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MLB Hot Stove 2008
- Thread starter IJ Reilly
- Start date
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If he wanted the money he would have taken the Yankees 140 million 3 weeks ago. Nobody else is going to come close to that deal.
Exactly what you would say if you were trying to get the Yankees to up their bid. Sabathia may be serious about going to the west coast, but why not invite NY to make him an offer he can't ignore at the same time?
The consensus seems to be that McCourt doesn't want to hand out any more huge contracts after the Schmidt, Pierre, and Jones disasters. I guess I can't blame him, but if the Dodgers aren't going to pay big for pitching, they still have to get it from somewhere.
Right now their rotation is Billingsley (who is recovering from a broken leg now), Kuroda, and Kershaw. While I like all three of them, two more starters have to be found. Some think that McDonald is ready to step up, but I think that's a long shot considering how few major league innings he's thrown. There have also been rumors about Pettitte or the Big Unit, but those sound like feelers to me. My feeling is that, given Sabathia's age, exemplary off-the-field conduct, and clubhouse presence, McCourt is more likely to break the bank for him than for Manny.
Not if Sabathia has reason to think that the Yankees want him badly enough to keep the offer on the table for a while. Besides, it's not like Sabathia is choosing between a small payday and a large one. He's picking between a huge amount of money and a slightly less huge one.
And of course the bottom line is, you can always count on the Yankees to bid up the price of first-line free agents. Whoever signs Sabathia, it will be at a salary effectively set by the Steinbrenners.
But as you say, the pitching will have to come from somewhere. With Lowe very unlikely to return, the Dodgers need a number one starter. If they don't get Sabathia, then who?
But as you say, the pitching will have to come from somewhere. With Lowe very unlikely to return, the Dodgers need a number one starter. If they don't get Sabathia, then who?
BTW, for those who haven't seen it, Greg Maddux discussing his retirement.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200812083706427
As always, one of baseball's class acts, on field and off.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200812083706427
As always, one of baseball's class acts, on field and off.
Why would Santana be upset? When he signed the contract, it made him the highest paid pitcher at the time. I doubt he is crying in his beer when he is earning 20+ mil a year.
As for the Yankees getting Sabathia, w00t!!!11!! I had a chance to talk to him at a Warriors game and asked him if he would go to NY. We chatted for a couple minutes (my date and I were seated a few seats away) and I told him that I was born in the Bay Area as well but that I lived in NY and that he would love it. Dontrell (Willis) was with him too and I pitched NY to him too. LOL.
Opening day + Sabathia + new stadium - $2k = happy (& broke) InvalidUserID
Where are you sitting? I am hearing there is not a bad seat in the place.Opening day + Sabathia + new stadium - $2k = happy (& broke) InvalidUserID
Left field, second row. If I can get better seats (convince my friend with season tickets), I'd be about 15 rows above the Yankee dugout.
Really though, as long as I'm there, I couldn't care less where I sit. Just to say I was there...
*crosses fingers*
This is a bad deal for the Yanks. 7 years and $160 million locked up in a fat guy who has the 4th most pitches thrown since 2001. He's got an opt-out clause after the 2011 season (3 years) so if he does really well as a Yankee, he could opt out.
So basically, either Sabathia will pitch really well for the Yankees for 3 years or he'll break down and be awful for them for 7.
Plus, this means the Yanks will probably be out of the Teixiera bidding, which greatly increases Sox chances of signing him.
So basically, either Sabathia will pitch really well for the Yankees for 3 years or he'll break down and be awful for them for 7.
Plus, this means the Yanks will probably be out of the Teixiera bidding, which greatly increases Sox chances of signing him.
Looks like Cesar Izturis is going to Baltimore for two years, $6 million. Sounds like a real bargain for a gold glove shortstop.
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/n...ontent_id=3710849&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/n...ontent_id=3710849&vkey=hotstove2008&fext=.jsp
The main idea of the opt out is so if CC doesn't fit in NY (Randy Johnson) he can leave. Remember no other team will give him 160 million so don't expect him to seek a better deal in 3 years. Teixiera is getting offers of 8 years 160, The Yankees won't go after him. Will the Red Sox pay him that much? At the moment the only teams offering him that are the Angels and Nationals.
The Yankees are offering Lowe 4 years for 60.
The real idea is that even if Sabathia is unable to pitch at $23 million levels for seven years, which everybody knows is very likely, they can afford to burn a big chunk of the money, if that's what it takes to get him for even three or four good years. No other team can afford to be so profligate. As always, the Yankees are in an alternate baseball universe.
Looks can be deceiving, but you're right. The huge number of innings he's thrown (by today's standards) and the extra weight he's carrying around seem to be an injury waiting to happen. I'd hate for that to come to pass because he's a hell of a pitcher and seems like a good guy.
The contract sounds similar to the one the Dodgers signed J.D. Drew to several years ago. Dodger management was criticized at the time for that same reason: that he could leave for more money if played well, but cost them a lot if he became unproductive. Boras strikes again.
Either way, if the original offer the Yankees made to Sabathia was obscene, this one is practically pornographic.
My mistake. Somehow I was confusing Sabathia with the Manny negotiations.
I don't see how it's obscene. This is the same market system that baseball has had for years. And please don't mention Sabathia and pornography in the same sentence. Not a good visual!
I don't see how it's obscene. This is the same market system that baseball has had for years. And please don't mention Sabathia and pornography in the same sentence. Not a good visual!
A mind is a terrible thing.
The problem with the "market system" we've got in baseball, is that it's not really a market system if one participant in the market can throw money away, to spend whatever it takes. Everyone else in the market has to think of value for dollar at some level. This case is as obvious an example of deliberate waste as I've ever seen. Nobody can seriously believe that betting that much on a pitcher being healthy and productive for the next seven seasons makes any value sense. The difference between the Yankees and everyone else, is that they don't have to worry about the value proposition.
The O's are in the mix, too. I think the Nationals are in it just to piss off Angelos and drive the price out of Peter's price range.
And how in the world is Derek Lowe worth that much?
BTW, Boras on Tex from Baltimore Sun writer.
mt
Mets trade for J.J. Putz.
Because Hank says so. But anyways, the Spankmes are sinking yet another $20+m/year on a player who's great in the regular season, but has little to speak of in October.
They're just throwing money at their problems, again. They need a new middle infield (4th paragraph), and have crappy defense in general.
Plus, how could they not offer Abreu arbitration? He's a Type A FA, so if he signed elsewhere, he could be worth 2 draft picks. In the 2005 draft, the Red Sox picked up: Jed Lowrie (Compensatory pick for O-Cab), Michael Bowden and Craig Hansen (both for Lowe), and Clay Buchholtz and a catcher (both for Pedro). And that was just from one draft!
And since we're talking about prospects, I went to elementary school with this guy.
Because Hank says so. But anyways, the Spankmes are sinking yet another $20+m/year on a player who's great in the regular season, but has little to speak of in October.
They're just throwing money at their problems, again. They need a new middle infield (4th paragraph), and have crappy defense in general.
Plus, how could they not offer Abreu arbitration? He's a Type A FA, so if he signed elsewhere, he could be worth 2 draft picks. In the 2005 draft, the Red Sox picked up: Jed Lowrie (Compensatory pick for O-Cab), Michael Bowden and Craig Hansen (both for Lowe), and Clay Buchholtz and a catcher (both for Pedro). And that was just from one draft!
And since we're talking about prospects, I went to elementary school with this guy.