Well, a good day for a Sox fan. Manny still dons number 24 and yesterdays signings were confirmed, while the Yankee options become more and more limited.
Lily is signing with the Cubs (Pavano money $40MM/4 years)
Freddy Garcia has been traded to the Phillies (for minor leaguers)
Schmidt goes to the Dodgers $47MM/3years
Pettite appears to be using the Yanks to drive up his price to stay in HOU.
A couple of catchers to the NL West (Molina - Giants and Lieberthal - Dodgers)
Bonds implies he won't play for less than the $18MM he made last year. If true, he will not play.
In a bizzaro situation two former Padres sign with the A's - Piazza and Embree, with Embree getting two years and future HOFer Piazza (who, I believe, had the most HR of any catcher in baseball) only one. Odd.
The Braves and Mariners swapped former top prospects that never achived their potential.
The meetings are done - save the rule 5 draft tomorrow.
Once the meetings are finalized, I will try to taliate the damage - as CHB said, nothing happens these days at the meetings. well I guess, spending nearly a half billion dollars is nothing then.
A few random thoughts:
That brawl at the basketball game in Serbia was amazing. Worth watching the footage.
Flashback to one of the better games this year - the Dodgers with 4 straight homers in the 9th - for those that say Drew "never" produces, I think he hit one of the HRs. BTW that was one of the best games this year in the regular season this year.
One more day to get the lineups in......
Well, one of the rumors I heard last night was Manny for Beltre and Sexson. The Sox also wanted Putz in the deal...I understand that the Sox want pitching, but come on. Are you telling me that two sluggers for one is not good? And you can turn and flip Beltre to one of many teams for pitching...or you could flip Lowell...
ReplyDeleteObviously this ends up costing the Sox a little more money if they can't flip Beltre or Lowell, but my guess is that they could find a taker or two...Hell, flip both of them and move Youk to third...
And I can't see Pettitte going back to NY...and, if he does...good...and I doubt that Clemens will follow.
SO the NY rotation will look like this:
Johnson
Wang
Mussina
Pettitte
(someone else...I am forgetting someone)
4 years ago that rotation is frightening. Not so much now.
And Speaking Of Rotations:
The Sox are thinking that might not be able to sign Matsuzaka. I am wondering if this press "leak" is out there to show that the Sox really want to sign him, but feel that Boras is demanding a lot (so that Matsuzaka sees that Boras is demanding too much). I know most players would care less about this sort of thing, but the culture in Japan is different. It isn't so much about individuals. If you read the Sox press releases very carefully they always mention his value to the team and city. Very on purpose.
My point? If the Sox don't sign Matsuzaka, their rotation isn't looking quite so good...much, much weaker...
Manny for Beltre and Sexson? No way. Part of dumping Manny is to decrease salary. Sexson is a big bat that could protect Manny a bit, but Beltre is dead weight at that price. And Putz in the deal? Sure Manny is the Sox best player, but you are talking about getting SEA’s 2, and 3rd best players back. That sounds like a fantasy league move. I guess the Sox could find a taker for Lowell, but nobody wants Beltre – unless you are willing to pay half of that contract (3 more years at $13MM). That guy can not hit. Subtract his one good year (the last year before testing) and his five year line is .260 Avg, .310 OBP, .430 SLG.
ReplyDeleteI would not dismiss Pettite back to the Yanks. In fact, I would say he is way more likely to end back there than HOU. HOU have not even made him an offer and the Yanks have $15MM on the table. It reminds me of Glavine and his “choice” between ATL and NYM. But I agree that him going there does not scare me much. It does little to help them short term and nothing to help them long term. Their other rotation slots are their Japanese import Igawa), allegedly Pavano (Ha Ha), and they think the Rasner kid can contribute until Hughes is ready.
Pettite had a great second half last year, but he has not put together a good, full season since he left NY and he has been pitching in the NL.
As for the D-Mat concerns, again I would not worry about that too much either. Boras will use 29 days 23 hours and 55 minutes to get the most he can from the Sox. But there is not a single involved party that does not wan this to happen. The Sox want the pitcher, D-Mat has professed how much he wants to pitch in MLB, it would be humiliating for him to go back and if he did, he would “only make about $3.5 MM, so even the Sox low offer of $8MM is a huge raise, the Lions want the $51 MM, Boras does not want his first JPY client to have had failed negotiations (he would never get another one). The deal will get done (I’m guessing) at around $42MM for 4 years.
Yeah, the D-Mat thing is way overblown. The quote from the Sox source was "Unless [Boras is] being less than honest, there isn't going to be a deal." The key, of course is the "less than honest" comment. This wasn't an accident - anyone who's followed the Sox lately knows about Boras's overblown comments about Damon's "multiple offers." The implication of the quote is that the Sox are indirectly telling Boras to STFU and start carrying out the negotiations in good faith. (Note they waited until after Drew and Lugo were taken care of...)
ReplyDeleteMy roster for next year, with a couple "surprise picks"...
ReplyDelete1. SS Lugo
2. CF Crisp
3. DH Ortiz
4. LF Manny
5. RF Drew
6. 1B Sexson
7. 2B Offerman
8. 3B Bichette
9. C A fourth Molina brother we've never heard about until today
Starting rotation:
Schilling
Matsukaza
Beckett
Wakefield
Pettite
Bullpen
Hideki Okajima
Hideki Irabu
Hideki Matsui
Kaz Matsui
Jason Grimsley
Keith Foulke (c)
Here's my lineup with ALOT of surprises..
ReplyDeleteManny Alexander 3B
Rafael Palmeiro 1B
Sammy Sosa CF
Barry Bonds RF
Mark McGwire DH
Pudge Rodriguez C
Miguel Tejada SS
Brady Anderson LF
Jason Giambi 2B
Now I know what you're thinking. Jason Giambi at second base? The fact of the matter is that this team will score so many runs that they don't really have to play any defense...His backup at 2B is former olympic sprinter, Ben Johnson.
Who would have thought the Royals would outspend the Yankess this (or any) offseason.
ReplyDelete