By my calculations -- three words that usually makes my banker cringe -- the Yankees have $163 million tied up for next year's team in guaranteed contracts. That's not including players under their control such as Robinson Cano, Chien-Ming Wang, Scott Proctor, Melky Cabrera, Andy Phillips, Aaron Guiel, etc. So let's guesstimate those players will total another $3 million in salary. Now we're at $166 million. Now let's say that Kei Igawa gets $5 million next season. Now we're talking $171 million.
We haven't factored in the $26 million they gave Hanshin for Igawa -- yes, it's luxury tax free but we have to account for it somewhere in our books -- or the $4 million the Yankees gave the Orioles to take Jaret Wright. But given the Yankees have paid more than $200 million in salaries in each of the last two seasons, I think there's still room to splurge for another big ticket signing this offseason if they so choose.
Just my two cents. (Get it! Ha! Okay, okay, I'll stop now.)
Comments (46)
as far as position players we need a backup catcher and 1st baseman, but our lineup is already stacked so whatever..
Who would we sign, someone in the bullpen?
I have supported BC moves, so far. He must believe that signing Igawa is the better financial and baseball move available at this time. As far as the team cumulative salary. There are a couple of moves which will be made to bring it down and reward the Wang, Cano and Cabrera in 2008. RJ and Pavano will more then likely be Adios.
What big ticket guy is out there to sign? All the big bats are gone, Schmidt and Zito are unlikely and unhelpful, and is there even a slick fielding 1stbaseman or backup catcher that would qualify as "big?"
I think we're gonna see a tiny bit of payroll shrinkage this offseason.
If only that translated to cheaper beer at the stadium.
Sigh.
Do you think The Yankees will permission for Igawa to pitch in spring training against the Sawx? I hope not.
It will Be fun and I'm happy to be Yankees fan right now. The Yankees and Redsox rivalry goes to another level and everyone in the world will be watching. I can't wait to see Igawa vs Matsuzaka pitching matchups.
How can you reward Melky in 08?? we should resign Bobby and the other fielders are locked in their pacts so how you rewarding him to be a pine warmer? give Matsui a first baseman glove!
as for FA like i said in another post the treatment of Arod and the political structure of the yankees is making alot of players leary of wanting to come here as for the avail pitchers who are so so and coming off of sub par year. why would they want to come to a team who has a suspect pitching coach. I love gator but he should went to the minors first to learn the job for a few. this is scary to a Zito who needs to be retooled in some areas of his game
Arod will be fine as well as the rest of the offense in 2007. Its all about pitching. Cashman knows this & will continue do something about it.
Do you think The Yankees will give permission to Igawa's and try to pitch in spring training against the Redsox? I hope not.
It will Be fun and I'm happy to be Yankees fan right now. The Yankees and Redsox rivalry goes to another level and everyone in the world will be watching. I can't wait to see Igawa vs Matsuzaka pitching matchup and outduel each other.
I should ammend this blog item a little bit. I think there is room for one more big ticket item, however -- and this is a big however -- I think they would sign someone only if it falls in their laps, ala Johnny Damon last year. So if the market for Barry Zito suddenly dries up and he can be had for four for $40, the Yankees will go for it, I think. Of course there is no shot of this market drying up for anyone. Not when Adam Eaton gets a guaranteed $24 million...
The thing I'm worried about Igawa How can he handle Strong hitting and deep lineups in American league. How about his control? He walked six guys against Mlb All stars.
Bluejays Jays have a dominated and stacked righty lineup. The addition of Frank thomas and also will try to compete against Redsox and Yankees in Al east and playoffs.
One of the best left-handed starters in Japan, Igawa wasn't expected to come over this winter as a free agent, but his current employer, the Hanshin Tigers, apparently made an about-face and posted him. Igawa is primarily a two-pitch pitcher, with a below-average fastball in the 84-88 mph range with a little run, and a plus 74-79 mph curveball with a late two-plane break. He has a slight stabbing motion at the start of his delivery, but stays on top of the ball well, giving the curve its good depth and creating some downhill plane to his otherwise flat fastball. He also has average command and plus control.
The downside to Igawa is that his fastball may be a little short for MLB hitters, in which case, he'll end up a reliever, and probably a good one with that plus curve as a lefty-killing weapon. (He does throw an occasional changeup, but prefers to use his curve to get righties out as well.) The upside would be if his quick delivery makes the ball hard enough for hitters to pick up that his fastball plays up to average, in which case he could certainly pitch in the back end of an NL rotation. He's also an ideal candidate to learn a splitter, although that's a common pitch in Asia and it would be a surprise if he hadn't already tried one.
source ---keith law ESPN
My opinion of the Igawa deal is it is purely a marketing decision by the Yanks. There is a branch office of my compnay in Tokyo and I go there quite often and when Matsui and Ichiro are playing, people will actually wake up in the middle of the night if they have to so they can watch the game. With Boston getting Matsuzaka, the Yanks wanted to make sure they retain their market share in Japan so folks will be sure to keep watching the Yanks. By the way, nice try at lowering the posting fee, Red Sox- Gotta love the nerve they have- that's a real classy thing to do and I hope it backfires on them as doing business in Japan is all about "honor".
Maybe Jim B. should amend his comment earlier to say the Yanks have wiggle room for "one more acquisition" because I still think they are looking at pulling off a trade and would not mind taking on a high salary from someone if they can make a deal. I have a sneaking suspicion that Melky and Sanchez may not be Yankees next year.
I agree, a deal is brewing for another starter. Maybe they view Igawa as a long reliever and bullpen guy.
Jim B. I agree with your amendment, but still think it makes little difference - there is no premiere guy available on the FA market, and like you said, Zito's market isn't drying up, it's getting bigger.
So the other route is a trade. Do the Yanks pull off a move to get a guy like Texiera, Helton, Nick Johnson, etc? Could they pull off such a move?
I think we're going to the dance with what we have right now, and see where the market is around the trade deadline next year. Fortunately, the AL East is weak enough that we can spend two-three months figuring out what we can get without getting blown out of the division.
ESPN's Buster Olney is reporting that "Hideki Okajima is in serious discussions with the Red Sox about a two-year deal." I like this deal for the Red Sox for multiple reasons.
Okajima has faced tough lefty opponents in critical situations out of the 'pen and proven his ability in Japan. He has a "big" curve, which is tough for lefthanded batters to hit, and he's held lefty hitters to less than a .200 average in '05 and '06.
Bottom line is, Okajima is a solid situational lefthanded pitcher, and probably will cost much less than three years at $12 million that Orioles paid Jamie Walker. And Okajima is four years younger than Walker.
Replace Villone and I don't want him. I hope Cashman sign this Okajima and former teammates of Matsui. He's tough against left handed batters and lefty specialist.
source - boston dirtdogs
We already have Mike Myers as a situational LH. If this guy is a replacement for Villone and can pitch a couple innings a day, that's fine. Buster Olney loves every move the Red Sox make so I wouldn't exactly take his word as gospel about how good Okajima is.
The Igawa signing makes sense in that he's probably no better or worse than Ted Lilly and if he signs for 4 years $16 mil he'll come at the same price as Lilly (factor in the posting fee) but is 3 years younger and only $4 mil will count towards the luxury tax.
The Yankees might be waiting to see if the Giants offer Shea Hillenbrand arbitration, if not, he would be a good pick-up at 1st base.
As for Abreu, next year he'll likely get the same treatment Sheffield got this year, where the Yankees will pick up his option and then move him for young players. All signs point to Jose Tabata being ready to play in the majors by 2008.
Unfortunately, it seems Cashman's moves are primarily motivated by the dollars involved. Our primary focus used to be on winning, and the money involved was a mere after thought. That obviously has changed dramatically. The only consolation to this new method of operation, is that trading A-ROD would further reduce our payroll. Getting Crede, McCarthy, and a prospect or mid-reliever for A-Rod, would fit right into this "new" approach.
I watched the video of this guy that Jim B. posted the other day like you guys all did, and for me, he throws too many pitches. His pitch count will be over 100 by the end of the 4th inning! Maybe signing him as a reliever is the way to go, but I'm not sure that the Yanks are looking at him in that role.
As far as signing a big ticket guy, I just don't see that happening with the moves that Cashman has made so far unless he plans on using the money that he freed up to go after Zito, Lilly or Meche.
I agree with Jim A. in that something's coming.
I have lots of questions about the starting rotation which unfortunately, due to my increased workload at University, I cannot research and answer myself. Please, in the fashion of my previous season-preview threads (1B and 40-Man), offer your freelance expertise which I have come to rely on for a deeper appreciation of my team. I hope the thorough list of questions below can spark an equally thorough thread.
What can we expect from Carl Pavano? [you all have exhausted every possible Pavano joke]
Was Mike Mussina's second half decline an indication of further decline to come, regression to his 04-05 performance?
Is Randy Johnson done?
Which five pitchers will break camp in the rotation if everyone is healthy?
In what situations would we see Hughes? Sanchez, Rasner, Karstens, White, Clippard... DeSalvo? When? Who is ready now?
Are the Yankees done acquiring starting arms assuming Igawa signs?
How well can the Yankees' rotation stack up against the rest of the AL East? The rest of the AL? MLB?
Will a new staff ace emerge?
Will Chien-Ming Wang solidify his hold on the role of ace?
Did we see Chien-Ming Wang's peak last year or are better things on the horizon?
Are any parts of the schedule begging for a four-man rotation? [Like previous Aprils]
What numbers are you expecting from each pitcher?
What order would you place the pitchers in?
Is Scott Proctor really an option to start? Sean Henn? Anyone I'm missing?
What pitchers around the MLs might be availible for mid-season trade if the circumstances demand it?
Who is setup for failure?
Thank you in advance for any questions you answer.
First of all A-Rod is not getting traded. With Sheffield gone A-Rod represents the only right handed power in the lineup.
2. If Igawa is only signed to replace Ron Villone then it still works for me, he's 10 years younger than Villone and considering what other relievers are getting, I would rather get back a draft pick for him then keep him at those dollars.
3. I look at Cashman saying Proctor will start the same way as last winter when he said Bubba Crosby would start in center, he isn't going to go out and give a flawed pitcher a huge contract, got burned by it with Pavano and Wright and doesn't want to do it again, but if Zito's price drops to the $10 - $12 mil a year range the Yankees will be interested.
4. Just for speculation, how about a Matsui for Sexson, Reed, Soriano deal? The Mariners love Japanese stars, Ichiro is likely leaving them after this season. Sexson would be the right handed bat the Yankees could use at 1st, Giambi would move to DH, Melky could play left and Reed could replace him as the 4th outfielder with Soriano adding yet another young power arm to the pen.
5. With how careful the Yankees were with Hughes this year, I can't see him breaking camp with the team, he'll likely join them around Memorial Day though.
6. Look out for two names, Joba Chamberlain and Carlos Garcia two more young arms predicted by BaseballAmerica to have cielings as high, if not higher than Hughes. Chamberlain may actually have a shot at making the Yankees as a reliever this season (think Liriano in how they would use him) while Garcia is predicted to have the same meteoric rise through the minors that Hughes had this year.
Here's rotoworld's take on this:
The New York Post believes the Yankees could acquire Dontrelle Willis with a package headed by Melky Cabrera and Humberto Sanchez.
It's too bad the Yankees don't still have Bubba Crosby to offer up, too. Because there's just no way the Marlins could turn that down. Right? Cabrera has a lot of trade value, but a lot of teams don't see him as a center fielder and a true center fielder is what Florida needs more than anything else. It's hard to believe the Marlins would think about a Willis deal with the Yankees that doesn't include Philip Hughes.
Source: New York Post
To Chris : Trading MAtsui is polictical, and can create a back lash with the Japs in terms of the marketing deal. now a twist is here bobby may walk and or Matusi is moved to first or whatever and Yanks sign Ichiro, tho have the both of them on the same team would be incredible , but my guess is that a big time national league team is gonna come at him hard or he goes back to seattle or cal. but some say the yanks could be a home if they do their part.
As for melky due to politics there is no room for a LEGITIMATE STARTER for which he is!!! so trade him , i bet you he would be happy and sad just a lil , at least in florida he would be a STARTER and a beast
To add on that trade works very well with the yanks (considering dontrelle can dominate in the AL) the yanks may be too "structure" for a young star (see Arod)the trade is stupid for the marlins , hemberto was good but he coming off an injury, and melky like stated may not be a true center fielder but hey
Hang on real quick...I got halfway down the comments, and I just have to stop right now because of what JeffG wrote...the AL East is WEAK?? Dude, where do you buy your heroin?
http://bronxbanter.baseballtoaster.com/archives/561264.html#fold
Cliff Corcoran - Analysis on Igawa and Matsuzaka. He compares Both pitchers.
Do you think He can learned new pitch like Wang's great sinker ?
Scouting report on Igawa
Igawa, a 27-year-old left-hander, has a record of 86-60 and a 3.15 ERA in eight seasons with the Tigers of the Central League. He won the league's MVP award in 2003, posting a 20-5 record and 2.80 ERA in 29 starts.
Igawa, who features a 90-mph fastball and an above-average curveball, went 14-9 with a 2.97 ERA last season, striking out 194 batters to tie for the league lead. It was the third time he has won the Central League's strikeout title, also doing so in 2002 and 2004.
Former big-league manager Bobby Valentine, who currently manages the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Pacific League, has seen his share of Igawa over the past four years. He believes that while Igawa is a solid starter, he isn't in the same class as Matsuzaka.
"I favor left-handers anywhere in the world," Valentine said during the MLB-Japan All-Star Series earlier this month. "The first time I saw him, I thought he was a lot better; four years ago, he was a lot better than he is now. But he's still good." Off of Yankee.com site.
The funny part about all of this is that is seems very similar to everything that is said bout Barry Zito. Which is ironic since nobody seems to want him on the Yanks.
I'm not trying to knock this move because I don't know enough about this guy yet but if anyone says we can't go after Zito because he doesn't have the "Stuff" then why get this guy?
I saw the "AL East is weak" comment to and I really had to laugh. I guess it's really weak compared to the very tough NL Central :)
The Yanks may have a shot at Dontrelle only because Florida won't want to pay him, not because they love Melky and have to have him. It's economics- Florida doesn't have moneya and the Yanks do, so they'll always have a shot at getting a decent player. Look at the Abreu deal, nobody wanted to touch that contract, but the Yanks didn't mind it.
The problem this year is a lot of teams (Angels, Dodgers, Phillies to name a few) have the cash and probably better prospects to offer Florida. This is where we start feeling the sting of the luxury tax as it was designed to balance the power and it is starting to do just that. It is taking away (slowly) the leverage that the Yanks always had.
Do you think Yankees will sign Mulder ? Remember Lieber, Maybe He can help until he recovered from Tj Surgery.
Japan - 1998 baseball draft
Seibu - Matsuzaka goes first in 1998 japan baseball draft
Hanshin - Igawa went second
Do you think Igawa could gain some weight from 185 to 210 pounds before spring training starts?
I'm worried about his fastball, maybe if he can some weight, His fastball may increase and stamina as well.
Fran,
With all due respect, I don't believe any scouting report from Valentine. He said that Kaz Matsui would be great, and we saw the result of that. When it looked like the Yanks were the frontrunners for D-Mat, he was less than enthusiastic on Michael Kay's show about his pitching talent, and he said he would be a decent 2 or 3 starter. Kay was even taken aback by this evaluation. Once the Red Sox won the rights, Valentine switched gears and said that D-Mat was great and the Red Sox made a great move. Valentine has a Lupica-like bias against the Yankees and will never say anything positive about them.
Mike Myers was on the MLB channel on XM a short while ago and made an interesting comment when asked about Igawa's velocity. He said while Igawa was throwing his fastball in the high 80's when the all stars were facing him, he said that the month long layoff probably hurt him. He said that MLB pitchers noticed they were throwing in the high 80's and low 90's when they would normally throw 4-5 mph faster, but the layoff hurt them too. I figured the guys would feel stronger after a long rest and throw harder but not according to Myers.
Maybe I'm grasping at straws here and being overly hopeful because I'm having trouble getting excited about this guy.
Orestas Destrades On Wfan, on Igawa can give the yanks 200 innings, will win at least 12 games
but said lilly is a better pitcher. One positive note Destrades said Igawa better than Ishii.
Chip, I heard on XM that there may be a deal in the works between the White Sox and Angels involving Garcia, Crede, Figgons and I. Santana.
Anyway, the Yanks are not going to trade A-Rod.
I see the Red Sox are entertaining offers for Manny again. By the time the Winter Meetings start next week, this will reach a fever pitch. When Cashman sees the players being offered for Manny, I hope he will step in and make A-ROD available. Let the R\Sox do all the leg work, then "steal" the best offer available.
Whatever happened to Ishii anyway? last I remember he was a Met wasn't he? Somehow knowing that Igawa is considered better than Ishii isn't all that comforting.
Anyway, I say let Boston trade Manny, they will never fill that hole in their lineup.
Igawa and DMat's success in MLB is a guessing game right now. Looking at the article Jan suggested the two seem to be 1-2 in stats and their numbers are pretty close. (No doubt DMat’s velocity puts him in another category) But I like Igawa's attitude. His first comments after getting the news was that He was excited and couldn't wait to join NY's tradition and couldn't wait to face DMat. DMat on the other hand said he was nervous about the pressure he's taking on in Boston. I’m reading between the lines (a lot) here but Igawa has a reputation for wanting the ball and being a gamer. If his location improves and he makes adjustments fast he might turn out to be a sleeper hit.
Anyone else here love reading the same people post nonsense on about six dif blogs?
Whats the need to copy and paste your crap, pablo?
anyone remember josh beckett,,,,i'd hate to see the yankees give up two of their best prospects for dontrelle, like the red sox did last winter, to get an NL pitcher who can't transition from NL to AL. melky and sanchez have more upside than dontrelle anyway
That's exactly what the Yanks and their fans love to do.
For some reason, they just find players on other teams more fascination.
Always want other people's players.
I'd bet that if these players were on the other team, these people here would want to trade Willis for Cabrera/Sanchez.
That's how retarded it is here.
Word is WIlson and BC is in discussions.
This is what Espn projects to be the yankees starting lineup (if they sign no 1b)Note karsens is slated as #5 starter as well as povano , that can change.
also , we never had a full year of carl MAYBE a healthy carl is our wild card. we have to have faith in him his stuff is nasty , my sources told me that they saw his last few starts BEFORE and after his accident and said he was really impressive , and after the accident they reported for a person to have broken ribs he threw pretty well , they shut down on caution not because he could'nt pitch but he was hurt and they just said shut it down (also to see if they get out of the contract)
POS PLAYER
C Jorge Posada
1B Jason Giambi
2B Robinson Cano
3B Alex Rodriguez
SS Derek Jeter
LF Melky Cabrera
CF Johnny Damon
RF Bobby Abreu
DH Hideki Matsui
POS PLAYER
SP1 Chien-Ming Wang
SP2 Mike Mussina
SP3 Randy Johnson
SP4 Carl Pavano
SP5 Jeff Karstens
CL Mariano Rivera
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