Yankee's Offseason Thread

[Veovis]

How old is Hunter? 32? How old was Johnny Damon when we signed him? 32? Is there a comparison there? Now granted, Damon is worse in the field than Hunter, but he is in the process of falling off the map, just like Bernie did before him once into his mid-30s. Hunter had a career year right before FA. Dangerous!

Rowand? Also on the wrong side of 30 with much less of a track record. I'll pass.

Abreu is a stop gap. A useful piece to bridge the gap until Tabata or Jackson are ready.

[love_that_reefer]

Rowand is in the prime of his life and Hunter is far better than anyone in that OF at the time and so is Rowand for that matter. Both of these guys can do a better job than Abreu for less money.

[Veovis]

Who knows now that A-Rod is opting out?

[BuckFoston]

Yankees activated RHP Carl Pavano, 1B Andy Phillips, RHP Darrell Rasner and RHP Humberto Sanchez from the 60-day disabled list.
Pavano underwent Tommy John surgery in June, meaning he'll miss at least the first two months and probably the first half of next season. The Yankees, who didn't approve of his decision to undergo surgery, may dump his salary in return for another bad contract this winter.

Source-Rotoworld

[BuckFoston]

Sources tell ESPN's Peter Gammons that Miguel Cabrera will be available on the trade market this winter.
With the Yankees and Red Sox both in need of a third baseman and the Dodgers, Angels, Phillies and Giants all willing to consider upgrades, the Marlins may figure this is their best chance for getting maximum value for Cabrera, who is two years away from free agency. The problem is that, with his weight up, Cabrera's defense has gone from mediocre to truly bad, and he'd make more sense as a first baseman right now. Both the Yankees and Red Sox have possibilities there as well, but they might not be willing to surrender as much talent to fill a hole that is easier plugged.

(source:rotoworld)
I would love to see him play the hot corner...

[nyjunc]

We got the Manager right, I hated to see torre go but I have always wanted Girardi to takew over after Torre left. Lets' hope the res of the offseason goes as well.

[browntown653]

(source:rotoworld)
I would love to see him play the hot corner...

I honestly doubt we get Cabrera. Florida will almost definitely want Hughes and he is going nowhere.

[Veovis]

(source:rotoworld)
I would love to see him play the hot corner...

'Tis where we differ. I don't think Wang would like it very much if we had a butcher at SS and 3B.

If getting Cabrera is even a real possibility, I'd want him stuck at 1B, not the hot corner. That's ok though, because that is one of our weak spots.

[BuckFoston]

Yankees to give A-rod arbitration....

There is a clause written into Alex Rodriguez's notorious $252 million contract - the one he opted out of last month - that states he can't be offered arbitration at the end of the pact, meaning the Yankees couldn't reap compensatory draft picks when A-Rod signs with another team.

But the Yankees will get their picks, GM Brian Cashman said, because Rodriguez chose to opt out before the contract ended. The clause has sparked gossip in baseball circles recently, a baseball official said.

"MLB took a stance at the beginning, with the Rangers, that the clause would apply at the end, not if they terminate the contract early," Cashman said. "That was clarified at the beginning. (MLB) told us this early this summer, too. I have it in writing, so I'm not worried. Rob Manfred (MLB's executive vice president for labor relations and human resources) confirmed it to me. We can offer arbitration."

And will, Cashman said. The Yankees have until Dec. 1 to do it and Rodriguez has six days to accept or reject.

Rodriguez's agent, Scott Boras, has "not made an issue of it," a second baseball official said. Boras did not return calls or an e-mail seeking comment.

Yanks: We'll arbitrate with Alex Rodriguez

[BuckFoston]

According to Joel Sherman from the esteemed NY Post, the Yankees are apparently set to release Carl Pavano in order to free up his spot on the 40-man roster.

I’ll be honest. I don’t understand this. From what I understand, a player on the 60-day DL is replaced on the team’s 40-man roster. Right? So what’s the problem?

By carrying Pavano on the 60-day DL, the Yankees were collecting insurance on the ever-injured pitcher, which I believe covered 90% of his contract. By releasing him, they’re on the hook for the full 13 million (11 + buyout).

I realize that they need all the 40-man roster spots they have in order to protect their valuable prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, but I don’t see how this is even an issue, as Pavano was likely to never get his butt off the DL. Maybe someone can enlighten me.

Update: EJ straightened me out. Apparently the 60-day DL doesn’t apply in the off-season. That makes sense.

The Bronx Block | MVN - Most Valuable Network » Blog Archive » Yankees to release Pavano?

Just get that worthless piece of crap out of New York. He was one of the worst signings ever.

[love_that_reefer]

Leave it to the Yanks to do things like that. Pavano wasn't good to begin with. If the Yankees want Cabrera, it will take more than Phillips.

[love_that_reefer]

ESPNNEWS is saying Posada signed a four year deal with the Yankees worth $52 mi;. That is about two too many years that I would be willing to dign him for but maybe he can be a DH for the last two of the contract.

[DirtyKash]

ESPNNEWS is saying Posada signed a four year deal with the Yankees worth $52 mi;. That is about two too many years that I would be willing to dign him for but maybe he can be a DH for the last two of the contract.

2008: The ol' Adrian Beltre "contract year phenomenon" watch has just begun.

[Lance324]

Does Posada's contract include any incentives for not requiring the use of a cane at the end of that contract? 4 years at $13 mil per, I thought when the Sox signed Varitek to the deal they did it was a disaster. IMO, the Posada deal might just as well be 2 years at $25 mil per, because the last year or two of that contract he's gonna be a DH and a poor offensive one at that. Just another real bad long contract to add to their list... Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Carl Pavano, Jorge Posada etc. etc. NEXT ADDITION... Mike Lowell, 4 years $13 mil per year (Yanks standard yearly salary).

[BuckFoston]

The Yankees and backup catcher Jose Molina reached an agreement on a two-year, $4million contract.

Mariano Rivera holding out for fourth year


Good sign here, this way we can save Posada from the grind of being an everyday MLB catcher and we can get even more out of his bat. Plus Molina is a pretty good hitter as well and he could be a starter on most MLB teams. Plus, he is alot better than the back-ups we've had the past couple years. And if Posada goes down in '08 we will have an experinced catcher behind the plate that won't make me nervous about having him back there.