Hank’s non-buyers remorse

May 16, 2008 by Benjamin Kabak 21 Comments

Just one-quarter of the way through the season, and we’re already getting anonymous stories from Jon Heyman about Hank Steinbrenner’s regretting not making the Santana deal. According to Heyman, Hank is upset with Cashman for Phil Hughes‘ and Ian Kennedy’s poor starts, never mind the fact that Hal counts too and that there are myriad reasons why the Santana trade was just going to be a bad deal. This is also the same Jon Heyman that called the Red Sox’s signing of Hideki Okajima the 19th best free agent signing of all time so I’d take that with a ton of salt.

http://www.myspace.com/j_panama Jamal G.

Jon Heyman is a tool, fuck him, fuck him right in the ear. Good reporter though. :D
whozat

It’s always hard to say what makes a “good signing”.

Is it solely based on the results? Okajima was a huge part of the end of the Sox championship bullpen, therefore it was a good signing. I don’t think ANYONE saw that kind of upside in Okajima, though. It was luck that the signing turned out so well, essentially.

I guess it was a “good signing” but not necessarily a brilliant signing, maybe? I mean, it turned out to have phenomenal returns, at least for one year. But was that a brilliant decision, or was it a reasonable chance to take that just worked out beyond anyone’s wildest dreams?
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
  
  No one’s debating that Okajima was a “good signing.” But the idea that he’s one of the top 20 best free agent signings of all time is simply ridiculous.
  
  Randy Johnson, for example, signed a four-year deal with the D-Backs and won four Cy Youngs. But, hey, Hideki Okajima.
BigBlueAL

Everyone here should know by now im on record as wanting to trade for Johan (not for Wang though obviously, but for IPK and Hughes if it was possible) but reading Cashman’s comments you have to give the man credit if you like the job he has done or not because he certainly knows how to handle himself in the media and at least always sounds genuine. I for one hope he stays as GM even though i havent always agreed with him.
JerseyKRS

yeah yeah, hind sight is 20/20…..Hank should stop worrying about blowing hard and finding a way to get this overpaid team to start winning some games.
http://www.myspace.com/j_panama Jamal G.

My biggest issue with people getting on Cashman for his free agent pitcher signings is what was the alternative? I always say, if you’re going to criticize someone have a suitable alternative. Besides that, name some good free agent signing in the past 5 years. People always get on Cashman like he’s an idiot and can’t sort out good free agent pitchers, but my deal is who exactly has sorted out the good ones? Who has signed really good free agent pitchers and what else did you expect or want Cashman to do besides sign the likes of Carl Pavano and trade for Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown and Javier Vazquez (who I loved)?
Mike P

Worse than Okajima being 19th, he’s one ahead of Matsui.

So one greay year as a funky setup man > Perenial 100 RBI Iron man?

Right. Maybe JD Drew’ll make his list someday.
Simon B.

By that standard, the Cardinals had one of the best signings ever with Weaver in 2006.

Nobody wanted Weaver (and for good reason), but it’s very doubtful they would have won the World Series without him. That doesn’t make him a good pitcher though. It just makes the Cardinals phenomenally lucky that Weaver pitched well at just the right time.

And yet, after last year and one month this year, I still can’t believe Okajima is pitching well. Dude has garbage stuff. Though I have a feeling it may come to an end soon. I know his ERA is low, but he’s allowed like 10 of 12 inherited runners to score and 4 blown saves, and he has a criminally low BABIP. BABIP doesn’t always indicate “luck” as many people call it, but I think it may in this case. Okajima might not turn into Felix Heredia over night, but I’m optimistic that the pitcher that the Red Sox have relied so much upon will come back to earth.
chris

I know he looks like he will be a good player (I eat my words a little about him being a 4th outfielder), but i think it is safe to say he wont become a star. I would have done the first deal mentioned Hughes, Marquez, Melky and a low level pospect if that deal was on the table. We will never know, but I have to think that Hanks knows about that and other offers made fo these kids. not surprised hal likes cashman because of the fiscal reponsibility he seems to have.

most damning thing i read was that gene michael (the architect of the dynasty) was for trading Hughes for Santanta. unless there is a drastic turnaround by these kids, Cashman will be gone, but the thing that worries me the worst is that the team will panic on Hughes and IPK and sell them at a discounted price.
- whozat
  
  “unless there is a drastic turnaround by these kids”
  
  And there are many reasons to think there will be.
  
  Yeah, if Hughes and Kennedy become journeymen, turns out Cash guessed wrong. But, with the data he had before him…it certainly looked like the right call to me.
  
  Especially when the Twins just kept taking proposals back and forth between the Sox and Yanks. It was clear they just wanted to keep playing them off each other, and you have no idea where that ends. Once there were no acceptable CFers out there to be signed for just cash, I think the Yanks had no choice but to walk away. Otherwise, you’re talking about Damon or Corey Patterson out there every day, OR trading even MORE of your pitching depth for a solid CFer, putting Rasner or Igawa in the 5-slot to start the year and then hoping no one gets hurt because all your starting pitching depth got traded before the season even began.
  - chris
    
    fromalmost every report i read it was never kennedy and hughes besides there were low cost th staters to be had and had the trade ben made perhaps joba would have been the number 5
chris

if they are going to put okajima on that list than what about mike stanton who was a major part of the yankee dynasty, or for that matter the first signing of david wells who, if i recall, was a low pofile free agent in a class of many great pitchers
Rich

The brother with a working brain.
- Rich
  
  I meant that Hal is the brother with a working brain.
  
  See Newsday
Ivan

Is it me or has people overrate Hank in a standpoint that he has all the power in the world and how most of the things he says is BS. Not to mention, it’s like the media are just instigating stuff knowing who Hank is.
- chris
  
  hank seems to have the powe because he gives all the quotes. he seems alot more like his father and to be honest i wish he was in more control because it would have meant getting santana.
  
  i also worry that this 80 million dollars coming off the payroll isnt going to go entirly toward players – i want an owne moe cocerned with profit. we will see next off season – not only should that 80 million be spent, but with no revenue sharing next season and the huge profit the ne stadium will make they better spend 100 million and field a damn god team
http://www.overheardinnewyork.com NC Saint

I don’t see any reason to take Heyman’s word for this. Hank hasn’t publicly said anything to indicate he isn’t being patient with the kids, and that’s certainly not because he’s shy about saying whatever comes into his head. I don’t have any sources inside the organization, and perhaps it’s best not to assume people are lying, but consider:

– Hank went off on an unhinged rant about the team’s performance the other day. His focus: players earning their high salaries. Clearly not a shot at a couple of kids making 6 figures.

– During the offseason, he went out of his way to say that the non-move shouldn’t be evaluated based on their success this season. Then he made similarly reassuring noises a few weeks ago.

So if Hank is happy saying poorly-thought out things that undermine his executives, coaches, and/or players to anyone who will listen, why would he have a seperate set of poorly-thought out views that he keeps a secret from everyone but unnamed sources?

I think the media loves this storyline too much to let it die, whatever the facts.
- A.D.
  
  Completly, I think this is somewhat unfounded, the issue for the most part this season has been offense anyways, if Hank actually said these things we’d have heard them, he’s proven that if people want to hear him speak or not, he will speak.
  
  Additionally there was the story that Hank didn’t want to take on more payroll, so it was either Pettite for 16M or trading for Santana and signing him, so in reality our rotation would be Santana, Mussina, Joba?, and then…. suppose Rasner makes the club, then maybe they sign Loshe who’d probably get lit up in the AL, or Igawa, or White. So presumably the rotation would be weaker, or just as weak with a lot less promise.
  
  If IPK goes anywhere for this team it should be for a stud 1B prostpect like Kendry Morales
Lanny

Okajima did pretty much dominate last yr for what 2 mill?

Heyman did leave off Unit so his list wasnt exactly a research job right?
Pingback: River Ave. Blues | The quiet counterbalance to bloviating Hank
chris

no research – if we all sat down fo twenty minutes and thought about it e could come with a far better list.

i know Manny has come through big fo the sox the past few years, but how can you possibly put a guy on this list who was put on irevocable waiver 3 seperate times because they wanted to dump his salary.

he wasnt signed in 2005- what about all those other years when he was a drain on the red sox payroll.

look at the marlins in 1997 – there about 5 free agents from that team that belong on the list because not only did they bring a WS, but their subsequent trades set the team up for another world series in 2004