Monday, November 29, 2010

Could it happen???

The San Francisco Giants have made it public that they are in contact with Derek Jeter's agent.

No one really believes that Jeter would go anywhere other than the Yanks right? But crazyier things have happened - and here's my case for a deal:

1) Jeter is losing the PR battle with his purpoted $$$ demands

2) San Fran is a defending World Series Champ, and they have an opening at SS

3) They are managed by a highly respected, Torre'esque manager in Bruce Bochy who has been to WS multiple times, with multiple teams

4) Minka Kelly resides in the West Coast for the majority of the year

5) This would be his ultimate payback to Cashman and the Steinbrenners for firing Torre

So - what do you think? Am I crazy or is it so crazy that it is sane??? (apologies to Kramer)

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Other Thoughts:

Ron Washington should have won manager of the year. The Twins manager did what he's always done, nothing special - the Rangers had their special season, and Washington should have been rewarded as such.

I feel bad for the Bills. And while the G-Men are my blood - I'm starting to gain respect for how scrappy this team is playing, and I love the bluce collar fight in the QB Fitzpatrick.

Yanks should sign Rivera to a life time deal. 1 year base, incentive laden, with annual renew in perpetuity

20 comments:

old professor said...

If Jeter wants to go to San Francisco, let him go. You are correct he is losing the pr battle in NY. If he believes he is worth 5 to 6 years at $22 million go for it and see who pays it. The Yankees will get better defense and similar offense from Nunez.

With Mo, it would be good to get him wrapped up (even before Jeter). Winter meetings begin - let's see if the Yankees are active. Last year's activity did not pan out well. I do not believe there are a lot of parts needed for this team - one additional starting pitcher (provided you bring Pettitte back) an additional lefty for the pen, and one additional arm for the pen.

I believe the team has jetisoned - Mosley, Gaudin, and Mitre. They might plug one of those spots with Nova (who eventually will move into the rotation if he can ever get by four innings). Some of the young arms on the farm may be a year away at this point.

Team may also have to decide on a fourth outfielder (Damon may come cheap and can also be a dh).

I do not believe the team can be helped by trades they will include high level prospects. (Trading Coke, Jackson and Kennedy did not pay dividends).

Crash said...

The Giants need a SS because they didn't want to give Uribe $7MM a season, but they're willing to give more than twice that to Jeter? Uribe is 6 years younger, better offensively, defensively and is a by all accounts a great clubhouse guy...oh yeah and the guy is a winner, 2 World Series rings in the last 5 years, that's twice as many as Jeter.

Mo will get signed, he will be done before the Winter Meetings. And Mid I agree with you they should give him a lifetime perpetual 1 year deal as long as he's healthy, effective, and wants to pitch.

Cashman has already said Nova could contend for the rotation this year. I think that is the "Plan B or C" if they can't land Lee and/or Pettitte retires.

The Nationals are talking with Brandon Webb. I know this is a big IF, but if Wang and Webb can get back to old form...wow.

old professor said...

Crash, maybe the Yankees should look at Webb as well. Oh and by the way - Benoit was and is righthanded.

Maybe the Yankees should have gone after Uribe as an alternative. They would have gotten younger, better defensively and better offensively.

Crash said...

I know Benoit is right handed, not sure why you wanted to argue the point.

"Someone in the Yankees hierarchy" said the Pettitte to Rangers story is an absolute joke. Judging by the tone, I would say it's Lonn Trost, Randy Levine, or Hank that's making that quote. Nolan Ryan has denied the report as well so it looks like it was someone in the Rangers "leaking" the story just to bug the Yankees.

On the Jeter front...if he elects to leave the Yankees have publicly committed to giving Nunez every opportunity to win the job in spring (not sure who he would be competing against) and they would not go out and sign or trade for a veteran SS immediately. Some were suggesting Orlando Cabrera would be a great fit. I'm not certain about that...last time I checked he's 36, and while his defense is better than Jeter's, his offense is not. He hits for a lower average, less power, doesn't score as money runs, and doesn't drive in as many either. And before anyone here says well some of those would go up if he's in the Yankee lineup...I don't think so. This guy has been in the playoffs a bunch, 6 of the last 7 years (hey same as Jeter). He was with the Red Sox, Angels, White Sox Twins, and Reds.

Mid said...

Jeter out,

opens door for Pena in addition to Nunez....

interesting, I just went to Yankees.com, went to Roster, then to Depth Chart, and Jeter is not listed in the infield, put Pena and Nunez is. . .

And you know what? I'm Ok with an infield of A-Rod, Cano, Tex, and Pena - I like the D I have seen out of him.

Mid said...

Zack G of KC saying he's open to a trade to the Yanks - is that a big deal??

He doesn't strike me as someone that could handle the big time NYC market . . . then again, David Cone did pretty well if memory serves correct

old professor said...

Mid, Jeter is not listed on the Roster because he is a free agent. Scroll down and you will see that Mo and Pettitte are not their either.

As for Greinke, good stuff, can give you innings, but lost an entire year to depression/anxiety. Not sure New York is a place he would want to go unless he has conquered the demons.

Rumor has it when or if Lee signs with Yankees, the Rangers trade for Greinke.

It will be interesting to see the actual list of non-tendered players and whether the Yankees pick anyone up. Navarro apparently is not going to be tendered by Tampa. This is a kid who was an all star two years ago and is a switch hitter. Apparently he fell in love with himself last year and ended up being demoted. (He was also at one time the Yankee prospect that was a hot piece of property). Connor Jackson may also be on the market. (No place for him in NY).

Crash said...

Cone didn't miss a season due to depression and anxiety related to pitching in the bigs.


Grienke to NY would be a complete bust. It would make the Jeff Weaver deal look fantastic by comparison.

Yankees removed all free agents from their existing roster. Mo and Pettitte are not listed either.

Pena isn't great in the field. He made 5 errors in the infield (somehow I missed the 4 innings he played in RF this year), for a Fielding % of .969...by comparison Cano was .996, Jeter .989 and A-Rod .976. Which you could tolerate if he could hit, but he only batted .220-something. I'd rather give Nunez the chance.

It's all a moot point anyway. Yankees and Jeter ae back on with negotiations and Yankees will cave in and give him a 4th year and probably up the offer to $17-18MM. What a waste of money.

Rangers are apparently ready to make Cliff Lee an aggressive offer. It's believed they will immediately offer a 5 year deal. If that is the case I would guess 5 years at $100MM would be the offer. This would force the Yankees to either increase the annual salary to somewhere in the $22-23MM range or add on a 6th year (or both I guess). Rumor also has it the Yankees may have already made an offer, but no one from either side will confirm the report. Sorry I want Lee but not at that price. I would rather Spend some of that money on Crawford or Werth and then trade someone not named Gardner for pitching help.

Crash said...

Old Prof you and I are very eerily on the same page at the same time.

Heymen reporting that Yankees will go to 3 years $50MM on Jeter but that's it. I guess it's up to Jeter now whether he really wants to continue his baseball career as a Yankee.

old professor said...

Yankees have to wrap up negotiations with their free agents before the end of the winter meetings. Doing so will give them a clear idea of how much they actually have to spend on free agents or if they add some veteran via the trade route.

Three years at fifty million is a lot for an aging star. Jeter should also realize the increased money they pour into him is less to be used on filling other holes that need to be filled.

Anybody long for the days when George didn't care about the size of the budget versus establishing an expenditure ceiling and giving orders not to exceed it - like Hal is doing?

And Crash as a post script to your issue regarding Benoit - I am the one that is significantly older and should be having memory problems, but there was a slight disagreement in our discussions regarding free agents and I mentioned Benoit was a right handed reliever. YOU indicated he was lefthanded and I should not be questioning your knowledge. Enough said - as always I was RIGHT!!

Crash said...

I know it's a risky sign, but the Rangers are reportedly interested in Mark Prior. I think this guy is so worth taking a flier on. Signing him to minor league deal. Plus with the newly added rivalry that seems to be brewing between the Rangers and Yankees over Greenberg's comments, the Lee signing, then the Pettitte rumors, etc. I think it would be great if the Yankees could stick it to the Rangers one more time and sign Prior.

old professor said...

You may not remember, but Mark Prior was a first round pick of the Yankees a number of years ago. He refused to sign, went to college and eventually was drafted by the Cubs. I do not believe the Yankees would revisit the issue of signing and older much injuried Mark Prior now.

I also was amazed to see that Aceves was injured in a biking accident and now will need three weeks of rest following surgery and three months of rehab before being ready for baseball. This is a guy who missed most of the season with a bad back - refused back surgery, but can go out and ride a bike and break a collarbone.

Gardner is having wrist surgery and they think he will be ready for spring training. Here is an odd question - if you know you need wrist surgery and your season ends in October, why wait until December to have surgery that could hinder your spring training??

By tonight the Yankees have to tender offers to Hughes, Chamberlain, and Mosley or they all become free agents. Here is another shock - Yankees sign Mitre for $900,000. Why do they keep bringing this guy back?

Crash said...

Hughes and Chamberlain are arbitration eligible...didn't think they needed to tender contracts to them. They most certainly will for those 2. Mosley is a question mark, but I think he pitched well for them when they were in a bind. He should get one. Not sure what the plan is with Mitre. Last year they carried Mitre, Gaudin, and Mosley...maybe they said we can't carry all 3, so they let Gaudin go.

old professor said...

MLB is running a section on bargain type players that will come relatively cheap, but at the same time could help teams: Brian Bannister, Aaron Herang and Johnny Damon are there of the individuals listed (along with Orlando Hudson and Carlos Pena). Bannister and Herang may be pretty decent pitchers to add to a #4 or #5 slot in the rotation. Both have excellent velocity and pitched fairly well.

Regarding Damon - I would say the Yankees missed his bat in the number 2 slot all season as well as his durability and leadership. They should consider bringing him back (consider that there is a question regarding if and when Gardner will be able to return from surgery - the same surgery that Nick Johnson originally had and we know how that turned out).

Crash said...

Yankees release Aceves (coincidently after a bike accident) and Mosley.

Crash said...

Reports have Yankees resigning Mo 2 year deal $15mm per.

old professor said...

I have read that two teams the Red Sox and Angels both offered Mo three year deals, which prompted the Yankees to concede to Mo's wishes and offered two years at $15 which has been accepted in principle.

I was not surprised by the move to non-tender Aceves. He pitched well two years ago, but you can't bring someone back that will continue to have back issues. I do find it odd that it was recommended he have back surgery which did not happen but he is now on the shelf because of surgery for a broken collar bone.

I fell bad about Mosley, I believe he is much more serviceable than Mitre. (I guess it boiled down to loyalty. Mitre pitched for Girardi in Florida and he will stay with him in NY).

There are some very interesting names on the non-tendered list: Chien Ming Wang was non-tendered and is now a free agent (Yankees may want to take a look - scouting reports indicated his velocity and location are back). Jeremy Accardo who was a closer a couple of years ago for Toronto and moved to the set-up role is also a free agent.

Wil Nieves who was a high prospect for the Yankees a couple of years ago and was a backup for a season with the team was also cut loose by the Nats. As was Russell Martin from the Dodgers and Navarro from Tampa.

I was surprised to see Josh Fields cut by the Royals. He had a heavy load to carry as he was touted as the next George Brett.

Cannot understand the Yankees increasing an offer to Jeter - they are bidding against themselves. Does the Jeter camp really believe someone is going to offer him more than three years and more than $15m per year??

Crash said...

I'm so sick of the Jeter talk, at this point I'm glad there's something else to discuss. I didn't hear that the Red Sox and Angels made offers to Mo, but I'm not surprised by it either. I'm surprised he didn't get a raise though. That was probably the concession to get the second year.

The Dodgers non-tendered catcher Russel Martin. 2 days ago the Yankees almost made trade for him...it would have been Cervelli for Martin straight up. Now if the Yankees want him they can go get him for nothing.

Winter meetings start next week and I expect the Yankees to make a huge splash...first they will sign Lee, then Jeter, then Pettitte. And finally they will pull a big trade that nobody saw coming...something like Joba, Nova, and Swisher for Justin Upton. Yankees still need bullpen help. They need another lefty and a dominant setup guy for Mo. Not sure there's much on the free agent listing, so that could also be a trade opportunity.

old professor said...

The three names mentioned for Upton are way too much. The D-Backs are asking for one major league player and an arm that is major league ready. I do not like the idea of trading Swisher, because of his power numbers (and please don't give me the trade them while they are hot statement). Trading Joba would make sense except you further weaken an area that needs to be strengthened and that would be the pen. As for the additional lefty - the Yankees could go after George Sherrill or Scott Downs. Downs is probably the better of the two, but will cost them draft choices.

Crash said...

Jeter's contract is all but done...indications are a 3 year deal with a vesting option based on performance for a 4th year...and get this...$19MM per year. What a waste.

Also a couple places are claiming the Yankees have contacted Carl Crawford's agent. If they go after him, they have to trade Swisher. I think they keep Gardner for a couple reasons. First he's making the league minimum, and second he's having wrist surgery very late.

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