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Posted by: Ben K. in Hot Stove League. Tagged: Manny RamirezFor better or worse, the Yankees are bound to kick the tires on Manuel Aristides Ramirez this off-season. After all, it’s not every day that a first-ballot Hall of Famer who just so happens to be one of the greatest hitters of his generation becomes a free agent. The Yanks know they need offense, and no one player on the market could better supply them with that than Manny.
But at the same time, the Yankees don’t quite need another long-term contract backloaded to provide some 40+ DH-type with a $20 million payout. The Yankees, in other words, will be in on Manny only if the years are right. The years might very well be wrong.
According to Tracy Ringolsby, Manny wants at least five years and $85 million. Earlier this year, as MLB Trade Rumors reminds us, Peter Gammons believed that a four-year, $100-million deal would land Manny. So it seems that Manny is looking for four or five years and between $17-$25 million a year. That’s not an unrealistic assumption for Boras.
Of course, for Manny’s suitors it is. The Dodgers seem to be pricing themselves out of the race, but that could be just be a marketing ploy. They want Manny; Manny likes L.A. Their demands just need to match, and by negotiating now through “sources” and columnists, things might be easier during face-to-face meetings next month.
The real problem with Manny’s potentially signing a long-term deal with the Dodgers though is the duration. Manny is 36 right now and funnily enough, is not getting any younger. He’s never been a great defender, and he’s only getting worse. He can still hit though and belongs on an AL team.
The Dodgers, Yankees and Mets figure to be in on the bidding. After their amazing offensive showing against the Red Sox this week, the Angels should consider Manny’s services as well. Perhaps he’d fit on the White Sox too. But at these prices and at these years, not too many teams are going to call upon Manny as appealing as his numbers are.
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Fun fact: The Lion’s starting right tackle last Sunday was named Manny Ramirez.
It would be interesting to offer Manny a 4 year deal, front-loaded, with an opt out after the 2nd year. If he does opt out (he’s a Boras client, he’ll consider it) we’ll get his production and his issues for 2 years and he’ll be out of the Bronx before he’s 39. If he doesn’t opt out AND his production declines, we’ll have him for 2 yrs. at a lower price than the first 2 years. That would be worse case scenario.
As for the “adding another DH type that plays poor defense”, that’s short term thinking. Giambi is off the books while Damon and Matsui will be off the books after ‘09. If Manny would play in RF, his defense would be at least equal to Abreu’s.
I don’t buy into that argument even though I put it forth. I’m all for Manny in the Bronx to be honest. The idea of him hitting in front of or behind A-Rod is great.
Why wouldnt we just have Manny DH? Why even give him a glove? The less we need to depend on Manny the better! The yanks should sign him as the DH. Give him a 4 year 100 million dollar deal. Pay him 30 million for the first 2 seasons and give him and option to opt out after 2 years. If he walks then great. If he stays then we’re only paying him 15 million per season for the last 2 years of his contract. Manny is an INCREDIBLE HITTER!!! He comes through in the clutch and if we hit him 4th and Arod 3rd it would take a TON of pressure off of AROD…which he obviously has a tough time handling. I would much rather have 4 years of Manny then 8 years of Texiera.
You mean $30 million/year for the first 2 years and then $20 million/year for the remaining 2 years if he stays. Sorry, nit-picking.
the answer range somewhere between Hideki Matsui to Jorge Posada to potentially Derek Jeter.
“I don’t buy into that argument even though I put it forth. I’m all for Manny in the Bronx to be honest. The idea of him hitting in front of or behind A-Rod is great.”
Sweet fancy Moses!!!!!!
The Red Sox, perhaps the smartest organization in baseball……..miles ahead of the Yankees to be sure, just GAVE the guy away!!! Can you comprehend this? They paid the rest of his contract, his car insurance, life insurance policies, phone and electric bills, and his one-way flight to LA.
Why? Because they couldn’t even stand looking at the guy’s mug for only 2 more measly months, even if it gave them the benefit of having the best right-handed bat since Willie Mays in the middle of their order for the playoff push.
The Yankees have had people like this in the past (Brown, Sheffield, Wells, Mondesi), and regardless of their production, they couldn’t wait to get rid of them.
Of course Ramirez is behaving himself right now. He’s waiting for his guarenteed rip-off of a contract, so he can go back to being his miserable selfish, petulant self.
That’s who you want on the Yankees???????
Try learning a lesson from the team up North. They know what the hell they’re doing.
Yup, they do know what the hell they were doing. They acquired him, he pounded the crap out of the ball and they won multiple world championships.
Somehow, you left that part out.
Sox acquiring Manny: pretty damn smart, worked out really well
Sox dumping Manny: no way to tell yet, no way to tell yet
“Yup, they do know what the hell they were doing. They acquired him, he pounded the crap out of the ball and they won multiple world championships.”
Correct. He was a wise investment when he was 28.
Sox acquiring Manny: pretty damn smart, worked out really well
Sox dumping Manny: no way to tell yet, no way to tell yet
What do you mean, no way to tell yet? He was tanking purposely and fabricating injuries in Boston, and they were able to parlay him into Jason Bay! No way to tell??? Uhh, yeah, I can tell pal……SMART MOVE! The alternative was to keep him, allow him to tank the rest of the year or just go through the motions, then get nothing when he walks at season’s end.
If the Red Sox don’t win the WS, it certainly won’t be because Bay aint hitting, that’s for sure. And he’s miles better a defensive player.
No way to tell and no way to tell because the trade is only two months old. We’ll have to see how their offense holds up over the next few years with Bay instead of Manny. The fact that they got Bay, who’s a good player, doesn’t mean that the trade itself was good. They got Bay, which is better than nothing, yes, but they gave away the best offensive player currently playing not named Albert Pujols. That’s a huge loss to take. I’d characterize that as more of making the best of a bad sitation then as a “smart move”. And if the Sox played a hand in that becoming a bad situation, as has been argued, then no, they shouldn’t be patting themselves on the back too much.
And yes, if the Sox don’t win the World Series, it most definitely can be because Bay wasn’t hitting. If Bay puts up a .250/.360/.430 in the ALCS in a spot where Manny generally puts up a .320/.430/.650, that can mean the difference between beating or losing to the Rays…
“They got Bay, which is better than nothing, yes, but they gave away the best offensive player currently playing not named Albert Pujols.”
1) No love for A-Rod?
2) They didn’t get Bay for Manny. They got Bay for Manny, Hansen, Moss, and $7 million.
They were never going to resign Manny though Tommie. and Bay is no Manny at all, but they do control Bay for 7.5 next season also. Its not too late to tell about the move for one reason- Manny was going to give them zero the rest of the wya, so anything from Bay is a bonus
Yes, love for ARod.
Best offensive players in baseball, 2000-present, according to tommiesmithjohncarlos:
1) Albert Pujols
2) Manny Ramirez
3) Alex Rodriguez
…
45-ish) Jason Bay
…
2,784) Alex Cora (who wins ballgames, I’m told)
There’s no way to prove or know he was taking purposely…because that’s what the Boston media told us? Which is owned by Red Sox…
But I do agree Yanks sign manny its a desperation move because they signed no one else
Perhaps you missed it, but the tanking purposely line is crap. Manny only missed a few games in July (played in the 4th most on the team), and put up a stat line of .347/.473/.587 in July.
And considering the whole stink is because he wanted to get a new, expensive, long term contract this offseason, turning in a lousy final two months would’ve been a terrible idea.
I have no doubt that he pulled a lot of crap to get what he wanted, but in the end, the version of the story coming from the Red Sox doesn’t make sense as it would just hurt everyone involved.
Red Sox the smartest organization in baseball ?
Right. Good one. If they were “smart” for getting rid of Manny, how many times “dumber” were they for not being able to handle Manny’s situation, AT ALL, without giving him away ?
Yeah, they’re all brain surgeons in Boston.
damon, jeter, nady, a-rod, manny? nady would benefit from A rod protecting him and A-rod from manny.
Eh. Its going to take at LEAST 4 years.
As I said before, all the melodrama of getting traded to LA was to get out of the remaining 2 year options of his Boston contract. He certainly didn’t go through that to turn around at sign a 3 year deal (probably not a 4 year one either).
I think you’ve got to pass here, besides what is the outfield going to look like next year….Manny/Damon/Nady?? Yikes. Hopefully he stays in the NL.
Imagine if the RS beat the Dodgers in the WS. Manny might just be crazy enough to come play for the Yanks on a 3 year / 70 million deal. Especially if he hits like he usually does , I simply don’t see the Yanks not making a serious offer.
Cashman won’t give Manny a 4th year, and somebody might, but Cashman could put forth the highest annual salary. I think we gotta see how the playoffs end. A red sox win could just lead us in this direction.
I disagree about the years. The issue with his current contract wasn’t the amount of years for which Boston held options, it was the fact that the only way Boras gets paid is with an entirely new contract, whether that contract is for 1 year or 30 years.
Valid point.
I honestly believe 3x$25MM might do it. That’s a 25% pay raise for Manny and 15% of $75MM for Scottie. And I think I would do 3x$25MM for a guy who shows no signs of decline at the plate.
I also like the front-loaded, player option after two idea posted above.
radnom.
Before making definitive statements on the length of the contract, lets see which suitors are actually out there. Not too many teams can afford Manny to begin with, so I expect the years that’ll be offered to be in the 3 or possibly 4 range. Forty year olds make ideal DH types, so i doubt any NL team would go to a 4th year. Its about the money or more accurately the annual salary. Plain and simple.
Slight correction: It’s about the average annual salary. But otherwise, you’re right on the money.
Alright think what you want. I’m just sayin’, there’s no way you pull an unprecedented move that results in you basically forcing a team to trade you just so you can get 1 extra year on your deal.
Sure, I would love him to come here for 3 years, but you are being foolishly optimistic if you think thats gunna happen.
This is a player who phones it in when he is unhappy.
This is a player who is unhappy when he lacks privacy and has to put up with a lot of media and fan scrutiny.
This is a player who would be a terrible fit for the Yankees.
I agree. Manny being Manny as a Yankee does not sound very appealing.
This is a player who phones it in when he is unhappy.
And while “phoning it in”, he’s still better than 98% of all other baseball players, ever. Including all of the players currently on this team.
This is a player who is unhappy when he lacks privacy and has to put up with a lot of media and fan scrutiny.
I’m sure that Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner are warm and genial to the press constantly. Unfortunately, neither of them can OPS one-thousand.
This is a player who would be a terrible fit for the Yankees.
Buster Olney would disagree with you, I’m sure of it.
I agree. Manny being Manny as a Yankee does not sound very appealing.
Winning baseball games must not sound appealing to you either.
“And while “phoning it in”, he’s still better than 98% of all other baseball players, ever. Including all of the players currently on this team.”
He also weakens the defense, because now guys like Matsui, Damon, and Posada need to find a spot on the field. And he’s already in his late 30’s, and you want to give him a 4-5 year contract? How stupid can you be? Have you lived under a rock the past 7 years in Yankeeland? Will people like you never learn?
“I’m sure that Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner are warm and genial to the press constantly. Unfortunately, neither of them can OPS one-thousand.”
Who cares about the press? Manny Ramirez angered his TEAMMATES in the Boston clubhouse. THAT, you should have a problem with. Look at the Red Sox…..they’re moving forward. And you’re proposing that the Yankees move backwards. Brilliant.
“Buster Olney would disagree with you, I’m sure of it.”
Buster Olney, to my knowledge, has never GM’ed a baseball team to a World Series. Nor does Buster Olney have to stand behind the opinions he shares regarding other peoples money.
“Winning baseball games must not sound appealing to you either.”
Right. Because the Yankees have a history of winning championships when they bring mercenaries in. Remember how many championships they won when they brought Gary Sheffield in? Those were strange years. The opposing teams didn’t even show up, they were so intimidated.
Sorry, but only thick-headed fans would advocate bringing in old players who are proven distractions.
Seriously, Chris. If you don’t can the disrespectful, contemptuous language, you won’t be allowed to comment here. This is the second time I’ve warned you. Stop mocking people; stop calling them thick-headed. This is a forum where we’re all entitled to our opinions, and everyone generally doles out the respect we all deserve. If can’t play by our fairly lenient rules, then we’ll ask you to stop.
Fair enough.
Just hard to believe anyone would want Manny Ramirez on their baseball team………except for the Dodgers, who are reeping the benefits of a greedy ballplayer acting like a great clubhouse guy so he can rob his next boss blind.
He also weakens the defense, because now guys like Matsui, Damon, and Posada need to find a spot on the field. And he’s already in his late 30’s, and you want to give him a 4-5 year contract?
Matsui and Damon are not long for the Yankees. They can easily be traded/benched/ignored for a year. Posada is the catcher for a year, and then even if he moves to DH and not 1B after that (assuming we have acquired another 1B somewhere, Texy or otherwise) and we’re forced to play Manny in left, I’m fine with that, his bat more than makes up for it. Certainly never stopped the Indians or Red Sox from winning 95 games with clockwork-like regularity.
Also, I never said I wanted to give him 4 or 5 years. Three is more like it. Read the rest of my posts on this page.
How stupid can you be? Have you lived under a rock the past 7 years in Yankeeland? Will people like you never learn?
The past 7 years in Yankeeland have taught us, primarily, that we shouldn’t draft low-ceiling guys, and that we shouldn’t trade for or sign quasi-stars who have never produced on the big stage before in the AL East and who don’t respond well to pressure. Acquiring Manny has nothing to do with either of those.
But you were probably instead driving at the hackneyed “we’ve got too many overpriced aging veteran no-defense players” shtick, which is noble but also not appropriate here. Yes, Manny is an overpriced aging veteran no-defense player. However, unlike all the other overpriced aging veteran no-defense players we’ve had over the past 7 years, he’s really, really, really good at hitting a baseball, and he can even do it in the crucible of the postseason. And his overpriced aging veteran no-defense-iness doesn’t scare me too much when a lot of the other overpriced aging veteran no-defense players we have are all about to retire or depart the team in the next 13 months. Apparently, I’m too stupid to look at context and juxtaposition when inappropriately shoehorning the “lessons” of the past into the actual realities of the present. I apologize.
Who cares about the press? Manny Ramirez angered his TEAMMATES in the Boston clubhouse. THAT, you should have a problem with.
And, even with all the hatred that Kevin Millar, David Ortiz, Josh Beckett, and Mike Timlin have for Manny Ramirez, they sure love polishing those shiny rings, don’t they?
Look at the Red Sox…..they’re moving forward. And you’re proposing that the Yankees move backwards. Brilliant.
Again, we don’t know that they’re moving forward. Won’t know that until the next few seasons play out. They could have very well cost themselves some World Series victories by swapping Manny for Bay.
Buster Olney, to my knowledge, has never GM’ed a baseball team to a World Series. Nor does Buster Olney have to stand behind the opinions he shares regarding other peoples money.
You obviously didn’t get the reference. Whatever. Ask Mike, I don’t feel like enlightening you anymore.
Right. Because the Yankees have a history of winning championships when they bring mercenaries in. Remember how many championships they won when they brought Gary Sheffield in? Those were strange years. The opposing teams didn’t even show up, they were so intimidated. Sorry, but only thick-headed fans would advocate bringing in old players who are proven distractions.
Babe Ruth, Roger Maris, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Sparky Lyle, David Cone, David Wells, Roger Clemens, Chuck Knoblauch, Darryl Strawberry, Chili Davis, and dozens of other Yankee “mercenaries” say hello. The fact that Gary Sheffield couldn’t win a World Series on a team relying on Jeff Weaver and Jaret Wright has what do do with Manny Ramirez, exactly?
Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK are you talking about? What’s the difference between a mercenary and any other free agent acquisition? What, Manny’s home runs count less because he’s not a great teammate? Manny’s .450 OBP is going to be a bigger distraction to the clubhouse than not having anybody who can get a two-out hit would be?
We had a serious offensive malaise this year, where basically none of our hitters produced to their potential, and there’s a playoff-tested wonder-bat who’s been OPS’ing north of 1.000 for a decade and shows no signs of slowing down sitting there on the market and you don’t even want to entertain the vaguest notion of bringing him in even though he’d fill one of our greatest needs and cost us nothing but money, and I’M the thickheaded one?
We scored 200 runs less than the year before and one of the 15 best offensive players in baseball history who’s hitting like he’s in his prime is available and you don’t want him because he’s kind of a weird jerk, and I’m the thickheaded one?
Seriously, dude, take a step back and reconsider this untenable position you’re taking.
My “untenable” position is this………..I don’t want Manny Ramirez on the team. There has to be another way to build a winner other than bringing over a 36 year old malcontent who happens to be the #1 reason our rival won their first WS in 86 years. And if the Yankees can’t find that other way, then perhaps they shouldn’t have brought back Brian Cashman.
It’s a move that smacks of desperation, and puts the Yankees in a position of becoming the laughingstocks of the sport if they don’t win a championship.
I mean honestly, don’t you feel even the slightest of differences between rooting for the YAnkees of the late 90’s, and rooting for a team who’s payroll is about double that of the next team?
“and rooting for a team who’s payroll is about double that of the next team?”
I understand your overall point, but this is pure hyperbole.
The Yankees are facing a tough position right now. There’s a pressure to win now, which prompts free agent acquisitions. They’re also trying to fix a major flaw of the past few year, the farm system, which cannot be done overnight. It takes years of careful drafting and development.
They’re doing the latter so they don’t have to do the former as much. However, it’s not like the Yankees are ever going into rebuilding mode. They’re not punting on 2009. As such, they have to address the deficiencies they had in 2008 and try to correct them. Since the offense dropped off from 2007, it stands to reason that they’d like to add a bat. If the best fit available is Manny Ramirez, well, maybe there is no other way.
My “untenable” position is this………..I don’t want Manny Ramirez on the team. There has to be another way to build a winner other than bringing over a 36 year old malcontent who happens to be the #1 reason our rival won their first WS in 86 years. And if the Yankees can’t find that other way, then perhaps they shouldn’t have brought back Brian Cashman.
Of course there are other ways. This just happens to be one of the easiest and smartest ways to do it. It costs us nothing more than a lot of money and a draft pick. And look, you’re all but admitting it yourself, there’s very few logical reasons to be against signing Manny Ramirez (there are some, sure, but they’re not super compelling), the only real reason to be against it is an emotional one, namely, that you don’t want to see an ex-Red Sox player who’s killed us over the years on the team. That’s your right, I guess… I just value my team winning more than I value buying this outmoded narrative being foisted on us that we’ve just absolutely got to hate everybody who ever put on a uniform of one of our rivals. You do that, and you shut the door against oodles of potentially great players who can help your ballclub win ballgames. That’s way more important to me.
As for Brian Cashman, his goal isn’t to win World Championships without using any former Red Sox players, it’s just to win World Championships. If he acquires Manny Ramirez, he’d be doing his job and doing it smartly, no matter what “way” you “want” him to assemble the team.
It’s a move that smacks of desperation, and puts the Yankees in a position of becoming the laughingstocks of the sport if they don’t win a championship.
Jeez, you sound like you write for the Post. All of these are tired, hackneyed cliched narratives of hypercritical Yankee haters. It smacks of desperation because you want it to smack of desperation, because you claim that every player acquisition of a player you don’t like for whatever flimsy reason is a “desperate” one. The Yankees will be the laughingstocks of the sport because people want them to be laughingstocks, because people won’t allow for anything less than unattainable perfection from Cashman, friends and foes alike. It’s all bullshit, the real world isn’t like that.
I mean honestly, don’t you feel even the slightest of differences between rooting for the YAnkees of the late 90’s, and rooting for a team who’s payroll is about double that of the next team?
Not at all. Because I’m not going to let some schmuck in Pittsburgh or Colorado tell me that I should enjoy my title any less simply because the team payroll was higher. And, FWIW, the Yankees team payroll during the title years was in the top 3 every year. It’s not like they were playing for charity back then. But, that’s a fact not often brought up, because years, later, nobody remembers team salaries (like, did you know the 1998 Baltimore Orioles lead the league in team payroll, with 72M?). They only remember that the Orioles didn’t win the World Series, the Yankees did.
Stop letting the petty gripes of small-minded pseudo-journalists and jealous small-marketers steal your joy. I’m proud of my team, even with all the Manny-Ramirez-like players we’ve had in our past (and we’ve had our share.) Adding him doesn’t undermine or change anything about Yankee “greatness”, past, present, or future. It could, however, help us win some more rings.
The Yankees are facing a tough position right now. There’s a pressure to win now, which prompts free agent acquisitions. They’re also trying to fix a major flaw of the past few year, the farm system, which cannot be done overnight. It takes years of careful drafting and development.
You’ve just hit on the top problem of the organization………PATIENCE. And that’s why the Red Sox are now close to winning their 3rd WS in 5 years, with a young and talented team heading into the future.
They lied in the weeds for years, holding onto their prospects, ignoring the temptations of big money trade bait. And now it’s all paying off for them.
Meanwhile, the YAnkees thought they were working circles around the Sox by bringing in players like Sheffield, Randy Johnson, Vazquez, Weaver, Wright, etc, etc.
The Red Sox realized long ago that FA signings cost a team top draft picks. The Yankees have not realized this yet. Nor have the fans……..they are still saying, “All Manny costs us is money!” Wrong!
“They’re doing the latter so they don’t have to do the former as much. However, it’s not like the Yankees are ever going into rebuilding mode.”
Well then, they can forget about any future dynasties. I mean heck, there’s a reason that dynasty was built while Steinbrenner was suspended.
“Stop letting the petty gripes of small-minded pseudo-journalists and jealous small-marketers steal your joy. I’m proud of my team, even with all the Manny-Ramirez-like players we’ve had in our past (and we’ve had our share.) Adding him doesn’t undermine or change anything about Yankee “greatness”, past, present, or future. It could, however, help us win some more rings”
Look, I appreciate your post, but I don’t want the guy on the Yankees. I don’t like him at all, and would rather not be in a position to have to root for him. What he did in Boston (faking injuries, refusing to enter a ballgame, striking out purposely against Rivera) was an absolute disgrace to his team, and to the entire game. I didn’t want Sheffield either for the same reasons.
And I can almost guarentee you that Brian Cashman will have little to no interest in him as well, so none of this will matter anyway.
It’s really a good thing they brought Cashman back, because other than him and perhaps Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees seem to have no interest in building a proper future for the organization outside of just snatching up any high-priced FA.
The people on this board seem to be following the building plan of a certain owner of the Yankees who used to clean horse shit in Tampa.
But here’s the problem, Chris: you’re looking at this too reflexively. Signing Manny isn’t the act of a desperate franchise, clinging to the misguided ways of the past unless you choose to paint it that way to fit the agenda you have. Manny’s one player; he’s not ten. Signing one player here or there doesn’t undermine or change our basic philosophy of getting younger and better in pitching or defensively, it’s just a strategic strike to add a premier bat that allows us to continue developing our players.
And please, stop with the nonsense that the Red Sox don’t sign free agents. They sign a TON of free agents. Practically all the plaudits you lavish on the Sox and all the criticisms you have for the Yankees are MSM-spun bullshit. Yes, the dynasty was built on a core of young talent brought up while George was suspended. What turned them from a good young team to a dominant, title-winning team was adding in quality veteran stars like Cone, Wells, Clemens, Knoblauch, El Duque, Justice, etc. etc.
Look, if the roles were reversed, and Manny had just whined his way off the Yankees and Theo Epstein was faced with our roster situation, you’d better believe he’d be calling Manny’s agent.
I get it, you don’t like Manny. All I’m saying is, non of your reasons for not wanting him on the team are LOGICAL, they’re just EMOTIONAL. I tend to value logic and sound baseball decisions over emotional attachments or aversions, you apparently don’t.
Sorry, Chris, but you have to suspend some normalcy for a guy the caliber of Manny Ramirez. We all hated it when he was with the Sox, but the plain truth of the matter is that there are zero hitters in the game that are consistently better than Manny. None.
Frankly, he is a once in a lifeime talent whose production is better than 50-50 IMO to be well above average when he is past 40.
I don’t have any doubt that he is very comparable to the talents of guys like Winfield, Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez, and even Eddie Murray, guys that were still putting up numbers at 40. No doubt whatsoever.
Yankee fans no longer have any pride or standards.
There was a time when players needed to earn the right to wear the pinstripes. Those days are long gone.
Mainly, this is because the Yankees have waaay too many fans who entered the picture in 1996, and have no true sense of the team’s history, where they were, what they accomplished, and where they need to be headed.
You can blame the organization for this……….I think it all started when they signed Daryll Strawberry. That pretty much spelled the end of looking for character ballplayers, and the beginning of any slimeball becoming a Yankee.
Screw that. If Julio Lugo produced to the levels of Derek Jeter, I’d want his wife-beating ass on the Yanks any day.
Jose Reyes started cheating on his wife eight weeks into their marriage. Knowing that, I’m sure every Yankee fan would still line up to have him be the successor to Jeter at Short Stop.
Sweet philosophy. May as well bring in wife beaters, murderers, rapists, drug dealers. Hey if they can play….
Yes, because murder and rape is comparable to misdemeanor assault (what Lugo was charged with).
You can blame the organization for this……….I think it all started when they signed Daryll Strawberry. That pretty much spelled the end of looking for character ballplayers, and the beginning of any slimeball becoming a Yankee.
yes, it started in 1996. Mickey Mantle had no character flaws. nor did Babe Ruth.
or Graig Nettles, who stuffed his bat with superballs.
or those 2 guys in the 70’s who swapped wives.
or Billy Martin.
i’m positive it all started with Darryl Strawberry. and Dwight Gooden. and Tim Raines.
You know what I mean, pal.
There were clubhouse cores back then. Now, there’s just a bunch of individual players who are one-man corporations. The Red Sox have the money to operate like that too, but they don’t. Because it aint good for the ballclub.
I sure hope it doesn’t take the Yankees a few more empty Octobers before they figure this out.
Interesting. Only individuals and one man corporations. When did they cut Derek Jeter and Mo Rivera ? I must have missed that news.
Beat me to it.
To be correct, it started with Steve Howe