB execs for being close to sending Lee to the Yankees.” I haven’t read anything about this.
“It makes no sense that he would do a deal where he sends the guy to a division rival AND sends cash to his division rival. ”
GLove,
This is a great point!! It was similar to when last summer everyone said JP Riccardi wouldn’t trade Doc to Yankees because it is w/in the division.
Kind of dumb philosophy, IMO, but still common practice.
Bronx Born,
There has been no indication that Jack Z was advised not to send him to the Yankees, but when you look at the times from the deal leaked to when the deal was consummated with Texas, there was plenty of time for other parties to get in Jack Z’s ear.
When you look at the package he took which included his club sending 2.5 million dollars vs. what the Yankees had offered and he accepted (sort of) it just makes you wonder about the GM’s intent of not sending the player to NY.
Think about it for a minute. You tell your boss I can get you a great new computer. Everyone is rating it high in the computer world or I can you another great computer that everyone is rating high only difference is we have to pay 2.5 million dollars for that one when the other one is free.
He had to tell his owners, in a recession mind you, to kick in 2.5 million dollars yesterday to trade a Cy Young winner to a division rival.
It’s preposterous and it’s clear to me that there was thinking that they didn’t want to send the guy to the Yankees.
MLB would have never approved the trade without the cash.
I do believe they wanted a 1B though. I heard they were talking to the Mets about Ike Davis and Omar declined.
I cannot disagree with you G. Love I find it most interesting. I guess I want to know more.
Montero – his value is because he will be a great hitter. Not because he’s trying to be a catcher. Giving him up would be a monumental mistake. You make room in your lineup for a guy with that kind of talent, not toss him away in a needless trade at twenty years old. For this alone, Cashman should be fired.
Lee – Cashman pleads poverty in one breath and then suddenly $ appears to make a big signing in the next breath. the only consistency to his moves are their inconsistency. He’s skimped on keeping a professional lefty bat in the lineup and on the bench this year, but then will turn around and a throw a lot of $ at Lee (whcih I support).
Jeter – Aside from the fact that he remains a great player and is a great athlete who keeps himself in great shape, why wouldn’t you pay him the money moving forward? Its not like the Yankees don’t have it (altho” I suppose we should check with Cashman’s latest blurb about that this morning). Do you really want Ramiro Pena or some other bozo at short for the next five years?
Gardner – He’s a slap hitter. Its nice what he’s done, but I’m not convinced. Crawford is a better bet in the long run. That said, you could make a case for rolling the dice and sticking with Gardner if he plays anywhere near as well in the second half as he’s played in the first half.
Swisher – The difference this year is he’s been able to spoil the breaking pitch and then, as usual, hammer the fastball. In the past, he’d strike out on a good breaking ball. I don’t think Jayson Werth is much of an improvement over Swisher and you can’t replace Swisher with Crawford with Gardner still around. Let’s see what Swisher does over the second half. IMHO, he’s been playing way over his head so far this year.
ortforshort July 10th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Gardner – He’s a slap hitter. Its nice what he’s done, but I’m not convinced. Crawford is a better bet in the long run. That said, you could make a case for rolling the dice and sticking with Gardner if he plays anywhere near as well in the second half as he’s played in the first half.
—————————–
I’d roll the dice because Gardner makes roughly $14M less per year than Crawford. Cost-benefit dictates that the Yankees go with GGBG.
I love the idea of signing Lee this off-season. But this talk now of pursuing Oswalt or Haren concerns me a bit. I mean, there’s no way the yanks wind up with Oswalt or Haren AND Lee.
Im hoping that the yanks don’t pursue another starter at this point. After all, if AJ and Vasquez stay on track, they’ve got a great rotation–certainly as good a rotation as there is in the game. The only things the Yanks might “need” are a guy who can sub at 3B who can hit and another reliable reliever to make up for the loss of Aceves.
It’s hard for me to believe that Cashman is really interested in Oswalt or Haren. Perhaps he’s just floating that out there to help lower the price for Jose Bautista or Ty Wigginton or any reliever about whom he’s spoken with GMs.
If Petite pitches well the rest of the year and comes back next year, and Joba continues to struggle as a set up man. Whats to say that they wouldn’t sign Lee and make some kind of deal to trade Joba for some other position players that the Yanks might need.