Postgame notes: “We got our boy back”
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Notes on Aug 25, 2012 
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Joe Girardi said he was “pleasantly surprised.” CC Sabathia didn’t seem surprised at all.
“I really cut it loose in the bullpen before the game to see how it was going to react,” Sabathia said. “And it felt really good.”
In his first start in more than two weeks, the Yankees ace was positively dominant. He gave the Yankees 7.1 innings of one-run baseball. He also gave them a two-run win that snapped a three-game losing streak and let them extend their lead in the American League East.
“We got our boy back, we got our horse,” Nick Swisher said. “I heard you guys asking Russ if it surprised him how he pitched today. It might have surprised him. It didn’t surprise me. This guy’s been doing it his whole career. Coming back to a place that he used to call home, I definitely think he wanted to pick up a win today, and it was nice to be able to give it to him.”
Russell Martin didn’t exactly say he was surprised, more that he was impressed that a pitcher could come off the disabled list — back from an elbow injury, no less — and deliver an outing like this one. If he were cleared for more than 100 pitches, Sabathia might very well have pitched through the eighth, if not the ninth. He left the bases loaded in the fifth, stranded runners at the corners in the sixth, and sent the side down in order in the seventh after Swisher had homered to put the Yankees in front.
The Yankees ace was back, no question.
“It was like he hadn’t even missed any time,” Derek Jeter said. “He threw strikes, worked quick. They didn’t get much of anything going off of him. He did what he’s always done. … I haven’t asked him how he felt, but it looked like he felt good. That’s the most important thing. Any time you have someone coming off the disabled list, the results are secondary. You want to make sure he feels good. He looked good.”
—
Of course, this game might have been all about something entirely different had Jeter not waved off medical attention and marched to first base after that 92-mph fastball hit him in the bill of the helmet. The helmet, by the way, was cracked.
“It scared me,” Girardi said. “You worry that it’s the side of the head, and you’re looking a lot of times at a concussion, or God forbid, something worse. So when I got out there and saw it hit the bill of his cap, it’s a sigh of relief. He was in a hurry to get us out of there, which is vintage Derek. But we had to be sure that he was okay.(He was saying) ‘I’m okay. I’m okay,’ but Jeet’s said that a lot, when he’s limping, or something’s broken. So when you get hit in the head, there’s a lot of concern there.”
Jeter said he never thought the pitch was intentional, but a young pitcher was trying to go up and in, and that’s a dangerous pitch. Better not miss the spot, and Jeter let Corey Kluber hear about it a little bit.
“Of course you’re angry,” Jeter said. “No one wants to get hit in the head. It’s kind of a dangerous area, so of course I was upset. It’s over with, it’s done with, it’s history now.”
Swisher’s take from the on-deck circle: “I thought he took it like a champ,” Swisher said. “Super scary. I heard it and kind of closed my eyes real quick because I thought he was going down, and then he was just kind of standing there and I was like, what a champ. That didn’t faze him at all.”
—
• Swisher went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk and that game-winning homer in the seventh. He nearly had another homer in the ninth. In 16 games since moving into the second spot in the order, Swisher is hitting .333 with 15 runs, five homers and 17 RBI. “I feel like I’m just trying to go up there and have quality at bats,” Swisher said. “You feel like you’re really into the game in that spot, you know. Jeet’s been getting on base a lot lately. Been hitting more home runs lately, too. But in situations like that you’re just trying to move him over or drive him in, one of the two, and I been feeling pretty good so I’m just trying to go out there and just do my thing.”
• Both Girardi and Jeter said there are no tests scheduled for Jeter. The ball primarily hit the bill of the helmet — Jeter said it still hurt — and he really seemed fine after the game. “I don’t know if he’ll need to do a test, just because it hit the side of the bill,” Girardi said. “It didn’t hit the head. That’s something that Stevie will have to determine.”
• When did Martin know Sabathia had his usual command tonight? “From the bullpen,” Martin said. “He looked really smooth in the bullpen and he had control and command of all his pitches. Normally when he does that, he’s going to pitch a good game and that’s what he did today.”
• Speaking of Martin, on that wild pitch in the ninth — the one that put runners at second and third instead of runners at the corners — he actually called for Rafael Soriano to fake a pickoff to third and then look to first. But Soriano missed the sign and threw a slider. Martin had no idea what was coming — didn’t know anything was coming until Soriano lifted his leg — and did a nice job to keep the runner from scoring from third. “He said he never got that call all year,” Martin said. “When he stepped off the first time, I should have went and talked to him. That’s my fault.”
• Soriano made things interesting in the ninth, but he finished off his 32nd save of the season. “We hadn’t had an opportunity to put him in a game (recently),” Girardi said. “Sometimes You worry about guys being a little bit rusty, and maybe he’s a little bit rusty. But he found a way.”
• Fun times from Sabathia, who claimed that a pitch simply got away from him when he nearly hit Asdrubal Cabrera. He then tried to backup that statement by saying his ball was cutting occasionally, and that pitch “cut a lot.” No one was buying it, but at least he said all the right things.
• As for the home run that Cabrera hit: “It was a two-seamer,” Sabathia said. “But it was up. First at-bat he had fouled that pitch straight back. Same pitch, so he was right on it and put a good swing on it.”
• We’ll give the final word to Girardi: “It was an important game, especially with your ace on the mound. I think it’s important to turn around this road trip. We had some frustrating losses in Chicago. We lost the last one 2-1, Hughesy pitches a real good game, and you need a win.”
Associated Press photos
“Dealing AGon to get rid of lousy deals is like cutting off your leg to shed the extra 20 pounds you need to lose. You lose weight and feel better, but then you have no leg.”
————–
disagree.
alternative is to keep those guys and hope that somehow they can win with the current team.
they can’t and rightfully don’t think so. in order to rebuild, they have to get rid of the big contracts.
the Yanks might not mind shedding ARod’s deal even if it meant they had to throw in Tex and his big contract…. oh and get prospects back.
Yea BD, they basically get out from under 3 contracts and get some prospects back. When you’re dealing with huge contracts that is the biggest win there. Generally you have to kick in money where the deal gets worse, but they are only kicking in around 10 mil which is nothing. That could be just to cover the rest of this season for those 3.
Dodgers:
Victorino
Crawford
Kemp
AGone
Hanley
Ethier
Cruz
not bad, especially for the NL
JF,
I’m shocked. I can’t see the Red Sox not doing that deal even if they had to throw in $50M.
If money is no object, it’s good for the Dodgers too. But it’s a great move for Boston.
maybe not $50M… but certainly closer to 50 than 10
maybe Boston can somehow get future ace Casey Kelly back ?
The Dodgers should not have shipped any prospects to them. They didnt ship any to the Marlins for HanRam. You dont ship prospects when you take $262 million in contracts.
bruceb August 24th, 2012 at 11:11 pm
Rosy’s joy was short-lived…Mariners blow it in bottom of 9th. Ridiculous.
~
I guess the bullpen was due to give up a couple. During the 8-game win streak, the pen had only given up two runs (and that was last Friday). For the most part, Tom has been great since taking over as closer but, even experienced closers (which he is not) blow one now and then.
So, my disappointment in the late loss is actually over-shadowed by my encouragement in the late comeback. Even in a loss, this young team is learning how to win. It’s a process.
===
#Mariners Notes: Montero leads MLB in road AVG since the break: .431 w/ 10 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 14 RBI, .460 OBP & .655 SLG
(and that was before the homer and the double tonight)
Im surprised no other team claimed Agon before he got to the dodgers. If not just to keep him from other teams if they didnt want him.
This deal is a double edged sword the RS are playing with.
The Yankees had gone through a period where it was tough to get FA’s to sign because of the way they were treated. Boston has been even worse in that regard.
Players will sign for big money, but there comes a point when the dollar difference doesn’t help overcome the attitude issue. Players are seeing how the RS treat players who depart.
Freeing up money is one thing, but when every former player seems to get trashed and bashed, it makes those extra dollars a bit more difficult to justify.
“Hughesy”…
With all the madness that went on today, this is what will be seared on my brain all night.
Hughesy
Boston is going to learn the hard way how difficult it is to quickly rebuild a team in modern day MLB. Even teams like Pittsburgh are locking up their young talent. You can’t even throw money at IFA and the draft anymore.
Without young pitching, Boston could have a hard time. Cashman has been trying to get the cost controlled pitching and that hasn’t quite worked out yet but at least they have enough depth to win games.
Boston really only has one top notch starting pitching prospect (Barnes) but you never know. Rebuilding the farm isn’t easy and takes either great scouting or a ton of luck.
Boston probably isn’t gonna turn this around right away… which is more than fine with me.
Without young pitching,
–
They did get 2 of the Dodgers best pitching prospects in the trade!
BD, agreed. Of course ESPeeOn is saying how great this will be for the Saux, but there isn’t all that much out there to turn this around quickly.
The additional WC is going to have clubs holding on to young talent longer, cutting deals earlier that help keep costs down. Special players willl get signed to extentions – as we have seen this year.
I don’t think the RS are going to recover all that fast. I think this was driven by thin skinned owners.
Funny, a couple of years ago when the RS won, there was talk about how they lost their identity. That due to their winning the WS it would end up causing an eventual downturn that would be harder to recover from than their constant blowing it.
I think we might be seeing that now. They are no longer the “lovable losers”. They are just the miserable mess.
JF,
true… I first heard Lee might be involved and I almost lost it.
Webster (who I still can’t believe they gave up plus all the $$) could be a good starter. We’ll see.
Yogi,
As hard as it will be for Boston to turn it around quickly, I actually agree that it’s a great move for them.
Beckett HAD to go. Crawford’s contract was a massive mistake – even if he starts playing better. Gonzalez wasn’t adapting too well (even though he was great in 2011) to Boston and they were paying him to be a guy who could carry a team (like ARod and Tex
)
If Boston can accept that they may go 3 and maybe even 4 years without making the playoffs, this will be much better for them in the long run (in my opinion, without a doubt.)
Could the Yankees accept missing the playoffs multiple years? I don’t know about that.
Also Yogi,
I’d talked to some of the older Sox players earlier this year (Wakefield, Timlin, Varitek, etc.) and they all pretty much agreed that the 2011 and ’12 Sox didn’t care about the game the same way they did.
They pretty much said flat out that these guys were just there for a paycheck. Now, I am sure most guys are… but it was pretty clear that their opinion was that this team didn’t care as much about winning (certainly Pedroia, Youk, and those guys excluded)
who would be the players from the yankee perspective(involved in that type of transaction) if the yankees did what boston just done?
A-rod, Tex
JF is right.
Can you imagine dropping ARod and Tex and all those millions and getting some decent prospects back?
I like Tex alot and root for the guy as much as anyone. But you’d run, not walk, to make that deal.
I think there’s a good chance the Dodgers flip one of those guys. But I hope they don’t so they can stay away from Cano!
CC sleep well tonight and wake up with healthy tomorrow.
Gonzo, Beckett, and Crawford are team players agreeing not to invoke their NTCs and are willing to go to LA.
Tex/ARod would screw us and decide to stay here
Could totally see Swisher in Boston next year. They’re rebuilding the right way – building a good farm knowing they can still spend $170 million as well. They’ll be back soon, maybe not next year but the year after
Now that they’ve cleared their books I could see them in on Swish for a big $, 4 year deal.
Also wonder if they make a push to try and keep Ellsbury.
This is a totally strange trade for LA. They get to pay Crawford full rate for half a season, a player that’s disappeared for two years and getting older rapidly. Get a head case pitcher with a diminishing FB and a quality 1B. And then pay full value plus their top two pitching prospects. The Sox get to punch the reset button on two really bad contracts and reestablish control of the clubhouse where the inmates were running the asylum.
boston officially gave up on 2012, 2013 and 2014.
let’s see if the ‘pink hat’ fenway faithful, as pete abe says, spend as much on the team as they once did. remember, it’s an area that’s used to losing. management is telling fans that they should accept losing and pay $100 a ticket, buy their kids a ton of red sox gear, and watch a crappy team on tv.
if i were a red sox fan, well i’d be really sad, but i’d revolt
boston officially gave up on 2012, 2013 and 2014.
–
They can replace the players they traded with all the money they have cleared.
Pete Abe is saying Boston is going to have to throw in money.. I wonder how much though.
Pete Abe is saying Boston is going to have to throw in money.. I wonder how much though.
–
Everyone is saying ~10 million. Not much.
Not sure what boston is going to do about that offense. David ortiz has pretty much been their MVP all season and who knows if he wants back or if they even want him back. So, going into next year.. they could no longer have Ortiz/ Agon in the middle of the order. Thats losing over 200 rbi’s and 50 homers. I really don’t see them going after Hamilton either. The last thing they need is another injury prone player with a ton of off the field problems.
“The Red Sox will be back next year. Lester, Buchholz. Lackey, Doubront.”
Lackey? Seriously? Did you really just describe John Lackey as if he is still supposed to be good or something? The whole rotation you listed is actually pretty freaking mediocre.
Good grief, are Yankees fans obsessed with the Red Sox or what….
P.S., for the people saying the Red Sox “fleeced” the Dodgers, no way. This is not Vernon Wells’ contract being dumped. This is Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, guys who could still be very very good for the next few years. Even Beckett could possibly just need a change of scenery or some other type of motivation. Currently his stuff isn’t what it was, but it’s still not bad. Besides, he has by far the least $$$ owed out of all 3.
Bobby Valentine is the one who should have gone first. But no, he stays and it looks like he will not be blamed at all. Ownership brought him on. Classic case of marrying one of your decisions and not being able to admit it was a mistake. Sure, getting rid of some of these contracts could really help at some point. But Valentine was & still is a horrible signing. And I would bet that will be proven again down the road.
They got rid of 3 overpaid players, 2 on mega deals, and got 5 guys back in return 2 of which are pretty good prospects. Thats a fleecing. They are barely even paying anything!
Say for the sake of argument that Boston picks up Swisher for four years. Boegarts is tearing the cover off the ball and already in AA at nineteen and Middlebrooks looks good. 1B is not that difficult to come up with an average player and they’re competitive in 2014, just as the Yankees hit crunch time with their window of opportunity re older players. Boston treads water next year and retool for 2014.
Depending on events, the Yankees could be in a world of hurt by 2014. So yes, this off season is critical for the Yankees. Starting with the Granderson question, Gardner’s return and the Swisher dilemna.
Lackey will be a serviceable 4th or 5th starter. Doubront will be a serviceable 4th or 5th starter.
Grab a 3rd starter or two off the FA market on the cheap, their offense is still one of the best in the league.
They just got 2 top pitching prospects.
I would dump Alex and Teixeira contracts in a heartbeat, but nobody would take them, and certainly nobody would give the Yankees 3 top prospects as well.
The Yankees will be in more of a world of hurt when they lock up Cano long term.
Cano is not an Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Cabrera type player. Cano is only worth less than Jeter’s AAV and at maybe 4-5 years tops.
Jerkface August 25th, 2012 at 2:06 am
They got rid of 3 overpaid players, 2 on mega deals, and got 5 guys back in return 2 of which are pretty good prospects. Thats a fleecing. They are barely even paying anything!
————-
Is the deal done? I haven’t seen anything on MLB Trade Rumors…
I wouldn’t call it fleecing. The Dodgers are getting two big upside players, and maybe Beckett can come back to life too. They’re going to pay a ton for the guys, but we’ll see how much the Sox kick in.
What do the Sox get? They get to pay superstars to play on another team, payroll flexibility, and some prospects. That doesn’t actually make the team better. That just puts the team in a position to be better in the future, and I think that will really take an organizaitonal philosophy change. How do they spend the saved money? What are the goals over the next two seasons? What’s the culture they’re going to build?
waldo geraldo faldo August 25th, 2012 at 2:08 am
Lackey will be a serviceable 4th or 5th starter. Doubront will be a serviceable 4th or 5th starter.
Grab a 3rd starter or two off the FA market on the cheap, their offense is still one of the best in the league.
They just got 2 top pitching prospects.
I would dump Alex and Teixeira contracts in a heartbeat, but nobody would take them, and certainly nobody would give the Yankees 3 top prospects as well.
—————–
A-Rod isn’t comparable to any of the guys the Sox are dumping. He’s much older.
Lackey’s a servicable 4th or 5th starter? When did you decide this? He’s coming back from TJ too. Nothing’s a given.
Their offense isn’t any better. They’ve got to nail down Ortiz & Ross still, Ellsbury too, and then they’ve got Pedroia and Middlebrooks. I think you’re overrating their offensive firepower.
Grab a 3rd starter or two? Because that’s really going to help them…who the heck are these guys?
Red Sox tried to make a big FA splash like the Yanks did in ’09. Picked up a superstar 1B after they missed out on Teixeira and picked up Carl Crawford after Cashman wined and dined him.
That’s what “needing” to make moves does for you.
Now all we need is Pettitte and A-Rod. We’ll be back on a roll again soon enough.
Pretty remarkable that the 2 stars in BOS/LA deal who could’ve blocked deal have OK’d it without so much as insisting on anything in return. — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN)
blake August 25th, 2012 at 7:32 am
Pretty remarkable that the 2 stars in BOS/LA deal who could’ve blocked deal have OK’d it without so much as insisting on anything in return. — Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN)
—
I’m not surprised, they probably couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Good morning-
The RS were very shrewd in making this trade, although not a done deal yet, happen.
Players on the DL cannot be put thru waivers this month. I think I’m correct on that. Carl Crawford has been playing with a torn ulnar collateral ligament. The RS continued playing him, knowing other teams would not claim him, and he’d clear waivers. Once that happened he could be traded, even if he’s now on the DL, awaiting surgery.
The deal is not complete, as it’s rumored the Dodgers are on Crawford’s partial NT list.
It’ll get done. What player wouldn’t want to play for Mattingly over Valentine?
Thoughts on this trade?
Sounds like the deal is waiting Bud’s approval.
I think its a good deal for Boston…..but a real turning point……cant see how they are good in the near future ….they still need pitching and they did remove a big piece of their offense…..are they going to be pressured to re-sign Papi now?
Its harder to rebuild now……you cant pay over slot in the draft…..you cant go crazy internationally …..therr isnt as much quality in free agency because teams are extending all their good players etc.
I think its a good move for Boston……but its not going to magically make them great like some people are saying…..it was necessary but merely a step towards retooling that roster.
This is Crawford’s NT.
no-trade protection:
Crawford may block deals to two clubs
if traded, club acquiring Crawford may not subsequently trade him to NY Yankees
Ever seen the last line in other NT clauses?
For LA……I dont know…..I think if they really are taking all that money then they had better win some titles now…..their payroll is headed towards Yankee land like a runaway train and thats fine if you can afford it…..but unkess youre wilking to pay the luxury tax it can really hamper you especially when there are long term questiojs about all 3 guys they are getting
I think its a good move for Boston……but its not going to magically make them great like some people are saying…..it was necessary but merely a step towards retooling that roster.
————————-
I agree. They’re now going to be in a funny middle area. I think Cherington has to take a stand and say this team is not trying to compete next year. They still won’t have the pitching, their newly prospects won’t be able to help them. The free agent market won’t be a shot in the arm.
They’ll still have to make tough choices. Is David Ortiz’s production worth signing on for again? Do they go big with Ellsbury? I think signing Cody Ross again is a no brainer.
However, this front office and ownership has proven to care more about the sell out streak, and media attention, than the team. This could be the first step in focusing back on the team.
Blake,
We’ve now seen the Mets, the Phillies, and the Red Sox bust as big spenders. It’ll be interesting to see how the Dodgers do. I think stepping up and spending more can be a good move. Capture the city’s attention and transform the franchise into the Yankees of the West.
That’s it–”couldn’t wait to get out of there.”
Boston has had 10 years of being near the top, so their draft hasn’t been the best. Sorry, this isn’t the Rays.
Young teams are holding their talent, and nobody is going to lay down and trade talent to the Sox just because they called.
Doesn’t it tell you something that the vets couldn’t wait to depart? As much as I think deep down Agon and his family are shocked, I’m sure they didn’t exactly like Boston. Don’t you think these guys talk and text each other around the league?
The Yankees will find a way to make it work, since they are committed to winning. While Boston says all the right things, I think there are some serious organizational issues there. This Yankees around 2004 when George fell ill.
Blake-
Am I correct that you can’t put a player on waivers in August if they are already on the DL?
If that’s so, I wonder if the Dodgers would have put a claim in for A-Rod, if A-Rod hadn’t fractured his hand? I know they probably wouldn’t have, but what if? Would A-Rod waive the NT to play in LA for Mattingly?
Think not this.
I think Boston did very welll in the deal.
First of all, all 3 Boston players moved probably did not want to be on the team anymore. There were rumors that Crawford requested a trade. It’s not really known for sure exactly what all happened, but that request for the players to talk to management about Bobby V came from Gonzalez’ phone. And Beckett was underperforming and always seemed unhappy. You can’t have a whole bunch of players in a clubhouse that don’t want to be there. It’s very possible just firing Bobby V would not have solved everything. I think Boston is just basically cleaning house, and payroll space in the process.
Despite that position, they got enough prospects and other players to cover the Gonzalez part of the deal, and only had to chip in (reportedly) 10 mil for both the bad contracts of Crawford and Beckett. And some of that goes towards Crawford not even being able to play now and maybe part of early next season.
I agree with both of you. What FA would want to play for Valentine? As Hawk Harrelson obnoxiously says-”He Gone”
Swisher-could he possibly sign with the enemy?
Would the Yankees be a better team this year and next year without A-Rod?
If the Yankees end up playing the Dodgers in the World Series, it’s going to be very strange seeing Donnie managing the other side.
“Am I correct that you can’t put a player on waivers in August if they are already on the DL?”
Crawford is on the DL isnt he? I dont think anybody woukd claim Arod……
Congrats Yankee fans – you people, ” seam,” to find a way to win, …and get your ace back! Morrow and Bautista are waiting for you
Looking at it from the Dodger’s standpoint:
Billingsly had to leave the game due to elbow pain last night. Blanton, Harang and Capuano plus Kershaw.If Beckett shows improvement in the NL he fills a need for LA.
The team is predominantly righthanded with power from Ramirez, Kemp, Ellis.
Now they have Gonzalez who hits lefties and righties equally well as balance with Ethier, from the left side. Plus they’ll get Crawford back. Crawford, Kemp, and Ethier in the OF.
It’s only money and the Dodgers although gaining some $57 M in salary are still well below the 178M LT for this year, and lose FA’s Loney, Blanton, Victorino, League, Choate , Wright, Kennedy for some approx 27M or so. Parts they don’t need next year.
Dodger 2012-2017 payroll obligations:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=tBbMgiEHXYczpjt0I7dajQQ&output=html
Man… .never seen Jetes so mad last night !!! Calm down Jetes .. he it wasn’t intentional ..lol
“Would the Yankees be a better team this year and next year without A-Rod?”
This year no….theyd have nobody to replace him with and they need his bat. Next year and goig forward it really just depends on his health and what theyd use his money for…..3B is a pretty thin position and its tough to say what theyd use that money for.
Im sure theyd get out from under Alex’s money if they coukd…..but whether that would help thr team or not just depends IMO.
Jon Heyman ?@JonHeymanCBS
from late last night: beckett & crawford approved trade. josh physical was about final hurdle. http://cbsprt.co/R8PNcD #RedSox
Paul Beeston has made it public – Jays will spend, and after gett
gotta wonder if the light of a new day causes the dodgers to rethink the big trade.
Blake-
Crawford cleared waivers at least once before he was put on the DL this week during the month of August waiver period. Had he been put on the DL , let’s say the first few days in August, the RS wouldn’t have been able to put him on waivers.
jmills-
Good win for NYY last night from a pitching standpoint. Still the offense was essentially Jeter getting on base and Swisher driving him in. 3 for 10 with RISP.
Sorry,..blackberry. After getting the bird and David Clyde,…you people are in trouble
if someone claimed arod the yankees absolutely let him go. but he’s got 10&5 rights so it probably wouldnt happen
“It’s only money and the Dodgers although gaining some $57 M in salary are still well below the 178M LT for this year, and lose FA’s Loney, Blanton, Victorino, League, Choate , Wright, Kennedy for some approx 27M or so. Parts they don’t need next year.”
yes….but they will have to replace some of those guys too….and they still have to sign Kershaw at some point……I think they’ll be close to that luxury tax in 2014 if they keep going the way they are…..and then we will see what happens….will they blow past it and keep going or will they stop like the Yankees have?
If you pile up a bunch of long term contracts that takes to close to the spending limit then it limits what you can do unless you are willing to spend over that.
After they sign Kershaw they’ll have close to 100 million dollars in 4 players signed long term…..
Yeah, I think moving A-Rod on waivers is impractical. I also think he’ll only really be a drag in his final two years, but that’s just a guess.
So stop complaining fans!
Trader,
I’m not sure about that…..
One day, when I am rich, I am going to hold an artificial funeral for this blackberry that sends before I hit the send button!
Ken Rosenthal ?@Ken_Rosenthal
Source: #RedSox-#Dodgers blockbuster “pretty much done.” Beckett, Crawford have waived no-trade rights, teams have signed off on medicals.
MRI shows that Beckett’s elbow is actually a chicken wing! no deal
I think the Dodger’s should be happy with the trade, especially since Billingsley suffered an injury last night.
This trade might very well get them into the playoffs and go fairly far, if Billingsley is OK.
It’s only $$$$, and the Dodger owners have it!
on a different topic…..I heard a great interview with Verlander on Ripken baseball yesterday….he covered a lot of stuff but the most interesting parts kinda related to Mr. Hughes.
on the cutter: he stays away from it and thinks that unless you have a natural cut that it can hurt your other pitches…..said that he thinks guys fall in love with it and when you throw it a lot it get you away from the natural pronation of your arm…..you lose that last little snap with your figure tips that finishes your fastball because you get used to cutting it off to get rotation.
on his change in approach last season: he said that for years he tried to throw hard early and for guys with good stuff that leads to a lot of foul balls because instead of putting balls into play hitters foul pitches off…..and that leads to high pitch counts…..so instead last year he decided to try and pitch to contact more early in the game….find his command and use all his pitches to try and get quicker and more efficient outs…..then he could save the 99-100 for when he got into trouble or late in the game after he was dialed in…..clearly it’s working.
I love Verlander as a baseball fan…..wish he was a Yankee.
Trader,
it makes sense for both sides to some degree which is why it’s going down…..but it’s a very unusual deal ….one unlike anything I can remember…..I can’t remember another deal where this much money and this many high profile players were involved.
YT – you guys win and have to stand behind Martin – Thurmans are once in a rainbow. Russ has to be doing something right by your staff.
Blake,
Interesting conversation. Please send a copy to Mr. Hughes
Blake-
Too young to remember the former owner of the A’s-Charley Finley? He unloaded all of his talented players, just not to one team!
What do you know about the prospects the RS got in return?
Blake, I am driving to the motored city upon this day to get me a Verlander.
YT – Charlie got rid of everybody and would have jettisoned Vida too if he wasn’t done.
Blake, I am driving to the motored city upon this day to get me a Verlander.
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jmills-
That drive to Detroit then, might be for naught!
Charlie Finley:
In 1976, after losing Hunter to free agency, Finley started dismantling his club, attempting to sell Rudi and Fingers to the Red Sox and Blue to the Yankees. Kuhn decided to invoke the rarely-used “best interests of baseball” clause in order to void Finley’s sales. Finley, in turn, hired famed sports attorney Neil Papiano and proceeded to file a $10 million dollar restraint-of-trade lawsuit against Kuhn and Major League Baseball. Papiano and Finley lost the case (see Finley v. Kuhn). The court ruled that the commissioner had the authority to determine what is in the best interest of baseball. This lawsuit is widely recognized as one of the most famous, influential and precedent-setting sports-related cases in the history of American jurisprudence.
At the end of that season, many of the A’s stars left the team due to free agency. The next year – only two years after winning a division title and three years after winning a World Series—the A’s finished with the worst record in baseball. After that season, he tried to trade Blue again, this time to the Reds. Kuhn vetoed this trade as well, saying that it amounted to a fire sale.
Bud Selig would never do this!
YT, …alright, I’m doing nothing instead; maybe become an F1 person akin to Gilles Villeneuve.
I want Ken Holtzman.
Peter Gammons ?@pgammo
With little in the free agent market and severe draft and international limitations the $260m saved by Bosox cannot be easily reinvested.
Blake-
Agree with that statement from Gammons.
See you on the other side.
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blake -
That is some interesting information from Verlander. I am curious about whether he figured this out on his own, trial and error-wise, of did a coach help him get to that conclusion? I think one thing it points to is guys do have to pitch for a while to figure things out, whether it’s on their own or with help, but if you have good stuff, and you are willing to learn from your experiences, you’ll do pretty well.
I think Hughes has already made two good steps this season – “cutting” the cutter from his repertoire, and mixing in a lot more changeups.
I thought it was particularly interesting when Verlander talked about guys fouling off his fastball, so not being able to put guys away early, which then leads to higher pitch counts and fatigue and shorter outings. Man, and his fastball is lethal!
The dodgers have a legit lineup now. It’ll be even better next yr with Crawford (I expect him to bounce back away from Boston). But kemp, gonzo and Hanley are going to be tough to deal with this season.