Report: Angels not interested in CC

December 3, 2008 by Benjamin Kabak 100 Comments

We haven’t checked in on CC Sabathia in a few days, and it looks like there’s a new development. The Angels’ GM has told MLB.com that the team is still focused on Mark Teixeira and hasn’t been in on the CC Sabathia sweeps. This story is contrary to a report last week, and it’s beginning to make me wonder what Sabathia is waiting. Of course, I understand that he wants more offers to push up his eventual price, but right now, the Yanks are clearly the only team with an offer on the table. If this isn’t resolved by the Winter Meetings, the Yanks would certainly have reason to start pushing Sabathia’s agent for a response.

Meanwhile, as long as Sabathia remains unsigned, Richard Justice will continue to publish drivel alleging that Joe Torre would have wrapped up the Sabathia deal weeks ago. Give me a break. It’s about economics, not some call from the manager.

A.D.

He was at a Golden State game the other day…. could be offer from San Fran
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
  
  Or it could be that he’s from Vallejo, California, and went to see a game in his hometown.
  - A.D.
    
    Yeah, but that doesn’t get ppl going
  - DonnieBaseballHallofFame
    
    CC goes to quite a few Golden State games. This means NADA unless our side panics for no reason and ups the offer.
Alan

Clearly Joe Girardi is a bust. Bring back Torre and Stottlemeyer already, the experiment has failed. Hell, let’s drag Chili Davis out of retirement. He can shore up our offense.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  Two words: Chuck Knoblauch.
  - Alan
    
    He’s going to be our new defensive guru.
    - radnom
      
      No.
      
      Arod’s new therapist.
- Chris C.
  
  “Meanwhile, as long as Sabathia remains unsigned, Richard Justice will continue to publish drivel alleging that Joe Torre would have wrapped up the Sabathia deal weeks ago. Give me a break. It’s about economics, not some call from the manager.”
  
  Drivel? According to Mike Mussina, a phone call by Torre is the reason he chose the Yankees. They were NOT the best offer on the table. Torre was very instrumental in bringing alot of the Yankee free agents in. And many current Yankees re-upped without even testing the market (Jeter, O’Neill, etc) in large part due to the desire they had to stay with their manager. Sure, Jeter got a sweetheart deal, but O’Neill could have upped his contract had he tested the market. And Tino never wanted to leave, nor did David Cone, El Duque, Wells, or Stanton.
  Don’t underestimate the allure of a manager guys want to play for………or the detraction factor of a manager guys DON’T want to play for.
  
  I know it’s hip to think it’s ALL about money for every ballplayer, but that just isn’t true. If it was all about money for Sabathia, he wouldn’t have insisted on getting the baseball every 4 days in September, risking injury. And Peavy would be welcoming a deal to the Yankees, knowing full well he could hold them over the barrel for a pricey extension like Randy Johnson did a few years back.
  
  Blindly saying it’s “ALL about economics” is lazy thinking. Especially since Yankee players have admitted that Torre played a big role in them either coming here, or returning.
  - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
    
    And many current Yankees re-upped without even testing the market (Jeter, O’Neill, etc) in large part due to the desire they had to stay with their manager.
    
    Well, that, and the fact that we were giving out mammoth contracts back then (just as now) and they knew we’d pay them just as much, if not more than, anybody else.
    - Chris C.
      
      O’Neill could have made more had he gone to free agency.
      
      Torre had the the highest of respect from his players, and from other ballplayers around the league as well. That was not hard to notice.
      - http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        He could have? From whom?
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        O’Neill signed a 4 year, 19M contract in the winter of 1994-95.
        
        That was big money back then, especially for a 31 year old non-power-hitting outfielder, and on the heels of the strike, no less.
        
        Chris C.
        
        Right…….and he signed a 7 mill per year contract in 1999, which was a bargain for the Yankees, because he wanted to stay with the team and didn’t see any need to squeeze every last dollar out of the market..
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        He was also A) coming off two world series in the past three years, as part of the best team in baseball who had just won 114 regular season games and appeared poised to continue, and B) turning 36 years old that offseason.
        
        You can claim that he “took a smaller salary” because he loved playing for Torre and the guys, but again, a three year deal with an AAV of 7M during 1999, 2000, and 2001 for a corner outfielder’s age 36, 37, and 38 seasons is not some great financial giveback on O’Neill’s part. Maybe he can make, say, and extra half-million or million on the open market, but I doubt it. Dude was 36.
        
        O’Neill’s salaries:
        99-$6,250,000
        00-$6,500,000
        01-$7,250,000
        
        The top salaries in the American League:
        1999
        Belle-BAL $11,949,794
        Martinez-BOS $11,100,000
        Williams-NYY $9,857,143
        Cone-NYY $9,500,000
        Rodriguez-TEX $8,950,000
        
        2000
        Belle-BAL $12,868,670
        Williams-NYY $12,357,143
        Cone-NYY $12,000,000
        Martinez-BOS $11,500,000
        Vaughn-ANA $11,166,667
        
        2001
        Rodriguez-TEX $22,000,000
        Delgado-TOR $13,650,000
        Vaughn-ANA $13,166,667
        Ramirez-BOS $13,050,000
        Martinez-BOS $13,000,000
        
        That’s a rich ass salary for a non-power-hitting outfielder on the wrong side of 35. Paulie was probably in the top 25 highest paid players in the game those years, during the twilight of his career.
        
        Chris C.
        
        C’mon!! How many people make LESS when they go to free agency? Of course O’Neill stood to make more money if he tested the market. You’re gonna debate that?
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        If you sign an above-market deal with the wealthiest team in the game, odds are you won’t make more on the open market.
  - http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
    
    Serious question: Who was going to pay Mike Mussina more than the Yanks in 2001?
    - http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
      
      This article makes it pretty clear that Mussina’s other firm offer was from the Orioles for the same amount of years and less money. I’d hardly need a phone call from the Yanks’ manager to know that I’d get more money and a greater chance to win the World Series on the Yanks than I would the Orioles.
      - Chris C.
        
        “……Mussina’s agent, Arn Tellem negotiated by telephone Tuesday and Wednesday, then traveled from Los Angeles and concluded the deal Thursday morning. Tellem said he could have pushed the dollars higher by extending negotiations, but his client instructed him to conclude a deal with the Yankees, wanting to reciprocate the interest they showed him.
        
        “New York was the best fit for me,” Mussina said. “It came down to who I was most impressed with, and I was most impressed with the Yankees. Joe Torre called me not even a week after the World Series, before he went on vacation. To me, that was a pretty big gesture.”
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        Don’t be naïve. What’s he going to say to the press? “The Yankees offered me way more money, and now I’m rich. RICH I TELL YOU RICH!”
        
        Of course not. The Yankees offered him $10 million more than any other team and a better chance of winning.
        
        jsbrendog
        
        Don’t be naïve. What’s he going to say to the press? “The Yankees offered me way more money, and now I’m rich. RICH I TELL YOU RICH!”
        
        as he dove into his pool of gold sachajawea coins
        
        radnom
        
        “The Yankees offered me way more money, and now I’m rich. RICH I TELL YOU RICH!”
        
        hahaha I just pictured Mussina yelling that, and burst out laughing. Nicely done.
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        Mussina: “It’s not about the money. It’s about all the shit I can BUY with the money.”
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        “Joe Torre called me not even a week after the World Series, before he went on vacation. To me, that was a pretty big gesture… as were those huge sacks with dollar signs on them full of money that they drove up to my house in a dumptruck and dropped on my lawn…”
        
        Jack
        
        http://weblogs.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/blog/moneybags625.png
        
        Chris C.
        
        That’s your opinion.
        If you want to believe that Joe Torre’s conversation with Mike Mussina had ZERO impact despite what Mussina says, that’s fine.
        
        But it just seems to me that an aweful lot of Yankee players have gone out of their way to mention that Torre was a big reason that being a member of the NY Yankees was a very desirable job throughout the league.
        Torre brought a calm to players who had never lived or played ball in this frenzied market.
        
        Even after their championships in the 70’s, players around the league did not want to flock to NY like they did in the 90’s.
        Money is great, but Torre was also a big reason for that.
        
        The Yankees ALWAYS spend money, but didn’t always find a league full of players willing to take it.
        
        jt
        
        Did Torre bring a calm to Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown and Randy Johnson? I must have missed out on that…
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        If you want to believe that Joe Torre’s conversation with Mike Mussina had ZERO impact despite what Mussina says, that’s fine.
        
        I never said Torre had nothing to do with it. I’m just saying, the money probably had 95% to do with it and Torre had 5% to do with it.
        
        Did it help? Sure, probably. But not nearly as much as the money. But the point is question is this: Richard Justice seemed to be saying that the reason CC hasn’t signed with the Yankees yet is because Joe Girardi isn’t as good at “convincing” players to sign than Joe Torre was, and that’s silly. If Joe Torre were manager of the Yankees right now, I’ve got a feeling CC’s agent would still advise him to wait out the market and see if the Yanks up their offer.
        
        Oh, and FWIW, Mussina signed that deal on the LAST DAY OF NOVEMBER back in 2000. So, CC’s currently three days behind Mussina’s pace.
        
        It’s not like he said “Fuck listening to offers, Joe Torre called me personally, I’ll go to New York and NOWHERE ELSE!!!
        
        Chris C.
        
        “Did it help? Sure, probably. But not nearly as much as the money. But the point is question is this: Richard Justice seemed to be saying that the reason CC hasn’t signed with the Yankees yet is because Joe Girardi isn’t as good at “convincing” players to sign than Joe Torre was, and that’s silly.”
        
        The article may be a bit extreme, but I don’t think it’s silly at all to think that Torre is probably a better attraction and recruiter for free agents than Joe Girardi is.
        But no, I don’t think Sabathia would be here right now if Torre was still the manager.
        
        “It’s not like he said “Fuck listening to offers, Joe Torre called me personally, I’ll go to New York and NOWHERE ELSE!!!”
        
        The last day of November is pretty quick for a big time free agent. Especially in light of the fact that NONE of the big FA’s have signed anywhere yet this season. And that’s WITH tax ramifications coming in the new year. Mussina cetainly coulf have sat back and waited longer. He had nothing to lose, and more to gain..
    - DonnieBaseballHallofFame
      
      NOBODY.
      
      I think the whole Torre angle is also tired. I do think it could have helped but it is hard to really know if it really did because most people that came here came here for the largest contract.
      
      Moose always liked to talk alot and I think he felt betrayed by the O’s and the fact that their owner publicly said there is no way he would leave and he does not worry about it. Moose, Pettitte and a few others always talk Mr Sensitivity stuff but ALWAYS took the most money on the table (unless the report that the Sox offered Andy more money when he went to the Stros but I have heard that might be bunk)
      
      All in all Justice is a very good writer on most occasions, this time I think he may be a tad bit off.
      - Chris C.
        
        “I think the whole Torre angle is also tired. I do think it could have helped but it is hard to really know if it really did because most people that came here came here for the largest contract.”
        
        Look, I don’t care how much money you’ve got on the table, there’s a certain amount of salesmanship involved in landing big time players. There’s alot of baseball teams that have alot of money to spend on free agents, and not all of these players want to come to NY and face the spotlight and media scrutiny year in/year out.
        
        Now Mike Mussina had similar offers on the table from a few other teams, and the word on him was that he was a pretty private, reserved guy who wasn’t particularly high on playing in the NY market. There is no doubt in my mind that Joe Torre helped put his mind at ease regarding this market.
        
        Now, you can believe that Mussina is full of shit all you want, but I really do NOT believe that it was ALL ABOUT ECONOMICS with his signing.
        
        The day even one ballplayer says, “It wasn’t so much the money, as much as it was my desire to come hear and play for Joe Girardi”, let me know.
        
        DonnieBaseballHallofFame
        
        If Joe Girardi wins a rings and gets great media you will hear that. Joe Torre did a good job for a few years here but he also had some real cruddy games and series when it mattered the most. Now maybe that is just the law of averages or whatever but it was beyond time to move on in my mind.
        
        Torre still had an offer on the table that was better than any other manager other than himself had EVER had at that point so I really care not hearing about him and the glory days anymore. I think Girardi was the wrong guy for this job at this time but Torre was already gone. (See my message board name for who I think should have gotten the job)
        
        I hear what you are saying and agree with “there’s a certain amount of salesmanship involved in landing big time players. There’s alot of baseball teams that have alot of money to spend on free agents, and not all of these players want to come to NY and face the spotlight and media scrutiny year in/year out.”
        
        I do agree with that. But MLB baseball player rarely leave a dollar on the table. Very very RARELY. And nobody on this team the last ten years can make a case for ever being underpaid as many Red Sox can (per the market of course not the real world)
    - Phil McCracken
      
      I believe Mussina talked about that with Francesa the other day and said that he told his agent to stop fielding offers from other teams even if they were higher than the Yankees. The Orioles were in or above the range of the Yankee offer.
  - A.D.
    
    While I’m not actually looking to dismiss Torre, but that’s what someone would say no one is going to say: “I signed with the Yankees for the money, that’s it” They’re going to cite “honor of the pinstripes”, “manager x”, “chance to win a title” or something similar.
    
    I’m sure there are guys that people do & don’t want to play for, and maybe Girardi isn’t a guy that people right now want to come play for, but I doubt he’s someone that guys don’t want to play for.
    - Chris C.
      
      “While I’m not actually looking to dismiss Torre, but that’s what someone would say no one is going to say: “I signed with the Yankees for the money, that’s it” They’re going to cite “honor of the pinstripes”, “manager x”, “chance to win a title” or something similar.”
      
      You really are trashing the lure of playing for the Yankees. And that’s a shame, because while the Yankees have always spent lots of money, there were times over the past 30 years where people did NOT want to play here, no matter how much money they flashed.
      If you don’t believe that guys like Gene Michael and Joe Torre changed the culture of the team to an organization that players were lining up to get offers from, then you’re shortchanging the work these guys did in the early 90’s to make this a desirable organization.
      
      They were a joke before Steinbrenner got suspended. And they didn’t just suddently get their results and reputation turned around because they came up with the novel idea of spending money on free agents.
      
      You don’t have to think Joe Torre was the sun, moon, and stars. But he deserves way more respect for his role than what he’s being given. Maybe not as much as Justice is giving him, but somewhere in between.
  - steve (different one)
    
    They were NOT the best offer on the table.
    
    i am 99% sure this isn’t true.
    
    also, from all reports players LOVE playing for Eric Wedge. yet Sabathia turned down a 4 year $80M extension to stay in Cleveland.
    
    you may have a point about Torre, b/c i really have no idea, but let’s not ascribe the actions of Jeter/Tino/etc. to CC Sabathia.
    
    we already know he is willing to test the market, despite all evidence that he loved playing in Cleveland.
Marsha

The Yankees should give CC a deadline or take their offer off the table. Why should he be allowed to shop the Yankee offer all over the league (not that many teams could meet or raise it)? The Yankees offered him a whopping amount weeks ago and he’s barely responded. Maybe the Yankees should look to their second choice.
- Yank Crank 20
  
  You can’t throw a deadline on a guy that the entire league knows the Yankees are desperate for. There’s no other pitcher on the market like CC. Right now, the Yanks are sitting pretty with the highest offer (by far) and waiting for his reaction patiently. Why force your hand and ruin it?
  - A.D.
    
    Especially the winter meetings haven’t happened yet… if it was January, then maybe they can try and force some action
  - Chris C.
    
    “You can’t throw a deadline on a guy that the entire league knows the Yankees are desperate for.”
    
    ESPECIALLY a year after that line in the sand they drew for AROD.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  Why should he be allowed to shop the Yankee offer all over the league (not that many teams could meet or raise it)?
  
  Umm, because he’s a free agent?
- Chris C.
  
  “The Yankees should give CC a deadline or take their offer off the table. Why should he be allowed to shop the Yankee offer all over the league (not that many teams could meet or raise it)?”
  
  I explained this yesterday…..the Yankees have taken to groveling and outbidding themselves over the past few years. First it was Giambi. Then Sheffield. Then Randy Johnson. Last year it was AROD who made them look silly. Now it will be Sabathia.
  
  The mentality used to be “we’d love to have this guy, but if he doesn’t want to come, we’ll find someone else who wants a championship with us!”
  Now it’s “we need this guy, or we can’t win!”
  
  I mean surely, any Yankee fans with their pulse on the operations over the past few years must surely feel this desperation from the front office. It’s very different from the calm and cool way they used to go about their business.
  - Chris C.
    
    Let me just add though that it is Sabathia’s RIGHT to sit on an offer, because he is not beholden to anyone. And he’s hardly “shopping it” being that it’s already been made public by the Yankees.
    
    It’s not like he’s showing up somewhere, and a GM is asking, “what have the Yankees offered?”
    
    But it’s this undertone among the fanbase, and even to some degree the organization, that the Yankees are do or die regarding him that bothers me. It smacks of desperation.
  - Chris
    
    Except the CC situation completely contradicts your point. In the past, they have bid against themselves and overpaid for people. So far with Sabathia, they have shown no indication of doing that.
    - Chris C.
      
      “Except the CC situation completely contradicts your point. In the past, they have bid against themselves and overpaid for people. So far with Sabathia, they have shown no indication of doing that.”
      
      That’s because Sabathia has no other offers yet.
      So if nobody tops the 6 yr/140 offer, and the Yankees end up signing him for 6 yrs/150, they will have outbid themselves.
      And this has a real possibility of happening.
r.w.g.

He wants to play for the Giants. It’s not even a secret, there’s nothing to figure out. That’s the team he rooted for coming up and all things being equal he’d like to play there. All things aren’t equal though and that’s why CC hasn’t explicitly said where he will or won’t play and that’s why the Yankees have a good chance to sign him.
doogan

Cashman will not let this drag out past the winter meeting. Hank will be running his mouth soon enough, reminding the media the offer has a deadline. They need him to decide to move on with the rest of their offseason plans, which is pitching, pitching, pitching.

Who thinks we just got a lot closer to trading for Peavy now that Vasquez was traded to the Braves? Possibly the swisher aquisition was planned to possibly be part of the package for Peavy. I know they have Adrian Gonzalez, but who knows.
- Yank Crank 20
  
  i’ll disagree with you. It’s not an issue of Cashman not letting the CC offer extend past the winter meetings. It’s not like we can pass on CC and move on to Burnett or Lowe if CC hasn’t signed yet….the market will be set and react to how much CC signs for. The Yankees will be in on CC and let him take his time up until the day he makes a decision because there is no market until CC signs his name on a contract.
  
  As for Peavy, it’s the exact situation the Yankees wouldn’t engage in last year for Santana, a proven pitcher with success in the AL. Why would you give up top prospects then have to give away a large chunk of money for a guy who has past arm issues and has spent his career in the extremely weak NL West? If they didn’t do it for Santana, why would they for Peavy?
  - radnom
    
    This isn’t exactly the Santana situation and i’ll tell you why.
    1. Santana needed a record breaking deal to be signed in addition to the trade…Peavy is not as expensive.
    2.Santana had more competition and was garnering serious ML-ready talent back, the Twins were still looking to compete. The Padres are making a salary dump and you can probably get Peavy for less overall proven talent. Speculation is Hughes would not have to be included in the deal. You don’t think the Yankees would have bit on Santana if Hughes wasn’t involved last offseason? I think they would have.
    
    I don’t see it happening though.
    - Ed
      
      Peavy’s current contract is not as expensive. He’s made it clear that he’d only go somewhere he’s not thrilled with (say, an AL team) if his contract was renegotiated at market rate (Santana / CC level).
      
      Peavy would be cheap for a team like the Braves or Cubs who he wants to play for. He’s not going to be cheap for the Yankees.
      - radnom
        
        Actually its never been too explicit as to what exactly it would take to get him to an AL team. Is it picking up the (expensive) option? Or is it renegotiating the entire contract as you said? No one knows for sure.
        
        But either way, point two remains.
        
        steve (different one)
        
        Peavy can demand that the Yankees pick up his option.
        
        that’s about the extent of what he can do.
        
        the Yankees are NOT going to renegotiate his contract b/c NO ONE will do that.
        
        he is going to have to play for the contract he signed. but he can use his leverage to guarantee the option year.
        
        that’s about the extent of his leverage in this situation.
        
        Chris
        
        He could also request an extension beyond that option year. I doubt the Yankees would do it, but it’s the type of thing that has been done in the past.
        
        Ed
        
        Peavy can certainly demand more than just having the option picked up. At the end of the day, Peavy can only get traded if he agrees to it. He’s made it very clear that his preference is to stay in San Diego, so he’s not going to waive that no trade clause if he’s not happy with what he gets in return.
        
        Two different examples of things that have happened to get players to waive no trade clauses:
        
        When Johan was traded to the Mets, he was under contract for 2008 but had the Mets renegotiate that. He got $19m this year instead of the $13.25 he was suppose to get from the Twins contract.
        
        When Abreu was traded to the Yankees, he made the Phillies pay him $1.5 million to waive his no trade clause.
        
        Kay Sturns
        
        Speculating on JP, i’m hoping the price in prospects is comparable to what the mets had to give up for Johan (e.g. ok prospects who’s respective values later nosedived lol, thinking IPK:still think he is a great pitcher who had a bad debut yr, Gardy/mCab, Romine: need to give to get, 4th player would get interesting based on Tower’ desperation/mood; I know GMs can’t make panic moves, but i hear trading peavy is pretty high on his to do list: anyone from Melancon/McAllister/Suttle to Alby/JJones/R.Pena)
        
        and hope the price in contract is nothing more than picking up the option and giving him either a big bonus or a few millions on top of his extremely cheap years.
        
        Speculation is Awesome!!!
    - Yank Crank 20
      
      For Peavy to waive his no trade clause, he will expect the Yankees to renegotiate his deal and make him a very highly-paid pitcher. Thus, adding a ton of money with prospects is too much…just like Santana. But you’re right when you say Peavy won’t want a record deal and the Padres aren’t looking to compete right away.
      - radnom
        
        just like Santana. But you’re right when you say Peavy won’t want a record deal and the Padres aren’t looking to compete right away.
        
        Yes just like Santana…but as you are agreeing with, cheaper and for less proven talent…….that was my point.
        
        Different situation, you can’t rule out this one because of last year.
      - Chris C.
        
        “For Peavy to waive his no trade clause, he will expect the Yankees to renegotiate his deal and make him a very highly-paid pitcher.”
        
        We went down that road already with Randy Johnson.
        And the guy still showed no heart or desire to be here even AFTER the Yankees ponied up. So forget it. I’ll never be in favor of buying someone’s love.
        
        If they want to wear the pinstripes, they can have the world for all I care. If not, get lost.
        
        radnom
        
        So what then….polygraph every free agent and only let them sign if they really like the Yankees?
        
        Chris C.
        
        No…….staying away from guys who publically declare they don’t want to play in NY is a pretty good start.
        
        http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
        
        I know I sound like a broken record but can you actually point to an instance where any of these players themselves have “publicly declared” they don’t want to be in New York?
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        And, saying they prefer to play somewhere else is not the same as saying the don’t want to play in New York.
        
        I prefer to live in New York, but if a good job opportunity was offered to me in Los Angeles, I’d consider it. The fact that I prefer NYC doesn’t mean I’m uncomfortable or unwilling or scared or averse to relocating to LA.
        
        DonnieBaseballHallofFame
        
        “I know I sound like a broken record but can you actually point to an instance where any of these players themselves have “publicly declared” they don’t want to be in New York?”
        
        I think Kenny Rogers did after the Yanks did not want him anymore. Sometimes after he was on the the World Series parade float for no other reason than being on the roster.
        
        Kenny Rogers was Jeff Weaver that happened to get a ring.
        
        http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
        
        Kenny Rogers was Jeff Weaver that happened to get a ring.
        
        Wrong as usual. Kenny Rogers has actually been an effective pitcher for most of his career, with moments of brilliance (albeit not the two years he spent here). Jeff Weaver has not.
        
        I’d give you the stats, but you’d ignore them anyway.
        
        Kay Sturns
        
        “No…….staying away from guys who publically declare they don’t want to play in NY is a pretty good start.”
        
        so you think he supposedly has NYY on his list as a courtesy leverage maker to Towers?
        
        Ed
        
        “Wrong as usual. Kenny Rogers has actually been an effective pitcher for most of his career, with moments of brilliance (albeit not the two years he spent here). Jeff Weaver has not.”
        
        I think he was just comparing Rogers’ time as a Yankee to Weaver’s time as Yankee. Both were ineffective while on the team, both got booted from the rotation at some point, both were disliked by both fans and management when they left, etc.
        
        DonnieBaseballHallofFame
        
        Thank you Ed. Seriously this guy with the long name is a total tool. Keep looking for anything I say that you can somehow turn it into something else.
        
        IT WAS A LIGHTHEARTED JOKE GET A CLUE!
        
        “I looked up his stats and have a quad core chip to boost my many searches on google while I play online role playing games with my pals!”
        
        I have no need to look up stats on Weavah or Rogers. Their time here or elsewhere. They both sucked here BIG TIME. I would guess an ERA around 5 or so and close to a .500 record on big time teams and both of them pitched on teams we took to the WS. But waste some time and look online or in a book to tell me their ASDKD or their SSPED or whatever the new ACRNM is. They both SUCKED BIG TIME FOR THE YANKS. That was my point.
  - Chris C.
    
    “As for Peavy, it’s the exact situation the Yankees wouldn’t engage in last year for Santana, a proven pitcher with success in the AL.”
    
    Right…….and now the Yankees are supposed to give up a similar package for a guy from the NL that doesn’t even want to play here?
    It aint happening.
    - steve (different one)
      
      you’re right, it ain’t happening.
      
      but what if the package ISN’T similar?
      
      the way i see it, the Padres have a player they want to trade and no one to trade him to.
      
      i’m not saying he will come to NY, it has already been reported that he doesn’t want to (for what that is worth), but….if you take Hughes out of the equation, then the comparison to the Santana situation falls apart.
      
      it would not be the same scenario.
- Chris C.
  
  “You can’t throw a deadline on a guy that the entire league knows the Yankees are desperate for.”
  
  Oh? And what’s he gonna do? He can’t FORCE people to sign with the Yankees. And he certainly can’t set any deadlines…….the Yankees have lost that power to be taken seriously.
radnom

The Yankees have millions to throw at free agents this winter, but so far no player has jumped at the money. There’s a sense among some agents that a lot of players don’t want to play for the Yankees.

Yeah, becuase ANY OTHER team has signed ANYONE of significance yet, right?
*rolls eyes*

Oh, and speaking of dummies in the media….this man gets a BWAA hall of fame vote in only two short years….hooray…..

Nobody cared about on-base percentage in the 70s and 80s. Rice’s job was to swing for the fences. But now we know OBP matters. But Jim Rice can’t get in the DeLorean and take more pitches because it would make the Baseball Prospectus guys respect him more.

Now, to be fair, I wasn’t around in the 70’s, or most of the 80’s…but I’m still pretty confident that people still “cared” about getting on base back then….geeze…
- steve (different one)
  
  yeah, this is a pretty stupid point. Tim Raines seemed to understand that getting on base was important.
  - Ed
    
    Tim Raines was a leadoff hitter. People always expected leadoff guys to make getting on base their top priority. It’s much more recent that people valued walks from the middle of the lineup guys.
    - steve (different one)
      
      no, it really isn’t.
      
      Earl Weaver was spouting the importance of OBP 25 years ago.
      - steve (different one)
        
        1984 – Earl Weaver on Strategy: Ken Singleton usually has one of the best on-base percentages in the game, and that’s why I had him hit third.
        
        yes, i stole this from BTF.
      - Chris C.
        
        ….and the three run homer.
- radnom
  
  Whoops…..I forgot to attribute that Jim Rice quote
  
  It was from Pete Abraham
  not Richard Justice.
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  Now, to be fair, I wasn’t around in the 70’s, or most of the 80’s…but I’m still pretty confident that people still “cared” about getting on base back then….geeze…
  
  True story: Every time Ken Singleton would take a walk instead of swinging for the fences, Earl Weaver would scream at him from the dugout “WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GETTING ON BASE FOR, SISSY BOY, WE’RE TRYING TO WIN THE BALLGAME!!!!!”
Brett

Wow I use to respect Richard Justice, after seeing him on PTI all the time i thought he knew his stuff, but clearly I was mistaken, I lost all respect for him after that article.
- MJ
  
  Why would someone being on PTI make them respectable? I don’t have any issue with Wilbon or Kornheiser — heck, I think they’re entertaining and have a good show — but they’re journalists and they don’t give someone any air of credibility just by having them talk for five good minutes…
  
  Justice needs to fill space, just like everyone else.
- DonnieBaseballHallofFame
  
  This is an over reaction on your part Brett. Justice is a good dude who usually is on point. The article on a whole is not terrible anyway even though I do disagree with the headline.
Jack

Heh, Dick Justice.
Reggie C.

Ben,

Good luck on your finals!
Pedro(from Brazil)

According to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News, the Braves is preparing a offer to sign Burnett for 5 years… i think in the end we’ll have to see the Peavy situation with more care and try the make a good package to bring he to us.
My ideal rotation:
1- CC
2- Wang
3- Peavy
4- Andy (for one year only)
5- Joba ( and Hughes on the days that Joba will be skip)
Pedro(from Brazil)

Hey , tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones !!!
I forgot to thank the portuguese words yesterday!!! Nice man!
- http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
  
  I give because I love.
  - Eric
    
    I eat ’cause I’m unhappy. I’m unhappy because I eat.
    
    Call me crazy, but I really don’t want Peavy. At all. I know he’s great and all but I’m weary of his injury history and the fact that he’d be entering an extreme hitter’s park and hitter’s division. Obviously, though, that stuff can be overblown and I’m pretty sure his home/road splits are relatively equal.
    
    I just don’t want to give up prospects for him. Austin Jackson would probably be in the deal and while I don’t think he’ll have an impact now, he’s one of the only even-close-to-ML-ready position prospects the Yankees have. I’d like to keep him, especially considering the possibly tenuous outfield situation after 2009. And though Towers has said the deal could be done without Hughes, I don’t necessarily believe that. I feel that if the Yankees were ready to make a move for Peavy, it’d be out of desperation and the Padres would exploit that and ask for Hughes.
    - http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/CRsmithT1.jpg tommiesmithjohncarlos a/k/a Mr. Snarky Irrelevant Non Sequitur Jones
      
      I eat ’cause I’m unhappy. I’m unhappy because I eat.
      
      http://store.theonion.com/images/get/280
mustang

” This story is contrary to a report last week, and it’s beginning to make me wonder what Sabathia is waiting.’

He wants to play in the west and is looking for some team in the west to come close to Yankees money.
He wants to play in the NL.
Because the ONLY reason he will play for Yankees is because of the money.

If he hasn’t made this abundantly clear by now then people aren’t paying attention.
- mustang
  
  With the AJ Burnett situation looking like it’s moving forward with the Braves I hope the Yankees don’t end up the last ones at the dance without a girl.
  - DonnieBaseballHallofFame
    
    I would rather be “without a girl” than get AJ for five years, or Lowe for 4, 3 or 2 years.
    - mustang
      
      Ok would you like too see the back end of the “Big Three” in April again, but I do get your point.
      - DonnieBaseballHallofFame
        
        Yes and no. Here is the thing what is going to win us some WS rings? Getting an old Lowe for 4 years? Or how bout a guy who is hurt all the time for 5 years? NO THANK YOU.
        
        If we have money to spend, spend it on the best guy CC, and get as many bargin bin guys we can on one year deals. Next year repeat the process. We still give our team a chance to win that way but if we do not win THIS year at least we do not further handicap next year and the year after.
        
        This team just got out from under a few HISTORICLY HORRIBLE contracts, let us not get more of them on purpose.
        
        Worst case this year if we get CC and / or Manny this year we give ourselves a shot at winning big time if we do not we are in great shape next year with some other old timers getting off the books in Damon and Matsui.
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Diane-Yankees Beat

Yankees fans on our site have voted a resounding NO toSabathia coming here, hw is an over weight, plays when he wants to player. With Wang and Joba returning to the starting rotation, the Yankees need one more Derrick Lowe type pitcher to make it back to the Series.
- http://www.riveraveblues.com Ben K.
  
  It seems clear that the Yankee fans on your site have no idea how to put together a winning team.
mustang

There are several Yankees sites confirming their fans dislike for Sabathia, personally, I think he should stay with Milwaukee, great fans, young team, and they need two starters, as their pitchers #3-5 are pretty bad.
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