Spoke with Gregg Zaun's agent, T.R. Lewis, around 5 p.m. yesterday and he definitely gave the impression something might happen with the Yankees today, maybe even a deal. “There is a strong level of interest and intrigue from both sides," Lewis said, "and we’re going to examine it a little further.”
Lewis, based out of Atlanta, was set to fly to New York today to meet face-to-face with Yankees GM Brian Cashman. But within a few hours that was canceled and Zaun was headed back to Toronto.
The Blue Jays were all set to sign Rod Barajas, but the deal fell through, apparently before the physical stage. The Blue Jays then called Zaun, and the negotiations went very quickly. At 9 p.m. on the dot Lewis sent me a text message: "Unexpected deal looks immiment w/Jays. Flight to NY tomorrow looks to be on hold."
Just like that the Yankees may have fallen 18 hours short of a player who could have been their best backup catcher since Jorge Posada held the job in the late 1990s.
Comments (11)
Don't know what all the fuss is about with this Zaun guy.
He's not even that good.
Not that good? Look at the career comparison:
Zaun:
-AVG---OBP----SLG----OPS
.253---.345---.385---.730
Fassano:
-AVG---OBP----SLG----OPS
.221---.296---.398---.694
Last year's stats:
Zaun:
-AVG---OBP----SLG----OPS
.272---.363---.462---.825
Fassano:
-AVG---OBP----SLG----OPS
.243---.284---.386---.670
I would've seen that as a significant upgrade from an automatic out to a respectable bat. Add to that the fact that Zaun has a much better walk to strikeout rate, and the Yankee lineup has one more guy that is gonna wear out a pitcher when Jorge is sitting.
All that said, we've been making the playoffs for years without a decent backup catcher. Let's just hope Jorge continues to stay healthy...
Buster Olney says that Rod Barajas may have failed his physical w/ the Jays so the deal fell apart. He goes on to say he "applauds" the Jays for keeping that information (the failed physical) quiet because it would hurt Barajas' chances of getting a lucrative deal somewhere else. Huh? Why would you applaud someone for putting damaged goods on the market and keeping it quiet. I don't really understand that statement at all. Do they hope the Yanks will sign him and he'll get hurt or something? That shows a complete lack of integrity and class if you ask me.
What is similarities with Plaxico Burress and Johnny Damon have in common? They both laughed and wicked smile when their teams such Giants and Yankees are losing. If I were a Gm of This team I will either Release or trade This players and Get off the Team.
if i see that lame plax/damon joke again i think i may puke
I notice things like that more often after football games than I do baseball. It kills me to see players laughing and joking with the other team after they've lost. I'd like to see players at least act like they care once in a while. Of course this applies to a small percentage of players as most are openly competitive. Look at Posada after a loss and tell me he likes it one bit.
If the Seibu Lions agree to pay part of his salary, will this be allowed by the commissioners office? Was a precedent set before with Ichiro, having the Japanese team pay a portion of his salary? If this is so, let's say the Seibu Lions pay 21 million of Matsuzaka's salary and the Red Sox pony up 24 million for a 3 year, 15 mil per year deal. That would mean other teams that might have bid 31 million were now outbid by the Red Sox but the Red Sox ended up sending less to the Lions. This would seem to make a sham of the bidding process. However if allowed, the Red Sox might have made a very shrewd move.
Blaine: you bring up a very good point. The Red Sox's should adhere to the 51.1 million to talk with him.
We lost out on "The Gyroman", so focus on what we can currently do to improve our pitching. The worthwhile free agent pitching market is beginning to "thin-out", and by the time the Winter Meetings end next week, it will "dry-up" completely. Cashman has roughly 10 days to "pull the trigger" on significant move(s) to improve our pitching, before both the free agent and trade cupboards will be bare.
Yanks need 1 starting pitcher whom I'm sure they'll dig up somewhere.1 lefty reliever and a backup backstop.I'm sure Ryan Doumit of the Pirates could be had,he's young,a good switchhitter and could under proper tutelage improve his defense a little.He also plays 1st base.It seems to me the prognosticators should really set their sights on Phillip Hughes holding down a starting job.He is really that good.
There is plenty of time to shore up the pitching.
Cashman should not bring in any pitcher unless the guy is truly a pitcher he wants. He should just wait and see where the team is during the season and make a trade before the deadline in July, if needed. Phillip Hughes might be ready by then and that way they would not need to trade any prospects. Igawa might even turn out to be a decent pitcher if they sign him.
I would rather he bide his time and make a good deal instead of reacting to Bostons move.