What did I miss? The Kuroda signing
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Nov 26, 2012 
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I barely had internet service this past week – and I had absolutely no cell phone service — so it actually took me a while to find out the Yankees had re-signed Hiroki Kuroda. By the time I knew about it, the deal was official, Brian Cashman had talked about it and most important day of the Yankees offseason had come and gone.
With nearly three months of offseason still to go, why does Tuesday already standout as the most important day?
Answer that question with another: Can anyone imagine what the Yankees would have done without Kuroda?
No Kuroda would have meant an unthinkable hole at the top of the Yankees rotation, and even one more year of Andy Pettitte wouldn’t have filled it.
No Kuroda would have meant chasing after someone — maybe a risky deal with Kyle Lohse, maybe a prospect-gutting trade, maybe make-up-for-it-with-offense outfield signing – that would have steered this offseason in a completely new direction.
No Kuroda would have meant taking chances, one way or another, that might have been ineffective in the short-term and might have been disastrous in the long-term.
Signing Kuroda limited the risk.
Of course there’s a chance he won’t repeat last season’s results, but Kuroda’s more reliable in the short term than any other starter on the market (including or not including Zach Grienke, depending on how you think he would handle this market). He also has no impact on the financial plans for 2014. That’s huge.
Tuesday was the day that let the Yankees move forward with a clearer view of where to go from here. The Yankees need only to get the Mariano Rivera deal done and get a decision out of Pettitte, and then they’ll know, without question, how they can proceed in their hunt for a right fielder. They’ll know how much they can spend on another bat, and they’ll know whether they can afford to trade a guy like Ivan Nova (or Phil Hughes).
I’ve only been gone a week, but already the Yankees offseason is significantly less murky.
Associated Press photo
True dat Chad.
Welcome back.
Hope you had a great vacation.
Let’s get AP and Mo this week.
So pierzynski will be 37 next season and ichiro 39. Add that to jeter 39, arod 38, mo 42, pettitte 41. That six of 15 ‘starters’ 37 or older.
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People get so caught up in age.
We aren’t talking about your average 37+ players. We are talking about Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera (who had a whole year off), Pettitte (who has had most of the last 2 years to rest). I think we can agree ARod is not aging well.
Wow! Evan Longoria = career Ray
I left off Kurosawa who’s 38, so that would be 7 of 15 ‘starters’ over 37 if they go ichiro/pierzynski.
As much as I like the core guys, babe Ruth and Willie didn’t beat Father Time and neither will they. Half the starters being over 37 is crazy risky.
Man what a great deal for the Rays… what are the chances Cano would listen to a deal like that?
…yes… I’m reaching this morning.
Man what a great deal for the Rays… what are the chances Cano would listen to a deal like that?
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0.0%
Vastly different circumstances (Longoria was nowhere near free agency when he agreed to this) and vastly different agents.
20…23?
To piggy-back on the last thread I dunno that anyone has particular confidence in Romine but we do have confidence that Romine/Cervelli/Stewart can do a fine job sucking for a full season in Martin’s place.
…And do so at a bargain price.
..can we extend Hughes? No?
Can we extend anyone?!
That’s a great deal for Tampa bay. I’d hold off on the “ray for life” at this point, though. The rays return no profit to their owners at best. It’s no sure thing that anyone will want to continue to support such a poor investment. And now the Miami debacle pretty much seals the doom of any public financing for a new ballpark to make the rays profitable (a dubious dream even with a “free” stadium). Lets see if the to rays even make it to 2020.
This is what they should have done with Cano after 2009, or latest after 2010.
I just got an iPad and I’m having trouble with the predictive text. Please excuse the misspellings,etc.
jacksquat November 26th, 2012 at 9:38 am
This is what they should have done with Canoafter 2009, or latest after 2010
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I’ve been saying the same thing. Boras wasn’t in the picture yet and if he was then it was late 2010.
I dunno about that YS, there’ve been a few contradicting reports on the Rays earnings… one of the things I recall reading about Sternberg was that his loan payment that he used to buy the team are included in the Ray’s annual expenses..
The Marlins situation certainly doesn’t help though.. that I completely agree with. I dunno how they get a new stadium but I’ve seen crazier stuff pushed through.. it isn’t like this stuff is often put to a referendum, all you need is a politician or two in your pocket.
@JonHeymanCBS
#yankees are back talking to russell martin. http://cbsprt.co/QjWFJB
Probably the most Tampa has stepped up and paid a player…,still pretty team friendly though relative to most teams
Fairly big risk for Tampa given their budget goals and that Longoria is hurt all the time…..that’s a really good contract for a big market team….pretty risky for them IMO and I’m a little surprised they did it to be honest……their style normally would have been to let Longoria play out his cheapo deal then let him walk at 31
Offer Martin a big one year deal
We’re gonna overpay for Martin…. why can’t they just let him walk? Afraid of the fan reaction? *sarcasm*
…Cervi is willing to sleep in his car. Doesn’t that give him plus points??
November 26, 2012 at 9:54 am
We’re gonna overpay for Martin…. why can’t they just let him walk? Afraid of the fan reaction? *sarcasm*
Cause they have no catcher most
Likely……they must not trust Romines health or that he’s ready
Don’t lose the French Canadian market.
Saw Skyfall yesterday…..awesome ….
I actually think this was a bad decision by the Rays unless they plan to increase their budget. They had him locked up cheap through his prime years and decided to add to that at a steep price for them…..maybe they felt bad for his first contract.
Longoria is a good hitter….he’s not an elite hitter…..never Opsd .900 in a season and he gets hurt a lot too…..for a team like the Rays locking up a player for big money to age 37 ….could be a problem down the road if they can’t get a new stadium ….maybe they are banking on that
Blake,
It is perplexing. Maybe they really don’t like the way the markets are going and they REALLY don’t want to spend any money?
Also, I saw Lincoln. My favorite movie of the year.
@mikeaxisa: Games played since 2010: A-Rod: 358. Longoria: 358.
I really want to see Lincoln too….
AnthonyMcCarron
MLB playoff shares were announced: a full share for Yanks was $115,065.28. That’s a lotta cake. Yanks awarded 58 full shares
AnthonyMcCarron
An SF Giants full share for winning the World Series was $377,002.64.
KyleCole90: @DAVIDprice14 I wish they would give you that kind of contract
DAVIDprice14
lol you and me both!!
chad, no doubt Kuroda is huge. but to think Yankees need to stop searching offensive side of equation while waiting on a price tag on A.P and MO is just silly. you know what makes yankees season even less murkier, signing a rfer and a catcher. correctly identify your own FA’s value, budget according would be nice too.
i liked Lincoln but the first scene was stupid and the last scene unnecessary. otherwise very good.
uesday was the day that let the Yankees move forward with a clearer view of where to go from here. The Yankees need only to get the Mariano Rivera deal done and get a decision out of Pettitte, and then they’ll know, without question, how they can proceed in their hunt for a right fielder. They’ll know how much they can spend on another bat, and they’ll know whether they can afford to trade a guy like Ivan Nova (or Phil Hughes).
———
how can they proceed? set a upper bound for MO’s and Andy salary then look for offense before more pieces comes off the board and then perhaps you can avoid ” maybe a prospect-gutting trade, maybe make-up-for-it-with-offense outfield signing ” scenarios as well.
there is such rigidity and inflexibility in FO’s train of thoughts it’s laughable.
Maybe they signed Longoria to that deal so they could trade him!!
Cannot see anyone poopooing the Longoria deal. Its 17 AAV for only the extension, and he will be tradable for 6 more years before 10/5 rights kick in. He is an elite defender and a good hitter. To top it off he is one of the most popular players in the majors.
The Longoria deal actually hurts the Yankees in negotiations with Cano.
Longoria took less money (5 years 20m/year) because you always get less money if you sign a contract before hitting the open market. If I’m Boras I point out that Cano is a superior player at a more difficult defensive position.
blake November 26th, 2012 at 10:14 am
Saw Skyfall yesterday…..awesome ….
I saw it too … and was disappointed. Lots of action but for me, Daniel Craig just doesn’t have the charm or humor of a Sean Connery or Roger Moore. Anyone seen Life of Pi yet? Loved the book.
bruce, i think the idea of Craig was to present atypical Bond which is silly begin with. Bond is your typical ‘superhuman’ and a fictional character that embodies of the ideal English virtues.
I saw the film as well, walked away less than impressed. and what’s with toning down on the sex scene, what’s a proper bond movie without a proper shagging and it’s myriads of vixens!
my guess is that the rays are finally going to start spending all the luxury tax money they’ve been hoarding.
they can’t keep drafting superstars like they’ve been due to their success and there’s a small window before the yankees and red sox reload, particularly boston. maybe they’ll go all in for a few years and then pull a miami.
anyone have predictions as to where josh hamilton will land?
bruce, i think the idea of Craig was to present atypical Bond which is silly begin with. Bond is your typical ‘superhuman’ and a fictional character that embodies of the ideal English virtues.
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The bond of the novels is an alcoholic, sociopathic thug. Craig just plays those 2 points to the extreme. He is a pretty great bond.
my guess is that the rays are finally going to start spending all the luxury tax money they’ve been hoarding.
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They’d have to be planning to spend it in 4 years for this to make sense. It was an extension ontop of a deal that already went to 2016. Its likely Longoria’s agent pushed for it.
“Cannot see anyone poopooing the Longoria deal. Its 17 AAV for only the extension, and he will be tradable for 6 more years before 10/5 rights kick in. He is an elite defender and a good hitter. To top it off he is one of the most popular players in the majors.”
It’s a great deal for most teams….but it’s just kinda counter to what the Rays usually do….they had him locked up cheap to age 31 already…..normally they’d just let him go then and let somebody else pay for the decline…..as you say though the new contract is very tradeable and maybe that’s what they are thinking …..if they get a new stadium then they’ll be able to afford him….if not then they have a great trade chip locked up long term
No team is going to be able to operate in the future without spending some money. Free agency is simply too expensive. They got, potentially, a 20+ million player for a steep discount. Even if they don’t trade him or get a new stadium its a good deal.
meh, Jerk, every englishman is more or less an alcoholic til they moved to the states and realize the bar close at 5 am in NY. he does do a good job on the sociopathic part but the Roger Moore and Connery possess the same sociopathic quality but with a sense of knowing and humor which i think Craig is lacking.
“The bond of the novels is an alcoholic, sociopathic thug. Craig just plays those 2 points to the extreme. He is a pretty great bond.”
He’s the best ….Connery is the classic but Im being objective Craig is the man….Im glad he’s going to keep doin them because there was a rumor there for awhile that this was his last one
“Even if they don’t trade him or get a new stadium its a good deal.”
Unless he continues to get hurt all the time and declines early like he could
i just don’t see this year in the same light as oakland extending chavez, and then not giving anyone else a big contract. they rays have seen the oriels and jays get a lot better this past year and this off season. maybe they want to start keeping their stars
starting with longoria is a curious decision though, he’s been hurt a lot. never was a high average guy. i doubt they want to pay this guy top dollar to hit .270 and 10 hrs
@DCameronFG: Votto, Tulo, Braun, and now Longo. A great trend for MLB. RT @fangraphs: FanGraphs: Rays Extend Evan Longoria, Again http://t.co/tlahrFK2
A trend we have been talking about here for awhile….teams are signing their young hitters….they don’t reach free agency often anymore
He’s the best ….Connery is the classic but Im being objective Craig is the man….Im glad he’s going to keep doin them because there was a rumor there for awhile that this was his last one
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He’s already signed for 2 more I believe.
I too saw Skyfall over the weekend, it was awesome.
If you like a bond that makes jokes and is strictly a womanizer then Craig probably isnt for you…..if you like one who kicks a€% and you could see as a real spy then he’s perfect.
Connery will always be the best….but Craig is sorta like the Christian Bale version on Bond….more serious and more realistic
he does do a good job on the sociopathic part but the Roger Moore and Connery possess the same sociopathic quality but with a sense of knowing and humor which i think Craig is lacking.
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I have to disagree with you here. Craig has the humorous edge, even when he is doing people dirty, but what he doesn’t do is turn it into a joke. Half his lines in the movie are dry quips! It is just a different style.
blake, i vehemently protest the notion that Bond is a womanizer… i think the the women of bond manizing him. btw, sean connery kicks plenty of a*) as well as touching em.
blake November 26th, 2012 at 11:21 am
“Even if they don’t trade him or get a new stadium its a good deal.”
Unless he continues to get hurt all the time and declines early like he could
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The upside to that deal is that it gives them a known when dealing with guys like Price and Shields.
meh, Jerk, every englishman is more or less an alcoholic til they moved to the states and realize the bar close at 5 am in NY.
So true. Hic!
I think you’re also just misattributing the genre stylings of the time to the character. The old Bond movies were campy, because that was the style of the time. Just like the 90s Bond movies are insane. Now we are scaling back to a phase where everyone likes very focused realism. An underwater car would never fly nowdays. It’d swim.
Think the Bond movies need a serious injection of youth and sexy women. Daniel Craig (44) and Judi Dench (77) just don’t do it for me. The “crumpet” (as we call it over the pond) was seriously lacking too,
bruce, from personal experience i hold that be true… the first communication i received when some of the mates went back to london proper was the fact they missed ny terribly and finding it impossible to enjoy their alcohols without drinking too fast and getting ill.
There is also the fact that most bartenders in the UK are hourly waged young adults who don’t work for tips. You don’t get the career Bartenders from other countries who know how to mix a drink. You get some 18 year old kid who is going to pour you a sloppy pint.
The pubs have changed vastly in Britain since the smoking ban and the clampdown on drink-driving. The days of propping up the bar all evening, drinking five or six pints have gone. Many of the pubs now concentrate on food to try to make up for the shortfall in alcohol sales. But I still miss them terribly, particularly buying your own beer and not having to leave a tip after waiting an hour to be served.
Cashmoney says:
November 26, 2012 at 11:32 am
blake, i vehemently protest the notion that Bond is a womanizer… i think the the women of bond manizing him. btw, sean connery kicks plenty of a*) as well as touching em.
Semantics….Connery was good …. He had all the qualities of what Bond should be…..I just like Craig in pretty much everything he’s in
It’s just preference….the Nolan era batman movies are so much better to me because they lost all the wacky stuff from the previous era and made it more real….same thing with the current bond movies…..they had lost all the wackiness from the brosman era and made it more realistic with a Bknd that’s more serious and one that really looks like he could beat up a bad guy
“Think the Bond movies need a serious injection of youth and sexy women. Daniel Craig (44) and Judi Dench (77) just don’t do it for me. The “crumpet” (as we call it over the pond) was seriously lacking too,”
There we’re be interests in these….especially Casino Royale…..but in this one the story lines didn’t leave time for a big love story…. Too much other stuff to do
I’m very interested in how the new Superman will go….because although I think they are going to attempt to go more serious with it…..there is only so much realism you can provide for a guy that can fly and shoot laser beams from his eyes
@JeffPassan: Rays sign one guy to $100M deal and it’s enormous risk. Dodgers get $250M+ in TV $ every year. Baseball’s widening gap: http://t.co/lgvS4fEw
The Yankees new deal with YES is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay under value compared with the Dodgers. Thats insane.
blake November 26th, 2012 at 11:26 am
@DCameronFG: Votto, Tulo, Braun, and now Longo. A great trend for MLB. RT @fangraphs: FanGraphs: Rays Extend Evan Longoria, Again http://t.co/tlahrFK2
A trend we have been talking about here for awhile….teams are signing their young hitters….they don’t reach free agency often anymore
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Great trend for baseball. Too bad our young players are playing for other teams.