jacksonianmarch

Of course the deal was struck through the higher ups. You think this first yr GM puppet was the guy given the keys to the 2+ billion dollar ferrari without strings attached? Especially when the team would be gutted in the process?

BSN, Loria committed fraud, effectively. You have one of the worst hit states during the recession paying 80% of a half billion dollar stadium. He sells them the line of crap that they new revenue will allow for them to be a big market club. He goes out and signs big name players to huge deals with moderate money in yr 1. This was all planned. He lied through his teeth and used the taxpayers to increase the worth of the team. He should be investigated for fraud

Salty and Alex Wilson for Garza? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Cmon man, the Cubs gave up a massive haul to get Garza, they arent taking a C level prospect and a useless catcher for him

Rail riders beat out pole smokers, smokin spinners, tranny hookers, and arod's anal beads for SWB nickname in a pretty ferocious contest

Yanks are in on Nolasco apparently

What they got was Josh Johnson on a 1 yr deal and Buerhle locked up. If Johnson kicks ass, you could re-sign him or get a pick for him. If he's hurt, you still likely offer him the QO and see if he bites for another yr. His issue has always been health. If healthy, he's good. Reyes does make way too much money, but he plays a crucial position on the diamond, plays it well and hits well above the mean. Buck and Ross would be a defensive minded tandem with some pop. I am surprised the sox didnt poke their head in and offer up Salty, Doubront, Iglesias, Brentz and maybe Owens

With Hunter gone, we should be looking to either re-sign Ichiro or find guys who are FA's coming off down yrs. Either that or find a guy like Johnny Gomes who could be a find in RF, especially vs lefties. Or you could do both. And he will likely come cheap on a 1 yr deal Ludwick would be my first choice, but he is gonna get a 2-3 yr deal and I doubt the Yankees want to tie up those kinds of yr with that salary when they have the kids coming through the pipe. I am sure that come 2014, one of our prospects will be starting in the OF, hell, we might have 2.

Oswalt makes little sense. Re-signing Pettitte and Kuroda fills out your rotation and leaves Phelps and Pineda free to move into the rotation should Pineda's health improve or the need arise. Hafner makes a lot of sense. He's probably due a significant pay cut and his swing in Yankee Stadium would be deadly. Couple that with ARod as his DH platoon partner and you have the makings of a comeback kind of yr. The same could be said for Thome, but his neck issue might not be something he can play through

I wanted Hunter in NY as well. I thought he was a good fit, but from the sounds of it, NY wants a 1 yr stopgap and Hunter needed 2 yrs. Ce la vie

The funny thing is, if the deal was flipped to the sox, it would have completely overhauled and remade the team, with all needs filled. I am shocked the sox werent in on this. You needed a SS, C, 2 starters and the Jays got just that plus a pretty solid utility guy. I cannot believe Ben couldnt beat that haul the Marlins got

Holy s***. Not sure what's going back, but this is huge

Napoli is a complete and total butcher behind the dish. After seeing what Salty brings you, I think they are angling for an upgrade defensively. Lavarnway showed that he can capably handle the catching duties. He might not be a Pudge Rodriguez back there, but he is worlds better than Salty. A good catcher is immeasurably important to your pitching staff, and I think the sox are seeing this now.

a700, I doubt the Yankees get Hamilton. The edict from above has been to get uner $189 by 2014, and in doing so, you will be seeing some more 1 yr deals and more of an influx of kids from the minors. The Yanks have to get younger, they need to stop filling their needs by signing guys to 7-10 yr deal when their utility will only be the next 3-4yrs. Also, the Yankees are entering salary cap hell. Tex has 4 yrs left, ARod has 5, CC has 5. Thats $75 mil tied up right there for 3 players. Then consider that Cano is definitely getting re-signed and you probably have a case where 4 players will be making $100 mil annually

It would be weird to have a platoon with two right handed hitters, especially when Ross hits lefties really well

I dont see the sox as playoff contenders regardless SFF. They have to really hit it big on the open market to do so. You dont deal away 3 starters from a .500 team (at the time) and expect to get better.

Valverde isnt coming to the Yankees unless it's a cheap 1 yr deal/pillow contract so he can recoup his value. What I like is the fact that the Yankees are practicing some fiscal responsibility. What I also liked was how they worked in David Phelps, a guy who I think should be in the conversation for 5th starter this yr. I am hoping they sign Hunter to a 1 yr deal. I dont care how much the 1 yr is worth, they need to get under the cap for 2014. This gives them 1 yr to see if their kids can come through. After years of having 1 big name offensive prospect, the Yankees have 3 viable OF prospects who will start the yr in AA, one of them being named the BP top corner OF prospect in all of baseball (Tyler Austin). If things break right and 2 of the trio of Heathcott, Austin, and Williams end up seeing a lot of time in AAA then they might end up letting Grandy walk, resigning Cano and then handing RF to Austin and CF to Williams or Heathcott. They need to get younger, and if in that time they arent a playoff contender then so be it.

We shall see. He's a horrible defensive catcher and aside from power, he offers little offensively. If they can get anything of use for him, them they have to move him. I think the writing is on the wall that they wants Lavs to take over, so it's pretty apparent that he's not in their plans

2 yrs $6 mil. Good signing, IMO. Very solid backup catcher who will likely split time and make it easier to deal one of Lavs or Salty

Swisher is gonna get $13-$15 mil per yr for at least 4 yrs. There are tons of teams starved for offense out there and Swish is consistently above average

Sox looking at Tino Martinez as hitting coach. Now that would be a strange sight

As do I. I also expect the Yankees to take their time and see what his market becomes. He is the perfect 1 yr deal with a team option kinda player

Soria says he's willing to set up for Mo. Git er done!

My guess is he signs an $8 mil contract with escalators for games finished

Holy s***, the Yankees are actually considering moving Granderson to LF and Gardner to CF. We have only asked for this for 2 yrs

On the offensive front, I doubt we are going to let Russell Martin get away. You have Brian McCann having his option picked up by the Braves and nothing else really available on the market. You also have your best possible replacement internally in Romine coming off a back injury that took away his season. We need at least one more yr before we could consider Romine a viable option, but then again, Martin sucked ass offensively, so it isnt like we are re-upping him for his offensive prowess. Also, since Martin fell so precipitously to earth this past yr, I think his market will be limited. I would offer Martin a 1 yr deal with a player option for a second that escalates based on performance factors. That gives Martin some security knowing he effectively could be there for 2 yrs no matter how s***** he does, and if he comes alive again, his market next yr for a long term deal will be there. Let's say the Yankees sign Martin to a 1yr $6 mil contract with a player option for $5 million with escalators up to $8 mil. NO matter what, Martin isnt getting a qualifying offer In the infield, I think re-signing Chavez is a priority, but I also dont go ga-ga over his solid yr last yr and give him anything he wants. We need a guy who will split time with ARod between DH and 3b. One name that we should definitely consider is Kevin Youkilis. Yes, I hate him, but we have to be realistic. The guy can play both corners, takes walks, hits for power and is fragile. Shift him between 3b and DH and you prolong the legs and allow for him to get on base at a good clip. I'd actually rather Youk than Chavez, even though Chavez had a better yr. I think it is unlikely Chavy repeats his rejuvenation in the Bronx and we need a guy who can be more than just a part time player without something in his body exploding. In the outfield, my dream scenario is a deal for Justin Upton, but from all reports, he is going to get dealt for a massive haul. And when you are dealing with a guy with question marks, you shouldnt be giving away a package fit for an MVP. I absolutely offer Swish the $13.5 mil qualifying offer and let him walk. I am warming to the idea of Hunter since he can still play D, runs better than Swish and is coming off a good season. He also should come cheaply and on a very short term deal. I'd also like the idea of signing a guy like Ryan Ludwick, but from the sounds of it, he'll be heading back to Cincy. I liked the idea of moving Granderson, but on a 1yr deal, he likely is worth more to us than anyone will give to us in trade. With Gardner and Grandy locked into the OF, a RH hitter is imperative, so that means Ichiro walks unless he is willing to accept a 4th OFer role. In terms of the 4th OFer, I would seriously consider Johnny Gomes. The guy destroys left handed pitching, had a great yr in a terrible hitter's park, and should come pretty cheaply. He's a COF guy, so against lefties, we'd start Gomes in LF, Hunter in RF and either Granderson or Gardner in CF, but it is worth it. On the mound, I do think Mariano and Pettitte come back. This was a bad way to end the yr, and I doubt they want to go out like this. I also think Kuroda would be willing to come back, and I definitely offer him the qualifying offer. Should he want to go back to LA, you get a pick. Should he return, then great. If he is back, then our rotation is effectively set. If he doesnt, I would seriously consider dealing for Dan Haren. He'd come cheaply and would be a pretty good candidate to get his career turned around after a horrid and injury plagued season. And on a 1 yr deal, why the f*** not. That might actually be the best case scenario. Let Kuroda walk, deal for Haren, net out a pick and get younger in the rotation. As good as Hiroki was, I doubt he can repeat that solid season he just had. And in the pen, I let Soriano walk. There are too many back end guys available who could help and I do think Mo comes back for one more push. That leaves us with Mo as closer and KRob as setup. But I wouldnt stop there. I go hard after Soria, and I would do a similar deal as Martin's. 1 yr deal with a player option that escalates. That means we get a pick for Soriano, a closer level pitcher in Soria and get cheaper in the long run. If Soria isnt interested, we could go the Ryan Madson route