Pettitte's Return Inevitable

MLB.com has an article out stating that it is inevitable that Pettitte signs with the Yankees. Nothing new really, just saying that they both want each other and its now just a matter of money. However, that can be quite a large matter, and the fact that a deal hasn't been reached yet shows how much of a hold up it can be. I'm not really sure what Pettitte wants. I hope he isn't trying to get the same $16 million he got last season, since how he pitched for it definetely deserves a paycut. $10 million was what Mussina made last season, and I just don't see why Pettitte thinks its such a bad deal for someone who pitched as poorly as he did. I'm sure a deal will get made, but the bending needs to be on Pettitte's side.

In other events, I got an email from someone who put together an online quiz where you have to name all 30 major league teams in 3 minutes. Sounds easy right? Give it a try here. If anything, it can kill the last 3 minutes of a work day.

Sox Out of Teix Race...For Now

It has been reported that Red Sox owner John Henry has decided that the asking price for Teixeira is too high to continue pursuing him. This would seem to be a contradiction to a report from yesterday that stated the Red Sox were leading the Teixeira race. With the Orioles, Nationals and Angels all bidding for his services, it was just a matter of time before the cost started driving up, but the Red Sox haven't really done much else this off season. I suppose its still possible the Red Sox could jump back into this thing and are just bluffing, but it could also be that after the Sox heard that the Yankees were meeting with Teixeira, they got involved to drive the price up. Now that its clear the Yankees are not pursuing the first baseman, the Red Sox are bowing out. This wouldn't be out of place since it is what they did with Santana last season. This of course would mean that the Red Sox never had an interest in Teixeira, which really shouldn't come as a surprise. For starters, the Sox don't like to spend money. Not that they don't have money, but that they're very miserly with it. Second, they already have a first baseman who also happens to be homegrown fan favorite in Youkilis. They also have third baseman Mike Lowell who was injured last season, but should be ready for next season, and still has 2 years and $24 million under contract. By signing Teixeira the Red Sox would have likely moved Youkilis to third and then traded Lowell, but that's a lot of trouble to go through for a player that you don't really need. So for now, the Sox are out, but they could jump back in if they sense the Yankees are sniffing around again. They might also do it if Manny is announced as the next Yankee.

What Impressed Me About CC

I certainly did not think that CC wanted to come to the Bronx. He was a west coast guy who wanted to stay there, and that's understandable. But I'm impressed that he has chosen to not only play for the Yankees, but to move his family to the area. He easily could have kept his new home, kids, and wife in California, waiting for his opt-out clause to kick in. Heck, most of the big stars on the Yankees have their family residences in Florida. But Sabbathia has made a very conspicuous display of his desire to be here by deciding to move his entire family to the area.

Both CC and AJ spoke well at their press conferences, and in their subsequent interviews on the fan. Either they get it or Jason Zillo is a good press guy.

In other news, reported pretty much everywhere at this point, except here, because we don't engage in speculation, the Red Sox have been outbid for the services of Mark Teixeira, who will apparently be playing for Warren Buffett. If this is true, then I have to wonder if the Yanks will even bother with Manny, though I still think that is likely.

Despite Slumping Economy, No One is Forgetting A-Rod

There has been a call from our fanbase to post something positive about sir Alex Rodriguez. Our comments in the past concerning the third baseman have been full of mockery, and ingratitude towards the man who selflessly switched positions just so he could stand at the right hand of Derek Jeter. Since then, A-Rod has gone through several ups and downs, the ups gaining him MVP awards, and the downs gaining him boo's at the stadium. So now, we wish to present 10 things we appreciate about Alex Rodriguez:

1) He selflessly moved from short to third when he came to the Yankees.
2) He has won two MVP awards in his time in pinstripes.
3) Alex does charity sessions for the Boys & Girls Clubs every off season.
4) Alex, who owns several properties in Tampa, once chased away an arson who was trying to burn down an apartment complex that housed dozens of orphan children that A-Rod was caring for.
5) He's the first player to play for two World Baseball Classic teams.
6) He works harder than most players in the game.
7) Like Jeter, Alex dates famous singers! They may be 25 years older than the ones Jeter dates, but still, famous singers!
8) When he's on, he can be as good as any clutch hitter out there. In 2007 he was on.
9) In the off season, Alex works as a construction worker in Mexico to really feel the plight of working class Latin America.
10) A-Rod could bail out the Auto industry if he wanted to.

So there you have it. You can no longer say that we are all negative all the time concerning A-Rod, because we will point to this post as proof that we love our third baseman. He may drive us nuts half the time, but the love is still there.

Marky T Will Make Decision Soon, Manny Could Come Next

The moment we all been waiting for is nearly at hand. A source with knowledge of the negotiations has reported that Marky T is close to making a decision. He wants a team picked out by Christmas, which by most calendars is next week. Among the teams that are known to have offers on the table are the Orioles, Angels, Red Sox, and Nationals. It is still unknown whether the Nationals actually have the money to back the offer. The Yankees are said to be interested but have not put forward an offer. It is being speculated that the Yankees are only really interested in driving up the price for Boston.

It is also being reported that the Yankees are close to deciding whether to extend Ramirez a 3 year deal worth $22-$25 million annually. The front office is apparently divided in the matter, but the Steinbrenner brothers appear to be in favor of it. Cashman is not sold on the idea, but it probably doesn't matter much. We at the RJG have been preaching Manny for some time now. We are aware of the drawbacks. Namely, he's a me-first habitual malcontent who quit on his team last season, and who makes Barry Bonds look agile in the outfield. But, this wouldn't be the first time the Yankees signed a me-first player who dogged it on the field, and what was the outcome? Did the team fall apart? No, they won the World Series, and this player became one of the most popular in modern Yankee lore. In Manny we have something similar. A powerful bat that hits when it matters. This is someone who hit .500 in the division series last season, and .533 in the championship series. He's hit 28 post season homeruns and driven in 74 post season runs over his career. He may be worth it.

Now, to quell the fear that Manny will up and quit on his team again. He certainly did with the Red Sox last season. But here's the thing. How long has Manny been asking to leave Boston? How many deals have fallen apart that were meant to send Manny away from Boston? He hasn't wanted to be there for a while now, and yet he's performed for them until last season. Now that he has gotten his wish to leave the team, why would he quit on his new team? Because he's Manny? Maybe, but I don't see it happening.

There are some other things to consider as well. Like Mattingly saying that Ramirez was the best right-handed hitter he's seen and that his work ethic is superb. Think about how much pressure a Manny signing would take off of chronic headcase Alex Rodriguez. Not to mention how much better the team is with Manny protecting A-Rod in the lineup. Further more, adding Manny allows us to move Nady who will be a free agent after next season, and could net us something good.

It is said that Manny wants a 4 year $100 million deal, which is pretty steep, and the speculation is that if he doesn't get it he may feel resentful against the team that signs him. That might happen, but that's where the Yankees can get creative. Give Manny a 3 year deal with a 4th year vesting option with a nice buyout. If Manny averages 30 homeruns and 500 at bats a season in each season, than the vesting option kicks in. Otherwise, he walks away with an extra $7 million in his pocket as his buyout. $7 million!? Why not? Its money, and the new stadium should more than make up for it. If not, the Yankees could always sell a few more players to Japan ala Darrell Rasner to make up for it.

Forget Cameron, Look at Taveras

The Yankees seem to really be interested in Mike Cameron despite his high strikeout rate, low average, and age. For one year and $10 million the Yankees feel they can risk bringing in someone who has been very consistant in defense, has some speed, and some pop as well. However, the Yankees should take stock of the new market. Several teams have dropped arbitration eligible players to decrease their payroll. One of these players was Centerfielder Willy Taveras from the Colorado Rockies. Coming off of his worst season in the majors, Taveras batted a mere .251 with 1 homerun and 26 RBI's as the teams leadoff guy. Although those numbers seem anemic at best, it should not be overlooked that this was his career low, and that despite the fact it was his worst season, he still ended up stealing 68 bases, a career best. In 2007, Taveras batted .320, .278 the year before and .291 the year before that. The .251 would appear to be an aberration. Taveras has his downfalls. Namely, he has no power. He will not strikeout as much as Cameron, but will hit about 20 less homeruns than Cameron. Nearly all of Taveras' hits will be singles. However, by stealing 68 bases last season, there were alot of singles turned into doubles and some doubles turned to triples. The biggest reason the Yankees should consider Taveras is that Cameron's $10 million for one year could probably land Taveras for 3 years. He made $2 million this last year, and with a $1.3 million pay raise and a guaranteed 3 year contract, I think he would be willing to sign. Plus, a contract like that makes him easily tradeable, especially to small market teams, and his speed will always be in demand. The only reason the Yankees should pursue Cameron is if the Brewers are willing to take Igawa with the deal. Outside of that, sign Taveras and use the rest of the money saved on his contract to get a bat like Manny's into the lineup.

Did You See This

My Minutemen beat #25 ranked Kansas (probably now unranked). We're nice like that.

What About Four?

The Dodgers have bid 2 years for Manny Ramirez, and the Yanks would have to bid at least that with a higher annual salary. But what happens if the Dodgers decide that they are willing to go three years? Assuming they Dodger will match Yankee single salary offers, should the Yankees consider offering Manny four years, if it gets to that? He'll probably still be a great hitter in four years, but do you risk that long a commitment to such a famous malcontent? Is it worth it if the Sox land Marky T for 8-10 years, considering what Manny would bring to our line-up? Something to think about over a glass of scotch.

Pettitte May Have Another Offer

Heyman is reporting over at cnnsi.com that it is rumored that Pettitte has received a 3 year, $36M offer. Apparently the Yanks have not moved their offer, either because $10M is their limit or because they don't believe there is actually another offer out there.

Running the Numbers

It has been regularly stated that with $88 million coming off the books, the Yankees are in a good position to take in the large contracts it is handing out. In fact it is stated that despite the big money contracts they're throwing around they will still be opening next season with a smaller payroll. If you're wondering where the $88 million comes from, let me paint a picture with my money brush:

Jason Giambi: $21 million
Bobby Abreu: $16 million
Andy Pettitte: $16 million
Carl Pavano: $11 million
Mike Mussina: $10 million
Ivan Rodriguez: Approximately $4 million
Latroy Hawkins: $1 million
Wilson Betemit: $1.3 million
Morgan Ensberg: $1.75 million
Assorted Cash From Dropping the Following Players: Richie Sexson, Chad Moeller, Chris Britton, etc...

The $88 million sounds like a lot, but it doesn't take into consideration a number of variables. For example, the Yankees need to pay Giambi $5 million for not picking up his option, and they owe Carl Pavano $1.95 million for the same reason. Chien Ming Wang is likely to see a pay raise despite his injury in arbitration, and let's not forget the $5.3 million in payroll we added with Swisher and the $4 million we added with Marte. Nady and Bruney are two other players likely to see a bump in arbitration. So far they've committed a median salary of $16.5 million to Burnett and $23 million to Sabathia, and $4 million to Marte. Swisher will earn $5.3 million next season, but the Yankees traded away Betemit and his $1.3 million salary for him making a difference of $4 million. Those contracts put together equal $47.5 million. Then you have to add the $6.95 million in payouts the Yankees made to Giambi and Pavano and you're up to $54.45 million. Let's say Wang and Nady earn a $2 million raise through arbitration, and Bruney gets a $500,000 bump. Now we're around $59 million back on the books, which is still $29 million short of what we paid last season. If Pettitte signs for 1 year at $10 million, that will leave the Yankees $19 million shy of last season. Then you have the Mike Cameron contract that may come in valued at $10 million, but recent reports are tieing Kei Igawa to the deal, which would shed $4 million. If all this happens, and the Yankees stand $16 million shy of last years payroll, they then have to make a big decision. If this report from the New York Post is any indication, the Yankees will likely pursue Teixeira or Manny, and may also try to land Ben Sheets. That's at least $20 million for the offensive players, with Manny likely to go for $25 million but for fewer years. The Yankees had reportedly offered Sheets a $26 million deal over 2 years, or $13 million per year. Considering all the interest in Teixeira, I don't think he comes here, but the Yankees will succesfully bump his price up. Manny on the other hand could likely come to the Yankees for about $25 million, maybe less if they give him more years. With all this, the Yankees will be well over their 2008 payroll especially if they take Sheets, though that is less likely to happen.

Fiscal responsibility is overrated anyway. The Yankees have a reputation to keep, and records to break. Namely, the record of most money spent in a single off season.