Together again: Mariners return to Yankee Stadium
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Aug 03, 2012 
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First, a quick reminder that I’m hosting a chat today at noon. I’m sure we’ll be talking all about the deadline and the injuries and the Yankees approach to these next two months. It’s a chat that might have taken on a darker tone if not for Wednesday’s win.
In the past two weeks, the Yankees have won a series exactly once. They were swept in Oakland, they lost two of three against the Red Sox, and they avoided a sweep against the Orioles only by winning that lopsided series finale.
Thank goodness for the Mariners.
The Yankees took two out of three in Seattle last week. That’s basically what you expect when the team with the best record in the American League plays one of the worst teams in the majors. The Mariners are — once again — not very good. It’s been more than a decade since they looked like a real force in the AL East, now they’re just trying to find some pieces that work.
Because of two trades, the Mariners have become oddly connected to the Yankees this season. But despite some massive names being involved, those two buzzworthy trades have been relatively minor in the short-term.
Trade No. 1
Mariners get Jesus Montero and Hector Noesi
Yankees get Michael Pineda and Jose Campos
It was one of the biggest trades of the winter, but of the four players involved, only two are still playing and only one is still in the big leagues. And if he weren’t in the big leagues with his new team, even he might be in the minors right now.
As you’re well aware, the Yankees have — so far — gotten next to nothing out of this trade. Pineda was lost for season before the season began, and Campos went down with an elbow injury after five Low-A starts. Truth be told, the Mariners haven’t gotten a lot more. They stuck with Noesi for 17 rocky big league starts before shipping him to Triple-A where he has a 10.31 ERA through four starts. The Mariners have kept Montero in the middle of the order, but that’s largely because they have so few alternatives. He’s hitting .260/.305/.395, and I’m not sure the Yankees would have shown the same patience if he were still on their roster.
Trade No. 2
Mariners get D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar
Yankees get Ichiro Suzuki and cash
The Mariners traded one of the most iconic players in franchise history, and it was Ichiro’s past that made this such a landmark deal. Based strictly on the numbers, it was a minor swap for a role player.
Since joining the Yankees, Ichiro has been pretty much exactly what he was with the Mariners this season. He’s hit .250/.270/.361 while adding some of the speed and defense that the Yankees wanted. He’s been the Yankees No. 8 hitter, which is pretty much what he should be at this point. In return, the Mariners got reliever Farquhar, who’s so far pitched 4.1 scoreless innings for Triple-A Tacoma (his fifth minor league team of the year). The Mariners also got young starter Mitchell, who’s been terrific in his first two Pacific Coast League starts. Mitchell has a 0.75 ERA through 12 innings in that hitter-friendly league.
Associated Press photos
“Am I correct on the above wild card in the palyoffs? The Yankees could theoretically play the Rays in Tampa the 1st 2 games of the ALDS.”
far as I know….yes
Mason Williams to have shoulder surgery today-left shoulder. Chad-Any word on the injury and proposed surgery?
Blake-
If the Rays or the A’s are the wild card team the Yankees have to travel to either of their ballparks.
Maddon’s shift, plus the pitchers to force hitters to pull the ball, plus their success at home vs the Yankees-is this a team you’d be concerned with enough that it could be a 1st round exit?
The A’s-cross country travel, open in a spacious ballpark. If they employ the shift they have the pitching to be successful with it. Would we be better off not playing these two weak hitting teams in the ALDS?
Trader,
I think the Yankees are better than both the As and Rays so they should be fine…..but anything can happen in a short series and it does suck that they would get the first two home games…..but if they could just split those first 2 then you go back home with the rest of the series in your stadium……
MLB Trade Rumors ?@mlbtraderumors
Poll: Will Cliff Lee Be Claimed On Waivers? http://bit.ly/OMs3zd #mlb
I think so yes…..and if nobody else claims him then the Yankees should just to keep him from clearing and also to dare the Phillies to let him go for nothing.
I said yesterday that it’s a gamble…..but I don’t think the Phils would let him walk and even if they did…..hey you add a really good pitcher for this year and next and then try to move his contract before 2014…..Hal would freak out if the Phillies called their bluff…..but that would be fun too.
Does anyone know how the waiver system works for players with no-trade clauses? Like if a player has a full no trade clause, if a team claims them they presumably cannot have their contract transferred to that new team. So does that mean that a contract can only be transferred to a team that is not on a no-trade list, unless they agree to the transfer? If so, what happens if a player is claimed by a team on their no trade list and also by a team that is not? (i.e., what happens to the priority system on the waiver wire given this situation?).
blake August 3rd, 2012 at 9:19 am
MLB Trade Rumors ?@mlbtraderumors
Poll: Will Cliff Lee Be Claimed On Waivers? http://bit.ly/OMs3zd #mlb
I think so yes…..and if nobody else claims him then the Yankees should just to keep him from clearing and also to dare the Phillies to let him go for nothing.
I said yesterday that it’s a gamble…..but I don’t think the Phils would let him walk and even if they did…..hey you add a really good pitcher for this year and next and then try to move his contract before 2014…..Hal would freak out if the Phillies called their bluff…..but that would be fun too.
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No way should they claim Lee. And if you are the Phillies, you should let him go to a team that claims him. They didn’t give up prospects for him (other than the draft pick) and they got the best years out of the contract at the lowest possible cost.
Teams sign players like Lee to 5 or 6 year contracts hoping that they are great for the first 3 or 4 years, knowing that the extra years are the price they have to pay. If you can pay a lower salary during those first few years and also get rid of the contract for the last few years, why would you not do it?
Blake-
Yes I think Cliff Lee will be claimed on waivers, long before it’s the Yankees turn to put in a claim. It’ll probably be to a team on his NT list[21 of them are] knowing that he won’t waive it and would be pulled back, thus keeping another contender in the NL from getting him if the Phillies want to dump his salary. Then after a waiting period the 2nd time thru it’s irrevocable.
If I were Amaro, I’d have to think hard where I could allocate those saved dollars in the FA market this offseason if he decides to dump Lee.
Paco-Paco-
I’m not an attorney, and this was discussed ad nauseum yesterday afternoon, but a contract with the provision in it of a NTC, would be transferred to the team that he would be “dumped” to, if he doesn’t clear waivers.
Therefore I don’t believe you can force a player to go to a team that he has a legal right to refuse.
Now if he clears waivers the Phillies could trade him to a team on his NT list only if he is willing to go.
Does anyone know how the waiver system works for players with no-trade clauses?
The team with the weakest record would be awarded the claim and the team would need to get the the player to agree to waive the no trade to complete a deal or they would need to pull them back off waivers.
Paco-
From MLBTRs:
If Lee does get claimed, the Phillies could pull him back off of waivers, work out a trade, or assign his contract to the team that wins the claim (the left-hander can block trades to 21 teams). If he goes unclaimed, the Phillies will be able to trade Lee with the same restrictions they’d encounter in July or in the offseason.
YT is correct —-
No trade clauses can not be transferred without the player’s consent. If a player on recall waivers gets claimed its up to the team first to make a deal with the claiming team, but the player must agree to it.
If he clears waivers, then he can be traded to any team… but again only with his permission.
I’d be shocked if the Yanks claimed Lee, but I wouldn’t be upset about it. The goal of getting the 2014 payroll to $ 189 M is something I’m okay with, but I’m not worried about how to make it happen. Look at it this way… Kuroda + Pettite + Garcia + Feliciano = $ 20 M.
Seeing how Rivera or Soriano is almost certain to be gone in 2013, the pitching payroll really doesn’t change much.
Pat has answered your question. To clarify, the Phillies could not just assign his contract[dump him] to a team on his NT list.
Is there a Pennsylvania attorney in the house?
The Phillies would have around 65M of monopoly money to play with this fall and still stay under the LT if they were able to shed Lee’s entire contract this month.
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tSSu2Qy8G9pTSsguHAbeu-A&output=html
I know that the no trades and 10/5 rights apply if a waiver trade is done…..I’m not 100% sure it does if the player is just let go….but I assume it still applies.
If a team on Lee’s no trade list claimed him and the Phillies just decided to let him go and dump him…..I still think they have to get his permission before sending him to that team……but it for sure does if they tried to trade him.
“No way should they claim Lee.”
I think they should……if they did the most likely result would be the Phillies pulling him back and he’d be blocked from going to anywhere else. Yes you’d run the risk of the Phillies just saying ok here you go take him…..but 1) I really don’t think they’d do that and 2) would it really be that bad if they did?
What if they won the WS because of it? What if they won the WS this year and next year because of it? I think they could move him before CBAaggedeon in 2014…….so I wouldn’t be that upset if they got him cheaper than they would have 2 years ago and they could run Sabathia, Kuroda, Lee, Pettite/Hughes/Nova out there in the post season.
“You know, fellas, we’ve hit a gazillion home runs this year, man,” Nick Swisher said Wednesday.
Well the Yankees lead the majors with 166 home runs in 2012, so Swisher was off by about 999 bajillion and 834. But he is right that homers hold the most value … which you will counter by saying, incorrectly, that teams hit fewer homers in the postseason and therefore the Yankees need to score runs in different ways in October.
It won’t surprise you to learn that the Yankees’ .245 batting average with runners in scoring position ranks a poor 20th in the majors, or that their 38 homers in those situations tie them with Milwaukee for first overall (thanks, Elias Sports Bureau). Overall, they have a .264 batting average, .336 on-base percentage and .461 slugging percentage against .245, .344 and .433 with RISP.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports.....z22UXcEjp8
If a player is released he becomes a FA and can go anywhere he wants, but the preceding team is still obligated to pay off the contract.
The team can not, under any circumstances assign the contract to another team without the player’s permission.
“The team can not, under any circumstances assign the contract to another team without the player’s permission.”
yea…I would think this is correct. So basically there are only a handful of teams that could claim Lee and the Phillies could just dump him without his permission…..Texas and the Yankees are 2 of those teams.
Blake-
Currently the Yankees and Rangers are tied with the best record in AL, so they are last in the pecking order of a claim on Lee and wouldn’t be blocking anyone.
Now since they are tied and are not on his NT list, if they both are the only ones to put a claim in during the 48 hr window, today, before they play later, who gets the claim?
I think if a team claims Lee and the Phils just want to dump his contract (unlikely), it is still considered an “assignment” of his contract to the other team, and considered a trade, even though the Phillies would be getting nothing in return except the waiver fee. So no trades probably still apply.
However, the Yankees are reportedly not on Lee’s NT list, so the Phillies could dump him on the Yankees if they wanted to.
Red Sox will claim him. Watch.
Cashman goes to Girardi- “I just found out both the Rangers and us are the only teams to have put in a claim on Cliff Lee. We really want him and Hal is willing to deal with his contract.Keep an eye on the scoreboard as they play an hour later. If the Rangers are winning big, try and , well I shouldn’t say this, you know what to do.”
Yankee Trader August 3rd, 2012 at 10:17 am
Cashman goes to Girardi- “I just found out both the Rangers and us are the only teams to have put in a claim on Cliff Lee. We really want him and Hal is willing to deal with his contract.Keep an eye on the scoreboard as they play an hour later. If the Rangers are winning big, try and , well I shouldn’t say this, you know what to do.”
—-
tryin to lose to the mariners is easier said then done
Tackelberry-
I noticed your comment about Tony Clark in the 2004 playoff series against the RS. If only John Olerud hadn’t gotten hurt during the series, replaced by Tony Clark, the Yankees might have gone on to face the Cardinals in the WS.
Thanks to everyone here for insights into the waiver system with a NT clause. My main confusion was how the system handled a claim by a team on a players NT list. It seems odd that a team can block a player through a claim when that team is on a NT list, but of course it has to work that way otherwise a team could essentially pigeon-hole the process by having only 1 team on a players NT list, so he goes unclaimed except by the target team.
I still wouldn’t claim him since, were he a free agent, I wouldn’t give him that contract. They will already be constrained to get under the ‘cap’ by 2014 and this salary would really hamper them. yes, they won’t have Pettitte, Kuroda, Rivera, Soriano, Feliciano etc etc, but they need the space that those guys open to simply pay their CF, RF, C, 2B and at least one other starter (whoever they are, they will not all be cheap)…
Enough on Lee, because if he is claimed it will probably be by a team in the pennant race, who can afford the cntract, need another starter, and is in the NL.
Think LA Dodgers.
Time to go. Cashman BTW has already said the Yankees are well tooled now for a playoff run. I don’t expect any waiver claims unless another starter goes down this month.
Have a great day everyone, and Joe- move Ichiro up in the order today. He has terrific numbers vs Kevin Millwood.
Odd that Ramiro was DFA’d – not that the Yankees would miss him terribly if they lost him, but they didn’t need the spot on the 40 man roster. Even after adding McGehee and taking Joba off the 60 day DL they still would have had 2 open spots with Pena.
None of the other guys on the 60 Day DL are expected to come off of it any time soon with Aardsma, Romine and Andy being the only ones likely to be activated this year at all.
Anyway – just not sure what sort of sense it makes, but like I said – doesn’t probably mean much in the grand scheme of things – if someone claims him they claim him, if not he’ll be in Scranton.
Sorry, I wanted to give you a link to Cashman’s comments yesterday:
“I believe we’re a championship-caliber club,” Cashman said by phone Thursday, on the eve of a three-game home series against the Seattle Mariners. “I also know we’ve got our work cut out. There’s still work to be done, but we deserve to be in the race.
“We just have to play good baseball and be consistent the rest of the way. We want to win the division like everyone else does, with the way the wild card is set up.”
“I think we have enough, collectively between our hitting and our pitching to win in October,” said Cashman, whose two late July deals were for offense – acquiring veteran outfielder Ichiro Suzuki and right-handed hitting corner infielder Casey McGehee.
http://slidingintohome.blogspo.....-fine.html
Incidentally – my guess on Romine is that once his rehab assignment ends he’ll go to AAA and then be called up in September – a strong showing could land him on the post season roster and put him in line for the starting job next year.
Tony Clark had a game winning hit in game 5 but it bounced over that baby-gate wall in RF holding Ruben Sierra at 3rd. That ball stays in the park and you might just be able to re-write history.
thank God we didnt trade for dempster…
keithlaw ?@keithlaw
Damn. “@jnorris427: Left labrum surgery for Mason Williams. Done for season. #Yankees”
“Currently the Yankees and Rangers are tied with the best record in AL, so they are last in the pecking order of a claim on Lee and wouldn’t be blocking anyone.”
but if he clears waivers he can be traded anywhere…….if the Yanks claim him then they could pull him back and put him on waivers again….but the 2nd time they wouldn’t be able to pull him back.
“Think LA Dodgers.”
are the Dodgers on his no trade?
Blake-
Williams throws righty, bats lefty. I posted that earlier, but thanks for clearing up what kind of shoulder surgery it was.
Really have to go.
“Incidentally – my guess on Romine is that once his rehab assignment ends he’ll go to AAA and then be called up in September – a strong showing could land him on the post season roster and put him in line for the starting job next year.”
that is my hope…..we’ll see.
luckily Mason isn’t a LHP……and luckily he throws righty…..still sucks…but he should be ok long term I would think.
You’d have to be either really desperate or flat-out stupid to claim Lee.
Bronx Jeers August 3rd, 2012 at 10:44 am
I wasn’t worried about the Yankees claiming Lee until you said that.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Beantown claimed him 1st & then got rid of Beckett. I still think
Dodgers claim him. So whether they are on his list or not, it would block all other teams.
in the AL
Can other teams know what teams are on Lee’s no trade list?
blake August 3rd, 2012 at 10:44 am
luckily Mason isn’t a LHP……and luckily he throws righty…..still sucks…but he should be ok long term I would think.
——————-
Surgery like that’s never good – but Mason is still plenty young and has loads of time to recover.
Jeff Passan ?@JeffPassan
Nobody wants Cliff Lee on waivers, and for the life of me I don’t get why. The Case for Cliff Lee: http://yhoo.it/PG2YB3
Beckett’s toxic with a capital T right now. An overpaid, underachieving malcontent.
Dodgers actually make sense for Lee but they do have a fairly decent sized bump in payroll obligations next season.
Depending on Lee’s health, a team could be on the hook for over $90MM for 3.3 seasons. And Lee’s not having an elite season at all.
David Cameron ?@DCameronFG
Longoria hurt, Upton bad, and Crawford in BOS – Rays are still contending. Can we finally agree that success wasn’t just from high picks?
“You’d have to be either really desperate or flat-out stupid to claim Lee.”
or option #3….you really want to win.
Beckett’s toxic with a capital T right now. An overpaid, underachieving malcontent.
============
Beckett wants what Lackey has…money for nuthin’…
Media is reeling in beantown, railing against their beloved sox.
Bobby V about to be hung in effigy.
Lee’s peripherals are much closer to what he normally is than his record or ERA. FIP is 3.32, GB rate is actually better than last year and his K rate is pretty normal at 8.55. He’s still really good…..I wouldn’t want his contract…..but if it weren’t for the budget I’d absolutely claim him and try to win the WS….Could the Yankees move him before 2014? That’s the question for me……..
Biggest difference I see between Lee this year and last is that he’s given up more homers….he had a 2.75 ERA in July…..he was bad in June….pretty good the rest of the season.
I remember when Manny went on waivers. I really wanted the Yankees to claim him, even if it was to spin him off for prospects. Turns out it would have been a really smart move
Lee can help them win now, and bring back prospects later.
Only thing it will cost is money, which was previously a Yankee strength.
The problem with Lee is the commitment. It’s that simple. Back loaded $. Maybe he’s worth it this season, but what about the other three?
I wouldn’t be scared off by this year’s performance though.
That and Philly thinks they can move all that contract AND get prospects.
or option #3….you really want to win.
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True. And Passan makes a good case. But it’s like buying a bad vintage of Cristal because all the good Dom Perignon is sold out.
Bronx Jeers August 3rd, 2012 at 10:38 am
Tony Clark had a game winning hit in game 5 but it bounced over that baby-gate wall in RF holding Ruben Sierra at 3rd. That ball stays in the park and you might just be able to re-write history.
___________________________________________
Yes I mentioned that. One of the things that happened in that game that gave me a bad feeling that the worm had turned in that series. Another was earlier in the game when Matsui was up with the bases loaded and hit a bullet to right that Trot Nixon made a diving catch. Ball hung up just long enough for him to get it. That ball isn’t caught and it clears the bases and breaks the game open.
David Cameron ?@DCameronFG
Longoria hurt, Upton bad, and Crawford in BOS – Rays are still contending. Can we finally agree that success wasn’t just from high picks?
—————–
Yeah, it also helped to dump high priced players for other team’s prospects.
“The Mariners are — once again — not very good”
~
And yet, they are 14-6 since the ASB and in their last 13 games, the starters have posted 12 QS and a 9-1 record with a 1.69 ERA (and I don’t think that includes their last game with the Jays, so it’s only improved).
Prior to the break they were an abysmal offense at home and decent on the road. Here’s hoping this young team’s recent improvement at home doesn’t take away their road success.
At least the D has been there all season – no matter where they are (really didn’t even lose anything in that respect when Ichi left – Wells has been terrific and has a gun)
Speaking of Ichiro, I’ve been meaning to share a blog post that infers “addition by subtraction” with regard to the trade. I don’t have any inside info to know if it could possibly be true but even some reporters (who actually know what it’s like in the clubhouse) have a similar opinion….
http://tinyurl.com/cxx5ys3
I hope C.C. uses one of his fastballs tonight to hit a Mariners batter in the leg or theigh area.
Retribution should be paid tonight and the ace of the staff should be the guy to do that.
Warning Track Power August 3rd, 2012 at 11:31 am
I hope C.C. uses one of his fastballs tonight to hit a Mariners batter in the leg or theigh area.
Retribution should be paid tonight and the ace of the staff should be the guy to do that.
—————-
I don’t think the Yankees are going to intentionally hit anyone. It serves no purpose.
Cashman and Hal said prior to the trade deadline that they weren’t in a position to take on any more big salaried pitchers. What has changed in the last 3 days?
YT, Tackel and BJ – I’d imagine we all remember those Tony Clark ABs, and every play from that whole series, as if it was yesterday. Part of me believes that even if the double didn’t kick into the stands, and even if Matsui’s liner eluded Nixon, that the Sox would have found a way to win anyway…our pitching sukked and out hitting disappeared. The other part of me will always wonder how the series would have played out if Olerud didn’t get hurt, if Nixon had played 2 steps deeper and if Arroyo didn’t K A-rod with RISP. I wish I had the audio of this great Cashman interview form the next day(s) where he said that there was suddently a 500 pund gorilla coming after us.
Do my eyes deceive me…the Mariners are on a seven-game winning streak? Don’t know whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing going into this weekend’s series, but it does indicate that we can’t take them lightly. We need a sweep to finish this home-stand with a winning record, but most of all, we need CC to be the old CC tonight.
Some great video up on Mike Ashmore’s Thunder Thoughts site, including recently AAA promoted Melky Mesa’s AB against Gerrit Cole at Waterfront Park.
Once linked, scroll down to Game 110 quotes to find the video. Here’s Tony Franklin on Mesa, who will be missed certainly in CF.
Zoilo really is a good athlete and continued to impress at the plate yesterday (HR and double – although latter thoroughly misplayed by CF, though hit well), but he has a lot of work to do on his OF reads, IMO.
If Fake Melky could actually sustain his improvement at the plate (I remain dubious, but open), we’d have a sensational, young defender with a crazy arm to plug in somewhere down the road).
Enjoy, Fellow “Huggers” among:
Franklin then provided an example…which was his at-bat against Gerrit Cole from last night.
“He got a hit to right field, and let’s face it, Cole was making some pretty tough pitches on him,” he said.
“He threw him a slider over the outer part of the plate, and he hit a ball to right field. I don’t know if he could have done that last year. So what do I tell him at the end of the inning? He comes in, and I say, ‘Hell of an at-bat.’ I don’t know if I could have told him that last year. To me, that’s such an improvement over what he would have done last year. He probably would have continued to try to hit the ball over the left field fence. Now, he recognizes what pitchers are doing to him and he’s going to try to take what they give him.”
http://thunderbaseball.wordpress.com/
Yes I mentioned that. One of the things that happened in that game that gave me a bad feeling that the worm had turned in that series
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Sorry didn’t see it. Lots of “what ifs?” from that seres.
“What has changed in the last 3 days?”
Nothing, Except Bubba says hello.
“The problem with Lee is the commitment. It’s that simple. Back loaded $. Maybe he’s worth it this season, but what about the other three?”
the back loaded part doesn’t matter cause it’s all about the AAV…..which is still really expensive….but I’d like to have him this year and next and then try to move the remaining money on his contract before 2014…..now obviously that would be a big risk if they have to stick to a said budget………
“Cashman and Hal said prior to the trade deadline that they weren’t in a position to take on any more big salaried pitchers. What has changed in the last 3 days?”
nothing….Hal’s still not his dad.
“That and Philly thinks they can move all that contract AND get prospects.”
which is exactly why I’d claim him…..they’d pull him back and then you block him from everybody else.
blake August 3rd, 2012 at 11:47 am
“Cashman and Hal said prior to the trade deadline that they weren’t in a position to take on any more big salaried pitchers. What has changed in the last 3 days?”
nothing….Hal’s still not his dad.
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As I’ve said – I think that’s part of it, but I also think that Brian doesn’t want to be known as the GM with the biggest bank account but instead wants to prove he is as smart as the guys who get all the credit like Beane, Towers, Theo, Hoyer who build good teams with a tighter budget.
Also some nice footage on Ashmore site on Montgomery. When he came into Joba game on Sunday, he was wonderful locating his fastball to both sides of the plate, and had his slider. He is really good.
It would be brilliant for 2013, to let Montgomery and DRob be back end guys and restore Chamberlain to the rotation.
Rosy,
On a recent trip to Seattle I heard from a very good source that there is a Mariners jersey strategically hidden in Yankee Stadium a-la the David Ortiz jersey that was buried there during its construction.
The person that hid it was there on official business with the Yankees acting as sort of an “independent mole” for the M’s.
“As I’ve said – I think that’s part of it, but I also think that Brian doesn’t want to be known as the GM with the biggest bank account but instead wants to prove he is as smart as the guys who get all the credit like Beane, Towers, Theo, Hoyer who build good teams with a tighter budget.”
I think that’s crazy though….you spend as much money as your owner will let you. Cashman may care about that stuff but not as much as actually winning because that’s what keeps his job
Federer just won a match winning the 3rd set 19-17.
That’s kind of like winning a game in the 27th inning.
I posted this early this morning but I’d love to see them figure out a way to expand the future game into the olympics and get baseball back as an event again.
Logistically there really isn’t a way to do it with big leaguers….the teams would never go for it and it’d be just too hard…..but they could do it with minor leaguers as there seasons will end pretty soon anyway and there is much more flexibility with their schedules.
I think it’d be awesome and really promote the game…..people would get a look at the youngsters and they’d get a chance at winning gold medals.
The Mark Newman Q&A in Pinstripesplus discusses, among other things, Luis Torrens, the IFA Venezuelan converted 3B-C 16 year old. Long way to go, being 16, and may wind up another fatted calf in the illusive search for more and more pitching…
luis, if you’re around, anything to share about this kid from your neck of the woods? BA deemed him the 2nd best IFA available over the summer.