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Not too much news to report on in Red Sox land (I refuse to acknowledge the concept of Red Sox Nation...go on, check, I've never said it).

Outstanding issues:

- back-up catcher - Prediction: Doug "Queer Eye" Mirabelli
- another bench guy - probably a 1b/3b type with some pop ideally.
- bullpen - With 6 "starters" and 4 relievers under contract, the Red Sox will probably add another bullpen arm. If Tavarez gets traded, they'll need 2.
- Will he or won't he? Is Johan coming to Boston? Not sure. If he does come, it'll probably necessitate adding additional players as it'll cost a starter and everyday player to be sure.

This has been a crazy December. There was tons of news on Johan Santana, but very little else. Now that the Santana news has slowed down, the local papers have had little to no news on the Red Sox.

There is one issue worth mentioning. Jim Rice is in his 2nd to last year of eligibility. He was my favorite player growing up and of course I think he is Hall of Fame worthly (bias admitted).

While this is nothing more than a collection of names who think Rice is HOF worthy, it is nice to see. Sign this petition if you agree with Rice's HOF candidacy.

Rice was a power hitter and hit for average (if that matters to anyone). He reminds me a bit of Don Mattingly in that he had some great years, but maybe not enough of them. Rice had more good years than Mattingly, but I think Mattingly had more great years than Rice if that makes any sense. Mattingly had a great 1984 - 1987. Rice had a great 1977 - 1979. Neither player walked that much but instead relied on their ability to get on base via the hit. For me, it was the fact that Rice was able to continue hitting into his 30's that makes him HOF worthy. He was one of the best hitters from 1977 - 1986. Mattingly was one of the best hitters from 1984 - 1989. Sorry for the rambling paragraph here, but I was just jotting down thoughts about both Mattingly and Rice and didn't care as much for sentence construction.

You can make an argument for both, but I think Rice does deserve a spot. This is probably his best opportunity as there are no marque names on this year's list and the steroid issue has really made voters re-think things. Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe is finally giving Rice a vote. If Shaughnessy can change his mind, perhaps others can too. Good luck Jim and Happy New Year everyone.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Joel Sherman breaks some new ground on the endless Santana rumors when he suggests in today's Post that it is Hal Steinbrenner and not Hank who is preventing the Yankees from completing the deal.

We haven't heard much at all about Hal, but we should remember that both Hank and Hal were supposed to take over for their father. The way Sherman has it, Hal is the guy in charge of the budget and he doesn't want to splurge on Santana at this point.

That's fine with me and if you look at the Yankees this offseason, they have tried to avoid throwing a lot of money around. When you add up the deals they have announced, (Pettitte, Posada, Rivera, A-Rod, Molina, Hawkins) they have added $7 million to the payroll from last season. Now, they will have to pay a lot more to Wang and Cano in arbitration, but it is also probably safe to assume that Clemens won't get a huge deal next May. That means that overall, spending should be down again in 2008. Subtract the $81 million coming off the books after 2008 and the Yankees are definitely heading in a different direction from the spending sprees of the past.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

In light of the Mitchell report, the BALCO findings and the other various performance inhancing drug (PED) news, I thought it would be an interesting idea to play Hall of Famer voter for a day. Let's operate under the following guidelines:

- You must make a vote today knowing what you now know.
- You must vote yes or no. A "maybe" or "withholding until more info is available" is not an option.

Let's also add to this exercize with some statistics:

Roger Clemens:

Career, age 21 - 44:
354 - 184, 3.12 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 4916.7 IP, 4185 H, 1580 BB, 4672 K's, 8.55K/9.

1984 - 1997 age 21 - 34 (we'll call this the pre-steroids career based on the Mitchell Report):
213 - 118, 2.97 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 3040.0 IP, 2563 H, 924 BB, 2882 K's, 8.53K/9.

1998 - 2007 age 35 - 44 (we'll call this post-steroids):
141 - 66, 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 1876.7 IP, 1622 H, 656 BB, 1790 K's, 8.58K/9.

Barry Bonds:

Career age 21 - 42:
.298/.444/.607/1.051, 2935 H, 2227 R, 762 HR, 1996 RBI, 2558 BB, 1539 K, 514 SB

1986 - 1999 age 21 - 34 (we'll call this the pre-streroids career for Bonds based on BALCO and Game of Shadows):
.288/.413/.559/.972, 2010 H, 1455 R, 445 HR, 1299 RBI, 1430 BB, 1112 K, 460 SB

2000 - 2007 age 35 - 42 (post-steroids career):
.322/.520/.724/.1.244, 925 H, 772 R, 317 HR, 697 RBI, 1128 BB, 427 K, 54 SB

I won't comment on the numbers above. But I will ask the following: If we are to believe the news, is it fair to say these guys are deserving of the HOF regardless of any possible PED because their numbers were already HOF calibre prior to PED use? Or does the use of PEDs negate any prior accomplishments? Please vote below:

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It's bad enough hearing all the excuses flying around, but now Curt Schilling has joined the party, suggesting that Roger Clemens give back his awards won since 1997.

Yes, the same Curt Schilling who was called before Congress in 2005 to testify about the drug problem in baseball because of comments he had made and when he had the chance, told Congress he had "grossly overstated it" (the problem)

Schilling also stated at those hearings in regards to the drug testing in baseball, "If there are loopholes....we will close them." (2-1/2 years later, that still hasn't happened)

If Frank Thomas, the ONLY active player who helped the Mitchell investigation would like to offer any suggestions, I am all ears. Otherwise, all the active players who didn't and Curt who didn't follow up on his promises, should zip it. Is Clemens guilty? It certainly seems like it, but how many other guilty players are out there who didn't get named? How can we ever sort out what record should be expunged if we don't know the full extent of the juicing? Richard Nixon was impeached, but he is still listed as the President from 1969-1974. Historians of baseball will have to cast a wide net over the last 20 years and the next few until the testing is real and it will forever be known as the steroids era. Judge the numbers with caution, that's the reality of all of this.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

The Assistant to the Traveling Secretary of the New York Yankees, George Costanza, was promoted to Traveling Secretary today. The job was made available when former Traveling Secretary David Szen was convicted of filing a false tax return and failing to report $50,000 in tips from players and coaches and was subsequently fired by the club.

Costanza takes over immediately. His first act as Traveling Secretary was to eliminate 5-Star hotel accomodations in favor of the Motel 6 chain.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Rocket certainly sounds righteous in his statement, defending himself and chastising the court of public opinion- "I am disappointed that my 25 years in public life have apparently not earned me the benefit of the doubt...."

It all sounds good but it doesn't erase the fact that Clemens had a chance to talk to Mitchell and didn't. On page 175 of the report, Mitchell documents how he asked Clemens to talk to him about the allegations against him and Clemens refused his invitation.

Now, that alone doesn't make Clemens guilty, but instead of issuing statements, how about Roger stands up himself and tells us he is innocent? How about he explains how his name ended up in that report and why he didn't chose to do anything about it until now? Until then, I don't want to read anymore statements.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

It's official, the Yankees will end the 2008 season at Fenway Park and not at Yankee Stadium. Baseball couldn't figure out a way to have the Yankees at home for the final games of the regular season when it is the last year of Yankee Stadium?

BOOOOOOO....

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (9) | TrackBacks (0)

Reader note: The following is based around an email exchange between former Red Sox catcher Joe Oliver and Boston Herald writer Jeff Horrigan. In other words, this is Horrigan's story.

Boston Herald writer Jeff Horrigan posted this on the Boston Herald's Clubhouse Insider. For those not interested in reading it yourselves, it is an email exchange between Horrigan and former Red Sox catcher Joe Oliver.

If we are to believe Oliver, he never used steroids. His reaction to the Mitchell report is interesting. He poses the following:

- What if he, and/or other non-steroid users were to file charges against MLB for not doing anything about steroid use in baseball?

Oliver also expresses his anger and frustration for working his arse off and barely hanging on to MLB life all the while competing with others that cheated. Just what rights does Oliver have? Just how much does he expect from MLB? Certainly he has a right to be mad. I would be. A level playing field is the ideal afterall, but how do we police the level playing field?

While I certainly feel for Oliver and his frustration and for all others that tried to play the game the right way, I think Oliver has to look at his own union as well. Maybe he understands this and Horrigan didn't disclose that part of the exchange, but regardless, MLBPA is just as much responsible in my mind.

This thing is a mess.

Some links and notes of interest:

I missed one player on the list who was in the Red Sox organization, but never had an appearance above A+ ball: Mike Spinelli.

Jose Canseco says Alex Rodriguez should be on the Mitchell report. It is probably ones first thought to dismiss anything Canseco says, but after his book came out, he entered a bizarro kind of existance. He is still a baffoon, but what he said would happen, did happen. So to ignore his claims entirely would be foolish, but still, it's Canseco we are talking about.

Roger Clemens and David Justice are the 2 biggest names thus far to deny the claims made by the Mitchell report. As I suggested yesterday, Mitchell's report had a fair amount of documentation, but also had witness testimony. That testimony is only worth what you think it is worth. Are those spilling the beans to be trusted?

ESPN asked a sampling of Hall of Fame voting writers for their opinions on whether or not they intend to vote for Roger Clemens for the HOF. I am stunned by some of the replies. Or better yet, the lack of clarity in the face of the evidence against Clemens and Barry Bonds.

Providence Journal writer Steve Krasner (who has a vote) said this:

"Yes, I would vote for him on the first ballot. If, as Brian McNamee says, he started using steroids in 1998, he already had 213 wins, four Cy Youngs and a 3.00 ERA at the time. Without the steroids he wouldn't have won 350 games, but I do think he would have been a double-digit winner for many seasons, boosting his win total close to 300, and he was a dominant pitcher, unlike some other pitchers who might have racked up a lot of wins.''

What I wish we could hear/read from Krasner is if he intends to vote for Bonds. Using his logic (which I don't agree with), Bonds too would have been a lock for HOF at the time he started using steroids. I fully expect to find some documention that Krasner is on the record as saying he will vote for Bonds for the HOF. If not, he is either a moron or perhaps worse (you know what I mean).

ESPN's Peter Gammons had a table in one of his recent posts which showed Bonds' stats prior to his steroid use prior to the 1999 season. Here they are:

Games: 1898
At-Bats: 6621
Home Runs: 411
At-bats per HR: 14.9
OPS: 966
Stats Gammons didn't include for same time period:

Runs: 1364
RBI: 1216
SB: 445
MVP's: 3

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You know I watched Selig and Fehr and a bunch of commentators talk about the Mitchell Report last night and I was struck by how many of them think this will allow us to move on. I think that is impossible until a couple of things happen.

First, all the current investigations have to come to an end. As Tom Verducci so rightly points out Mitchell essentially got lucky that Radomski and McNamee "fell into his lap". Without them, this report would essentially name the same names as BALCO did. Radomski is sentenced February 8th, other investigations are still ongoing. Until all of that has wrapped up, I would expect we will learn other names.

Next, we can't move on until we know that there is a test for HGH. Reading through the report it struck me how much HGH was being used. I had, somewhat naively, thought that HGH was something that only the heavy hitters did and, most importantly could afford. But look at the names in the report, Mike Bell (19 career games in the majors in 2000) for one admits to using HGH.

In addition, from the prices named, it appears it costs from $1200-$1600 for "a kit" of HGH. While the report specifically says that Chad Allen could not afford HGH I would think that a player on the major league level, making the minimum salary (380K in 2006) could afford a couple of doses of HGH. Players also on the big league roster get $85 a day for road games and travel days. So, a thrifty big leaguer could probably afford a kit of HGH by cutting back on their food purchases. My point is, I don't think any of us can look at any player and know whether or not he is clean. From A-Rod to a fringe major leaguer (like Mike Bell) these drugs are readily available and affordable.

So, the sad lesson I draw from all of this is that everyone is suspect until baseball really cleans things up. It won't stop me from rooting for my team or admiring the game, but I won't look at the players in the way I used to.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

What do these players all have in common?

Manny Alexander
Roger Clemens
Jeremy Giambi
Josias Manzanillo
Chris Donnels
Mo Vaughn
Mike Lansing
Kent Mercker
Mike Stanton
Eric Gagne
Brendan Donnelly
Jose Canseco
Steve Woodard
Paxton Crawford

They all played for the Boston Red Sox at some point in their careers and all were named in today's Mitchel Report.

Chad Allen - Spring Training Invitee in the early 2000's.
Larry Bigbie - Red Sox called off trade for Bigbie July 2005 (for Kelly Shoppach and Adam Stern) in an almost deal that still makes Colorado Rockies management mad.

Allen and Bigbie were also named. While neither actually played for the Red Sox, both came very close.

It is unfair to suggest that all those listed played for the Red Sox while using steroids or HGH, but the report named an alarmingly high number of former Red Sox players. I was stunned. Peter said in one of his posts today that he didn't think there were that many ex-Red Sox players, but I disagree. Before I continue, Mitchell's report is just that, a report on what Senator George Mitchell (ME) found during his investigation. Players are likely to cry foul, like Roger Clemens has already, and they have that right as none of these players has been found guilty in a court of law.

That being said, many of the guys wrote personal checks to individuals who cooperated with Mitchell and the federal government, so the evidence is strong, don't you think?

While Roger Clemens has already denied using steroids, his name is by far, by far the biggest name on the list outside of Barry Bonds. As Peter said today, if Bonds is considered the best offensive player of his time, then Clemens certainly has to be considered the best pitcher of his time. News of his using steroids is a bombshell. It means MLB has had its 2 best players of the last 20+ years labeled as cheaters, again, like Peter already said.

I'm not ready to say that because all players were doing steroids that it was an even playing field, but I am left wondering just how I feel about this. I am bummed, but it was so rampant that I'm not certainly how, if at all, it will impact my enthusiasm for the sport. This needs to sink in a bit more I think.

By the way, if I missed anyone that played on the Red Sox, please let me/us know. And if any of these guys (on my list or the Mitchell report) has been found guilty in a court of law, also let me/us know.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 08:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, Clemens has chosen to fight this and since he really has nothing to lose at this point, it isn't a shock.

The question is, can MLB, the media, whomever, prove these accusations? It seems to me that the only way to get that proof would be for the Feds to intervene. McNamee, the guy who named Clemens, is part of the Kirk Radomski investigation. Radomski named McNamee as someone he had given steroids and HGH to and in turn, Radomski named Clemens and Pettitte as recipients.

Now, Radomski pleaded guilty in April, but he will not be sentenced until February 8th because the investigation is ongoing. That leaves open the possibility that the Feds subpoena a player like Clemens or some of the other players named in the report. To me, that is about the only way you will ever know the 100% truth about this because that is when the players will be under oath to tell the truth and face the same choice that Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi did in the BALCO investigation.

And, I would be very, very careful if I were a player who did some of this stuff. There are other investigations that are ongoing and more names will probably be on the way.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have skimmed the Mitchell Report and I have some initial conclusions.

1- I think Mitchell did a pretty good job. He will rightly be targeted as biased because of his involvement with the Red Sox but I am pretty sure that is not the reason for all the Yankees named in the report and the lack of many Red Sox players. The fact is, Mitchell got a lot of testimony from Kirk Radomski and Radomski was based in New York. Just as there are a lot of Giants and A's players who got fingered because of BALCO, Radomski brought in the New York element. If Mitchell had gotten someone from a lab in Quincy or Natick, I am sure we would have a lot of Red Sox names. That being said, baseball would have been smart if they had put someone in charge of the investigation who didn't have ties to the sport in any capacity.

2- The sad reality of this report, that Mitchell fully admits, is that he has only scratched the surface. Mitchell talks about how the people who design these drugs are ahead of the testers. Furthermore, they are serious problems with how the test are conducted. MLB can fix some of this, but not without significant help from the players' association.

3- Based on the above, you have to view stats carefully. As the report showed, it's not just power hitters who use this stuff. Nook Logan bought some of it. I will be interested to see how Baseball Prospectus handles this with their PECOTA system.

4- Roger Clemens is as big a crook as Barry Bonds. You cannot excuse one and condemn the other. Reading the reports of Clemens getting injections in the butt makes you realize that the greatest hitter and the greatest pitcher of the past 20 years are both cheats.

Those are my initial reactions, what do you think?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This is quickly becoming the most bizarre day in Yankees' history. For some reason, the Yankees are currently announcing the A-Rod deal.

I have no clue why they chose today and considering the revelations of the last hour, the timing could not be worse. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear Alex's explanation for acting like he did, but it is going to get swallowed up in the Mitchell Report.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ESPN is reporting that Roger Clemens is going to be named in the Mitchell Report. In addition, the Bergen Record has a source that proclaims "It's going to be a rough day in the Bronx".

I am not going to indulge in speculation at this point, but I am hoping that we don't see names like Rivera, Jeter, Williams and Pettitte in the report. Either way, get ready for a sad day for baseball.

Back after the report comes out.

UPDATE- apparently, I am going to be disappointed.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees tendered Brian Bruney and are letting TJ Beam, Darrell Rasner and Matt DeSalvo go. There is always a chance to sign them to minor league deals, but it may be the end for all of them with the Yankees.

As an interesting side note, the Cubs have non-tendered Mark Prior. If I am the Yankees, I at least make a call to see what he wants for a deal.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight is the tender deadline which means that clubs have to offer contracts to their arbitration-eligible players or those players become free agents. For the Yankees there are four guys who fit that description: Chien-Ming Wang, Robinson Cano, Wilson Betemit and Brian Bruney.

Obviously, Wang, Cano and Betemit are going to be tendered and I will renew my plea that the Yankees talk to Cano and Wang about longterm contracts. The question is, what will they do with Bruney?

The Yankees face a numbers crunch right now because they have three players, Mariano, A-Rod and Hawkins, that they are finalizing deals with and 0 spots open on their 40-man roster. They have asked Carl Pavano to accept a minor league deal to help the crunch, but he doesn't seem thrilled by the idea.

I imagine the Yankees will just cut him if he doesn't accept because even if they lose some insurance money (and I am not sure if they would or not) they wouldn't want to lose a player who might help them in the future.

That's one spot and I think Bruney will be non-tendered tonight and offered a minor league deal as well. Bruney certainly has the arm, but I think his head just isn't there. With all of the other arms in the system, his loss won't be felt.

That leaves one more spot to open and I would guess Sean Henn is the most likely candidate to go. I will update later with the decisions.

On a side note, the Dodgers invited Tanyon Sturtze to Spring Training. If Torre can get Paul Quantrill to come out of retirement he will have all three of his favorite relievers to abuse next March.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Red Sox left Nashville without Johan Santana, but ESPN's Buster Olney reports "that the folks in position to have insight into the Johan Santana talks strongly believe that the Twins and Red Sox will eventually work out a deal." Olney references Mark Christianson of the Star Tribune as saying the Twins prefer a deal surrounding Jacoby Ellsbury and not Jon Lester.

I have no idea at this point if this deal will get done, but I think I can be forgiven for dreaming of a starting rotation that looks like this (Buster Olney also had a Red Sox rotation projection):

SP - Beckett
SP - Santana
SP - Matsuzaka
SP - Schilling
SP - Lester/Buchholz/Wakefield

That looks good. If/when Schilling is done after 2008, either Lester or Buchholz steps in full time. Same can be said for Wakefield.

If the Red Sox do trade Ellsbury, perhaps they will still deal Coco Crisp and focus on Japanese League star Kosuke Fukudome who today declared his ententions of playing in the Majors in 2008. Some say Fukudome isn't an ideal fit in CF, but his bat projects to be superior to Crisp's. A long shot though as Fukudome is expected to get at least $10mm a season based on what I've read.

I will be happy with Crisp in CF because of his defense, but he really needs to find his stroke again and give the Red Sox a 2004 or 2005 like performance with the bat. Could those 2 seasons really have been a fluke? Or did his finger injury in 2006 really set him back this much?

Anyway, the most newsworthy post, but something to keep our interest in the Hot Stove League as things have slowed to a crawl.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 03:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

2008 represents Manny Ramirez's 8th season with the Boston Red Sox and it marks the end of his 8-year, $160mm deal. The Red Sox hold options for both 2009 and 2010 at $20mm each.

It got me thinking just what are the Red Sox going to do after 2008? We all remember the Red Sox front office putting Manny on irrevocable waivers after the 2003 with no team claiming him. At the time, the Red Sox were content to let any MLB team have Manny, contract and all for nothing in return. Times sure have changed. Somewhere along the line the Red Sox FO felt Manny proved a value after all (maybe it was those 2 World Series Championships), Manny learned to love Boston and certainly the Boston fanbase proved willing to ignore most of Manny's idiosyncrasies.

With Manny's base contract up after next year, what are the Red Sox going to do? If I am Theo Epstein, it's simple. Exercize the 2009 option. Assuming Manny has a productive year, it's a no-brainer. If Andruw Jones can get $18.1 per year with a .724 OPS, certainly Manny's .881 OPS is worth $20mm (hold your comments, I know Jones brings more to the table defensively, but if I mentioned that, it makes my argument look weaker, so pipe it).

Of course it isn't as simple as that seeing as Manny is coming off his worst season since 1994. Manny missed 35 games and hit only 20 home runs and saw his slugging % drop to a career worst .495 (he had a .302 slg in 1993 in only 53 at bats, his first year in the Majors.).

The warning signs are there. It wasn't as though he just had his overall production numbers reduced by the same % of games missed, the largest concern was that slg % drop. Manny had a terrible April, found his grove in May, June and July, then scuffled again in August before missing most of September due to injury. The average and obp remained solid enough, but again, no power. Add to it Manny will be 36 in May 2008. Power hitters generally don't stay power hitters past their mid-late 30's unless their name is Barry Bonds and they use flax seed oil.

So here's the deal. If Manny posts decent numbers in 2008, take the option year. If he struggles, let him go and see if you can sign him to a smaller deal. It really is a win-win. If he does well, you have an all-star in LF for 2009. If he doesn't, you have $20mm to spend on a replacement. The trouble with that is it isn't easy to find another Manny Ramirez.

Addendum: Eric Gagne declined arbitration with the Red Sox and instead signed a 1-year $10mm deal with Milwaukee. Gagne just got a taste of the High Life, yes, the Champagne of Beers. Gagne was terrible to be kind with Boston and somehow got a 66.6% pay raise to sign with Milwaukee. Small market ownership will never cease to amaze me with their stupidity. Dear Milwaukee, have fun being bad again. You made a nice run in 2007, but lost your minds (collectively) by signing a reliever who was really bad for 3 of 7 months in 2007 to a 66.6% raise. That is some good business. Perhaps a reading of Moneyball is in order when it comes to closers.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 07:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Reportedly, the Yankees are very close to a deal with Hawkins. I have to admit, at first glance, I didn't see why. But, it is a one-year deal and it "only" costs $3.75 million, so it is worth a shot. Worst case, the Yankees can eat the salary in a heartbeat. Best case and Hawkins becomes this year's Vizcaino, a solid 7th inning guy.

This may be all the Yankees do with the bullpen. With reliever prices soaring, the Yankees are likely to stay out of the market. That may not be a bad thing as one of Joe Girardi's strengths is his ability to work with young players. But, heading into 2008 relying on Ohlendorf, Ramirez and Veras to be big parts of the bullpen is a risk.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Today's Rule 5 draft wrapped up the Winter Meetings and while the Yankees didn't have a major league pick (their 40 man roster was full) they did a minor league move and lost a player.

In the major league phase, the Yankees lost Michael Gardner to the Padres. Garnder had nice numbers in AA last year (2.88ERA 81.1 IP 66K's 33BB'S) but he will be 27 in May. The Padres will now have to keep him in the majors all year or offer him back to the Yankees. Not much of a loss and I think the Yankees are happy because they didn't lose Eric Duncan or Steven Jackson.

In the AAA phase, the Yankees selected Bo Hall from the Brewers. Hall averaged over a strikeout an inning last season at AA but also walked too many guys (3.46ERA in 54.2IP 56K's 33BB's) Like Gardner, he is old, 27 right now, but he will get a shot at Scranton next year and he fits the current Yankee thinking of grabbing a bunch of low-cost relievers and seeing what works.

The reports on the draft are still coming in, so I will update if anything more occurred.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

Day 3 of the Winter Meetings and Johan Santana is still a Twin. The Twins were expected to get back to the Red Sox with a decision either way on whether they would accept 1 of 2 offers from the Red Sox for Santana.

I'm beginning to think this deal will not happen. Why? Well there are reports that the Twins are actively engaging other teams about Santana which makes me believe they aren't satisfied with either Red Sox offer. ESPN's Keith Law said on ESPN News this am that the Twins have reached out to the Mets, Dodgers and Angels to see if they could put together a better offer.

If I'm the Red Sox, I think it is time to look at ways other than Santana to improve (as if they haven't been all along). The Twins are stalling for a better offer. This is good new/bad news because the Red Sox are in a position of power here, but there is nothing to say the Twins might simply end talks and keep Santana for themselves. The public decree by Hank Steinbrenner that the Yankees were out of the running has probably has something to do with this situation.

The StarTribune.com is suggesting, however, that despite Hank's public declaration, the Yankees have not told the Twins they are out of it.

With all of this in mind, they Red Sox might let out a giant sigh of relief if Santana gets trade elsewhere or doesn't get trade at all as the volume and quality of prosects they are offering would be a big price to pay. Maybe the ideal situation would be for Santana to land in Los Angeles. If he were a pitcher for the Dodgers, that would mean the Red Sox would see him in the regular maybe once every 3 years or in the World Series.

Peter and I have discusses this a bit off-line and agree that no matter which teams gets Santana, that team will be fired up to get such a talent, but the cost is so high both in terms of talent and money, that if the Red Sox don't get Santana, it's not exactly as if they are going to be left with a weak team. They have a pretty good rotation already, all of whom are signed for $10mm per year or less, and with Jon Lester, Clay Buccholz and some of the other young arms coming up route 95, they might just have talent for the next few years. Same can be said of the Yankees. One of the Yankees fans made this point on our comments section that if the Yankees do not get Santana, they start the year with a rotation that went 51-25 to send the season in 2007. Not too bad.

Regardless, the Twins are starting to drag their feet and business can't be done by the Red Sox if they are in a wait mode. Time to do your business Minnesota or get off the pot. Quit jerking the Red Sox around (or shame on the Red Sox for allowing themselves to get jerked around).

Other meeting news: The Red Sox will approach Jason Varitek about a contract extension. It is hard to believe that JV is in the last year of his deal and even harder to believe that I think this would be a great idea. I think a 2 year, $20mm offer is more than fair. His bat has dropped off, but he is still a great defensive catcher and can call a pretty good game.

The Red Sox are shopping Julian Tavarez who reportedly wants to start for someone in the National League.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Hank is not his father's son. Yes, he talks like George once did and he looks a lot like him, but there is a huge difference. If George was in charge, Johan Santana would be a Yankee right now.

It is almost unbelievable to think that this report is true, but if is it, the Yankees could have had Santana for Hughes, Cabrera, Hilligoss and Marquez. That is a steal and the fact that the Yankees didn't do it knowing that it would mean that the Red Sox would get Santana tells you that there is a new order being established in the Bronx.

You can draw two conclusions from this.

First, even the Yankees have a budget. Santana would have cost a ton of money while opening up a hole in center. The Yankees could have simply written a couple of checks to cover up the holes and gone on their merry way, but they didn't. This despite knowing that $65 million comes off the payroll at the end of '08 and a new stadium opening up means lots of new revenue streams.

The other is that the Yankees finally, finally, finally, finally have learned their lesson, you can't just bring people into New York and expect them to star. Santana is a wonderful pitcher, but he is a wonderful pitcher in Minnesota. I mean no disrespect to Minnesota, it's a wonderful place and I have always loved visiting it, but it is not New York. That's not a bad thing, but until you have come and played in New York and had to deal with the media, you just don't know what you are in for. Think of all the papers who cover the Yankees with a beat writer. Off the top of my head, I can name eight and then throw in two 24 sports radio stations with their reporters who cover the team and the tv and you get a circus. If you screw up in New York, you face 15 microphones in your face that night asking you why. Will Santana be able to handle that? Nobody knows, Randy Johnson certainly wasn't able to. And I am not suggesting that the media was the reason Johnson bombed in New York, that was more age than anything. But, the media didn't help.

Santana could come here and thrive under the lights, he could wilt. He probably still would be a very good pitcher, but the Yankees are not looking for good, they want great. Consider how Phil Hughes has been brought through the organization. The non-roster invites to camp, traveling with the team at the end of 2006 to see how things worked. The Yankees have tried to indoctrinate him a little at a time to the ways of New York. It looked like it had worked pretty well in Game 3 of the ALDS when Hughes showed he was ready to step into the spotlight. Brian Cashman knows Hughes, he knows everything about him and he is willing to stake his career on what Hughes does in 2008. The easy thing for Brian to do would have been to make the trade. There is an old adage for mutual fund managers about how .obody gets fired for buying IBM. The implication being that IBM is the smart and safe choice. That was Santana, but Cashman didn't bite and his conviction should be admired.

Whatever the reason, the Yankees have taken a big risk. Put Santana atop the Boston rotation and you have a dominant 1-2 combination that is unparalleled in baseball. Think about having to face Beckett and Santana or Santana and Beckett in the playoffs, not a pretty thought. But, the Yankees obviously believe that Hughes and Joba will at least approach that level. They are willing to bet their ability to compete with Boston on the arms of some young pitchers and the potential of their farm system. If they are wrong, expect plenty of parades in Boston. That is a bold move, but as a fan, I could not be happier.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The Marlins are sending Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera to Detroit for six players. The Tigers just got a lot better.

This trade may also put the Angels into the Santana sweepstakes because they were considered the favorites to land Cabrera before this trade and they have a ton of prospects they could deal.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Sounds like Santana is headed elsewhere. (Probably Boston, but you never know) The question is, what do the Yankees do now?

Some will say go try and get Haren. I don't agree with that at all. First, Haren is probably going to cost more in talent than Santana would have because he is signed through 2010 at a cheap (for MLB prices). Second, as good as his first three years have been, I am not ready to declare him on Santana's level. I didn't want to trade Hughes to begin with, but I would have done it for Santana, I won't for Haren.

Erik Bedard is interesting, but are the Orioles dumb enough to trade him in the division. As Andy said to me earlier, "probably" but I have concerns about Bedard's health.

For me it comes down to this, the Yankees had a shot at Santana and didn't take it because they believed that Kennedy, Jackson and Horne have bright futures. If you won't deal these guys for the best in the game, I don't think you deal them for less than that. Roll the dice with the kids and let's see how they do in 2008.

That doesn't mean the work is done, the bullpen needs some help, but other than that, I think the Yankees have a pretty good team.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

UPDATE: The Boston Herald is saying the Twins were satisfied with Lester's medical records paving the way for an agreement. But, the Herald also notes that potentially 2 different packages are on the table that the Twins can pick from. The article doesn't make one feel that a deal is a definite, but rather a hurdle has been cleared.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported overnight that the Red Sox have emerged as the front runners to land Johan Santana. The biggest clue Olney provided is that the Minnesota Twins asked to look at the medical records of Jon Lester.

If the Twins have settled on Lester as opposed to Jacoby Ellsbury, expect the deal to be Johan Santana in exchange for Jon Lester, Jed Lowrie, Coco Crisp and either Justin Masterson or Michael Bowden.

Also expect the Red Sox to get together with Santana's representatives to start work on a contract extension. 72 hours is generally the window of time alloted for such things.

Red Sox fans, please understand that the Red Sox aren't a team that will sign just any deal. If Santana's reps want too much money and/or too many years, don't be surprised to see the Red Sox say "no thanks." In other words, should the Twins accept the Red Sox offer, the job is only half done, so don't get your hopes up.

Here is the take of some other media outlets, none of whom seem quite as sure the Red Sox/Twins deal is a lock.

Fox Sports' Ken Rostenthal characterized the situation as the Red Sox are back in the hunt, but not necessarily the lead dog.

SI.Com's Jon Heyman says that the Yankees and Twins are at in impasse and the Twins asked the Red Sox to present an offer centered around Jon Lester. If Hank Steinbrenner is to be believed, the Yankees should no longer be in the running.

Hank's word will be tested if you believe what Tyler Kepner of the New York Times reported this morning, that the Yankees/Twins deal has a "flicker of life."

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

No, not the one you think, but a solid one nonetheless. They got Jonathan Albaldejeo in exchange for Tyler Clippard.

Albaladejeo is 25, a righty reliever who stands 6'5" and weighs in at 250. He pitched 60 innings in AA and AAA last year for Washington ending up with a 2.97 ERA and 56K's in 60 IP.

Clippard fell apart after he was sent down to the minors ending up in Trenton where he did not pitch well. (5.40 ERA in six starts) He's young, but the Yankees have quite a few pitching prospects who are better than him and this will clear some room in Scranton's rotation next season. Plus, Albaladejeo is a low-cost arm who could help the big league pen. That's a good deal in my book, so the Winter Meetings get off to a good start.

As for Johan, the most telling quote I read was in a Jason Stark report from the middle of the night:

"Officials from other clubs said several of the Yankees' baseball personnel at the meetings had begun openly questioning whether they even wanted to make this trade if the Twins said yes. "The more this goes on," said one AL executive, "the less they want to do it."

I think he is headed to Boston which will give them a scary rotation. The Yankees better hope their scouts are right about the potential of the prospects they are keeping.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

That was Peter Gammons tonight on Sportscenter talking about the Yankees and Red Sox offers for Santana. Gammons believes a deal is going to happen, it's just up to the Twins to decide which package they like more.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

The Yankees have officially announced Jose Molina's contract (2 years/$4 million) and to make room for him they designated Andy Phillips for assignment. Phillips didn't have a role on this team in 2008, Duncan and Betemit have passed him, so it makes sense.

The Yankees still have Rivera and Rodriguez to announce which will require two more subtractions from the 40-man, unless of course they send Cabrera and Hughes to Minnesota, in which case it will only be one.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Great news, Andy Pettitte is coming back in '08.

Obviously, this solves a huge problem and if the Yankees get Santana, their rotation would be a real strength heading into the season.

But, even without Santana, the Yankees now have options. They can go to some form of six-man rotation to keep the kids from racking up too many innings or they can choose to mix and match as needed. Replacing Pettitte's 215 innings would have been very difficult, thankfully the Yankees won't have to.

Now they need to bolster the bullpen.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBacks (0)

Well, the Yankees obviously took my advice and set a deadline with the Twins.

Furthermore, Fox reports that Santana will only agree to a trade now, so Minnesota cannot drag this out indefinitely.

And, the Yankees apparently won't give into the Twins request for Kennedy, Horne or Jackson as the third part of this trade, so I would guess he isn't coming to New York.

Just prepare yourself for what that means. It means a risky rotation in 2008 and the potential for Boston to have Santana and Beckett at the top of theirs. I said it in a comment earlier this week, but I think the only way any of us walk away from this thinking we won is if Santana stays in Minnesota or goes to the NL.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBacks (0)

ESPN is reporting that the Red Sox have agreed to include Jacoby Ellsbury in a trade for Johan Santana. As part of that concession, they have also told the Twins they will not include both Ellsbury and Jon Lester in any deal. It's either/or.

As George Constanza once said "the dance continues."

This decision to offer up Ellsbury makes my stomach turn a bit. Like Peter said, you don't know what a prospect will turn out to be until years later, but I just don't like this idea. I'm hoping Theo Epstein is playing poker here and is pulling the bluff of the century. No matter what their intentions, the Red Sox have to stay in this process. As the ESPN article points out, if one of the two teams, (Bos or NYY) pulls out of the running, the Twins will have effectively lost their leverage. In order that the Yankees don't get Santana for a song, the Red Sox are obligated to stay in the running.

If the Red Sox are serious and the Twins accept their altered offer, get used to Coco Crisp in CF for the next 2 seasons. Not a horrible thought from a defense and base running standpoint, but not so great from an offensive production standpoint.

ESPN says they expect Santana will be dealt within the next 72 hours. If the Red Sox "lose" expect they to be a major player for Danny Haren.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 01:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

He was 29, left-handed and had already won 112 games in the bigs. He was coming off of a Cy Young award and was one of the best pitchers in the game.

The main part of the package for him was one of the brightest prospects in the game having gone 12-4 with a 1.80ERA the previous season at AAA with 143 K's in 160 innings. He had made a nice start in the bigs the season before and entered the season with a decent chance to make the team out of camp. It didn't happen to the howls from the fans, but he continued his dominance at AAA going 7-4 with a 2.37 and 69K's in 87 innings. He had struggled in the majors after getting called up in July, but on that fateful trading deadline in 1989, there was no doubt that this guy would be a future star.

The Minnesota pitcher was Frank Viola of course who went to the Mets for five players Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani, Tim Drummond, Jack Savage and the aforementioned prospect, David West.

I was thinking about that deal today when I thought more about Hughes. I went back and read some news reports from the late 80's to check my memory and I think it is fair to compare the hype for Hughes today with the hype for West then. He was going to be the next big thing, the guy who would sit atop the Mets rotation and provide a dominant lefty to go alongside Dwight Gooden. (how's that for irony?)

But, the 1989 Mets were not patient. Injuries to Keith Hernandez and Dwight Gooden had them struggling along in late July and after their playoff loss in 88, they wanted to get back to October, so they pulled the trigger on their second blockbuster of the season. (In June they had sent Lenny Dykstra and Roger McDowell to Philadelphia for Juan Samuel)

Viola won 38 games for the Mets in almost 2 1/2 seasons before getting 3 years/$14 million from the Red Sox in free agency.

West ended up winning 31 games in his career and was out of baseball after pitching two innings for the 1998 Red Sox. The Twins definitely won the trade because Tapani became a big part of the rotation and Aguilera became one of the best closers in baseball.

I am not saying that history will repeat itself if the Yankees send Hughes to Minnesota for Santana, but I wanted to relate that tale for those of you preparing to climb out onto the ledge. If this trade happens, the way to judge it will be down the road when we see what happens with both teams. If the Yankees win the World Series because of Santana, will you really care what happens with Hughes? In 1989 it certainly looked like Viola would lead the Mets to the World Series and it didn't happen. Likewise, it was thought West was the best part of the trade and he wasn't. Our perceptions today could be very wrong, on both sides.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The Boston Globe reported today that the Red Sox have agreed to a 1 year, $3mm deal with reliever Mike Timlin.

Timlin will be 42 when camp breaks, but he has managed to remain productive in recent years. I say every year that this is Timlin's last, but he keeps coming back. Somewhere back in 2006, I lost faith in Mike Timlin and really haven't gotten it back completely. His World Series game 4 appearance did restore some of my faith (0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) but just how long can Timlin keep this up?

His 2007 regular season stat line was fine, but I just get an uneasy feeling when he enters a game.

As Peter mentioned in his last post, the Yankees have reportedly decided to offer Philip Hughes (if nec) in any potential Johan Santana deal. That probably puts them as the best possible position to get Santana. I hope the Red Sox are not intent on offering up either Clay Buchholz or Jacoby Ellsbury.

I mentioned this in a comment on Peter's post, but ESPN's Buster Olney theorized on Friday that perhaps both the Red Sox and Yankees hope the other team "wins" the Santana sweepstakes as the cost is just so high.

Winter Meetings start on Monday!

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)