I think the title of this article really sums up my feelings.  I’m thrilled he’s a Yankee.  But would rather the contract were for 6 or 7 years.  I’m confident Alex will be a truly great player the next three years, and confident he’ll be really good the three after that.  Years 7-10 he’ll likely be an average first-baseman.  And while we can’t discount that (how many here have been begging for at least an average first baseman for the last 3-4 years?), it isn’t worth what will probably still be one of the 10-15 highest contracts in the game at that point.

But…it’s done.  So, I’m not going to worry about five years from now.  That’s not my job, that’s the Yankees FO.  I’m just going to enjoy the fact that the Yankees are probably a 90-win team even if Pettitte and Mo don’t come back, and probably a 95 win team if they do.

i agree with everything Larry and Mike K. have said, but i do find it kindof funny that we are worrying about something EIGHT years from now.  this isn’t like giving a bad contract to a bad player and you worry about it right away b/c you know it will suck in 1-2 years.

this is a great player.  maybe the best in the sport.

and we have all said we’d have been thrilled if it were a 7 year deal.

so you know what?  PRETEND it’s a 7 year deal. 

be happy. 

and then worry about it in 2014.

think about that.  2014.  that is a REALLY long time from now.

welcome to america.  put it on the credit card and worry about it later.  i’m sure everything will be fine.

I’m reading way too much into it when I wonder if there was a “you beat me this year, I beat you next year” agreement where Teixiera will get massive money and Boras will save some face, right?

Post #3…yes, way too much.  That would be tampering.  We know (or are pretty sure) that Boras isn’t above it.  And we also know that George isn’t.  But I’m pretty sure that would be something where Cashman would step in and say, “no way”.

Besides, Betemit is going to win the MVP at first in 2008

I’ve given up on believing MLB would step in when it comes to tampering and I’m pretty sure Boras showed he didn’t care during the J.D. Drew opt out.

—-(for this to be a bargain, A-Rod would have to be a gold glover every year, and average over 60 homers a season).—-

I disagree with this.  Based on the reports I’ve read on the revenue that baseball generates, ALL baseball contracts for “good” baseball players are a HUGE bargain.  Arod could be making 45 million a year, and it would still be profitable for the team that pays him. 

Will arod’s contract be above “market value” when he’s 41?  Probably.  But that’s only b/c the market is somewhat fixed ....either directly (collusion), or by a status quo that’s not really subject to a purely free market.

I’m ok with the deal. Basically he’s making Damon+Matsui money. If we could ditch one of them, we’d have a bunch of guys averaging about 15 Mil. The only way you should be paying for two guys on the same position like that is if they hit 50 bombs, not 25. That’s my rationalization, anyway.

Now sign Mo (for three!)

also, love him or hate him, A-Rod is BY FAR the biggest superstar in the game.

he brings dollars to the Yankees.  i am sure of this.

people either love him or love to hate him, but they ARE tuning in to cheer him or boo him.

they are watching his ABs waiting and rooting for a huge HR or a huge K. 

the guy is a rockstar, let’s put it that way.

that might rankle some people who prefer the “corporate” Jeter Yankees, but you can’t deny that it doesn’t bring more people to the table.

the Yankees are basically going to PRINT money for the next 3-4 years.  this is the last year in Yankee stadium.  they will jack up prices and sell almost every seat b/c it’s the last year.

2009-2010 will be the first years in the new stadium.  they will jack up prices and sell every seat.  it is going to be a tourist attraction.  like disney world.

the whole sport is rolling in dough, and the yankees will be swimming in it.

I’m no fan of a 10 year contract for any player, even one as good as A-Rod.  The odds are stacked against the team when you look at deals like this.

However, in the short term, this works best for the Yanks.  They get the right-handed power they needed, as well as a 3B without surrendering any prospects.  If the Holy Trinity lives up to the hype, Yanks could be looking at a return to the World Series.  With or without Mo.

Good for the Yankees. I wanted to see Boras wear the dunce cap over this. I compared him to Drew Rosenhous back after Game 4 of the WS, and mentioned how having the premiere diva in his sport (Owens) had made him eat himself. Looks like the only people happier than Yankee fans are the Rangers FO (like they know how to spend that money anyway). I obviously dislike ARod (the One True Slappy), but will absolutely root for him to crush Bonds under his spikes - at least secretly, anyway.

Boras didn’t “lose” here.  He may not have won, but he didn’t lose.  He’s gonna get a nice cut of a whole shitload of money.  His client will still be signing the biggest deal ever. 

Some loser.

Mariano has apparently instructed his agent to shop him to other teams.  I wonder what the nearest offer will be.  I’m betting something to the tune of 3/35 and Joe Torre’s Dodgers will most certainly not be interested.  After that, he’ll sulk a while more and finally sign.

Oh yeah - based on this contract, he’s going to need a much bigger purse Photoshopped onto his arm  

By the way, José Molina signed for 2/4 as per the Daily News.

Rob - when millionaires play poker it ain’t about the money, it’s all about the ego.

AWESOME

for this to be a bargain, A-Rod would have to be a gold glover every year, and average over 60 homers a season

I agree with Larry’s general point, but I too disagree with this particular statement.  $27.5M/year is pretty reasonable, if not a bargain, for the first half of this deal.  As ARod’s production declines, he’ll make up some of the value in marketability as he approaches career milestones.  Factor in inflation and this contract should be fine.

How does an agent get paid?  does he get a lump sum paycheck for 10% right off the bat, or does he get 10% off of every paycheck that arod receives?  i have to assume it’s the latter, b/c otherwise boras would have yet another incentive for Arod to have opted out.

so basically, we’re going to pitch a little better than last year and score about 950 runs. Seems like if boston regresses a bit offensively 1st place should be a battle with us coming out on top.

NOW DON"T SIGN LOWELL

A non-torre manager might have the guts to use Arod as the backup SS. 

So, let’s see if this makes sense.  Starter on the left, backup on the right:

LF Damon/Matsui
CF Melky/Damon
RF Abreu/Melky/Duncan
3rd Arod/Betemit
SS Jeter/Arod
2nd Cano/???
1st Betemit/Duncan/Giambi
DH Giambi/Matsui
C Posada/Molina

That’s the best “bench” the Yankees have had in a long long time.

Agreed, but it will only be the best bunch until 2009 when almost $70MM (Abreu, Giambi, Pavano, Mussina, Farnsworth ($85MM if Pettitte isn’t around)) falls off the books and a nice free agent class comes around.  That will be the anti-2007 offseason; no worries about key players leaving and a lot to spend.  Spread it on!

“sell almost every seat b/c it’s the last year.”

Perhaps since it’s the last year they will literally soon sell every seat for even more revenue. sign me up for one yup.

Since Mo and Po are out of the same 95 class I’m sure the Yanks willingness to do a four year for Jorge feeds the hold out. Perhaps too, they envision retiring together. The difference is Mo is not an everyday contributor. The offer is outstanding at three years. It would be hard to conceive of him really wanting to go to Motown. Can you imagine getting loose on those early Detroit April games? The Tigers have made some bold moves but for a man approaching 40 years of age, it’s hard to see any team match the Yankees offer that seems already extra generous.

The problem is that he’s absolutely essential to the 2008 team.  The only other options are keeping Joba in the pen (costing yourself 100 IPs), signing Cordero (age 33-36) for a deal that’s probably close to what Rivera wants or trading key prospects to a poorer team for someone like Fuentes, Street or Valverde.  Rivera strikes me as the most appetizing option, even if the money isn’t logical.

i believe the worst contract would be mo 4 years 60 million. This guy has some balls…sure hes the best closer of this era but he is too damn old and thats too much money…he is quickly approaching the proverbial “hill.” It seems like every year he is getting closer and closer to imploding. No WAY does cordero get anything even close to 15 Million a year.

There’s no way Cordero would cost close to what Mo wants….which is the highest reliever salary in baseball.  It would be for a LOT less.  In fact, if the yankees signed Cordero now, they could probably drop what they are offering Mo, and Mo would still take it b/c nobody is going to offer him anything close to it.

Perhaps the Yankees should at least kick the tires with Cordero then.  At least make Mo think they have other feasible options (even if they really don’t).

I’m not sure Cordero is going to be that much cheaper than Mariano, especially as he’s the only closer available aside from Mariano, who many teams don’t really view as available.  Cordero will ask for and receive something to the tune of 4/40 or perhaps even 5/50.

“The problem is that he’s absolutely essential to the 2008 team.”

I disagree. Joba in the pen isn’t a terrible option (and may happen anyway if his path takes a Papelbon-type turn).  And each of the past two years Mariano has been looking closer to mortal.

The Yanks gave Mariano a very good offer; they can wait to see if some other team goes nuts and then try to match it.  Because Mariano’s offer is very public, the Yankees will know there is a chance of a serious bidding war as soon as Mariano’s agent starts meeting with other teams.  (Other teams not willing to go more than $45/3 aren’t going to waste their time.)

Joba is far more useful to the Yanks as a starter.  The team desperately needs a no. 1 and he’s their best chance to have a Verlander-type guy at the front of the rotation.  Granted, Hughes may also turn out to be that sort of starter but Joba’s stuff is hard to match.  Both the fastball and slider are real plus pitches and from what we’ve seen with the curve, it’s not bad either.  If I’m the Yanks, I’d rather either a) spent another $5 million to get Mariano or b) spend whatever it takes to get Cordero so that Joba can start in 2008.

I agree the contract is more then fair but maybe they can give Mo an
unguaranteed 4th year with a Yankee buyout of 3 mil sort of as a retroactive bonus.

By the way, Karstens beat Taiwan today, allowing one run in seven innings with seven strikeouts.  He’s basically the ace of Team USA, which is now in the semi-final round.

Strike that, Karstens actually beat Korea.

“And each of the past two years Mariano has been looking closer to mortal.”

Disagree.  Mariano averaged over a K per inning last season and had the 3rd highest K/BB of his career.  If you cheat and throw out April, he had another(typical) spectacular season.  And like IE said, Chamberlain is a lot more valuable in the rotation.  Moving him to the pen, especially into the closer’s role, just takes away 100 potential IPs by one of the best arms on your staff.  If he breaks down in the rotation for a couple of years or can’t consistently get deep into games then slide him back into the reliever role, but at this point you put him where he’s most valuable.

Speaking of relievers, even though the Yanks don’t need Tejada anymore, is there still a chance the O’s would take Farnsworth?  I doubt Cashman would need much in return.

Espn is reporting that the Yanks have made a four-year offer to Lowell to play first. Cool. Every team needs to be four-deep at first base. I guess they’d be six-deep if you count Posada and Damon, since they’ve each done a little time at first.

Luckily, Lowell doesn’t want to play 1B.  On the other hand he may sign if the money is much better than any of his other offers.  From a Yankee standpoint, this makes absolutely no sense since the platoon of Betemit and Shelley Duncan will give the team equal production at a fraction of the cost.

Apparently Lowell has offers from a few other teams, including the Angels, that all go to four years. If true, then he has options - will be interesting to see if Boston makes a big play for Cabrera should Lowell split. Or has that already been hashed out somewhere? I have trouble keeping track of all the rumors.

Or maybe those offers are just more mist. I have a kid coming in about a week or two, so I’m probably the last person who should be posting anything with any certainty.

Hank and Ca$hman have lost their minds. Lowell? Spend, spend, spend, load up on bad contracts. A younger team? Sounds like vintage George.

Still waiting for the Giambi extension…......

is there still a chance the O’s would take Farnsworth?

Checked out his game logs in the hope that he improved over the last month or two when he scrapped the stretch and starting pitching out of the windup, hoping I could say, “nah, hang on to him, see what a new pitching coach can get out of him.” Instead, September was his worst month ERA wise, though he did K 9 and walk just 2 in 8 IP.

Even in a bullpen that needs experience, it’s hard to defend keeping him. He’s just far too inconsistent, and we haven’t even gotten to see him pile-drive someone in a brawl yet.

As for the A-Freud contract, he and Bora$$ played the Yankees like a fiddle. They got the max, and salvaged a bad situation.

Hank the Negotiator. Meet the new boss, he’s the same as the old boss.

Wouldn’t Anaheim be an ideal spot for Lowell if they’re will to go to 4 years for him? How does that park play for right handed hitters?

From mlbtraderumors.com:

“The uncredited rumor says a source close to Lowell indicates that he’s received four-year offers in the $55-60MM range from the Braves, Angels, Cardinals, and Yankees.

GM Frank Wren debunked the Braves portion today. Esteemed St. Louis Post-Dispatch writer Bernie Miklasz killed the Cardinals portion last night. The Boston Herald’s Rob Bradford shot down the Angels rumor”.

#34—Certainly, Mariano has still been incredibly good and I’ll grant you that his K/BB hasn’t declined at ALL.  But his WHIP and ERA+ have both dropped each of the past two years.  From baseball reference for 2005, 2006, 2007:

ERA+: 307, 251, 142
WHIP: 0.868, 0.960, 1.121

Saves: 43, 34, 30
Hits: 50, 61, 68

Earned Runs: 12, 15, 25
ERA: 1.38, 1.80, 3.15

Still great and 2005 was particularly good so it might have been a little unfair for me to think of that as his baseline but can the difference in hits allowed be attributed solely to bad luck and worsening defense behind him ?  (In other words, is it all Jeter’s fault?)  Eventually even Mariano gets older ...

I agree that going after Lowell makes no sense.  It’s one thing to sign Posada, Rivera, and Rodriguez is large contracts, considering they’re already Yankees and the dropoff to their alternatives is huge.  But is Lowell really an upgrade over Duncan/Betemit?  SG, any stats on this?

Lowell is more valuable at 3b and way more valuable playing 81 games at Fenway and yet Boston does not want to go beyond 3 years so what does Cash and Hank know that Epstein doesn’t.  We have more then enough 30+ players tied down to long term contracts.

I posted this on an earlier thread, but Lowell’s career numbers are only slightly better than Betemit’s - although the latter has had only around 20% the at bats of the former.  In any case, the only possible reason the Yanks would do this is to supposedly weaken Boston, but that won’t really be the case.  They’ll just shift Youkilis to 3B and piece 1B together with Ortiz and perhaps Jed Lowrie.

You can never have enough overpaid veterans on a Steinbrenner run team. And if it ‘hurts’ the Bosox! Wow, what a job, even if it hamstrings your own team.

Who can forget George going nuts in the late 1990’s when the Bosox got a certain slugger late in the season. Reason does not seem to count in the Steinbrenner family.

Meet the new boss…........

Hank and Ca$hman have lost their minds. Lowell? Spend, spend, spend, load up on bad contracts. A younger team? Sounds like vintage George.

if this happens, i will agree with you 100%.

but i refuse to believe the yankees are serious about this now that the A-Rod deal is finished.

I can’t believe Steinbrenner would be pulling the strings on any Lowell deal. Cashman fought for and got the authority to make the baseball decisions. If the Yanks are still interested in Lowell, I’m sure it will be Cashman that makes the call…and I think he’s smart enough to stay away.

A four-year deal to Mariano and a four-year deal to Lowell means only one thing:

we’re going back to the 1980s.  The decade of parachute pants, izod polos and irresonsible Yankee front office moves.

I just hope Cashman announces the Lowell and Mo signings in a Sonny Crockett blazer.

I posted this on an earlier thread, but Lowell’s career numbers are only slightly better than Betemit’s - although the latter has had only around 20% the at bats of the former.  In any case, the only possible reason the Yanks would do this is to supposedly weaken Boston, but that won’t really be the case.  They’ll just shift Youkilis to 3B and piece 1B together with Ortiz and perhaps Jed Lowrie.

I still can’t take this seriously. Cashman can’t be that silly, he just can’t. Maybe the new Bosses would do this, but it’s insane. The guy had a .345 BABIP last year thanks to the Wall. [I’m all about BABIP these days, mostly because I actually know what it means.] However much it hurts to see him go, we’d obviously have plenty of ways to fill the hole. My hunch is Lowell’s agents are running around telling everyone they have an offer from the Yankees; it’s on page 4 of the agents’ manual. Meanwhile, collusion and no clear fit will pare Lowell’s actual options down to LA (x2) or Boston.

I missed the discussion of A-Rod’s K-length. 10 years is a dangerous contract… but I still suspect A-Rod will be useful in 2016.

Does Lowell figure to be 15 mil a year better then a Giambi, Shelley, Betemitt mix and match while making the Yankees that much more inflexible that if a 1st class option becomes available we can’t afford him.  I didn’t like the idea of signing Lowell to play 3b but giving him 4 years to play 1b is pure loony tunes.  What did Lowell hit his last year in Forida 230?  I can just imagine the postings on this board when Lowell is hitting 260 with 8 home runs next August.

#45 I think the WHIP thing is probably equal parts fielding and a slight dip in Rivera’s GB rate (58%, 54%, 53%).  If he’s leveled out in the low 50s and can keep his K/BB where it is, there no reason to think the WHIP and ERA are going to rise at all next year.

(Actually, using QERA, Mariano’s ERA was actually half a run on the unlucky side last year.  Only 5 relievers (Saito, Papelbon, Putz, Cordero & Street) came in lower.  (Joba actually would have been first if he had qualified))

(I use a lot of parenthesis)

Does Lowell figure to be 15 mil a year better then a Giambi, Shelley, Betemitt mix and match while making the Yankees that much more inflexible that if a 1st class option becomes available we can’t afford him.  I didn’t like the idea of signing Lowell to play 3b but giving him 4 years to play 1b is pure loony tunes.  What did Lowell hit his last year in Forida 230?  I can just imagine the postings on this board when Lowell is hitting 260 with 8 home runs next August.

The Yankees are basically bringing back the same lineup they had last year. It led the league in scoring. Offense isn’t the problem, and defense… isn’t really going to be fixed by giving Lowell a ridiculous contract and a strange new mitt. How many throws does Lowell scoop in an average year? Two? I remember one from Lugo in the WS.

The Yankees are holding fast with their lineup and trying to reorganize their pitching. Sounds sensible enough. And Lowell sounds kind of beside the point. Doesn’t mean it won’t happen…

Aren’t ground balls actually more likely to end up as hits?

53.  If you want to have some real BABIP fun, check out Pedroia’s splits.

Overall:  .317/.380/.442, .333 BABIP
Home:  .351/.410/.502, .367 BABIP (!!!)
Away:  .282/.349/.380, .297 BABIP

(His away number is right in line with the MLB average BABIP of .303)

“Aren’t ground balls actually more likely to end up as hits?”

On a whole they’re slightly more likely than FBs but they do a lot less damage (no HRs, few XBHs).  Takes 3 to score.  Also, its one of the few stats that shows a year to year correlation (along with Ks and BBs) so you can say its a “talent” more than just luck.

You are dealing with over-educated people here, Mister Deleware.  There is no need to explain everything unless someone specifically asks.

As for Pedroia, I don’t know whether he’s a fluke or not, but plenty of people were knocking Cano after his rookie season and urging the Yanks to trade him while his value had peaked.

If you’re referring to 59, wasn’t I asked?  Didn’t mean to be pedantic if that’s how it came off.

we’re going back to the 1980s.  The decade of parachute pants, izod polos and irresonsible Yankee front office moves.

except neither of those has happened.

Steinbrenner said the Yankees WILL NOT offer a 4th year to Mariano.

we’ll see what happens i guess.

It led the league in scoring. Offense isn’t the problem, and defense… isn’t really going to be fixed by giving Lowell a ridiculous contract and a strange new mitt

i am not advocating signing Lowell, but i am fairly certain that Lowell would be an excellent 1Bman.  i don’t see him having any trouble at all switching over.

—-Steinbrenner said the Yankees WILL NOT offer a 4th year to Mariano.—-

count down until don makes a comment about the yankees saying they would not negotiate with arod in

3, 2, 1…...

Paying Mike Lowell $55million+ over 4 years to play 1B is a fucking nightmare.  PLEASE let that be false!

I forget which Yankee blog I saw the comment on, but it stuck with me: how bizarre would it be for a team to have ARod, Jeter and Lowell, and play Lowell at 1st, Jeter at SS and ARod at 3rd?  It’s the worst possible defensive alignment.

Lowell is a good player at 3B, because he’s a plus fielder at that position (where fielding matters quite a bit) and his bat is solid to above-average for the position.  Playing him at 1B makes no sense whatsoever.  None.  Betemit/Duncan makes soooooooo much more sense.

If you’re referring to 59, wasn’t I asked?  Didn’t mean to be pedantic if that’s how it came off.

It was a rhetorical question, Mr. D.  Being one of the over-educated regular posters here, you surely recognized this. 

yup - it probably won’t happen.  But if it does, Cashman should book Pat Benatar to sing the national anthem on opening day.

While the Lowell rumor is probably DOA now that A-Rod is back, I can easily see Cashman and Steinbrenner folding like a house of cards and giver Rivera what he wants.

66.  Dammit.

It’s a zombie rumor at this point, because the journos love talking about the Yanks signing players from Boston.

As for Pedroia’s BABIP, he clearly shouldn’t be thinking of the Bronx when his FA arrives…

I’m still fascinated by all the talk of contracts in this thread.  I think- if the Yanks do sign lowell- it’s a pretty good indicator that the Yanks really don’t give a sh*t about their payroll (which was a concern of mine when William and Harry Steinbrenner took over). 

FWIW, I have a hard time envisioning Cashman greenlighting a Lowell signing (and a hard time imagining Lowell agreeing to sign with a team that just gave the largest contract ever to a person who plays his position).

BTW, are there any stats out there that show BABIP by park? I have a theory that Lowell and Pedroia and others have inflated BABIPs at Fenway that aren’t candidates for regression. Fenway isn’t the best homer park, but I bet anything the BABIPs are inflated. Basically, lack of playing surface = high BABIP; spacious outfields = low #. Does BABIP include foul balls? considering foul territory would matter too then.

Lowell at 3rd, Arod at SS, Jeter in LF, Damon to 1st   would be the best of a bad situation, no?

Except that A-Rod is no longer a SS and Damon is actually a good defensive LF.  If you want to deal in hypotheticals, why not put Jeter at 1B?

Try to hold out, but ultimately, I’d give Mariano 4 for $50M.  Think of it, as someone suggested doing for Posada’s contract, as $20M in year one, $15M in year two, $10M in year three, and $5M in year four.  Thinking of it that way, it’s only crazy in the first year, and very fair in years three and four.

As for Lowell, I don’t think the Yankees would seriously still give him 4/$50M to play first.  I certainly wouldn’t.  The only POSSIBLE reason I can think of would be to add a more experienced, known-quantity, right-handed bat.  Remember, the team—even with ARod—had its troubles against lefties, and adding Lowell would create a truly balanced lineup.  But I would prefer to go with Duncan or a cheaper alternative like Ensberg who could possibly outperform Lowell at far less cost.

Think of it, as someone suggested doing for Posada’s contract, as $20M in year one, $15M in year two, $10M in year three, and $5M in year four.

there is no reason to do that except to make people feel better.  there is no economic reason, time value of money and all that.

Rumours are too strong that indeed the Yankees have offered Lowell 4/$50-55 million.

If the offer has indeed been made, it cannot be pulled back, unless they put a time limit on a decision, which is likely, though unsourced.

The Bosox have shown that they will not exceed what they offer as far as years in several [recent] instances. Ball in Lowell’s court.

As for Mariano, I have already referred to Hank & Ca$hman as spelunkers. Someone kicks the tires, they’ll cave. See: Posada, Jorge.

there is no reason to do that except to make people feel better.

Well, exactly.  That’s what I was trying to do.  Rationalize a four-year deal for Mariano.  I’m not suggesting that the contract would actually be structured that way.  Economically, it would make sense for the Yankees to do the opposite and defer as much as possible, if I’m not mistaken.

In other news, Kenny Rodgers has apparently fired Scott Boras.  He will now represent himself in negotiations with Detroit.

Mariano is replaceable, Posada was not. Where Posada was hold all the cards Mariano’s only leverage is sentimentality. The Yankees had no one to replace Posada with, they can survive without him, they couldn’t compete without Posada. So yes they overpaid for Posada but they didn’t really have a choice, these deals aren’t made in a vacuum.

It seems to me anyone looking to criticize Cashman for signing Posada or Arod has already been anti-Cashman in the first place.

He certainly deserves criticism, but I don’t think these recent moves a a departure (and certainly not a significant one) from his MO before this off-season. Now if he gives in to Mo, or signs Lowell, I’ll have some problems with those moves, and I’ll be inclined view him in a negative light.

But as of now I like the way Cashman has conducted business this offseason. Has he overpaid some? Yeah, but the Yankees have a lot of money, a lot.

The above comment came off a little combative, I don’t have a problem with disliking Cashman or his moves, I just disagree, and I don’t see a drastic change in his style over the past month.

—If the offer has indeed been made, it cannot be pulled back, unless they put a time limit on a decision, which is likely, though unsourced.—

I doubt negotiations work like that.  It wouldn’t make sense for a team to put a firm offer like that out there.

Rumours are too strong that indeed the Yankees have offered Lowell 4/$50-55 million.

yeah, i don’t know.  to me it seems like the same rumor being repeated over and over from the same source.

Another reason why the move would be dumb would be the loss of the Yanks’ no . 1 draft pick to Boston.

Another reason why the move would be dumb would be the loss of the Yanks’ no . 1 draft pick to Boston.

Don’t worry, I’d never remind you guys of that or anything.

I’m with Yup… what makes a rumor “strong”? This is just the echo chamber with nothing better to do.

I really don’t believe the rumor about Lowell. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to believe it. I’m fine with a Duncan/Giambi platoon until Giambi comes up lame and gets sent to the glue factory, then Duncan/Betemit.

As for Mo, if he doesn’t want to resign, I say plan B is to move for a blockbuster deal for Haren and Street.

Not to change the subject, but I wonder if the Yankees could trade Matsui or Damon to the Dodgers for some of their young talent.  I mean, the Dodgers are apparently kicking the tires on Aaron Rowand for some reason.  Would they be dumb enough to trade Loney or Kemp or Broxton for Matsui or Damon plus some decent throw-ins?  I don’t think I’m the first to suggest this.  L.A. just seems so ambivalent about their young talent…

Or on the other hand, what about acquiring Jeff Kent on the cheap to platoon at 1B/DH?  The Dodgers have a club option for him for 2009 at $9M.  I guess I’m not sold on Shelley Duncan.  It would make more sense than Mike Lowell.

Matsui has a blanket no trade clause, so dealing him would be unlikely.  However, if the Dodgers would trade Kemp or Broxton for Johnny Damon (I doubt Loney is available), that would certainly be ideal.  However, I believe LA is going to try to pry Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins so they are probably going to keep all their chips for the time being.

you don’t think matsui would be open to a trade to another big market to play for Joe Torre?

players with NTC’s are traded all the time.

it’s not easy, but not impossible.

Is there any evidence Matsui worships Joe Torre?  Matsui is more interested in the brand, i.e., playing for the Yankees.  Before coming to New York, he was a member of the fabled Tokyo Giants.  Certainly he does not want to go into the Hall of Fame as a Toledo Mud Hen.

Oh no. Hank stole my pal IE’s login info.

Hey Hank.. You should check out all the crappy leftys in my backyard.

Don’t worry, Thurm - we wrestled there for a while but now everything is back under control.  I’m proud to say that in the scuffle I managed to mess up Hank’s seemingly immovable coiffure.  I also made him promise not to offer a fourth year to Mariano, even if the latter threatens to lead an army of angry, bible-thumping Panamanians to his residence in Tampa.

I’m glad you prevailed. Decency and common sense rarely surpasses wealth and idiocy.

that shoulda been surpass, I think.

By the way, thurm, was Karstens in your backyard at any point?  If so, perhaps that’s the reason he mowed down the Koreans this afternoon like nobody’s business.

If I had to spell to save my wifes life her ma would be having a seance.

No karstens. Igawa and Wright are still here. Rod Scurry, Henn left after losing an arm wrestling match to my cuzz’s Akita . Igawa flipped on the Akita accusing him of being a Chow. Much racial discord. I can’ t wait to tell them that Rich Kotite and Ray Handley are due sat. for PT training.

How about Ron Villone?

Villone and Johnny Franks ran some drills yesterday. Building arm strength thru Playstation was the mantra.  Thurm the Katt stopped licking himself long enough to attack them both. Felix H still here.He’s raking leaves right handed. He’s such a suck up.