Open Thread: Foobaww

by 62 Comments

Yanks hit with $13.9M luxury tax bill
Report: Yankees considered pursuit of Beltran
(Photo via Iowa State Athletics on Twitter)

There’s no baseball to be played in Yankee Stadium these days, but there will be college football. The 2011 Pinstripe Bowl will be played one week from today, featuring Rutgers and Iowa State. I know we’ve got plenty of Rutgers alum around here … are any of you planning on going? I heard the previous games at the Stadium were a blast, but college football isn’t my thing and I can’t imagine shelling out big bucks to watch two schools I didn’t attend play a bowl game.

Anyway, here is tonight’s open thread. All three hockey locals are in action tonight, but if you’re like me, I suspect you’ll spend most of the night trying to improve your 20 gift-wrapping tool (on the 20-80 scouting scale, of course). You folks know what to do, so have at it. Anything goes.

Yanks hit with $13.9M luxury tax bill
Report: Yankees considered pursuit of Beltran
  • Steve (different one)

    Yanks still in on Kuroda according to mlbtr’s….

  • https://twitter.com/richardiurilli Richard Iurilli

    I’d be interested to hear if anyone’s going to the Pinstripe Bowl. I’m a current Rutgers student and, though I don’t follow the football team closely, I figure the game next week would be a nice chance to get back to Yankee Stadium before April. Oh, and I got a free ticket.

    • Phife Dawg

      The attendance for last year’s game between Kansas State and Syracuse was 38,274 and this was just after a snow storm I believe:

      http://espn.go.com/ncf/boxscore?gameId=303640183

      Gotta think a decent amount of Rutgers fans will be at the game and Iowa State fans travel pretty well.

    • Ken

      Of course I’m going! The college bowl experience is unique. The atmosphere is different than that of an on campus game. You’ll feel closer to other Rutgers fans attending by being separated from campus and New Brunswick. I watched Rutgers win all 4 of their bowl games. These were experiences I remember fondly. Who knows, you may get to witness bowl win number five (and add another memory for when you go back to Yankee Stadium regardless). Go Knights!

  • LarryM.,Fl.

    Gift cards if your lucky the store wraps them for you. If not get a holiday card throw the gift card in the card for most on my gift list.My special item gifts I’ll pay to have them wrap. The price of doing business on Christmas.

    Just lazy or realize I can’t wrap after all these years, Oh well!

    • Pat D

      I like some of the little gift card bags they make now. Got my sister one that’s the face of the Grinch.

      She deserves it.

  • Bil

    What a shame. Shouldnt be anything but baseball at Yankee stadium

  • Grit for Brains

    I’d like to use this as an opportunity to say I really like Nick Swisher. .267/.368/.486 in three years as a Yankee with an avg of 27 hr’s each year. OBP and Power, sign me up.

    • http://twitter.com/#!/czm93 Craig

      This. Him> the unproven Cespedes, anyday of the week. I’d like to see him back in the #2 spot this year.

      Jeter
      Swisher
      Cano
      Granderson
      Tex
      A-Rod
      Montero
      Martin
      Gardner

      • CMP

        I don’t know how anyone who saw that video can such such crazy things!

        • Plank

          Swisher wouldn’t have been able to jump on those boxes.

          • IVoted4Kodos

            He could have if you gave him a ladder.

          • Jimmy

            Especially in the playoffs.

      • kevin

        i would go vs rhp and for lhp

        gardner jeter
        granderson granderson
        a-rod tex
        cano cano
        tex a-rod
        swisher swish
        jeter montero
        montero martin
        martin gardner

        • Thomas Cassidy

          That seems a lot off.

          RHP

          Jeter
          Granderson
          Cano
          A-Rod
          Tex
          Montero
          Swisher
          Martin
          Gardner

          LHP

          Jeter
          Granderson
          Cano
          A-Rod
          Tex
          Montero
          Martin
          Gardner

          I have the same exact line up. Whoops!

          • kevin

            no way why would you have alex 4th vs lhp. do you look at stats. and cano should be 4th in both lineups.and its ok to move jeter down vs rhp this is 2012 not 2002

            • kevin

              and i love jesus as much as anyone but to have him in front of swish is crazy he might not have hit in the playoffs YET but the man gets on base and he will have a higher obp than jesus this year.

    • Plank

      Swisher will be 4 years older than when he put up those numbers. You aren’t signing up for that production, you would be signing up for the decline from that production. Do you still want to?

      The answer: Maybe.

      • Dave203

        I’ll take a year of Swisher and reeval after 2012 over YC at some grossly overpriced 5 yr contract every day of the week. As much as you can argue a decline in Swisher’s stats, anyone else could argue YC putting up peanuts against ML pitching. ML pitchers are FAR superior to the pitchers in the Cuban league. Not saying YC will be chump, but it easily as likely as your “projected” decline in Swisher at the whopping age of 31.

        • Plank

          If Swisher plays well again, I’d probably re-sign him. If he shows any signs of decline, I’d want to go hard after BJ Upton. Strategy-wise, if they are serious about the 189 in 2014, they could save money by making it easier to let Granderson go with Upton on the roster. (Yes, because they are both black, not because they are CF)

          • Dave203

            In your scenario, we are signing Upton instead of Swisher and then letting Grandy go? That leaves us 1 OF short. Who is making up for that gap in hitting — BJ Upton? Please tell me you’re kidding. Upton barely touches Swisher’s numbers, let alone Granderson. Upton has batted under 245 for the past 3 seasons and just barely broke the 20 HR barrier for the FIRST time since 2007 last year. I’m sure it would save us money, but only because we are buying an inferior player — not because we are getting any sort of value.

            • Plank

              I think Upton has a good chance of outperforming Swisher on their next contracts because of their ages. I also think he has a good chance of outperforming Granderson on his next contract over the length of it based on age. Ideally I’d like to see them sign Upton AND keep Granderson.

              • Plank

                Re the losing Granderson thing, I think the Yankees are going to have to let either Cano or Granderson walk if they stay under the threshold. That’s what I was referring to when I said it would make letting him walk easier. I would rather they keep both, but the Steinbrenners have different plans and I would rather keep Cano.

                • Dave203

                  I wouldn’t make that assumption yet either. With AJ/Mo/Soriano/Jeter(?) coming off the books, we have room to sign him back. That’s close to $60 million coming off the books for 2014. Not to mention, AROD salary will be down to $25 mil in 2014. I think we have a little more room that you think.

                  • Plank

                    The only way I can see it being possible is if they are able to develop 4 acceptable starting pitchers from in house (including Nova.) I’d say it’s a long shot. Jeter isn’t going anywhere in 2014. If they need even one FA pitcher at market rate, they’ll have to choose between letting Cano walk, letting Granderson walk, or going over the soft cap.

                    • Dave203

                      If Jeter’s numbers drop for whatever the reason, they could easily not pick up his 2014 option. He’ll turn 40 that season. Especially it is make a difference between over or under the 189 mark. I wouldn’t say anything is off the table.

                      I still think it can be done if we keep our roster void of $10+ million players at SP3-5, bullpen, C/DH/SS/RF/LF. We may have to downgrade a bit in certain positions to get there initially until someone like Mason Williams gets ML ready, but it could still be a potent lineup/rotation.

                    • forensic

                      Jeter’s option is a player option, not a team option. Good luck getting him not to pick it up…

                    • Plank

                      I still think it can be done if we keep our roster void of $10+ million players at SP3-5, bullpen, C/DH/SS/RF/LF.

                      We’re saying the same thing, I think. I said it’s possible but it’s a long shot. Or do you think the scenario you have there is likely?

                  • Need Pitching

                    Arod’s salary going down doesn’t really make a difference if the goal is to get under the luxury tax cap. Luxury tax payroll is determined by AAV, so Arod will still count for 27.5M towards the luxury tax cap, as he does now. And he could count for 33.5M against the cap if he reaches one of his HR bonus milestones that season(714 is conceivably within reach for 2014).

              • Dave203

                Why, after three terrible seasons in a row, do you believe Upton will put up better numbers than Swisher? I understand the age difference, but Swisher is in his prime and is doing fine. Upton, at age 27, is playing terrible. Based on what are your predicting this miraculous turnaround for Upton? The last time he was good was in 2007 – 4 full seasons ago.

                • Plank

                  Are we talking about the same player? BJ Upton has had 5 full seasons. He’s had one bad year and 4 solid ones. Next year will be his age 27 season.

                  http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/u/uptonbj01.shtml

                  • Dave203

                    Perhaps your view of a solid year is different than mine. Perhaps you are looking solely at his WAR. His WAR goes up 3 pts for an extra 10R, 7HR, and 7RBI from 2008 to 2009? I can’t see how 2009 was so much better than 2008 — the both look average to me. His SB totals are what drive up his WAR. That is exactly why I don’t look just at one stat. Comparing someone to Grandy/Swisher, I don’t consider hitting under 245 with an OBP that dropped from 380s to 320’s, who can’t seem to hit more than 20HRs to be solid numbers in this discussion. We would be taking a significant hit offensively turning in either one, Swisher or Granderson, let alone both.

                    • Plank

                      His WAR goes up 3 pts for an extra 10R, 7HR, and 7RBI from 2008 to 2009? I can’t see how 2009 was so much better than 2008

                      Those aren’t accurate numbers. I’m not making a joke or insult, I think you’re looking at another player. 2009 was his bad year, the difference in R isn’t 10, the difference in HR isn’t 7, and the difference in RBI isn’t 7.

                      I looked at his brother to see if maybe you were confusing them, but that doesn’t apply to him either. What website are you using to look at his numbers?

                    • Plank

                      Ah, I see, you’re talking about from 2009 to 2010.

                      League average production dropped a lot in that year. So even if he had the same batting line those two years, his performance would have improved from one year to the next compared to the league.

                      All of this is ignoring that the next contract they sign will capture Upton’s peak years (which in general he hasn’t even reached yet) vs. Swisher’s decline years. Swisher was slightly better the past few years, I doubt he will be going forward.

                      Why are you discounting the value Upton provides with his speed? He won’t lose his speed during the length of his next contract unless he signs 7-8 years or something crazy. He does provide value with his speed, but it’s still value.

                      Perhaps you are looking solely at his WAR.

                      Believe me, I’m not the biggest WAR fan. Not because I don’t think it’s useful, but because people rely on it way too easily and put way too much faith in what can only be described as a blunt tool.

                  • Guns of Navarone

                    Yeah, 4 solid seasons? What player are you talking about?

                    I can’t see why anyone would want any part of Upton. His performance on the field isn’t anywhere good enough to overshadow his attitude and makeup issues. I don’t normally put much stock into that kind of stuff, but I’ve seen him scream at Longo in the dugout, I’ve seen him benched, and I’ve seen him dog it WAY too many times out on the field.

                    • Plank

                      I heard he has the audacity to sleep with white women, too.

  • Gonzo

    Yanks’ front office torn Centipedes! Yanks and Sox after Kuroda! Carl Crawford “interest” or real interest?

    • forensic

      Hopefully it’s Crawford-interest. Though I’m in between on Cespedes…

  • CT Yankee

    Speaking of Cespedes, I read he’s gonna take up residence in the Dominican Republic. Chapman went to Andora and got his citizenship in a snap. Anybody with a legal mind know how long it takes to get citizenship in the Dominican? Anaylists are saying he won’t be a free agent until sometime in january now.

    • mbonzo

      What we’re talking about, in regards to Cespedes, is not just a usual application for residency.

      Typically you need to hand over information like birth certificates or passports, but because he’s from Cuba, none of that exists. In fact he’s probably earning citizenship as a political exile.

      I suspect this process takes a while in the Dominican Republic because of the number of Haitians that seek Right of Asylum in the DR. (the process of becoming a citizen after exile)

    • Gonzo

      If I remember correctly, Chapman was able to defect with his passport and other docs. That made things much easier for Chapman.

    • Dave203

      Just believe there is money exchanged and it happens. I doubt significantly any deal is done with the Dominican government without money being exchanged. Once they come up with the price, he’ll be a resident.

  • Jamey

    “a blast” might be a stretch, I was at the Cuse game last year & it wasn’t exactly a thrilling atmosphere. Some of our disappointment though in all fairness was due to fact that we paid good money to get into the game only to get there that day & be surrounded by thousands of people who were given free tickets because the game sold terribly. I know they want it to be this all purpose place, but it is definitely just not designed to watch football comfortably, terrible line vantages all around. Hockey would at least have the buzz around it, NYC just isn’t a big college football town even with schools like Rutgers & Syracuse involved. It might have something as well to do with the fact that it is just one of the 2 thousand bowl games so it carries very little meaning.

  • Dave203

    In light of an offseason full of overpaid players, I just want to see two small deals and call it a day…
    – Sign Kuroda, 1 yr @ 13 million
    – Sign Jones, 1 yr @ 3 million

    If they can find a way to trade for Garza, without giving up Montero/ManBam, I’d love it. Otherwise, move on.

    Forget YC, I’d rather see Solder on a MiLB deal.

  • TogaSean

    Catching up on season 1 of The Walking Dead…severe awesomeness

    • barry

      Man what a great show. I can’t wait for season two to resume after the new year. Stick with it the show is sofa king good

  • Need Pitching

    Unfortunately, signing Jones and Kuroda for those prices would bring their opening day payroll to just about 220M. It doesn’t seem like there is any chance Hank/Hal would authorize a payroll that high, especially for non-elite players.

    Maybe if they could swindle another team into taking half of AJ’s contract Kuroda/Jones could happen.

    • Need Pitching

      reply fail

    • Need Pitching

      *215M
      all kinds of fail going on

      • Dave203

        I don’t think the short-term is as much as concern as the long-term for Hal. As long as we aren’t talking about salaries extending into 2014, I don’t think going up a little in 2012 would be so objectionable. I’m sure they would try and move AJ if they were to sign Kuroda though.

        • Need Pitching

          I would hope this is true, but it seems most of the reports lately indicate the Yankees are already at our near their payroll limit for this season. Hopefully that’s not true, but I’m not very optimistic about Hal expanding payroll past about 205M for this season.

  • kevin

    any body see that torrealba video on espn tonight. i hate the rangers

    • Pat D

      He was taking the whole “Texas Ranger” title too seriously. I mean, that’s what the real Texas Rangers would do to unruly Mexicans back in the 19th century and such, since they were able to do basically whatever they wanted when they weren’t chasing Comanches.

      And, yes, I know they were in Venezuela, not Mexico, but to someone from Texas I’m sure that all Hispanic people are just “Mexicans.”

  • Okyankee

    A series of overplayed players got the Yanks into this mess. At some point they had to draw a line. I guess it’s homegrown talent comes through or bust.

    • RetroRob

      What mess is that? The mess of making the playoffs every year? The mess of winning the toughest division in baseball? The mess of 97 wins?

      Or are you saying that the Yankees can’t go out and buy every player this off season, so that’s the mess? Yet if they did, they would have a series of over paid players several years down the line, and then we’d be right back to what you’re complaining about now.

      Really, what mess are you talking about?

      • Rich in NJ

        Something other than baseball, I would guess.

        Merry Christmas, everyone.