The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » MLB offseason rumors

Yankees should overpay to retain Derek Jeter

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 19:15:35 +0000

I gasped when I read ESPN.com’s Wallace Matthews’ report about how much the Yankees were going to spend on Derek Jeter this winter.

Forty-five-to-sixty million? Absurd.

But the shock only lasted about a minute before I realized that the Yankees should spend that much to retain their starting shortstop.

There’s no question that Jeter’s game has deteriorated. After posting career numbers in 2009, he finished with a career-low in batting average (.270), slugging percentage (.370) and on-base percentage (.340) last season. His range at shortstop is also limited and he certainly doesn’t make the plays we’ve been accustomed to seeing him make over the years.

But the Yankees make, have and spend more money than any baseball team in the league. And when you have a player that has meant as much to your organization as Jeter has to New York, you show him your appreciation as he knocks on the door of retirement.

In any other market, paying a fading player $60 million would be suicide. It would set that club back for years, but the Yankees have the luxury of handing out money like fliers on the Vegas Strip. Paying Jeter $60 million (or $45 million, or whatever) is a drop in the bucket for them. It’s more important that they take care of the player that has helped them win five World Series championships over the past two decades.

Maybe Matthews is off with his numbers. Maybe Jeter and the Yankees will settle on a respectable final contract that will work for both sides. Maybe will take less money to stay in the Big Apple.

Or maybe the Yankees will overpay a player that is now akin to the legends that came before him. Either way, the Bombers will take care of their captain.

Johnny Damon’s days as a Yankee over?

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:30:55 +0000

Ken Davidoff from Newsday writes that Johnny Damon won’t settle (in terms of a contract) in free agency and that’s why Davidoff thinks the outfielder won’t be in pinstripes next season.

I spent some time with Johnny Damon today, and he spoke forcefully about his free agency and his future. I asked him specifically about Scott Boras’ comments from a couple of weeks ago, and Damon backed his agent 100 percent.

Damon’s history shows that he’s not going to bend in his free agency. It’s how he became a Yankee in the first place. It’s why I think he’ll be elsewhere, come next season.

Damon doesn’t want a pay cut, yet he made $13 million last year. I know the guy is durable and has pop, but he’s a liability in the outfield and is 36 years old. Who is going to give him $13 million again next year outside of the Yankees?

Davidoff knows the Yankees better than I do obviously, but it stands to reason that Damon isn’t going to get more than $10 million from any other team next year. That means he will be taking a pay cut or he will be back with the Bombers for close to what he made in ’09.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Yankees to deal for Tigers’ Granderson?

Anthony Stalter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:14:36 +0000

According to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Tigers have let it be known that outfielder Curtis Granderson is available for the right package and that the Yankees might be interested.

Granderson would be attractive to many teams, with the Yankees near the top of the list. They have long searched for a premium solution in center since Bernie Williams left his prime, but now they also face the loss of the lefty power of free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. Granderson hit a career-high 30 homers last year.

Brian Cashman met with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski at the now-concluded GM Meetings, but it is not believed the two did any more than discuss needs and available players. However, the two have a good relationship and have done significant trades before, going back to when Dombrowski was in Florida and obtained Mike Lowell from the Yanks to the more recent Gary Sheffield deal and the swap of Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez.

The Yankees have a touted center field prospect in Austin Jackson, who could be the centerpiece for a deal, though Detroit would have a market outside of just The Bronx.

Granderson has the talent to be a five-tool player, but he struggles mightily against left-handed pitching. That said, he would offer the Yankees a major upgrade in the outfield, especially if Johnny Damon (who throws like a sissy) leaves via free agency.

You know the Yankees would have no problem picking up the $25.72 million that Granderson is owed over the next three seasons. But whether or not they could put together the right package is the question.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

If you hated the Yankees before, you’ll hate them even more after this offseason

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:44 +0000

Despise the New York Yankees, do ya? Well get ready to hate them even more because they’re about to become every Yankee-hater’s worst nightmare this offseason. By the time they’re done making moves, the head of every non-Yankee fan across this great nation will be long blown off.

Think the Bronx Bombers were done after they signed CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett last week? They’re not done – not even close. They’ve also got Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez on their radar and if it were possible to raise Ty Cobb, Cy Young and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson from their death beds, the Yankees would have already made bids on their services, too.

Here’s the thing, the Yankees missed the playoffs last year. They also haven’t won the American League East since 2006, a pennant since 2003 or a World Series since 2000. Simply put, that is unacceptable in the Bronx and with a new stadium ready to be opened next year, the new boss Hank Steinnbrenner wouldn’t dare fielding a loser in 2009.

That’s why the Yankees will stop at nothing until they leave the free agent market bare, piss off every team in the league and generally give the middle finger to everyone who doesn’t like what they’re doing. And if they can’t do that, then they’re going to drive up the price for other teams in regards to free agents just to make life just a little bit harder on them.

Take Teixeira for example. There’s little doubt that the Yankees wouldn’t mind plugging them into their lineup, but they acquired Nick Swisher to play first via a trade with the White Sox and they need pitching above all else. But who are the other two major players for Teixeira this offseason? That’s right – the Angels and Red Sox. You think the Yankees are going to lose out on Teixeira without making life hell for Boston? Not a chance.

And you know what? Why wouldn’t they employ those methods? The Red Sox are one of the Yankees’ biggest rivals and their chief competition year in and year out. If they didn’t do their due-diligence to drive up the cost on Teixeira, they wouldn’t be doing everything in their power to win.

Personally, I like the Yankees’ attitude – always have. They’re not breaking any rules because there is no salary cap in baseball. Sure they have to deal with luxury tax, but that’s nothing for a club reported to be worth over a billion dollars.

Let me clarify: I am not a Yankees fan. But I admire a club that goes after what it wants. They want to win, and not just a division crown but a World Series. They don’t want to have a winning year or beat the Boston Red Sox – they want to win a championship. And they’ll stop at nothing to do so. They don’t care about what’s fair and they certainly don’t care about a Pirates or Royals club that can’t spend to compete.

Look, if you’re pissed off because the Yankees might wind up with Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira when they already have Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Xavier Nady and Jorge Posada on the roster, than focus your attention elsewhere. Major League Baseball is the problem here – not the Yankees. If the league wanted everything to be fair, then the owners would get together and figure out a way to implement a salary cap. But neither the league nor the owners care about fair – they just want to make money.

But back to the Yankees. What’s great about them is that they give baseball fans a villain. And the ironic thing is that teams have caught up to them by doing things the right way – building success through their farm system and not overspending for free agents. Yet people still focus all of their attention on the Yankees’ spending spree and blindly fail to see that what the Bombers have done over the years has caught up with them.

Look at the 2008 Tampa Bay Rays. They didn’t make any huge moves last offseason in efforts to land in the World Series; they built a solid core through their farm system and let their young players develop. Now they have a young team built for the long haul and they don’t need to go out and buy every top free agent on the market. They’re essentially set for now, and are looking good for the future because they remained patient through the years.

So let the Yankees do what they do. And even though you might throw up at the thought of it, you should admire them a little. They give you a team to root against because they’re overbearing, brash and cocky. (Or conversely, a team to root for because at least you know the main focus is on winning, which should be the only thing that matters to fans in regards to their favorite sports teams.)

And if they do wind up with Manny, Teixeira, Burnett, Cobb, Shoeless and Young, then good for them. They still have to compete for 162 games next year and put all of that money to work. The overspending strategy hasn’t worked for years and yet they continue to keep doing it to mask the fact that their farm system hasn’t produced like it had did in the mid-90s. (And really, the overspending method hasn’t worked for the Chicago Cubs, either, nor did it work for the 2008 Detroit Tigers.)

Right now, the Yankees may look good on paper, but last time I checked the World Series isn’t handed out in the offseason.

Yankees after Manny Ramirez and Mark Teixeira

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:30:26 +0000

The New York Post is reporting that the New York Yankees will pursue free agent outfielder Manny Ramirez and first basemen Mark Teixeira.

“If they can’t get Teixeira, they are right there on Manny,” an official with knowledge of the Yankees’ plan said yesterday.

The attention being paid to bolster the lineup that lost Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi doesn’t mean the Yankees are out of the pitching business. They remain engaged with Andy Pettitte, Derek Lowe and Ben Sheets. Eventually, the Yankees believe Pettitte will take their $10 million offer.

Only fools count out the Yankees when it comes to free agents. Nevertheless, Teixeira has eight-year offers for $160 million from the Angels and Nationals. The Red Sox are wary of eight years but aren’t shy of six for $150. Having already spent $243.5 million for CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, the Yankees may not want to go that high (or for that many years) for Teixeira.

If they pass on Teixeira, the Yankees will try and bolster a sagging lineup with Ramirez, one of the greatest run producers in baseball history. And to clear some money, they might entertain offers for outfielder Xavier Nady, who made $3.35 million last year, is arbitration eligible and a free agent after the 2009 season.

I wouldn’t doubt the Yankees landing any top free agent, but I don’t think Teixeira will be playing in pinstripes next year. I think they entered the Teixeira-talks to drive up the price for Boston.

Manny, on the other hand, is a different story. I think he’s pissed that he wasn’t offered a contract yet and will jump at the chance to join the Evil Empire so he can stick it to teams – especially the Red Sox.

Cubs could land Jake Peavy in 4-team deal

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 21:45:42 +0000

NBC Sports is reporting that Jake Peavy could be heading to the Chicago Cubs as part of a four-team trade.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the world champion Phillies are one of the additional teams. Philadelphia reportedly would receive utilityman Mark DeRosa from the Cubs for a pair of prospects, one of them possibly being lefthander J.A. Happ. The Cubs would then flip those prospects to the Padres as part of the package for Peavy. The Union-Tribune reported that the Padres would get DeRosa first, then flip him to the Phillies for the prospects. Either way, DeRosa would wind up in Philly as insurance for injured second baseman Chase Utley, and the Padres would get the prospects.

The Union-Tribune reported that the Baltimore Orioles also are involved in what Towers called the most complicated trade negotiation of his 14-year tenure as Padres GM. San Diego likely would obtain Orioles lefthander Garrett Olson for Cubs outfielder Felix Pie, after Pie is sent to the Orioles in the package for Peavy. Olson-for-Pie has long been rumored.

Cubs reliever Kevin Hart, another name frequently tied to the Peavy talks, might also be headed to San Diego. Righthanded starter Jason Marquis, whom the Cubs reportedly are shopping, is unlikely to be part of the deal.

Interesting enough, ESPN cites a source close to the situation that says the Cubs are nowhere close to dealing for Peavy:

First, the source said, the Cubs’ “No. 1 priority” is adding a left-handed-hitting outfielder, not a starting pitcher. And the team isn’t close to acquiring that bat. The Cubs have interest in a half-dozen outfielders who meet that description, with free agents Raul Ibanez and Bobby Abreu seemingly at the top of that list.

Second, the Cubs’ muddled ownership situation leaves Hendry and his baseball people unsure about whether they would be permitted to take on a contract as large as Peavy’s. The 27-year-old right-hander will make $11 million next season and has as much as $81 million remaining over the next five years if his team picks up his 2013 option.

Hmm. Are the Cubs just trying to protect themselves by not making the news public or are the Peavy-to-Chicago reports a fabrication?

Yankees ready to dole out big to CC Sabathia

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:38:58 +0000

Joel Sherman of the New York Post writes what we already know:

The Yanks can begin revealing that answer as today turns to Friday at 12:01 a.m. It has not been the Yanks’ history to brandish a theatric offer at one minute past midnight. Nevertheless, sometime tomorrow you can expect the Yankees aggressively will extend a proposal. It might not be their best and final, but Yankee insiders suggest it will be a number that says this to Sabathia: “Anything they can do we can do better – much, much better.”

One Yankee executive said, “we have to separate ourselves.” Translation: They must divest Sabathia of his dreams of the Pacific and the batter’s box by going to a financial region relatively quickly that no other franchise would even consider, especially in this plummeting economy.

That means a bid north of the six years at $137.5 million the Mets bestowed last year on Johan Santana . My gut says six years at $150 million sounds about right to force league-wide surrender before the bidding really even gets started.

Can anyone else go to that financial area? The Dodgers are probably Sabathia’s dream landing spot. But there continues to be doubt that L.A. owner Frank McCourt has either the money and/or the willingness to offer near that much.

Where Sabathia winds up will come down to money and whether or not he wants to hit every fifth day. So he’ll weigh the options and then head to the Yankees.