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As we head into 2009, the Yankees have done the heavy lifting of their offseason, but they have some remaining concerns to address.  Here are the reamining items on my "To Do" list. 

1- Settle on a fifth starter.  The key ingredient to me is innings, a guy who can pitch 180 innings would be perfect for this role.  Is that Phil Hughes?  Based on his history, absolutely not.  Maybe it's Randy Wolf, but he probably costs more than Pettitte.   It could simply be a combination of Hughes, Aceves and Kennedy, that would be ok with me too.  But, let's pretend A.J. Burnett gets hurt (hard to do, I know) and Hughes is in the rotation already. Do you have enough depth when you consider that Hughes/Joba may need some rest along the way?  

2- Find a real backup catcher.  We can continually sing Jose Molina's praises for defense, but he is an absolute zero with the bat.  Let me rephrase that, in 2008 AL catchers hit .258/.322/.393 so Molina's line of .216/.263/.313 is actually less than zero and the Yankees suffered through 268 AB's of it.  The Yankees can say that Posada's shoulder is better all they want, but do they really know for sure until he plays in games?  If you want to know why the Yankees were so bad on offense last year consider that 20% of their AB's went to Molina, Melky, Moeller, I-Rod, Gardner, Ensberg and Duncan.  Of those seven, Melky had the highest slugging % at .341 while Moeller took the OBP crown with a .311 mark.  Which leads me to my last point...

3- Upgrade the bench.  The Yankees have spent too many years neglecting the guys riding the pine.  That has to stop now.  Ideally, the Yankees will use the same lineup every day, but I would peg the chances of that happening at about 0%.  Players are going to get hurt.  Posada, as I mentioned above, is my chief worry, but Jeter is older.  Matsui is coming off of an injury and most of the guys in the lineup are on the wrong side of 30.  Other than Teixeira, Cano and whoever gets the nod in center, how many guys can the Yankees expect to play 155 games in the field?  Not many at all and that is one of the reasons I would not quickly trade Swisher or Nady just yet.  Having those guys on the team provides depth, now the Yankees need to find someone who can step in and play the middle infield.  (And no, I just don't but Cody Ransom as that guy)

4- Work on translating pitching depth in the minors into a more balanced approach.  The Yankees have a lot of valuable arms at the top of their minor leagues, but apart from Austin Jackson, very few bats.  Trading pitchers for hitters is usually a winning move, the Yankees should look into it.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

This is probably old news to most of you by now, but MLBTradeRumors.com via SI.com said the Red Sox tried to re-acquire Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

Ramirez has obviously proven to be a tremendous chip to give up in acquiring Josh Beckett and given the Red Sox desire to boost the offense, he'd be an amazing addition.

Disclaimer:  When the Beckett deal was made, I was not that high on Hanley Ramirez and wondered in a post or 2 just what was it people saw in him.  His OBP in the minors wasn't great and he certainly had documented attitude issues.  Fortunately for me, those posts have yet to be brought back on-line since we switched providers.

That said, Ramirez has been an offensive force hitting for average, power, getting on base and stealing.  What is most amazing to me is that he walked 92 times in 2008.  That's 36 more times than at any other level of baseball.  His .400 OBP was 10th best in baseball last year.

While SI.com didn't talk about specific offers, they did suggest that "Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz were among those mentioned in a potential package for Ramirez."

While having to trade to get Hanley back would be painful, he certainly would be an offensive upgrade whether he played SS or was moved to CF.  SI reports the talks for Ramirez actually happened a few weeks prior to Teixeira moving to New York.

My take?  Given Ramirez's performance so far and the fact he just signed a 6-year, $70mm deal, I would go pick up Ellsbury and Buchholz and drive them to the Marlins front door.  My guess is that the Red Sox were ok dealing those 2 guys, but balked when the Marlins, and rightfully so, asked for more.

SI says there is little chance the deal gets revisited.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 03:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Reports have surfaced that the Red Sox are close to signing Brad Penny and the once and former Tim Wakefield catcher, Josh Bard, to contracts.

Sean McAdam of the Boston Herald has Penny set to sign a 1-year, $5mm deal with another $3mm possible in incentive earnings.  Penny was terrible last year suffering from shoulder issues.  Speaking of shoulders, he has perhaps the widest shoulders in the history of baseball.

Penny will compete for a middle to end rotation spot.  McAdam suggests this MIGHT allow the Red Sox to keep Justin Masterson in the bullpen.  My take?  Prepare Masterson for the rotation as Penny is a huge question mark.

I'm not overly thrilled with this signing, but I suppose signing someone of Penny's potential skill level was necessary (like Bartolo Colon).  If one of the young guys, such as Clay Buchholz or Michael Bowden can't help, then it is nice to have a pitcher like Penny to turn to.  His health is a major concern though.

As for Josh Bard, McAdams says it is a non-guaranteed $1.6mm deal.  Many of us recall his struggles catching Tim Wakefield and the subsequent trade to re-acquire Doug Mirabelli.  Bard hit very well in 2006 (once traded to SD) and slightly less so in 2007, but regressed terribly in 2008 and was ultimately released by the San Diego Padres.  Per McAdam's article, he is looked at as a back-up.

With Kevin Cash now a potential Yankee (minor league deal), the Red Sox had to sign someone, right?

Bard is just a glove at this point and one that can only catch conventional pitchers.  Again, I am not thrilled by this deal as the Red Sox have not really addressed the bigger need at catcher.

Penny and Bard both have major question marks and I am not expecting either to have a major or even moderate impact on the 2009 team.  To me, both represent insurance (the cheap and questionable kind, like from SBLI).

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Those are the odds against the Yankees signing Andy Pettitte according to a story in today's Daliy News. 

I go back and forth on this one.  On one hand, I look at the Yankees rotation and other than Sabathia and Wang who else do you think will pitch 200 innings?  (Sorry, I just don't think you can be positive Burnett will.)  Pettitte provides that at a decent ERA.  But, you also have to look at his second half (13 starts 5.35 ERA) and wonder if he has that ability in him.  And, for $10 million, couldn't you find a cheaper alternative?

Ultimately, I think this decision rests on Phil Hughes.  The Yankees need to see what they can get out of Hughes and signing Pettitte puts him back in AAA.  Now, I would not go into 2009 without some sort of veteran backup, but I would do so by going the minor league contract route and signing a cheap veteran.  You can then take some of that $10 million and use it towards a real bench which the Yankees need to address next. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (20) | TrackBacks (0)

Happy Holidays all.  No matter what you celebrate, I think there is always room for various feats of strength, the airing of grievances and Festivus miracles.

Having had some time with family over the past few days, I figured it a good idea to talk about the Red Sox and what happened on Tuesday.

First off, here are some of the many possible feelings once might have felt, as a Red Sox fan, over the Mark Teixeira signing:

My guess is that most Red Sox fans felt the Red Sox either blew it, or Teixeira didn't really like the idea of being a Red Sox and when the Yankees finally made an offer, he jumped.  If you are in the group that thinks the latter, you are probably wondering just what could the Red Sox have done?

It really doesn't matter what the reason, the Yankees just upgrade themselves at 1st base by offering yet another massive contract to a free agent.  It is a double improvement b/c not only did they get him but the Red Sox did not.

Sean McAdam, now of the Herald (and ESPN), had some interesting facts on the Red Sox since Theo Epstein took over and how he believes the Red Sox will operate in the future regarding free agency.  McAdam's take is that the Red Sox will no longer explore top (read: Type A) free agents as they:

 - Cost too much in draft compensation.  Of course, not having to pay for a 1st and 2nd round pick can be a savings in a way, but I'd like to see a study, which I'm far too lazy to undertake, that shows the success rate of players drafted in each round of the draft and what they were paid.

 - Have a history of being very, very bad ideas (Barry Zito, Carl Pavano, Matt Clement, Kevin Brown, etc.  Of course they can be good on occasion, but is a 50% or even a 75% success rate really worth dropping $100+ million George Bucks?

When you think about it, if you sign an elite free agent, your BEST-case scenario is to get full value out of the deal.  If a player is elite when you sign him, is he going to be elite and some?  That's tough to argue, so a free agent has to be "as advertised" otherwise the signing team "overspent."

 - Cost too much in money.  Growing and developing talent versus signing big names, provides some cost certainty.  Of course high-draft picks demand top dollar, but if a MLB team scouts well enough, there are often solid values scattered throughout the draft.  Examples on the Red Sox:

 1.)  Kevin Youkilis signed for $12,000 as an 8th round draft choice.

 2.)  Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia signed for $575,000 as a 2nd round draft choice.

 3.)  Jonathan (can't we just call you Jon) Papelbon signed for $264,500 as a 4th round pick.

It'll be interesting to see what the Red Sox do going forward.  My guess is that they have indeed grown tired of the elite free agent process.  J.D. Drew has thus far hit a $28,000,000 grand slam, but otherwise shown himself to be injured a bunch and just not a player you can count on everyday (i.e. as advertised/feared) and he never was really considered elite.

One silver lining in all of this is that AA prospect Lars Anderson (not Larz, the auto enthusiast, although I heard he had a good stroke.  In all seriousness, if you haven't visited the Larz Anderson park and auto museum, you are really missing something) has a clearer path to Boston.  It might just end up, after all, that sticking with Lars as the future was the far cheaper/better route.

The Red Sox still need someone to catch the ball when the pitchers throw it (that's important, right?) and could use a utility OF and IF as well as perhaps a starter.  Obviously they could put Michael Bowden or Clay Buchholz in the rotation, but my bet is they try and trade for a more certain option or even go after John Smoltz.

Jeff Bailey, who was with the club during the year, might just stick as their primary pinch-hitter and back-up at 1st, DH and perhaps the corner outfield spots too.  Bailey reminds me somewhat of a Brian Daubach type.  Too old to be considered a prospect, but someone who raked AAA pitching (.301/.405/.562 in 2008) and can play a few positions.  He is far from graceful, but has shown some sticktoitiveness and that might just count for something.

My guess is we'll hear/read very little from now until the New Year, so Happy New Year all.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 06:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBacks (0)

From both of us here at the blog, we hope you and your families all have a very happy and safe holiday season.  Thank you so much for reading!

One last baseball note, interesting article by Kat O'Brien on the Teixeira negotiations.  Up until the end, Boras was playing the Yankees and the Red Sox off one another.   If you are a player, why wouldn't you want Boras as your agent?  Look, I don't like his methods, but he gets his clients top dollar always.  It will be interesting to see how he creates leverage for Manny Ramirez because it looks like the Dodgers are the only team left standing in that bidding.  (And yes, I would love to see Manny have to take a deal for less than the two option years he had when he sulked out of Boston.)

One last note, for the first time in years (probably 34 years) the Yankees are closing their offices between Christmas and New Year's Day.  That's a nice move by Hal and it also means you probably will have to wait until 2009 to see Teixeira introduced.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Nice piece by Joel Sherman where he talks about how the Yankees learned from passing on signing Carlos Beltran in 2004-05 offseason.  That was the year they added RJ, Pavano and Wright to the rotation, but decided against Beltran because Bernie Williams was making a huge salary. (Wow, can you imagine if Cashman could have a mulligan for that offseason?) 

If you look at the free agent class after 2009, there simply aren't any impact bats out there.  (Sorry, Matt Holiday's splits away from Coors dq him)  If the Yankees had passed on Teixeira, they would have had to trade for a bat and that isn't always easy.  Plus, Damon, Matsui and Nady are free agents after this upcoming season as well and the Yankees probably won't want to sign any of them. 

So, the Yankees grabbed an impact bat while they could and that is a smart thing.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What's that under the tree?  Is it a firstbaseman?  It sure sounds like it and the Yankees just improved their team by leaps and bounds.

By signing Teixeira, the Yankees now have a firstbaseman who can hit AND play defense, a stark departure from the Giambi years.  Yes, the contract is long (8 years) but Teixeira will be 36 when it is done, by no means an old player.  In short, this is a fantastic move for the Yankees.

Kudos to Brian Cashman who is truly "the silent assassin" for the way he jumps in and makes moves, this was a masterful one.  Now, it will be interesting to see what the Yankees do next.

First, do they keep their offer to Pettitte?  I wouldn't at this point, let's leave that spot open to Huges, Kennedy and Aceves.

Next, is Gardner the starter in center?  I would assume so and with Tex in the fold, I say why not?

And, you now have Nick Swisher and Xavier Nady to play right, which one do you trade?  (I say Nady)

For now think about this:

Damon-LF

Jeter-SS

Teixeira- 1B

A-Rod- 3B

Cano- 2B

Posada- C

Swisher/Nady- RF 

Matsui-DH

Gardner-CF

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN's Buster Olney are both reporting that the Yankees have agreed in principle with 1st baseman Mark Teixeira on an 8-year deal.  Heyman has it at $180mm and a full no-trade while Olney says an 8-year deal worth more than $170mm, but no mention of a full no-trade clause.

The Yankees have signed the top 3 free agents this off-season.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

SI.com wording is now:  "...reached an agreement in pricincple..."  

DOUBLE UPDATE:  Heyman now says the Yankees are on the verge of signing Teixeira.  He makes it sound like a virtual done deal.  8 years, $180mm with a FULL no-trade clause.  ESPN is reporting it too now, although nothing official.

UPDATE:  Jon Heyman at SI says the Yankees have entered the fray and are in deep discussions.  This could be Scott Boras using Heyman as a puppet or they are really going to make a push and commit over $400mm over the next 8 season on 3 players.  If indeed the Yankees are in the mix, a decision today would seem less likely.

Word is out that Mark Teixeira and Scott Boras will bless us all with their decision today.  Apparently it is between the Red Sox and the Nationals.

My take:  If the Red Sox land him, great, he is a welcome addition to the line-up, especially with the health of David Ortiz and Mike Lowell in question.  If he signs with the Nats, then the Red Sox probably dodged a bullet as why would anyone want to play for the Nationals?  I'm not knocking the city or the people there, just the fact that, at least in the short term, the are not going to be competitive.

If a player takes 3% or 4% more money and does care about the team, that says a bit about that player.

We shall see.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 12:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (7) | TrackBacks (0)

Multiple sources are reporting the Angels have withdrawn their offer to Teixeira.  That leaves Boston (they never withdrew their offer), Washington and Baltimore as the known bidders and it seems like Boston has the high bid. 

The Yankees haven't bid yet and very well may not.  Boras called Cashman on Friday (multiple sources again) to discuss Tex and told them it would take $22-$23 million a year over eight years.  Will the Yankees bite?  Time appears to be running out.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)

Bob Klapisch makes a very solid point in his column today, Manny Ramirez and Joe Girardi would be a marriage made in Hell. 

The thing is, even if the Yankees don't sign Manny (and I hope they don't) Girardi has to find a way to change heading into 2009.  He needs to loosen up a bit and he needs to stop lying about injuries because he just looks silly when he does.  The problem of course is that the pressure on Girardi is being upped this year and it is unclear how he will handle that.

That was the beauty of Joe Torre, no matter how much pressure he felt, he managed to deflect it off the players.  Girardi is the opposite and I don't think that is a good thing.  You can argue that the Yankees became too comfortable under Torre and I wouldn't disagree.  But, they went to the other end of the spectrum in 2008 and they need to move back to the middle now.  Adding Manny won't help them in that department one bit.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

We have heard that the Yankees' goal is to have a lower payroll than last season.  Well according to the AP, their payroll is currently $159 million and that is for fourteen players.  They still have to go through arbitration with players like Wang, Nady and Bruney and settle on deals with the non-arbitration players like Joba, Hughes, etc.  Figure the arbitration cases get at least $12 million of salary.  And throw in another $5 million to round out the roster and the payroll is around $176 million.  If the Yankees are serious about lowering the payroll from last season's Opening Day figure of $209, that would leave $30 million. 

You could go out and get Cameron and Pettitte and that would be about it.  Or, you could spend almost all of it on a lump sum deal like Teixeira.  What you can't do is both.  So, which would you rather see, Teixeira with Hughes in the rotation and Gardner in center?  Or, Pettitte and Cameron in those spots with Swisher at first? 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Shocking news out of Boston tonight where Red Sox owner, John Henry, emailed the press to say that the Red Sox are out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes. The last reports had Boston offering 8 years and $180 million+, but Henry said "After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

Did Boras overplay his hand here, or is there really a team that is willing to beat that offer?  And if there is, what team is it?  Washington is a possibility and it is close to his home, but would Tex really want to go to a team that lost 102 games last year?  

Stay tuned 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Maybe.

Several media outlets are reporting that Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein and Principal Owner John Henry are in Texas tonight meeting with Mark Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras and perhaps Teixeira himself, in a scene somewhat reminiscent of Thanksgiving 2003 when Epstein traveled to Arizona to meet with Curt Schilling.

In reading the various reports (WCVB, WBZ, ESPN, Yahoo, NASA and The Marblehead Reporter), it seems the numbers of years the Red Sox have offered is 8.  The dollars are ranging from $174 to $188mm over the 8 years.  No matter what, if Mark Teixeira signs with Boston, he would be signing the largest guaranteed contract in Red Sox history (Manny Ramirez was guaranteed $160mm over 8 years).

On WEEI Wednesday, Sean McAdams, formerly of the Providence Journal and now of the Boston Herald, said that Mike Lowell is NOT happy with these developments.  With that in mind the Red Sox will have a massive hill to climb if they think they can have Lowell play a Coco Crisp type role for the next 2 years.  Lowell isn't likely to accept a back-up role, is he?  He is guaranteed $24mm over the next 2 years and given Terry Francona's habit of giving his starters regular rest, perhaps there is a chance Lowell isn't traded.

I spent over a year on this site telling everyone I expected Crisp to be dealt and it never happened, until this off-season.  The Red Sox would clearly value Lowell in a "10th-man role," but he has an ego, as we all do, and might want to parlay the fact he still has value into future contracts.  I cannot blame him for that.  Then again, the Red Sox represent a chance to win while still making good cash.  In addition, he'd be the primary back-up for Kevin Youkilis, Mark Teixeira and David Ortiz.

No matter, Lowell is a good person from all accounts and he has a right to be upset if the Red Sox sign Teixeira, but the facts remain that Lowell is coming off surgery on his hip and, more importantly, the Red Sox are all about getting better and giving themselves the best chance to win a World Series.  This a business after all.

As for the chance that Teixeira signs soon, don't hold your breath.  Boras has a way of being dramatic.  "I hate to do anything as dramatic as counting to three, but..."

DeVito, I mean Boras has a way of making things dramatic.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE:  Boston.com is quoting John Henry with the following:  "We met with Mr. Teixeira and were very much impressed with him. After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

So there you go.  A game of chicken (should I be capitalizing the "c" in chicken?).  If indeed Teixeira and Boras left the Red Sox with that impression, I have to assume they are going to accept the Washington Nationals offer.  And if so, good luck in Washington Mark.

Then again, I'm easily influenced by posturing.

Might this be another negotiation where Scott Boras has no leverage left?  The Daisuke Matsuzaka deal is a good example.  Then again, the J.D. Drew contract is another example where they grabbed their ankles and bid against themselves.

My odds of the Red Sox getting Teixeira:  2:1.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It seems as though Rocco Baldelli received some potentially great news over the past few days.  As a Rhode Islander, Baldelli garners a higher than normal level of interest in Boston compared with other non-Red Sox players.

If he is able to get his condition treated and ultimately play more regularly, one has to assume he is far more likely to get a better deal if not for 2009, then beyond.

That said, I've never understood the fascination with Baldelli as a baseball player.  He is a good fielder to be sure, but he isn't terribly special as an offensive threat.  His career OPS is .770 and his OPS+ is 102.

He is injury prone (not talking about his current health issue) and has poor plate discipline with only 90 walks in his career compared with 346 K's in 1876 Plate Appearances.  To me, he is a bit like Shea Hillenbrand offensively (.761 OPS with a 95 OPS+).  He can hit and even hit for a bit of  power, but that's his only way of generating runs.

A career .325 OBP probably won't make him too appealing to the Red Sox or the Yankees.

I don't want this to be a "dump on Baldelli" post because it is not.  I just think his story, his local connection and the fact that, from all I've heard, he is a likable person, makes him appear a far greater talent than he really is.

Perhaps Baldelli's current ailment has been impacting him for an extended time and has limited his performance, but even back in the minors (including his various more recent rehab stints), Baldelli had just a .756 OPS with a .320 OBP.

If the Red Sox signed him to be the 4th OF, I wouldn't mind, but I don't think I'd consider him an ideal starter option (not that the Red Sox are looking for a starter) should one of the regulars go down.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 02:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

To date, the Red Sox have done very little this off-season.  Very little at least as it impacts the 2009 25-man roster.

 - Traded Coco Crisp for Ram-Ram (Ramon Ramirez).

 - Non-Tendered Kevin Cash

 - Traded for Wes Littleton (this might not impact 25-man roster depending on where Littleton starts the year)

That's it.  We are no closer today to having answers than we were at the end of the season.

Who is going to catch?  Is Mark Teixeira going to sign with Boston (so much for my prediction last week that he'd sign in 2-3 days, but he is on record as wanting to sign before Christmas), where will Julio Lugo and maybe Mike Lowell get traded, who is going to be the 5th starter?

I've been through slow off-seasons before, but this is nonsense.  Next year, I'm tempted to just ignore the GM meetings, the Winter meetings and start following the action on 12/15.  Think of the time I'll save.  Obviously I'm too big a baseball junkie to go cold turkey on the Hot Stove league like that, but come on now, let's make some noise.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11) | TrackBacks (0)

Peter Gammons had an interesting blog piece this weekend about baseball and the economy.  He suggests that as the economy worsens more and more teams will need to cut payroll.  (He also takes some shots at Kyle Farnsworth)

Based on that, it is probably worthwhile for the Yankees to take a pause in spending here and see what happens.  Sure, they could sign more players, make more trades, but if the market is going to be flooded with additional talent and teams trying to slash payroll, what is the harm in waiting?  They have signed two starters, they have two starters and if they pencil in Phil Hughes for spot #5, the rotation is done.  They have Swisher for first and Gardner for center so the lineup is done.  

It is so against their usual way of operating, but why not show some patience?  It may benefit them in the long term.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 07:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

(Sorry, F. Scott Fitzgerald) The Yankees have non-tendered Chris Britton and Justin Christain, lowering their 40-man roster to 38 players. 

Britton is certainly not a shock.  The Yankees simply didn't like the guy and he would have been cut to make way for Sabathia anyway.  

Christain is a bit more of a surprise to me just because he was a good spare outfielder and could have contributed next year.  But, with Melky and Gardner ahead of him on the depth chart, it makes sense to clear space for Burnett with this move.  

Assuming they sign one more pitcher, even if it is Pettitte, the Yankees will need to remove one more player from the 40-man.  I assume that is going to be Duncan, but we will see. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

It's all over the internet that the Yankees have signed Burnett to a five-year/$82.5 million deal.  Obivously, this deal boils down to Burnett's health.  If he is healthy, the Yankees have made a pretty good deal, if he isn't, well let's just say we just lived through four years of Pavano.  One thing is for sure.  If they are healthy and the Yankees make the playoffs, they have a great rotation.

The real question is where do the Yankees go next?  Personally, I would be happy to go into 2009 with a rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Burnett, Joba and Hughes, but I don't think the Yankees are of that mindset.  I imagine it will be Pettitte or Sheets for the last spot with Hughes sitting in the minors for when injuries occur.  What you have to hope is that Brian Cashman isn't done addressing the offense.  Cabrera for Cameron isn't a terrible idea, but it also isn't that much of an improvement.  Teixeira would go a long way to fixing some offensive problems and the Yankees would be wise to think about him again. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Maybe he just doesn't like the Bellagio, but Brian Cashman left Vegas before the Rule 5 Draft today. Who knows where he went, but it is a safe bet is was an attempt to recruit someone.

As for the Rule 5, the Yankees lost four players in the major league portion and two in the minor league.  That is a good indication that the Yankees have a lot of talent in their minors.  The Yankees couldn't take anyone because their 40-man was already full, which brings up an issue.  When they officially sign some free agents they will need to remove some players from the 40-man.  I would guess Duncan and Britton are goners, but after that it gets interesting.  Chase Wright?  Cervelli?  I don't know where the Yankees go after that, but it is worth remembering that every player they sign means somebody has to go. 

UPDATE: The Post has tracked him down in Houston, making a last effort to get Pettitte to sign.  

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Here's the latest from Heyman and he has the Yankees in the Teixeira sweepstakes.  The Yankees are also supposedly on the verge of trading for Mike Cameron and possibly Bill Hall.  (Why would you want to trade for Bill Hall?)  They are negotiating with Burnett, Lowe, Pettitte and Sheets and hope to possibly sign two of them. 

Wow 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

ESPN's Steve Phillips is reporting that the Red Sox and Diamondbacks are discussing a Julio Lugo for Eric Brynes swap.  Here is the copy/paste:

--------------------------------------------------

Red Sox, D-Backs talking Lugo-Byrnes swap

"Posted by Steve Phillips

The Red Sox are having discussions with the Diamondbacks about a Julio Lugo-for-Eric Byrnes swap. Brynes would serve as a fourth outfielder for Boston; Lugo would play second base for the Diamondbacks."

---------------------------------------------------

Lugo has 2 years left for $18mm and Brynes has 2 years left for $22mm.

If the Red Sox can unload Lugo straight up for Byrnes, I'd be happy.  Why?  Byrnes has energy that no one can match.  Just 2 seasons (2007) ago he his 21 HRs and stole 50 bases.  He can play all 3 outfield positions and can even DH!  That DH reference was a joke.

Boiling this down, it is a swap of lousy contracts.  I just think Brynes offers more to this a team than does Lugo.  Lugo got to Boston and has produced 2 years of sub-standard offense.  Byrnes has done it in just his last season, a season, like Lugo's, filled with injury.

Plus, Byrnes is far more interesting to watch play baseball than is Lugo.  The guy has so much energy that he practically hovers.  All in all, this story is probably just a low-chance rumor, but we tackle all that we see here at YankeesRedSox.com.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 09:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Mark Feinsand of the Daily News is reporting that the Yankees are going to trade Melky Cabrera to the Milwaukee Brewers for Mike Cameron.

From Feinsand:

"Cameron, a former Met, hit .243 with 25 HRs and 70 RBIs in 120 games last season. He will earn $10 million in 2009."

Posted by yankeesredsox at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Many news sources have the Red Sox as the favorite for Mark Teixeira given his preference to be close to family on the East Coast.  That said, his price tag has been rumored to be 8 years and a minimum $160mm with $180mm closer to reality, on other words, the same committment the Red Sox made to Manny Ramirez in 2000.

Teixeira said he wants a deal done before Christmas, so we've got that going for us, but I think he will sign with however he is going to sign with in the next 2-3 days.

With New York landing their 300 pounder the Red Sox, while they will never admit this, will feel pressure to upgrade as well.  Adding Teixeira will add youth and quality to the middle of the order, both good things, but at great cost.

As for pitching, there has been talk of AJ Burnett, but I think that is crazy.  If they sign him, it'll be similar to the Matt Clement signing, unnecessary and a bad idea.   Burnett is a train wreck waiting to happen.  If New York does land him (or Boston or whoever), he won't pull a Carl Pavano, but he won't give them more than 550 IP over 4 years.  In other words, Bad Idea Jeans.

Lastly the news on just what Boston will do for the catching situation has been few and far between.  I think Teixeira needs to sign before we start hearing more on a catcher solution.

The Yankees made a big splash last night/today and this site has had plenty of news on it.  I'm feeling left out and want some positive Red Sox news to strike.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 05:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

You never know what story to believe with the Winter Meetings, but there are two stories, that if true, mean the Yankees need to drop out of the bidding. 

The first is on Mark Teixeira.  He is a wonderful player and the Yankees could use him, but ten years at $20 million per is simply too high a dollar figure. 

The second is on AJ Burnett who has repotedly gotten an offer of five years and $80 million from the Braves.  That is crazy money as well and the Yankees should get out of that bidding contest too.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 03:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

According to multiple reports, the new deal with Sabathia includes an opt-out clause after three years.  This could really work to the Yankees advantage if they are smart.  If Sabathia pitches the way he should over the next three years there is a good chance he opts out.  By then we will know if Chamberlain and Hughes are truly top starters and if players like Brackman were worth the risk.  They could then let Sabathia walk, get a bigger deal elsewhere and therefore be off the hook for the downside of his deal. 

Some will argue that the clause gives Sabathia all of the upside and the Yankees all of the downside, but what MLB contract doesn't give all the upside to the player?  With this clause, the Yankees will be able to reasses their need for Sabathia after 2011 when they may not have the same need for him as they do now.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If this report is true, the Yankees have signed Sabathia.  That's a huge hole they filled at the front of the rotation and while the contract is too long and too expensive, they got their ace.  A 28-year old lefty, who struck out 251 batters last year will head their rotation.  That is a wonderful thing if you are a Yankees' fan. (Side note, this story is developing and now multiple sources are reporting the deal is seven years and $160 million.  Interesting that the average per year is actually slightly lower in the new deal from the original offer of $140/6.  Either way, Sabathia won't have any money worries)

Now the next job on Brian Cashman's list is to not screw things up by signing another pitcher to another enormous deal.  AJ Burnett has great talent, but since he broke into the majors in 2000 he has pitched 200 innings three times and two of those times were when he was trying for a new deal.  I don't know if that is just a coincidence, but it is something to think about before throwing money at him.

Derek Lowe last pitched in the AL in 2004 and compiled a 5.42 ERA.  He is going to be 36 and do you really want to give a pitcher that old a four-year deal?  Isn't it a much safer bet to bring back Pettitte for one year or try Sheets on a short deal?

If you look at the payroll, the Yankees could spend $55 million more and still lower the overall number from last year. I would suspect somewhere around $30 of that is going to starters (say a combo of Pettitte and Burnett for example), but that still leaves a big chunk of cash if the Yankees wanted to go after a big bat. Stay tuned....

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by yankeesredsox at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

So Brian Cashman ducked out of the Winter Meetings tonight and headed to San Francisco to meet with CC Sabathia, according to Newsday.  I don't recall ever hearing a GM leave in the middle of the Winter Meetings before, but with Sabathia we shouldn't jump to conclusions yet.  (Right?)

UPDATE (10:30pm): Ok spent five more minutes thinking about this and I can see both sides of the coin on this one, so to speak.  Maybe this is Cashman giving a deadline to CC, maybe it is CC trying to finalize something with Cashman.  I would guess that at the very least, we have some sort of resolution soon. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I didn't hear it, but apparently Mike Francesca cut into Sabathia today about the fact that he hasn't told the Yankees anything yet.  You can read more about it here

This is exactly what I was worried about the other day.  Like him or not (I do most of the time) Francesca has enormous influence in this town and rants like this will not help Sabathia make a transition to New York. (If he chooses to make one I should say.)  A few weeks ago, he would have come in as a savior, now the tide is turning and people are getting angry.  It's understandable and predictable with the current economic mess, but unfortunate.  Then again, it may all be a moot point. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

If I had to bet on it, and I am glad I do not, I would bet that Sabthia has indicated to the Yankees that he just doesn't feel comfortable with New York.  Now, stories of all shapes and sizes are swirling, but that is my guess.  Because of that, the Yankees are now stepping up their pursuit of other pitchers because that will allow them to 1- start filling the holes in the rotation and 2- create some leverage with Sabathia. 

Now, that may or may not work, the guy simply may want to stay at home, but it will finally get things moving.  I would expect a ton of rumors over the next day about the Yankees with Burnett, Lowe and Sheets.  You could also probably throw Oliver Perez and Andy Pettitte (remember him?) into that mix and expect the Yankees to make offers to multiple pitchers, but make them contingent on who says yes first.  

So, if Burnett or one of the others says yes, the Yankees return to Sabathia and tell him we have some other offers out there and if one of them accepts, we are pulling our offer to you.  I could be totally wrong here, but that's my sense.  What is yours?

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Daily News is reporting the Yankees are going to make a 2 year/$26 million offer to Ben Sheets while I have seen the offer as high as $30 million in some reports.  Either way, it sounds like something is being offered to Ben Sheets. Imagine if the Yankees signed Sheets and Burnett, what would their injury insurance premiums reach?

In all seriousness, I don't like the idea of either pitcher, but I would rather have two years of Sheets than five years of Burnett.  I would also probably prefer two years of Sheets to four years of Lowe.  I still think this offseason comes down to Sabathia.  If the Yankees get him, it's a huge get and they should be happy.  If they don't, don't screw things up more by throwing big money at lesser pitchers, go get Teixeira.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

As the Winter Meetings kick into high gear, it has become clear that we have a frozen free agent market.  Obviously, everyone is waiting to see where Sabathia and Teixeira land, but the problem is those two players are waiting for the other one to move first. 

Sabathia wants to play for a West Coast team, but most of them do not have the money to sign him.  One team that does is the Angels, but they want to bring Teixeira back and would only consider Sabathia if they fail at that.  Teixeira wants a huge deal and is repped by Scott Boras.  That means Teixeira is going to wait for a long time to move and will want to make sure the Yankees are truly not interested before signing a deal.  But, the Yankees are not going to sign Teixeira unless they know that Sabathia doesn't want to be a Yankee.  Does your head hurt now?

I have no idea how this gets resolved.  You have to imagine that sooner or later one of them will get sick of waiting and Sabathia does have a huge offer on the table.  I would bet Teixeira waits a long time because Boras never moves quickly unless he has to.  What will be interesting to watch is if AJ Burnett doesn't wait for Sabathia to set the market.  Reports are he has a 4-year offer from Atlanta with an easily attained fifth year option for around $70 million.  I can't imagine he could do better than that, but then again if the Yankees lost out on Sabathia they might blow that away.  

If I had to guess, the one area that I think we will see some movement is with the closers.  There are a lot of free agent closers and several rumored to be on the trading block. I think those guys will find homes quickly because the leverage is clearly with the clubs and not the players.  

Don't forget that Vegas is three hours behind the East Coast, so news may come out late at night.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Of all the players offered arbitration, only David Weathers and Darren Oliver accepted.  That fact just reinforces my belief that the Yankees made a huge mistake when they didn't offer arbitration to Bobby Abreu.  Draft picks are an important thing to keep and after a disasterous 2008 draft, New York needed a strong 2009 draft.

Well, water under the bridge, but Brian Cashman needs to have a good week in Vegas.  (And not at the tables) 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe is reporting that both Jason Varitek and Paul Byrd will not accept arbitration from the Red Sox.

Basically this means the Red Sox are assured some kind of compensation should either sign with another team.  But it also means both players might not be playing for Boston next year.

No matter what the outcome for either player, the Winter Meetings start tomorrow (Monday) and these sessions should finally kick-start the off-season and give baseball fans an idea of how their favorite teams will look in 2009.

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

The Veterans Committee can make a smart decision tomorrow and put Joe Torre into the Hall of Fame.  Veterans are asked to consider an individuals "contribution to the game" and Torre clearly has made plenty.  Over 2,000 hits as a player and over 2,000 wins as a manager are pretty impressive numbers.  Plus, there are few better people in the game.

They announce their decision tomorrow at the Winter Meetings.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

If Theo Epstein were to get the hammer and Red Sox ownership hired me, a baseball fan, portly , needing a daily 2-3 hour nap, afraid of working too hard lest it ruin my "healthy glow", to run things on Yawkey Way, here's what I'd do:

First off, I'd try and fit Ty Wigginton on the roster and payroll.  Wigginton's face looks, well, big.  If you only looked at his face, you'd guess he was on the Major League Eating roster.

The fact is, Wigginton is a versatile major league who hits for power.  Let's check his fielding:

Innings at each position:

3b - 4239.2

2b - 925.1

1b - 591.2

lf - 290.0

rf - 47.2

of - 90.2 (Baseball Reference has OF listed as a position and I was just too lazy to figure out what OF meant, other than outfield, versus specifically breaking down leftfield and rightfield).

The idea here is that Ty has played many important positions.  Just being capable of playing 1 or 2 of those positions would be enough to qualify a player as a utility player, but Wigginton can basically handle the corner OF positions and the corner infield positions and can even mix in some 2b.

If you assume at the moment Kevin Youkilis is your 1b next year, Dustin Pedroia is your 2b, Mike Lowell is your 3b, Jason Bay is your LF and J.D. Drew is your RF, you can basically expect almost 100 games  lost due to injury, no?  Wouldn't it be nice to plug in a player that hit 22 HRs last season, had a .350 OBP and a .530 SLG versus an Alex Cora or a Sean Casey?

The big problem with Wigginton is that he is arbitration eligible, made $4.35mm last year and is likely to make much more through arbitration.  Let's say he gets $6.0 or $7.0mm in arbitration, is that too much for a buy that basically fills in at a corner position in both the outfield and infield and can even play some 2b and represents only about 8-12% offensive drop-off.

For those of you wondering about his defensive skills, here are his career Range Factors and Fielding Percentages vs. League Average at each position:

3b:

2.65 - career range vs. 2.72 league average per 9 innings.

.951 fielding % vs. .956 league average fielding %.

2b:

4.89 - career range vs. 4.96 league average per 9 innings.

.984 fielding % vs. .984 league average fielding %.

1b:

9.16 - career range vs. 9.47 league average per 9 innings.

.997 fielding % vs. .994 league average fielding %.

lf:

1.77 career range vs. 1.92 league average per 9 innings.

.966 fielding % vs. .984 league average fielding %.

rf:

2.26 career range vs. 2.19 league average per 9 innings.

1.000 fielding % vs. .984 league average fielding %.

Anyway, not to get too carried away with Wigginton, but wouldn't he make an ideal bench player?  In fact, considering the way baseball usually unfolds, he'd play extended time at each position (Drew just pulled his left nostril while you were reading this).

Well it's getting late, so to finish up the last few moves I'd make if I were GM of the Red Sox, I'd sign Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and trade for Russell Martin and give them all 10 year deals at $2mm per year.  Done and done.  Man I'm good at this.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (8) | TrackBacks (0)

I don't know CC Sabathia and I understand that this is all part of the negotations, but it is time for him to step up to the plate and either accept the Yankees' deal or reject it. 

Look around the country today and it is not a pretty picture.  This is a baseball blog so I won't go into deeper detail, but things are tough out there.  Yet, the Yankees offered Sabathia the richest contract for a pitcher in history almost three weeks ago.  I don't know what else he needs to make up his mind, but he better come forward and say it because it is pretty hard to understand how $140 million isn't enough right now.

The problem here is that Sabathia is creating an impression that the only reason he would consider New York is for a paycheck.  Now, I am not naive enough to think that is unusal, most players go where the highest check is, but other players have been better at hiding it.  Look at A-Rod, a guy who has never hiden it and his reputation because of that.  Sabathia doesn't want to be that guy at the start, but he will be if he doesn't do something soon.  Of course winning cures a lot of things and Sabathia would erase any feelings like that if he delivered a championship, but would he really want to start off his career with that burden?

Your move CC 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

No, I'm not talking about Plaxico Burress, instead I'm talking about the long-term deal Reigning AL MVP Dustin Pedroia signed today.

According to ESPN's Peter Gammons, Pedroia agreed to a 6-year, $40.5 million deal.  According to Tony Massarotti of Boston.com/The Boston Globe, here is the breakdown:

$1.5 million signing bonus

2009 - $1.5 million

2010 - $3.5 million

2011 - $5.5 million

2012 - $8.0 million

2013 - $10.0 million

2014 - $10.0 million

2015 - Team option for $11 million or a $500,000 buyout.

As the Globe points out, they essentially bought his first 2 years of free agency at $10.0 million per year and if they exercise his option, they will have bought out his first 3 years of free agency for a total of $31.0 million.

I see this as a win/win for both team and player.  A no-brainer statement to be sure as both sides agreed to it, but it makes Pedroia very wealthy, especially for a second baseman, and provides a stable 6 or 7 years of no negotiation hassle life for him.

For the Red Sox, they just locked up their 25 year old MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.

Good proactive move for the Red Sox.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

As a result of some comments from another post, we are creating a quick post on the Hall of Fame ballot.  Please share your thoughts.  We've copy/pasted the comments onto this post.  Here is the ballot:

Who should be in?  Who shouldn't even be on the ballot?  Who did steroids?  Will Jim Rice get in on his last year on the ballot?  What on Earth is Jay Bell doing on the ballot*?

Harold Baines

Jay Bell

Bert Blyleven

David Cone

Andre Dawson

Ron Gant

Mark Grace

Rickey Henderson

Tommy John

Don Mattingly

Mark McGwire

Jack Morris

Dale Murphy

Jesse Orosco

Dave Parker

Dan Plesac

Tim Raines

Jim Rice

Lee Smith

Alan Trammell

Greg Vaughn

Mo Vaughn

Matt Williams

Also, I wonder if this is the first time 2 cousins have been on the ballot for the first time in the same year, or ever (Mo and Greg Vaughn)?

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Amalie Benjamin at the Boston Globe is reporting that the Red Sox offered arbitration to both Jason Varitek (Type A) and Paul Byrd (Type B) but no other arbitration eligible players

Benjamin believes neither player will accept.

I'm not so certain.  I know baseball is somewhat insulated from an economic downturn, what with the long term TV deals, but I have to imagine ownership of most teams has asked management to consider short term deals instead of longer-term deals.  With that in mind, if Bryd doesn't find a 2-3 year deal, he might just say "yes" to Boston and take a $7.5mm or so 1-year deal and try again next year.

I cannot see Byrd getting anything more than a 2-year deal for $8-9mm total next year, so he just might bite.  Keep in mind he is coming off a 3 year deal (originally a 2-year deal but with a 3rd year option that was exercised) that paid him approx $7mm a season.

As for Varitek, he will not accept arbitration unless he tells his agent Scott Boras to do so.  Boras has, as we all know by now, told people he wants a 3 or 4-year deal in the Jorge Posada tax bracket.  Varitek's market will really need to fall apart for him to accept arbitration.

To be frank, I think the Red Sox would love it if he said "yes."

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

The reports are all over the web that the Yankees have decided not to offer arbitration to anyone.  I simply can't believe that the Yankees really felt Bobby Abreu would accept and now they won't get any draft picks when he signs elsewhere.  This makes no sense!

And, what was the downside of offering arbitration to Mussina?  Was there really a concern he would accept?

The final lists are still rolling in, but CC and Burnett both were offered so the Yankees will lose draft picks if they sign either one.

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

Tony Massarotti, now with Boston.com, has a good handle on the expected Red Sox signing of Junichi Tazawa.

It is being reported that Tazawa is going to sign a 3-year, $3 million Major League contract with Boston sometime this week, most likely once he's gone through a team physical.  The question most people have is how will this potentially impact his free agent rights?

Per Maz, "Though Tazawa's deal is three years in length, the Sox will possess his rights until the player has six years of major league service.  Once Tazawa's contract expires, he will become subject to the rules of a drafted player, meaning he would be eligible for arbitration in each season after accruing three, four, and five years of service time.  The earliest Tazawa could be eligible for free agency would be in the fall of 2014. For that to happen, he would have to make the 25-man roster next spring and remain with the big club for six seasons."

So even though it is a Major League deal, is seemingly just means they need to make room for him on the 40-man roster.  Am I missing anything?  If service time is required, i.e. actually being on the 25-man roster, then who cares what kind of deal he signed?  It means he gets much more money probably, but aside from that, I don't get it.

Please chime in on this, just what is the significance of signing a Major League deal aside from the teaming need to clear room on their 40-man?

There is also talk that given Tazawa is a Japanese pitcher, the Professional Leagues in Japan are not happy that the Red Sox and other MLB teams made a bid for him.  There is talk of payback and other fire and brimstone.  Not sure why they are so upset or if they really are, Tazawa wasn't under any contract and told all the teams he wanted to play in the States.

Other news, Tim Bogar was signed to be the Red Sox first base coach in 2009 and the Red Sox traded for Wes Littleton last week.  Littleton hasn't done much in the Majors but seems to be able to handle righties fairly well.  So that might be his role should be make the big league team.

I echo what Peter said, please turn on the heat for this year's Hot Stove.

Posted by Andy (Red Sox) at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (6) | TrackBacks (0)