Yankees landing Lee

[Meh]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/yankees/yankees_on_brink_of_landing_cliff_b7oJw63k0cUXVdd02uuU1I?CMP=OTC-rss&FEEDNAME=

 

Montero is heading it up. Looks like maybe Adams is in there too. Hope we didn't give up too much after that.

[26 to 6]

While you can never complain when you're getting a lefty ace like Cliff Lee, I don't think the Yanks should pull the trigger unless Tampa is hot on his trails as well. The rotation is for the most part a strength right now, and it would make more sense to wait until the offseason and simply give up draft picks rather than our number 1 prospect. Now if it means keeping him from Tampa or Boston or another competitor, then you have to jump in and do what you gotta do, but I just think in the long run, despite his troubles at AAA this year, the Yanks will regret trading Montero. ESPECIALLY if for some reason we can't re-sign Lee after this season.

[redsoxrules]

f***

[Palodios]

The title of this post is misleading. The Yankees will likely end up with Lee from free agency, but that article really doesn't make any indication that a deal is close besides assumption.

[26 to 6]

Have you been living under a rock all morning? Turn on ESPN or something, the deal is "just about done."

[example1]

Who cares? So now they're the best team in baseball? Oh, they already were.

 

Trade their best prospects for players who would give other teams a chance to compete... ensuring their continued dominance.

 

I guess I'll have to root against the Yankees now.

 

If Montero is as good as all the Yankee fans say he is then this is a great deal for Seattle. Years and years of an 'elite' catching power bat. Good for Seattle.

[Palodios]

Have you been living under a rock all morning? Turn on ESPN or something' date=' the deal is "just about done."[/quote']

 

Espn says "trade nearly done" but it also says the Mariners are still looking for a better deal, and the Rays may be upping their offer. So yeah, the title of the ESPN article is misleading also.

[26 to 6]

Espn says "trade nearly done" but it also says the Mariners are still looking for a better deal' date=' and the Rays may be upping their offer. So yeah, the title of the ESPN article is misleading also.[/quote']

at 11:03 it appered as if the Yanks and M's hit a snag. Then 15 mins later it was being reported that the M's were informing all other interested teams that they were no longer in contention for Lee, indicating that he will be going to the Yanks sometime today.

 

example1: You're right, this is a potentially great trade for the M's, and I think the Yanks will eventually regret trading Montero.

[Meh]

Who cares? So now they're the best team in baseball? Oh, they already were.

 

Trade their best prospects for players who would give other teams a chance to compete... ensuring their continued dominance.

 

I guess I'll have to root against the Yankees now.

 

If Montero is as good as all the Yankee fans say he is then this is a great deal for Seattle. Years and years of an 'elite' catching power bat. Good for Seattle.

 

 

Yeah they traded Montero, but Adams wasn't a top prospect... Yankees have a strong farm system now and can afford to deal Montero, unlike in years past. Romine, Sanchez, Murphy, Perkins and Valera are there still marching towards the majors.

[Meh]

Espn says "trade nearly done" but it also says the Mariners are still looking for a better deal' date=' and the Rays may be upping their offer. So yeah, the title of the ESPN article is misleading also.[/quote']

 

 

Sounds like your pretty scared bud. It's ok, it's to be expected.

[Rdsxmbnt]

in a playoff series:

 

Lester = Lee

Beckett =

Buchholz = Pettitte

Lackey = Burnett

 

Big pickup for the Yankees if it happens but doesn't necessarily crown them champions

[yankees228]

Who cares? So now they're the best team in baseball? Oh, they already were.

 

Trade their best prospects for players who would give other teams a chance to compete... ensuring their continued dominance.

 

I guess I'll have to root against the Yankees now.

 

If Montero is as good as all the Yankee fans say he is then this is a great deal for Seattle. Years and years of an 'elite' catching power bat. Good for Seattle.

 

Thing is, this really is more a move for the postseason than the regular season. The Yankees' 2009 rotation was one of the worst rotations ever to win a world series. They know, with a three man rotation, and the last two being pretty average, that they were pretty lucky to win last year. The Yankees are now enjoying a luxury that up until the past couple years, they didn't know too well. They finally have some really good prospects.

 

There are two ways to use a farm system: let the players develop and hope they eventually become big time pieces on the MLB club, or use them as trades for established big leaguers. The Yankees are taking the latter route, and I'm confident they waited until the right time to trade Montero.

[yankees228]

in a playoff series:

 

Lester = Lee

Beckett =

Buchholz = Pettitte

Lackey = Burnett

 

Big pickup for the Yankees if it happens but doesn't necessarily crown them champions

 

Does the '=

[Rdsxmbnt]

Does the '=

 

Does your rhetorical question indicate you think they are not?

 

Assuming Beckett is back to normal health wise (he should be by the time October comes around), in a one game matchup based on Beckett's career and playoff record I don't see any real clear advantage towards either guy.

[Palodios]

Sounds like your pretty scared bud. It's ok' date=' it's to be expected.[/quote']

 

Cliff Lee is the best pitcher in the AL. I like him a lot as a player. And sure, seeing him in pinstripes would suck. But if you actually read any of the Cliff Lee articles, the titles make it sound like a 100% sure thing, when the content of the articles say differently.

[yankees228]

Does your rhetorical question indicate you think they are not?

 

Assuming Beckett is back to normal health wise (he should be by the time October comes around), in a one game matchup based on Beckett's career and playoff record I don't see any real clear advantage towards either guy.

 

There wasn't an implication, I was simply asking a question.

 

As for your actual point, if Beckett is healthy, I agree, a slight edge to Sabathia.

[Rdsxmbnt]

There wasn't an implication, I was simply asking a question.

 

As for your actual point, if Beckett is healthy, I agree, a slight edge to Sabathia.

 

Fair enough, I give the slight edge to Sabathia based on better regular season numbers, but wouldn't feel at much of a disadvantage, if any at all, by starting a healthy Beckett against him.

[example1]

Yeah they traded Montero' date=' but Adams wasn't a top prospect... Yankees have a strong farm system now and can afford to deal Montero, unlike in years past. Romine, Sanchez, Murphy, Perkins and Valera are there still marching towards the majors.[/quote']

 

...where they will promptly be traded for an immediate upgrade.

[example1]

This move actually doesn't bother me too much, certainly not as much as they have in the past.

 

The thing I like most about it is that the Yankees are raising the bar again and Theo and the Sox will need to respond. Perhaps not this year, but the Yankees are not going with a "building from within" approach, so the Sox will need to counter these "known" quantities rather than the unknowns of minor league players.

 

I think Theo is the better GM at constructing a team and the Yankees have resources and clout that the Sox can't match. On equal ground I prefer Theo's approach and still think that they will be able to field a competitive team moving forward this year and in the future.

[yankees228]

The main reason this deal makes sense is that Montero doesn't have a position.

[26 to 6]

LOL....look, the Yankees have done a great job in recent years of developing players throughout the system. With the emergence of Cervelli as a viable major league catcher, and the depth behind the plate in the minors, the Yanks can afford to make this move without mortgaging their future. You can't expect them to keep ALL of their young catchers. As for the Yankees having resources that the Red Sox can't match, I think that's a joke. The Red Sox are in a better position than any other team to match the Yankees spending. They choose not to that way they can cry foul when the Yanks go out and make these moves. They'd rather have everyone's sympathies over the fact that the "evil empire" strikes again, rather than go out and strike back. It gets so old hearing people complain about the Yankees spending habits, especially when it's Red Sox fans who are doing the complaining. The Yankees have an undeniable advantage over every other team in the league, but the extent of that advantage varies from team to team. The Yankees advantage over the Cleveland Guardians, for example, is much greater than their advantage over the Red Sox. It just makes me sick when Red Sox people, be it in the organization, the media, or the fans themselves complain that they can't keep up with the Yankees because the Sox are one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world. The Yankees impending acquisition of Lee really can't be attributed to a financial advantage, but rather the fact that the Yankees were in the position to offer the best return (on the field) to the M's. Plain and simple. We still don't know who the third prospect is, but I know that nobody could have offered them a bat like Montero's at the catcher position, where the M's are extremely thin. That's what it comes down to, not financial resources.

[26 to 6]

The main reason this deal makes sense is that Montero doesn't have a position.

Agreed. I think the M's will want to stick with him behind the plate, but that might not be the best option in the long run.

[yankees228]

Agreed. I think the M's will want to stick with him behind the plate' date=' but that might not be the best option in the long run.[/quote']

 

If the Yankees were able to move Montero to first base, I might not feel as good about this trade as I do. Unfortunately, they don't have that luxury.

[26 to 6]

Rosenthal just reported that the third prospect will likely be Zach McAllister.

 

So if everything stands as is, the trade should look like this...

 

Yankees get:

LHP Cliff Lee

 

Mariners get:

C Jesus Montero

2B/3B David Adams

RHP Zach McAllister

[yankees228]

Rosenthal just reported that the third prospect will likely be Zach McAllister.

 

So if everything stands as is, the trade should look like this...

 

Yankees get:

LHP Cliff Lee

 

Mariners get:

C Jesus Montero

2B/3B David Adams

RHP Zach McAllister

 

If they re-sign Lee, in my mind, this is a really nice deal for the Yankees.

[26 to 6]

If the Yankees were able to move Montero to first base' date=' I might not feel as good about this trade as I do. Unfortunately, they don't have that luxury.[/quote']

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. Being that the Yankees are still the Yankees, and have the luxury of adding premier free agents means that even if they are successful at developing young talent, there may not necessarily be a long-term position for those prospects. That seems to be the case with Montero in this instance. If he projected to be a viable, long-term option behind the plate then I would be upset over this deal and would have preferred the Yankees tried to send some of their other young catchers to Seattle. But being that he's defensively flawed back behind the plate, and there doesn't seem to be another available position for him to play (besides full-time DH, which isn't an ideal situation anyway) I have no problem with the Yankees trading him for an ace pitcher rather than keep him in the system without a position for the foreseeable future. I think Cashman did a great job assessing the situation as a whole here, and overall made the best decision for the organization.

 

If they re-sign Lee, in my mind, this is a really nice deal for the Yankees.

For sure!

[ORS]

LOL....look' date=' the Yankees have done a great job in recent years of developing players throughout the system. With the emergence of Cervelli as a viable major league catcher, and the depth behind the plate in the minors, the Yanks can afford to make this move without mortgaging their future. You can't expect them to keep ALL of their young catchers. As for the Yankees having resources that the Red Sox can't match, I think that's a joke. The Red Sox are in a better position than any other team to match the Yankees spending. They choose not to that way they can cry foul when the Yanks go out and make these moves. They'd rather have everyone's sympathies over the fact that the "evil empire" strikes again, rather than go out and strike back. It gets so old hearing people complain about the Yankees spending habits, especially when it's Red Sox fans who are doing the complaining. The Yankees have an undeniable advantage over every other team in the league, but the extent of that advantage varies from team to team. The Yankees advantage over the Cleveland Guardians, for example, is much greater than their advantage over the Red Sox. It just makes me sick when Red Sox people, be it in the organization, the media, or the fans themselves complain that they can't keep up with the Yankees because the Sox are one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world. The Yankees impending acquisition of Lee really can't be attributed to a financial advantage, but rather the fact that the Yankees were in the position to offer the best return (on the field) to the M's. Plain and simple. We still don't know who the third prospect is, but I know that nobody could have offered them a bat like Montero's at the catcher position, where the M's are extremely thin. That's what it comes down to, not financial resources.[/quote']

While you are correct that if this trade is executed it would not be due to the financial advantage, the rest is just flat out wrong.

 

That they spend more than the other big market teams is not a matter of choice, and it's certainly not for the absurd reason of other teams choosing to spend less just so they can "cry foul". They spend more because they have access to that much more revenue, particularly when you account for the YES network. Sure, the Sox are the clear #2, but that doesn't put them on equal footing to #1, which is what you are suggesting.

[example1]

As for the Yankees having resources that the Red Sox can't match' date=' I think that's a joke. [/quote']

 

Keep fooling yourself. The Red Sox have tremendous resources and income streams. The Yankees have tremendously better resources and income streams. Their media market is considerably larger, their advertizing goes farther, the YES network brings in more than NESN, etc., They have a bigger brand.

 

You can't simultaneously call your team the "greatest franchise in sports" and then say that they're basically the same as other big market teams.

 

 

The Yankees have an undeniable advantage over every other team in the league, but the extent of that advantage varies from team to team. The Yankees advantage over the Cleveland Guardians, for example, is much greater than their advantage over the Red Sox.

 

So you agree, the Yankees have an advantage. Thanks, that's my point.

 

It just makes me sick when Red Sox people, be it in the organization, the media, or the fans themselves complain that they can't keep up with the Yankees because the Sox are one of the most profitable sports franchises in the world.

 

Can't keep up? I think the Sox have kept up very well. Nobody's saying they can't keep up. They just aren't going to sell 6 years worth of all-star caliber production for half a season of all-star production. Additionally, they're always going to be hesitant to sell that potential 6 years for a half-season, even if there's no assurance that the 6 years will materialize. Lester, Buchholz, Papelbon, Pedroia, Youkilis are all examples of that decision paying off. Many would have traded Lester for Santana a few years ago. The Sox didn't and it was the right move.

 

 

The Yankees impending acquisition of Lee really can't be attributed to a financial advantage, but rather the fact that the Yankees were in the position to offer the best return (on the field) to the M's. Plain and simple. We still don't know who the third prospect is, but I know that nobody could have offered them a bat like Montero's at the catcher position, where the M's are extremely thin. That's what it comes down to, not financial resources.

 

Yet, other teams wouldn't offer a cost controlled player who could be worth $15m/yr ($90m over the course of his 6 years) for half a season of an all-star. It is a financial decision, actually. The $$ involved isn't a deal breaker for a lot of teams, but to pretend that it isn't part of the equation is silly.

 

I acknowledge that the Yankees have the piece the M's want, and I'm not jealous of the Yanks acquisition of Lee. I'm just saying that the reason other teams hold onto prospects IS NOT BECAUSE THEIR PROSPECTS AREN'T GOOD ENOUGH to be traded. It is because prospects who develop into good players are more valuable financially than expensive SPs and all-star hitters who are about to be FAs. This explains why the Yankees have held onto Phil Hughes. He's very good and he's essentially free.

 

That savings doesn't just sit on the books for teams like the Sox, Yankees, Phils, Dodgers, etc., it gets reinvested in the system, or into other FAs who become key parts of the team.

[yankees228]

Heyman just said on Francesa's show that the talk of this deal being 'imminent' is premature. At this point, I'd be very disappointed if they didn't get him. With Lee scheduled to pitch against the Yankees tonight, a decision one way or another should come soon.

[Keeper]

s***.