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Cano has also benefitted vs Pedey by the Yankee stadium factor for LHd hitters. A factor overlooked by teams signing Cano and Granderson. There is bound to be some dropoff in power stats for those guys playing in different parks. Any different park. Conversely, any LHd hitter signed by the Yankees is bound to get a Yankee stadium power boost.
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I think it's pretty well established by now that, in order to get a major FA, you have to blow his agent out of the water with a bad offer--I mean bad in terms of business bad. You have to go beyond what rational people are willing to go. Waste money (it's tax deductible). The Yankees did that with Ells. The Mariners just did that with Cano. You have to overpay. I think the Red Sox have to realize they will have to overpay for any of those major guys out there. That includes Napoli--who will be paid for his Fenway stats. He hopes.
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The Cano signing should be a reminder to the Red Sox that these guys are out for the biggest bucks. They should loosen up if they want to keep their chicks.
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Cano has just signed with the Mariners for 10/$240M, according to Heymann tweet. Yankees screwed this up. They needed Cano more than Ellsbury.
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Kemp is a big gamble coming off three surgeries. Doubtful he will ever regain his power after the surgeries he had. Didn't Ethier have a good Aug and Sept? He might be a cheaper, safer bet. I don't know how serious the Dodgers are about shedding their 4th outfielder. I wouldn't be with their revenues.
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The Red Sox probably know what it will take to get Kemp or Ethier. They will balance that against Choo. I think they want a right fielder, figuring Vic and Bradley are enough for CF. They want a guy who can defend RF in Fenway. Choo is probably their best bet, but how much will he cost? They surely like him best because of his high OBP--he's a 20-20 type of player who can lead off or bat in the middle of the order. But MF Boras probably wants Ellsbury-Yankee money for him. Pass. The problem with Beltran is his ability to play RF in Fenway regularly--with his age and bad knees. Plus he wants 3 years, which is a deal breaker for 37 yo.
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Hitters coming off shoulder surgery often never get their full power back. Look at AdGon. He is getting paid for his Padres' form--before surgery. But he isn't the same hitter. My guess is McCann might never be the same, either, though Yankee stadium certainly helps him. The chances of Ellsbury showing any power there have been lessened by his rib and shoulder injuries. Even Votto has had a tough time power wise coming back from knee? surgery? His power numbers were off last year--as fantasy players will tell you. The Reds are paying him $20+ mil for 75 RBIs?
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Choo is the better hitter. He can't be that slow--he steals about 20 bases a year--with more power than Ells. He has a good arm and can play RF. They need another outfielder for flexibility and insurance. Vic is fragile and Bradley is still green. A lot of people don't realize the Yankees had to overbid to pry Ellsbury away from Boston and everybody else. Seriously overbid. He isn't a $20 million player. Of course, none of them are. wink wink.
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Seems this morning like Cano's agent, "Jay Z", is not acting in good faith with the Mariners--goes out there and ups the ante. Just an indication of how agents have corrupted MLB. Did Starbrenner get to him? Anything is possible in NY. There is simply too much money on the line.
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Ells is just too much like Gardner. You can't have both in the lineup together.
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Yeah, you got to have good left starters and hitters if you want to beat the Yankees. That's why the Red Sox should sign Choo. They play the MFY 19 times next year, don't they?
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The typical MF media tonite on MLB channel (Stark also on twitter)questioned Mujica's poor September performance and absence in the World Series without mentioning that he had a groin issue in September and tried to play thru it without success. The Red Sox just signed an all star closer on the cheap. That's two they now have. Ben is 2 for 2 in signings, with AJP. Maybe Choo is next. Then Drew and Nap.
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Well, sure. Starbrenner, Jr is capable of buying up every name FA--and then leaving the lower mgt to sort out the mess. That's what Starbrenner, Sr, did at the advent of FA in the late 70s. While that dork Haywood Sullivan was rebelling against FA by ditching Fisk and Lynn, Star Sr was vacuuming up every FA available. At ST in the late 70s, Billy Martin, Yankees manager (a favorite of mine) said to Star Sr., "George, I can't play all those guys!" What George should have done was turn a couple of them into race horses--another of his passionate interests.
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I think they should have signed Choo over Ells.
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Looks like the Mariners are bumping the Yankees on Cano the way the Yanks bumped the Red Sox on Ells. Love to see Mariners force the Yankees over $250 M for Cano. Hear the Red Sox are now in on Choo. Maybe Boras' consolation prize. James probably likes his OBP and power. He can play RF at Fenway.
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You will never see MLB without a payroll advantage for NY and LA. TV won't allow it. Neither will the Players Union. The odd thing is payroll doesn't seem to correlate very well with championships or playoffs these days. Big money helps, but isn't a guarantee of success. Mainly because of the farm system. The NBA has a similar "soft" cap setup which benefits NY and LA teams, which are always over the cap (excluding the Clippers). The NFL has a hard cap, and there is parity in the sport--maybe the main reason why it's so popular. Smaller market teams can dominate from year to year. Art Shell went along with it when he was head of the Players Union. It doesn't prevent TV from showcasing the NY teams in their schedules, however, including the terrible Jets. It's embarrassing the way NFL TV keeps showcasing that team--and ignoring the Giants-- in their analysis shows. A lot of people don't realize TV sets up the schedules of these sports--College football and basketball, too. The major source of revenue for teams--from advertising and our cable bills.
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My point is Ells ran into those "freak" injuries.
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Right. A bunch of media BS about limiting spending. They can make more media money making the playoffs than they can lose paying any amount of luxury tax. Some honest writer concluded that. A lot of people don't realize NY is the media center and the Yankees have supreme earning power there. They are set up in Baseball to dominate, with no salary cap.
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"Injury prone" also means some guys find a way to get injured. It's weird, but some do. perhaps it's their style of play. You get a guy like Ells stealing a lot of bases, playing CF. he's moving a lot--more likely to get hurt. I hear the Yankee move came from Steinbrenner--not Cashman. There is TV pressure on him to spend thru the roof to make the playoffs. One way is to hurt your biggest competitor. Though I don't think it hurts the Red Sox. Money is never a factor in NY. They can make more media money winning than lose it on the luxury tax. They will spend $250M if they have to. Just watch.
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I don't like Drew's bat in the lineup--not with X and MBrooks on the left side. I think they have to sign Nap at 1B, and maybe a rightfielder. They are 2 deep in CF with Vic and Bradley. The cheapest option might be Ethier. Kemp has a terrible contract--even if LA eats 20-30% of it. Plus he is coming off multiple surgeries. I figure they can eat some of Dempster and deal him for Ethier--the Dodgers eating some of his 4 yr contract down to $10-12 M per. Choo is MF Boras--forget him. Cruz can't play RF in Fenway. Grandy is also good, but James may not like him. Anybody know James projections on Grandy and Ethier this year? Those two may offer the most value.
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As I've said before, it would be foolish for the Yankees not to leverage their local TV revenue advantage to the hilt, as they have consistently done in the past. The LA teams are the only others with such an advantage. Baseball is set up for the Yankees to win, and when they don't, their management isn't doing very well.
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Better chance I think of a deal with the Dodgers for Kemp or Ethier. They might be able to unload Dempster in a deal with them.
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50/50 chance one of these will be in the starting day lineup playing RF: Cruz, Kemp, Ethier or Choo. Bradley could also be in CF and Vic in RF.It depends on whether any of those mentioned players can be had for reasonable money or acceptable deals. Pierzynski said he took a lesser deal to come to Boston--a winning team. That won't happen with any Bora$$ client, but could with the others--especially a Dodger deal.
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A misconception floating around in the media is that free agents "belong" to the team they have left. "Ellsbury of the Red Sox". Wrong. A free agent has no team. Ellsbury was no longer a member of the Red Sox when he became a free agent. Nor are any of the other unsigned free agents out there. They have no team until they sign with one.
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I think they aren't through yet in the OF. Names bandied about include Ethier, Kemp, Grandy and Cruz.