the Lactation one was brilliant.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/12122007/sports/yankees/yanks_would_deal_matsui_at_right_price_310797.htm
The Giants called the Yankees to inquire about Matsui during last week's Winter Meetings. With Barry Bonds out of the picture, the Giants need a left fielder. However, Matsui is 33, coming off knee surgery and is owed $26 million across the next two seasons. Matsui has the right to ask for an extension if he agrees to waive the no-trade clause.
Matsui is expendable because Johnny Damon can play left field and Jason Giambi is targeted as the every-day DH.
Damon was viewed as Melky Cabrera's replacement in center if Cabrera was dealt for Johan Santana, but the Yankees have an interest in free agent center fielder Corey Patterson, and he could replace Cabrera if the Yankees rekindle the Santana deal.
SAY WUH??? Corey Patterson???
if the Yankees trade Matsui for some situational lefty reliever & plan on replacing Melky in CF w/Corey freakin' Patterson, it will be 1 of the single most boneheaded decisions this franchise has ever made.
Supposedly A LOT of Yanks are gonna be named in the Mitchell report. Giambi is a given and I'm sure Clemens and maybe Pettitte are on there. But I'm worried abotu ARod....
Baseball holds its breath for The List to be released
Thursday, December 13, 2007
By BOB KLAPISCH
RECORD COLUMNIST
George Mitchell plans to release his report at 2 o’clock today. Bud Selig is scheduled to hold a news conference 2½ hours later.
The reactions will range from shock to anger, to threats and counter-threats. Then again, maybe George Mitchell's 20-month steroids investigation will be stopped dead cold by a wall of cynicism. Already there are enough detractors who say Mitchell's detectives will unveil a flawed, incomplete list of juicers – up to 80, according to initial reports -- without any actual proof of wrongdoing.
Regardless of where the pendulum rests, this will be a sea-change moment in baseball history, particularly in New York. According to one industry official, "several" prominent Yankees will be named by Mitchell in his 2 p.m. news conference in Manhattan. The official, who spoke to a third party who'd seen the final report, predicted, "It's going to be a rough day in the Bronx" after the identities are made public.
No Mets from the current 40-man roster are named, according to the same source.
The ramifications are almost too vast to digest, much less predict. No one knows how Bud Selig will react when he holds his own news conference 2½ hours after Mitchell's; he'll be making the toughest decision of his professional career.
Does he punish the game's biggest stars retroactively and risk dismantling baseball's golden era? When attendance is at an all-time high, and annual revenues exceed $6 billion? Or does Selig act as a healer, accept Mitchell's recommendations for change and move forward?
Whatever path Selig chooses this afternoon will cement his legacy. Just as Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis will be forever remembered as the commissioner who banned eight players suspected of involvement in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, including Buck Weaver and Shoeless Joe Jackson, it's up to Selig to decide if the cheaters will be suspended, or even expelled, and their accomplishments and awards wiped from the record books.
Landis, like Selig, was dealing in a gray area, since the eight Sox players were acquitted in court of any wrongdoing. Selig will have a similar challenge, since Mitchell's investigation has been dogged by questionable data and, without the power of subpoena, virtual non-compliance from the faction that mattered most – the players.
According to an ESPN.com report, not a single major-leaguer cooperated with Mitchell's investigator except for Jason Giambi. It took the explicit threat of punishment from Selig for the Yankee slugger to submit to questioning, but by and large, at the insistence of the players' association, Mitchell was stonewalled. Instead, he had to rely on two questionable information streams:
The first was Kirk Radomski, the former Mets' clubhouse attendant who pleaded guilty in April to illegally distributing steroids, HGH and amphetamines to players from 1995-2005. Part of Radomski's plea agreement required him to cooperate with Mitchell, but his testimony created no direct link between the sale of the banned substances and actual use.
Simply put, the players whom Radomski named can admit they purchased drugs from him, but chose not to use them. Or, they can say they took them without knowing they were actually using steroids. That defense, no matter how flimsy, cannot actually be disproven and could potentially handcuff Selig -- just as the fact that Radomski's testimony is tinged by his need to please the feds and lighten his sentence.
Mitchell also leaned on the teams' support personnel, particularly the trainers who had daily contact with the players. That might've seemed like a logical tactic, except that the trainers were encouraged, if not pressured, into guessing the identities of the cheaters in their clubhouses. One trainer, who spoke on condition of anonymity to ESPN.com, said, "They wanted us to speculate. And I wouldn't do that. They wanted me to say who I thought was using steroids."
To his credit, Mitchell's case will be bolstered by information gathered by the Albany, N.Y., district attorney's office, during an investigation of a pharmacy based in Orlando, Fla. But that could only net a fraction of the users, according to one major league source who said, "All [Mitchell] got was the tip of the iceberg." And therein lies a deeper problem: Just how deep could Mitchell really dig?
There are some baseball people who've questioned Mitchell's credentials from the start, pointing to his affiliation with the Red Sox. As one of the team's directors, Mitchell insists he had no equity stake in the Sox, although he was being paid by the team before the investigation and will resume drawing checks upon its conclusion. There's also clear evidence Mitchell is a Red Sox fan: he was caught by a Newsday reporter this spring at Fenway wearing a Sox jacket and hat, obtaining autographs for his son.
Of course, Mitchell, a former Senator from Maine, had an impeccable reputation in Congress before his retirement. Selig appointed him with the belief that a Mitchell-led investigation would convince lawmakers that baseball is finally operating with transparency on the steroids issue. But executives never completely got over Mitchell's ties to Fenway. As one official said on Wednesday, "For everyone's sake, there [had] better be some Red Sox players on that list."
Either way, the moment of truth has arrived: whether you give The List any weight, or dismiss it as a bi-product of politics and score-settling, it's time for baseball to plot its future course. Punishment or appeasement? Repudiation, or an acceptance that the past 15 years will be forever known as The Steroid Era.
Do we take the cheaters out with the trash? Run them out of the game altogether? Or find a way to make sure the game's stars never again come from a laboratory? It's the choice of a lifetime. History will be made today.
Congrats to Goose! he was finally elected into the HOF after nabbing 85.5% of the vote... well deserved honor for 1 of the most dominant relievers of alltime.
From Baseball America
TOP TEN
PROSPECTS
1. Joba Chamberlain, rhp
2. Austin Jackson, of
3. Jose Tabata, of
4. Ian Kennedy, rhp
5. Alan Horne, rhp
6. Jesus Montero, c
7. Jeff Marquez, rhp
8. Brett Gardner, of
9. Ross Ohlendorf, rhp
10. Andrew Brackman, rhp
BEST
TOOLS
Best Hitter for Average Jose Tabata
Best Power Hitter Jesus Montero
Best Strike-Zone Discipline Brett Gardner
Fastest Baserunner Brett Gardner
Best Athlete Austin Jackson
Best Fastball Joba Chamberlain
Best Curveball Joba Chamberlain
Best Slider Joba Chamberlain
Best Changeup Edwar Ramirez
Best Control Ian Kennedy
Best Defensive Catcher Francisco Cervelli
Best Defensive Infielder Alberto Gonzalez
Best Infield Arm Marcos Vechionacci
Best Defensive Outfielder Austin Jackson
Best Outfield Arm Seth Fortenberry
PROJECTED 2011
LINEUP
Catcher Austin Romine
First Base Jesus Montero
Second Base Robinson Cano
Third Base Alex Rodriguez
Shortstop Derek Jeter
Left Field Brett Gardner
Center Field Austin Jackson
Right Field Jose Tabata
Designated Hitter Bob Abreu
No. 1 Starter Joba Chamberlain
No. 2 Starter Phil Hughes
No. 3 Starter Chien-Ming Wang
No. 4 Starter Ian Kennedy
No. 5 Starter Alan Horne
Closer Mark Melancon
For all the back-page news the Yankees made in 2007, the biggest story was the cold, hard fact that they no longer are the preeminent franchise in baseball.
The Red Sox passed them in 2007, winning the American League East—the first time New York hadn't won the division since 1997—and then winning their second World Series of the decade. It's a decade in which the Yankees have yet to win a championship despite consistently maintaining the game's largest payroll.
The Yankees' 2007 season included 94 victories and rallying from a 21-29 start to make the playoffs. It also included superlative individual performances by the likes of BA Player of the Year and AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, a career year from 35-year-old catcher Jorge Posada and the dynamic major league debut of Joba Chamberlain, the organization's No. 1 prospect.
But 2007 also included a 4.49 team ERA for New York, a figure that ranked just eighth in the AL. The team had to turn to 44-year-old Roger Clemens when injuries and a slow start jeopardized the season, and Clemens proved to be no savior. A four-game defeat to the Indians in the Division Series marked the third straight first-round playoff exit for the Yankees, who have gone 4-13 in the playoffs since taking a 3-0 lead on Boston in the 2004 AL Championship Series.
The string of playoff disappointments, plus the ascendancy of brothers Hank and Hal Steinbrenner to prominent roles in the ownership group as their father George continued to fade into the background, helped shape the franchise's immediate future. Club officials insisted the younger Steinbrenners already had become more involved in recent years, and one went so far as to say it was "business as usual around here," but events say otherwise. Manager Joe Torre was ousted after 12 seasons when he rejected a one-year extension, and the Yankees turned to Joe Girardi, their former catcher and color analyst on the YES Network, and the 2006 National League manager of the year with the Marlins.
Girardi's Florida team was built around young pitchers such as Josh Johnson, Scott Olsen and Dontrelle Willis, and he'll have more young talent to work with in New York. Staff ace Chien-Ming Wang is coming off consecutive 19-victories seasons and is still just 27. Also, the Yankees are counting on Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy to claim rotation spots. That trio has undeniable talent, but also just 16 starts and 116 innings in the big leagues between them.
The farm system has made significant strides in the last four years, with improved talent allowing the system's domestic affiliates to combine for four first-place finishes, two league championships and a collective .597 winning percentage, the best mark in baseball. Scouting director Damon Oppenheimer, who started running New York's drafts in 2005, has the budget to pick aggressively, and the Yankees regularly pay draft picks more than MLB's bonus recommendations.
That was true more than ever in 2007, when they went over slot for five picks in the first 10 rounds and spent $8.03 million on the draft, more than any other team. They also were as active as any organization internationally, adding high-priced, high-ceiling talents led by Dominican outfielder Kevin DeLeon, who signed for $1.1 million.
Posted by VDesai:
PROJECTED 2011
LINEUP
Catcher Austin Romine
First Base Jesus Montero
Second Base Robinson Cano
Third Base Alex Rodriguez
Shortstop Derek Jeter
Left Field Brett Gardner
Center Field Austin Jackson
Right Field Jose Tabata
Designated Hitter Bob Abreu
No. 1 Starter Joba Chamberlain
No. 2 Starter Phil Hughes
No. 3 Starter Chien-Ming Wang
No. 4 Starter Ian Kennedy
No. 5 Starter Alan Horne
Closer Mark Melancon
Bob Abreu? i dunno if he'll still be around in 2011... he'll be 37 so i guess it's possible but u have to figure Jorge will be the fulltime DH in 3 years time if he's not catching games.
also not sure Melancon is the answer as our future closer either... i have a feeling they'll sign up a bigname reliever to take over once Mo is gone
ARBITRATION NEWS:
Cano is reportedly asking for $4.55 mil while the Yanks have offered him $3.2 mil.
Wang is asking for $4.6 mil while the Yanks have offered him $4 mil.
i have no doubts that both players will be signed at those prices...
in contrast, check out what Oliver Perez is asking for from the Muts - $6.5 mil while the Muts are countering w/$4.725 mil... makes Wang & Cano seem like a bargain, don't it?
[Edited by - TMS on 01-20-2008 2:15 PM]
Posted by TMS:
ARBITRATION NEWS:
Cano is reportedly asking for $4.55 mil while the Yanks have offered him $3.2 mil.
Wang is asking for $4.6 mil while the Yanks have offered him $4 mil.
i have no doubts that both players will be signed at those prices...
in contrast, check out what Oliver Perez is asking for from the Muts - $6.5 mil while the Muts are countering w/$4.725 mil... makes Wang & Cano seem like a bargain, don't it?
ummm...thats because cano&wang are first time arby guys while this is Perez's last year(it goes up each year, duh). I guarentee Wang&Cano's arby salary will be higher than Perez's arby this year in their final arby year.
no doubt ur right about that... Perez getting paid more than a back to back 19 game winner just doesn't seem right though does it?
This was a really interesting read concerning the economic impact, for rumored teams, regarding a potential Santana trade.
[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-gennarosantanafinal011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns"]Santana Not Worth the Tariff[/url]
Posted by islesfan:
This was a really interesting read concerning the economic impact, for rumored teams, regarding a potential Santana trade.
[url="http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ys-gennarosantanafinal011808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns"]Santana Not Worth the Tariff[/url]
If Santana signs with the Yankees at $5 million to $7 million per year below the price he would have gotten in an open bidding war as a free agent next winter, or if Hughes becomes only a fifth starter or bullpen reliever, the deal could make sense for the Yankees.
Hughes projects as a possible frontline ace starting pitcher, so what is he saying, that the deal doesn't make sense for the Yankees? earlier in the article he suggests otherwise from a financial standpoint.
Looks like the Yanks are locking up Cano at 4/30 mil instead of going to arbitration.
finally they're coming to their senses... if they'd waited til he hit free agency his price woulda been much higher.
Mets get Santana- Ultimately I'm very happy we didn't give up Hughes, though it looks like the Twins negotiated themselves out of some pretty good deals. I think Hughes will prove to be an ace.
good thing the Sux didn't get him.
Congrats to the Yankees for not giving up cheap solid young pitching for a ridiculously expensive starter. Plus they don't have to watch the Red Sox get Santana.
This is the best case scenario. Let the Mets overpay and deal with Yankees like expectations.
The Twins GM screwed himself and now he has to deal with it.
there go those Mets trying to buy championships again.
