Thursday Night Open Thread

December 5, 2013 by Mike Axisa 57 Comments

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The Yankees officially introduced a beardless Brian McCann — does he not look like a cop? Officer Brian McCann might stick as a nickname — during a press conference at Yankee Stadium this afternoon. The videos are above. McCann will wear #34 in honor of his close friend and former teammate Eric O’Flaherty, but Jack Curry says he originally asked for #21. The Yankees said no to that. Would be nice if they did something with that number other than hold it in limbo.

Anywho, here is tonight’s open thread. The Texans and Jaguars are the Thursday night NFL game plus the Rangers, Islanders, Knicks, and Nets are all playing. Talk about whatever you like here. Have at it.

Pseudoyanks

Saving #21 for Paulie’s son…
- Pseudoyanks
  
  *nephew*
Need Pitching & Hitting

McCann isn’t worthy of #21.

He’s no Latroy Hawkins.
DERP

I thought that was Tommy Hunter at first.
CashmanNinja

Either retire it or let others use it. I loved Paulie, but the Yankees have a ton of retired numbers. Eventually they’re going to have to let others use a jersey number or else they’ll run out of numbers. I think McCann would be worthy of it. I understand not wanting someone like LaTroy Hawkins to grab it, but McCann is going to be here for the next 5 years at a premium position. He’s a fiery type of player so I think either retire the number or let someone worthy get it. The same goes with #51.
- http://www.twitter.com/_swarlesbarkley Mark Teixeira – Ghostbuster (formerly Drew)
  
  All of this.
  
  McCann has the makeup and he’s shown O’Neill like tendencies on the field, seemed like a good fit.
- RetroRob
  
  Should not retire it.
  
  There is a middle ground. The number is unavailable for fifteen or twenty years and then is put back into action.
  - nyyankfan_7
    
    Unavailable for 15 – 20 years but not retired? What’s the point? How about they put a sign up of his number and let someone else where it – they have two #8’s hanging up.
    
    Same should happen for Bernie – guys that are good but not hall of fame worthy should get a sign with their number, a day of recognition and perhaps the promise that douchebags like Latroy Hawkins won’t wear it but it will be worn by guys with potential to be great.
forensic

I think Tex has done serious damage to me. No matter who it is now, I seem to get the shakes now when someone talks about dreaming what the short porch will do for them…
Betty Lizard

Brian McCann looks adorable in pinstripes.

So.Happy.
Pseudoyanks

Baseball America’s Yankee Top 10 Prospect list and chat is coming up on December 9th. Any predictions?
- Need Pitching & Hitting
  
  Sanchez will be #1.
  
  Bold prediction, I know.
- DebbieDowner
  
  Fan favorite Peter O’Brien won’t make the cut.
Jack

Say cano signs with Seattle. With McCann and Ellsbury already signed, which slotted/ numbered draft picks would the yanks have gained and surrendered?
- Need Pitching & Hitting
  
  They’d lose their first round pick (for McCann), and then gain (for Cano) and immediately lose(for Ellsbury) a supplemental round pick.
  - Pat D
    
    Are you sure they’ll lose a gained supplemental pick? That seems…odd.
    - Tom
      
      The new CBA changed this. (under the old one these were protected)
- Tom
  
  Assuming they don’t sign any other FA’s with QO’s:
  
  The first pick would be the Grandy compensation (assuming he signs elsewhere)
  The only other one would be Kuroda (if he signed elsewhere)
  
  The comp picks will probably start somewhere around 26ish(as various teams lose their 1st rounders) These are ordered by the FA quality; I don’t know how high Granderson is on that list – I’d guess that pick would probably be around low/mid 30’s but there are quite a few variables that could move that up or down.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting
    
    The compensation picks are just ordered by inverse winning % the prior year – they have nothing to do with FA quality.
    - Need Pitching & Hitting
      
      So only Seattle, for Morales, could end up with a higher compensation round pick than the Yankees.
    - Tom
      
      Thanks.
      
      I guess I must have been confusing it with the old system which used the Elias Type A/TypeB rankings.
vin

“Officer Brian McCann”

Awesome
- hey now
  
  “Sir, have you been drinking tonight?”
BrianMcCannon (formerly HateMclouth)

Got a few questions I was hoping someone can help out with:

1) How much money will the Yankees save if Arod is suspended 100 games? Is it literally 100/162 * $27.5?

2) When did ownership start talking up the whole payroll cap plan? 2011?
- Need Pitching & Hitting
  
  1) I think they can only deduct the amount of salary not paid from his $27.5M AAV, so I think it would be 100/162*$25M (his 2014 salary).
  They’d also have to factor in the likely $6M HR bonus in that scenario.
  
  2)The plan was the result of the new CBA that was agreed to in late 2011 and went into effect for 2012. So probably sometime in late 2011.
  - BrianMcCannon (formerly HateMclouth)
    
    Thanks a lot, NP&H.
    - Need Pitching & Hitting
      
      No problem
dkidd

introducing your new yankee catcher: lex luthor
PunkPitch

Wheech won wuz Honey BooBoo?
dkidd

also, mister burns approves of randy levine’s sideburns…
mustang

Memo to all Yankees fans:
Due to the fact that we lost 53 million dollars (That’s more then the luxury tax hit) last year because we fielded a team that looked like and did suck we are flushing the 189 plans unless of course Bud’s “Kill A-Rod plan” works.
So our goal is to have a team on opening day that actually might look like they can, you know, win since
“What this clearly shows is that the Yankees’ whole financial equation is built around winning. If you take that away, they become mere mortals from a financial standpoint,”
Development, trades, and youth are all great, but if we don’t put what looks like a winning product on field we lose lots of money which is NOT GOOD.
Much love
New York Yankees.
MB923

Hirok wants to return

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2013/12/kuroda_wants_to_return.html
dkidd

also, ashley mccann is awesome. that’s a bad-ass dress for a former fashion major
- nycsportzfan
  
  I take it shes prego? Hence the onesies?
  - jjyank
    
    No idea if she’s preggers or not, but McCann already has a young child that would fit into a onesie. They showed him/her (sorry, to lazy to google that detail) being held by Grandpa McCann (Or Grandpa In-law). during the presser.
    - nycsportzfan
      
      Makes sense, because she looked anything but prego. Shes pretty dang hot actually.
Anthony

Seattle offered Cano 9/$225M.

See ya, Robbie. Thanks for the memories.
- Tom
  
  “about to offer” (but it’s Heyman, so it’s probably fairly credible)
  
  I love the 2nd part of his comment “The Mariners are trying to stay 50mil ahead of the Yankees”
  
  I’ve heard people refer to the “Yankee tax” on trades/FA deals… I guess this is the “Seattle tax” to lure anyone who can hit?
- MD
  
  I didn’t buy the Joe theory on this at all. It’s not hot air. There’s always one team. This time it’s Seattle. Cano just needed to push through the 200mil barrier to say, “See, I can get that kinda money after all.” Not and ideal fit for him, but star players keep score differently.
dkidd

per heyman, mariners to offer cano 9/225
mustang

8 for 200
- mustang
  
  Yankees.
  - dkidd
    
    exactly
    
    still can’t see him going to seattle over 1 yr and 25M
- CashmanNinja
  
  It’s rumored that they’re going to bump it up to 9/$225 because they know they have to blow the Yanks out of the water and get Cano to go all the way across country.
  
  If they’re willing to bid that much then so long. I love Cano, but not THAT much. No 2nd baseman is worth that. I think Cano is a bit better than Pedroia, but Pedroia’s contract looks so damn team friendly compared to this. Hell, I’m more comfortable giving Ellsbury $150 mil than giving Cano $225 mil because that’s still saving $70 mil (and maybe $4 mil or so in AAV). At the end of the day Cano is a 2nd baseman. He’s a good one, but I just don’t like the money or the years. If he wanted a higher AAV in a shorter deal in years then I could understand the overpay…but money AND years? No thank you.
  - Need Pitching & Hitting
    
    I would think the fact that he’s a second baseman would be considered a plus, not a negative.
    - jjyank
      
      Also, I don’t think Cano is only “slightly” better than Pedroia. And he’s not “a good second baseman”. He’s the best on the planet right now.
      - jjyank
        
        Good god. I just did a quick comparison on their wRC+’s over the last few years.
        
        Cano destroys that little munchkin, and has been far more durable in the process. Slightly better my ass.
hey now

pgammo’s sitting back, sipping his Bombay and tonic, quietly laughing to himself as things have finally begun to break right for his beloved BoSox.
mustang

Still say 8 for 200 but I can see the Yankees just sticking to 175. If Seattle is going to stay 50 of ahead them why bother going to 200 they just go to 250 making Cano more $$$$.

I’m not worry either way If Cano walks they can take that money spread around and probably go under the 189.

Is Cano at 200 or more greater than Shin-Soo Choo, Omar Infante, etc. and being under 189?
- nycsportzfan
  
  7for 180 is what i’d max out at. I’d tell any FA for now on, were not going past 7yrs so don’t even ask.lol
nycsportzfan

If Robbie signs with Seattle, we better go sign Mark Reynolds, so Kelly Johnson can play some 2B, and/or possibly look into trading for Dan Uggla, who offers big power from the right hand side which we need, and Braves are looking to unload Uggla, and we could get them to pay a good heap of his remaining contract, i’m sure. I’d like to get one of Reynolds or Uggla, for there RH power.
- BFDeal
  
  Want no part of Uggla.
- Need Pitching & Hitting
  
  If Robbie goes, Infante should be priority 1 for 2B, imo (at least for position players, they still need a lot of pitching help).
  Maybe look at Juan Uribe as well for 3B.
  An Infante/Johnson/Uribe 2b/3B combo should be serviceable.
  Losing Cano would be a big offensive hit though. They’d need to ideally balance that out by either adding a big bat OF/DH, or go big in pitching.
Algernon Blackwood

Nothing makes me cringe harder that people who say any who. Who’s writing these posts, the Dell dude?
LiterallyFigurative

The ”we have to sign X or we are doomed” mindset needs to friggin stop with this fanbase.

When Boston signed Crawford, I asked WTF? And we just out WTFed the Red Sox with this one. Ellsbury is a talent, but we are basically banking on him being Better than he has ever been, at least for more than a season at a time. I tried to iustify it, used WAR, alternative mindsets. Nothing is working. All I seem to read is ”well, they have money to spend, so they need to act like the Yankees.” How irrational a strategy is that?

Cano may get overpaid, but he is the best at his position, top 10 in the sport, consistently healthy middle of the order guy on pace to reach the HOF. He should try and get top dollar from the yanks. He plays on an infield of 275, 189 & 180 million dollar contracts. Yet people want him to be the magnanimous one? FOH!
CountryClub

@BNightengale: Cano’s last request to #Yankees: 9 years, $252 million, and $28 million vesting option. #Mariners still shy of that. http://t.co/c9PSSh7oq6
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roadgeek/ Roadgeek Adam

My friends and I figured he chose 34 for Eric O’Flaherty (wouldn’t it be ironic if the Yankees signed him? Cause he is a FA.)

Also, retire No. 21 please. Yes we’re running short on numbers, but I think fans wouldn’t mind.