Here's the story Ken Davidoff and I reported and wrote about A-Rod's kiss-and-make-up session with The Brothers Steinbrenner. What a truly amazing turn of events. And as much as the Yankees surely want to make this seem as if it was solely A-Rod's doing, keep in mind the Yankees very much had a need for this to happen, too. I think this was more or less both sides realizing they were better off with each other than without.
One interesting side note: I spoke last night with hitting coach Kevin Long, who as you know is tight with A-Rod. He said when he was negotiating his own contract with Brian Cashman, it just so happened to be days after A-Rod opted out. And even back then A-Rod was telling him he wanted to still be a Yankee. Long brought that to Cashman, who basically dismissed it. But that could have been the first seed planted here.
When Long heard the news yesterday, he sent A-Rod a text message saying, "If this is true, you're going to have an awfully happy hitting coach if this happens."
A-Rod's reply: "We're working on it."
Comments (222)
Man there's a lot of backpedalling!
Be honest, how many of you who said "Good Riddance" and "We're better without him" are happy he's probably coming back?
If I were a Yankees fan I'd be thrilled he's coming back but still nervous about Mariano and Andy
Those two will mean more wins than Rodriguez
as long as Boras comes out of this with some egg on his face I think everyone will be happy ... it's only money (and Yanks have tons of it) by why not go back to their original offer? Yanks were gonna extend Arod 5 yrs./$150 mill ... add that to the $81 mill he had coming to him and he would have been at 8 years/$230 mill. so why not throw out there 8 yrs/ $230 mill (then minus the $20 mill that Rangers would have paid ... so, 8 yrs. $210 mill ($26.25 mill per year) ... although I guess if Yanks go 10 yrs at same rate you're looking at $262 mill for 10 years which is the ballpark range they're in.
Bri, the Yanks are really desperate to bring him back. Not only is he the best player in baseball, he fills two gaping holes, third base and right handed power bat, and it cost them nothing but money to do it. As much as I'm tired of the travelling circus that follows this guy, it's a no brainer....
Chip, things have been posted hot and heavy here in the last twenty four hours and I can't recall seeing a post from Rick either (in reference to you wondering if we shouldn't be worried about Rick being armed and dangerous.)
Actually, judging from the reply I got from him a day or two ago (at the very end of a thread), it seemed to me that he might already be out in his garage getting his cache of machetes sharpened for the black U.N. helicopters hovering over his house.
I think once they've landed and he has taken them all out with his switch-hitting strokes, he was going to pack up and head off for A-Rod. However, I expect that if he's not taken into custody before then that next season is going to full of his delighful rants; I simply can't imagine how he' s going to survive 8 - 10 years of watching Alex at 3B. Stay tuned, everybody, this could get interesting.
Sully,
I will admit that I was one of the guy's who said that I was glad that A-Rod was gone. I am definitely not an A-Rod fan, but I have put my feelings to aside because I know this is better for the team as a whole. We will win more games with A-Rod then without A-Rod. That doesn't change how I feel about him, but as a fan who wants to see the Yankees win, deep down inside I know this team is better with A-Rod on it. As I said yesterday, I might even have a miniscule amount of respect for him because he has a lot of pride and I am sure it was hard to go back to the Yankees with his tail between his legs.
Has anybody player in 7 years come close to $25M? The closest is $20M!!!! The only reason why he came back with his tail between his legs is because nobody was going to even offer 10 years @ his current salary of $25M. The Yankees are bidding against themselves. He should have been spanked as a kid because he is still acting like a spoiled teeen!!!! WAHH, no body likes me. WAHH no body will pay me, WAHH, my image is tarnished, WAHH please take me back.
To quote Marlon Brando in the Godfather, "....you can start acting like a man."
He does not want to be a Yankee & 60% of the Yankeee fans do not want him back per the polls in NEWSDAY, Daily News, & the Post.
Offer him 4 years at Jeter's Salary @ $19M a year. No more than Jeter and same & the same years as Posada. He would never sign it, because it's all about the money and his image. We can add to very good players & improve the team with the maney he is asking.
The problem with the Yankees was week starting pitching and nobody in the bullpen except Rivera.
Whatever you need to do to sign Rivera & Pettite do it. That will help the Yankees. With the lineup they have they will still score 5 runs a game.
Use the money for pitching. No free agents this year wait till the trade deadline and see what the kids have.
Our black-helicopter contingent as a whole seems to be off somewhere deciding whether the new format (love it myself) is another manifestation of the Great Conspiracy...
Diane,
Why do feel this need to write over everyone’s head? Are you trying to show everyone your superior intellect?
Sully,
For the record, I never said the Yankees were better off without A-Rod and always thought they should have signed him. Yep, I was mad that he opted out but I never was foolish enough to think the team was better off without his production in the lineup and I'm happy that he might be back.
Mo better be careful though, because he has a very nice offer on the table and he is going to start losing fan support very shortly if he keeps playing games. He needs to come out and respond to the offer publicly very soon, even if it's just "I'm thinking about it and I'm listening to what other offers are out there". By saying nothing, he is not showing a whole lot of class if you ask me.
We've discussed Andy Pettitte to death and I think I speak for everyone (almost) when I say we want him back in the worst way but he said he would not make a decision until January so I guess we wait.
Yanks61: I believe Rick and Ant Colony are out by the major highways of America holding up signs that read "The End is Near". Rick has a machete in his trunk to take care of Alex or Boras, and Ant has his resume ready to try to fill one of the Hollywood writers jobs that might be available.
Jim,
I kind of agree about Mo. I don't think he realizes that the offer is for what he is going to do in the next three years, not what he has done in the last ten. The offer is a superior offer already based on his past performance. There is no way any other pitcher not named Mariano Rivera gets this offer. He needs to look at the future not the past.
Anon,
I think there's a lot that goes over your head, not just Diane.
It depends on what head you are talking about. LOL
It's not done yet with A-Rod, and it's really not done yet with Mariano.
I'm not sure about anyone else, but the Hank-Hal Steinbrenner Era isn't looking too promising at this point. They don't appear to have any idea what they're doing, and there certainly doesn't seem to be anything resembling an off-season "plan."
Can those two just go and play golf and eat at Tampa steakhouses, and leave running the Yankees to the grownups? Please?
If Mo LOSES fan support, then my head will explode.
Mariano Rivera should be mentioned in the same breath as Ruth, Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Berra and Ford as one of the 10 ALL TIME YANKEES.
Take Rivera out of the equation and there is a possibility the Yankees are still looking for their first title since 1978.
His setting up of Wetteland in 1996 made Yankee games 7 or even 6 innings long.
Having Rivera be lights out in the regular season and post season meant no heart breaking losses that grate on a team and a rotation that was good but specatcular was able to win 4 titles in 5 years and 6 pennants in 8 years.
And who was the only repeat post season MVP?
Mr Rivera.
Between 1998 and 2004 when the Yankees won 14 playoff series who was the clinching pitcher in 12 of those series? Mr Rivera.
The reason the collapses in 2001 and 2004 were so startling was it was Rivera who lost. It's like waking up and seeing the Hudson River flowing a different direction. It doesnt seem possible.
The idea that a single Yankee fan could look at Mariano Rivera and think of ANYTHING other than "I am gazing upon a vision from Valhalla" is jaw dropping.
Not that he has achieved 1/3 of what Rivera did, but I heard a fellow Red Sox fan say some snide things about Schilling when it looked like he was going to bolt. I reminded him of a 6-1 Red Sox post season record including 2-0 in playoff games where the Sox were facing elimination. Then I beat the guy within an inch of his life with a jar of relish.
The point is that Rivera should NEVER experience ANY fan backlash what so ever. And if I were him, and I'm not, I'd be a little ticked myself that pretty boy has gotten priority over the guy who remains the single most important piece of the championship puzzle
Right on Diane!
Yes, Jim A., I think you're right, and at least it will take their mind off of the helicopters for a while.
Jim, I couldn't agree more about Mo. He's one of my all time favorite Yankees and he's doing himself a great disservice if he doesn't come around soon. I think he's certainly made his displeasure plain by now with the Yanks earlier (understandable) refusal to give him a new deal in the spring. It's now time for him to turn the page and go back to being the classy guy he's always been in the past. I think that he's also been a great mentor to the young guys on the staff and it would be a real shame if he didn't come back to continue that.
I'm really excited now about the prospects of the Yanks keeping the (bulk) of their prospects. I'd really like to see what this 'kiddie korps' can do in 2008. I don't see Santana going anywhere now anyway, both from the Twins perspective and his own (why would he lose the opportunity for being a FA?), and why would anyone give up serious talent for a one year rental?
Jim (and anyone else), what's your thoughts on Freddy Garcia? Is he worth taking a chance on? If healthy he can eat innings, at the very least, thereby helping to limit the kids innings.
Sully,
I was one who said good riddance to ARod but know The Yank's are better if he comes back. As someone posted earlier , I could easily get past all the brew haha if Boras comes out with some egg on his face;-)!
Mike,
I couldn't agree ore about Mo!
Now to quote Larry The Cable Guy on both of these players , "Giter Done!"
Pastore,
As I've said before, it's all about the money with ALL of these guys - Jeter, Posada, Mo, everybody. They all play this game to become fabulously rich. Also, A-Rod can both want to be a Yankee and be fabulously rich as well. The two desires are not mutually exclusive.
I don't think it's really up for debate that this is a better team with A-Rod than without. And as far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters.
Yanks61,
I echo your sentiments on Mo and the keeping of the young prospects. I believe Chip brought up Freddy Garcia first and if he is healthy could be a nice replacement for Petitte. I would rather Petitte come back but wouldn't be upset if a HEALTHY Garcia was signed.
Um...Ed, what do you expect them to be doing right now? Free agency is a few days old and there's nothing on the market. Trades, especially big ones like those involving players the Yankees covet, are not done overnight. The Yanks also need to get their own free agents taken care of so they can address the holes they have and the outcome of trying to retain their free agents determines their path to build the team for next season. I mean, until a couple of days ago they had to shop for a 3B, who might cost them pitching, they may have needed a closer, so they would have to trade for a starter if Joba were to take that role. Once Mariano's situation is resolved, and A-Rod's, they can map out what they need to do to improve the team. Right now they're working on just trying to be at least as good as last season.
Sully, you're absolutely right about how worshipful we Yankee fans should (and will remain) about the great Mariano. His legacy will never be tarnished (anymore than Ruth's image was by all the beer, hot dogs and extra curricular sexual activity), but it's his image as a classy guy that risks taking a beating. He's starting to look a bit petty at this point and if you check the other NY area baseball blogs, you'll see that this is exactly the reaction that he's getting by playing it 'hard to get' after receiving the 'respect' of an extremely generous contract, that is indeed (deservedly) largely tribute to his past performances.
Has anybody player in 7 years come close to $25M? The closest is $20M!!!! The only reason why he came back with his tail between his legs is because nobody was going to even offer 10 years @ his current salary of $25M. The Yankees are bidding against themselves. He should have been spanked as a kid because he is still acting like a spoiled teeen!!!! WAHH, no body likes me. WAHH no body will pay me, WAHH, my image is tarnished, WAHH please take me back.
To quote Marlon Brando in the Godfather, "....you can start acting like a man."
He does not want to be a Yankee & 60% of the Yankeee fans do not want him back per the polls in NEWSDAY, Daily News, & the Post.
Offer him 4 years at Jeter's Salary @ $19M a year. No more than Jeter and same & the same years as Posada. He would never sign it, because it's all about the money and his image. We can add to very good players & improve the team with the maney he is asking.
The problem with the Yankees was week starting pitching and nobody in the bullpen except Rivera.
Whatever you need to do to sign Rivera & Pettite do it. That will help the Yankees. With the lineup they have they will still score 5 runs a game.
Use the money for pitching. No free agents this year wait till the trade deadline and see what the kids have.
Sorry for the double post.
Sully,
You're confusing Yankee fans appreciating all that Mariano has done for the Yankees and his current ability on the field with his actions off the field right now. He wanted "respect" (money) from the Yankees and they turned around and gave him a lot of "respect" ($45M) and he has yet to respond or say anything publicly. That's what I'm talking about, nobody appreciates this man's abilities more than I (I have a Mariano "Fathead" on my office wall), but I don't like the way he is handling his free agency right now, he's not showing the class and grace that I've come to expect of him. Like I said, any response at all, even a "gimme a few more days please" response would satisfy me.
yanks61,
Well said. I think what is being said is more about the person and not the player. Like you said, he is always been a classy guy, but in this situation he is kind of looking like a spoiled baby. None of what happens in this contract negotiation will ever take away from his greatness as a player but it might hurt his public image a little.
Sully
I couldn't agree more on Mo, he has been excellent and really only has had a few mistakes over his carrer.
But you have to also compliment all the other players that were part of the teams of that era. If it were not by them, Mo wouldn't even get to pitch in the late innings.
Everyone contributed in one way or another and Mo just closed those games like a true first ballot HOF that he will be.
How has his image taken a hit?
That is like reading "The Empire State Building is made of Devil Dogs."
The more I read it, the less sense it makes.
He's an all time Yankee.
He remains one of the best closers in the game (as I pointed out the other day, Trevor Hoffman had as many blown saves the last 3 days of the season than Rivera had in the last 5 MONTHS)
And he sees the Yankees jumping through hoops to get Clemens for 3 weeks during the season and flip flopping on their A-Rod stance... a man who has led the Yankees to as many pennants as Danny Tartabull.
This entire off season, Rivera has been on the back burner even in the backpages. OH MY GOD WHAT ABOUT TORRE? WHAT ABOUT A-ROD? WHAT ABOUT POSADA?
Um... what about the most important player the Yankees have had since Yogi Berra? (All due respect to Munson, Jackson, Guidry and Jeter)
Jim A - Yep.
And by the way Ed, The "Steinbrenner boys" have played this scenario, Posada, Mo, Pettite, and Torre right on the money. Lets give 'em a little credit.
They have:
1. Shown loyalty to the past.
2. Invested in the future.
3. Swallowed their pride (a little) and still got the discount to boot.
4. Made the players accountable for their actions (or potential actions).
I don't think they are done yet.. give the boys a round of applause.
Obviously a closer can't do it by himself... but was the keystone.
Look at the teams that won the World Series between 1996 and 2000
They didn't have huge home run sluggers. Bernie hit 30 in 2000 and he was the only guy in that period who reached that level.
They didn't have Cy Young winners or guys putting up gaudy numbers (at the hieght of the 'roids era mind you)
They pitched well enough and hit will enough to hand the lead to Rivera... who was automatic.
If they had a good closer and not an amazing one... they probably don't win in 1999. They probably don't win in 2000.
They don't make the playoffs in 2005. The rotation that year wasn't good. It was crappy for most of the year. But the thought process was "Just pound their middle relief and give Rivera a lead." Boom! 95 wins.
Swap Jeter for Tejada or Tino for Palmeiro or Posada for Molina... and I think the Yankees still win those years.
Put a decent closer from that era (Todd Jones, Rod Beck, Jason Isringhausen, Billy Wagner) instead of Rivera and they don't have the run of playoff appearances.
Sully,
They have told Rivera over and over again that he would get an offer before he became a free agent, they did that. He responded by saying he thought he could get more on the open market, so without asking him to bring him an offer, they improved their offer significantly. He has been offered a contract, at 38 years old and coming off his worst season, that will make him the highest paid reliever by over $4M per season and, for the umpteenth time, HE HAS NOT RESPONDED IN ANY WAY, that is my beef with him, this is not a Mariano sucks rant, this is me just saying he needs to respond to the offer. He is hurting the team right now as they have to decide whether or not they need to:
a. move Chamberlain into the closers role which leads to
b. Acquiring a starter
He is holding up the construction of the team right now, it's that simple. They need to know what he is going to do or at least know that he just needs more time.
How hard is that to understand?
Sully,
Do I sense a little jealousy on your part? Even if your Sux teams had Mo they still would have lost! Haha
Dave, Sully, & the rest
Just like Pettite 4 years ago the Yankees assumed that he would never leave they went after other free agents before they sat down with him. This year both Posada & Rivera wanted to sign extensions the Yankees said wait till the seasons over. Posada had a career year & Rivera even in a down year only blew 4 saves. He is still the best closer in baseball. Sorry Redsox fans he has to do it again, too many releivers have one great season & then do nothing.
This year again instead of sitting down with Rivera or Posada 1st they were all worried about A-Rod.
The Yankees would have won maybe 1 WS in the 90s if Rivera was not there. If the Braves had Rivera they would have won 5 possibly 6. Whatever he wants he deserves!!!
Pettite and Rivera to the Yankees are 10 times more important then A-Rod. Pitching wins games!!!!!!
In the 70s we had the Bronx Zoo, Now we Cirus de A-Rod!!!
There is one difference the Bronx Zoo won A-Rod has not!!!
Yanks61: I think Garcia will not be ready to pitch until June or so, but I wouldn't mind the Yankees picking him up as insurance. He is a workhorse and I think he's worth a chance.
Sully: Keep in mind that the Yankee teams of '96-00 faced a lot less good competition than they have lately (Luxury tax etc. have changed the game).
I mean, how many good teams were there back then? The Yanks continually beat Texas in the playoffs because Texas never got better. The Red Sox had basically one or two good pitchers at the time and didn't play good defense. Times have changed, the competition is better and Mariano is 38, that's why this is a great offer for him. It is essentially a "thanks for 11 great years" contract, even though Mo was the highest paid at his position even before now.
I just want a response from the man.
Jim A....
They botched the Torre-to-Girardi transition and needlessly alienated Don Mattingly.
The "That's the offer" snipe at Mariano was unnecessary and dumb.
The A-Rod situation is ridiculous, even if it works out well in the end. (Hank did say it would be "goodbye" if A-Rod opted out, but apparently it's not. Nice precedent to set for future negotiations.)
It's not so much what they're doing, it's that Hank essentially can't keep his yapper shut and keep himself from saying stupid things. He's making a huge effort to look involved, but he would look a lot better if he stayed in the background and let the general manager handle things.
That said, there really isn't a plan. One day, they're talking to Robinson Cano about moving to third, the next day they're letting it leak that they would discuss trading him for Johan Santana. Melky Cabrera played what was arguably a Gold Glove-level centerfield - - and on the cheap - - but yet he isn't guaranteed a roster spot in spring.
And the off-season is, what, three weeks old?
Coming off his worst season... and yet still you had 2 blown saves for the final 5 months.
The team let him twist in the wind for a contract extension before the season while kow towing to the whims of A-Rod. If I were him, I'd test the waters too!
As for "Sully... I wish I was a Yankee fan".... you aren't far off.
I love closers. And living in NYC for all those years I was SOOOOO jealous of Rivera while we splashed around with Gordon, Beck, Lowe etc.
Now after the Roberts steal and the last few years... I am less jealous.
But yeah... if the Red Sox wanted to sign Rivera and move Papelbon to the 8th inning, I'd be the first one to cheer it.
Truth be told, I am quite happy being a Red Sox fan. Our closer is wrapped up for a bunch more years and, although many on this blog disagree with this statement, I think the 2007 Red Sox should feel like they had an OK year
Pastore,
The Yanks weren't even negotiating with A-Rod until AFTER they gave Mo a great offer, how can you say he is not the priority? They don't know if Mo liked the offer because he has not responded, so what are they supposed to do, just make it $20M per season because he has yet to say a word? I'm sure if he comes back with some type of response, they will jump all over it to get him signed. I just think they've done all they can with him for now. The ball is in his glove at this point and the Yanks have the rest of the team to worry about while they wait.
Jim A - the lone voice of sanity
Jim,
I agree. They even made an offer to Mo before Posada. I think that shows that he was a priority.
Mike is correct , I remember reading several articles about the Yanks negoitiating(sp?) with Mo first. I also remember some sources feeling a deal was quickly following. This was before they even supposedly spoke to Posada and way before ARod approached The Yanks. So it would seem he was the top FA in their eyes and he was rewarded with a very fair contract offer. The onus is now on Mo , not The Yanks.
I think H/H are doing a fine job so far (minus one comment from hank about what a great offer a 38 yr. old pitcher is getting) ... look folks, check out the salary structures on the Yanks. Let's assume Arod signs ($26 mill per ... highest paid 3B + player), Jeter ($20 mill per ... highest paid SS), Posada ($13.1 mill per ... highest paid catcher), Mo (say he signs at $15 mill per ... highest paid reliever), Andy (say he signs for $16 mill ... highest paid pitcher), Giambi ($21 mill ... highest paid useless cog).
The point is, we have HUGE salaries on the books for very mediocre or nearly past their prime players. Only Arod is playing at the highest level for the money he's getting. Jeter is still GOD but you can see his skills slipping some ... Jorge off a monster year CAN NOT maintain that level and his D is slipping ... same for Mo (like Sully said, one of greatest Yanks of ALL TIME) but no 40 yr. old throws dominant stuff (look at Clemens, Schilling, Todd Jones, Hoffman, etc.) .... at some point (like Sox did w/ Pedro + Nomar) you have to cut bait for the good of the team. Mo is sitting on a $15mill per year offer (WAY ABOVE what he'd get from anyone else ... if he doesn't take it then BYE BYE). We love you Mo and we'll retire your # one day but SEE YA, Kay style.
Pay big dollars for YOUTH ... not past their prime players who have legacies in NY.
Sorry guys the Yankees were more worried about A-Rod than the other 2. As soon as the Torre situation was over the 1st thing they tried to do was contact Boras & A-Rod though they never succeeded in doing so not Posada or Rivera.
Ed,
Torre's situation was a mess, I've said that before but they did not alienate Mattingly, he left on good terms. You can't just make a guy a manager because he is popular with the players (Bucky Dent?).
I've also said it was probably time for a change in managers but even then the Yanks really didn't want to fire Torre, they at least made him an offer. Talk about shutting one's yap, what about Torre? He hasn't stopped talking since he left. Do you ever hear a former manager comment so often on his former team? Torre gets quoted on every Yankee development.
Of course they didn't look like they had a plan in the offseason. They thought they would get their 3B locked up, then he opted out, so then they had to look for a 3B while they really wanted a starting pitcher, then guess what? the 3B comes back so now they are back to looking at a starting pitcher who will most likely cost them some young, cheap guys....like Melky, so now...they might have to look for a CF. You have to give something to get something and contrary to what some believe, Santana is not going to be traded for Andy Phillips.
Sully: Rivera was coming off a season in which he complained of forearm and elbow trouble. Baseball is a business, you above all on this blog should know that considering the Sox policy on players over 35, so how can you blame the Yankees for saying "let's see how this season goes before we give you a new deal". I mean, what if they gave him a huge contract and then he comes up with a sore elbow in April? He got through the season in good health and the Yanks kept their promise and have now made him a very, very good offer.
Concerning Mo: The Yanks have made him a great offer. Either take it or don't. The Yanks realize that they made a mistake by not agreeing to a contract extension during ST and are doing their best to rectify it. Now Mo needs to step up and make a decision. Enough already!
I agree with Mike from Jersey. The Steinbrenner Boyz are at least smart enough to listen to Cashman and have done a decent job since the Torre thing. (from Lupica's column).
As far as the A-Rod stuff goes: If he signs I'll be happy that he's back. If he's jerking the Yanks around just to get them back in the mix let him go. I've been hearing for too many seasons now that he's the best player in the game. Well, the best player in the game needs to step it up in big situations (like the post season) and basically carry his team on his back. He hasn't done that.
When you make that kind of money and you have the "best player" label, people expect great things and when that's not delivered, then you're vilified.
Sully:
Mariano is very good now. Until 2001, he was great. Each year he has at least one month-long slump when he can't be counted on.
The fact that the Yankees were in such deep hole to start this season was in no small part because Mariano was very mediocre the first part of the year. Every discussion by a Mariano supporter about 2007 starts with "After April, he was awesome..." Well, April really stunk. In fact, through the first two months of the season he had as many losses as saves. Those were the two months that cost the Yankees the division.
He's a Yankee legend. Nobody would disagree with that. But how great was Mickey Mantle in 1967 and 1968? Mariano is getting close to that stage in his career.
I don't think anybody who roots for the Yankees has a problem with a three-year, $45 million contract. But if that's not good enough for him, at this stage of his career, how much higher should any team go?
If Mo walks from this offer than whatcha gonna do??? Thanks for the memories Mo and good luck in Philly (or wherever). Groom Joba for the role and we have our next closer for the next 10+ years. Yanks have such an abundance of young pitching now (not to mention any FA's they may sign in the next 2-3 years) that the rotation will be fine. Our bullpen has been the Achilles heel for the last 3-5 years and that's what needs to get fixed.
Jim A:
It's one thing for the Steinbrenner Boys to have to deal with the unexpected. It happens. It's another to let the world know you're totally unprepared. I can't wait for trade negotiations between the Yankees and Peter Angelos, or Ricciardi from the Blue Jays.
Hank is also demonstrating that he has no tact, he has no diplomacy skills. Every time he opens his mouth, I hear Dallas Green's voice. We all know how that era turned out.
If Joba Chamberlain had not dominated in the pen, Yankee fans wouldn't be so dismissive of Mo right now or willing to let him walk.
That's insane. The Yanks NEED Mo. Badly.
Joba is viewed by the organization (and Nardi Contreras himself) as the next King Felix or Juston Verlander who will be a frontline #1 ace that can win 20 games every year.
Why the world would you want that kind of talent in the bullpen?
That's stupid. Joba should be in the rotation. So many people here want that #1 ace to match up against a Josh Beckett, Verlander, King Felix, Halladay, etc and could very well have that guy in Joba in a couple of years.
Putting him in the bullpen is a complete waste of his high-ceiling talent.
Sign Mo. They need him.
Plus Ed,
The difference between Pettite the 1st time and Mo now is the Yankees thought Andy was "damaged goods" - elbow, and made a half-hearted offer. They screwed up and let Andy go to Houston. Cashman has since admitted this, and the Yanks did right by Andy this time around.
Now, Mo has been offered the highest salary for a closer in the HISTORY of baseball - by a wide margin, and even though he still is dominant, he is not what he used to be. I am a HUGE Mo supporter - maybe my favorite Yankee, but now is time to stop sulking and make a decision.
Hank shouldn't have made the "off the cuff" remark, but remember, he is the one making out the checks.....
Some guys on XM's baseball channel just said the same thing I've been saying for the past hour or so- Where's your answer Mo? You've got a great offer, you will be 41 when the deal expires and your legacy will be tremendous, what are you waiting for?
Ed: How have the Yankees been unprepared? Were they supposed to trade for a 3B before ARod opted out?
What did Hank say that wasn't the truth? Mo's offer is great for a 38 year old pitcher, don't you agree?
let Mo go.
i've had enough with the whining and crying, and being "insulted".
if making you the reachest RP in the history of baseball is an insult, then please, by all means, Hank & Hal - INSULT ME!! PLEASE, INSULT ME BAD!!!
no way should he be given a 4th year, i think even 3 is a stretch, but for memories' sake, whatever. the yanks are clearly OVERPAYING Mo already with 15 Mil a year.
so go ahead Mo, enjoy endless summers in LA (for nothing close to 15 Mil), and tell your family in panama you'll be back home by october 1st every year from now on.
Sully - manny ramirez has been extremely crucial for the sox' 2 championships (including WS MVP). if he asks after next year for a 6 year contract at 25 Mil per year (virtually parallel to the hike in salary Mo is offered + the extra years) - would you sign him? or would you let him go, despite the beautiful memories?
And Viper, you are right. Mo is irreplaceable. Even by Joba. We will never find another like him. The most dominant closer this game has ever seen.
Make a decision, Mo.
Strange how JIM B. comes back to the Blog, and all hell breaks loose concerning A-OPT, much like it did prior to Jim's "promotion"\book store fiasco. Very bad break that no sooner does Kat hang out the "gone fishin" sign, and this landmark A-OPT "stuff" hits. What is occuring now will be the stuff of legend years down the road, and no Kat byline to accompany it. I would have loved to of heard the initial conversation between A-OPT and Hank. Was this the 'prodigal son' pleading to return? Was the "father" gracious, yet delivering a "life lesson"? I'm sure stories will "leak" concerning this in the coming days. How about it, JIM B?
On paper, the Yanks are better with A-OPT, no question. In reality, they are still a "one and done", 3 yrs running, failure. The idea of signing Lowell and moving him to 1B is absolutely ridiculous. I'm guessing the Yanks are now just driving up the price Boston will pay, and Lowell is "playing along". The Yanks, (with A-OPT), do not need offense, they need pitching. Freddy Garcia shouldn't even be in the discussion.. When healthy, he is now a batting practice pitcher every time he takes the mound. Dontrelle Willis would be good once around the league, but the 2nd and 3rd times teams face him, they would stop swinging at pitches out of the strike zone, and he would be "toast". This is exactly what happened to Dice K the 2nd half of the season. Garland is the best pitcher that "may" be available. The W\Sox like Damon, so there is a real possibility here come the Winter Meetings.
This is a bad move by the Yankees. Even with A-Rod crawling back we should have slammed the door shut. This guy is a loser.
He is not a team player. Apparantly he does not return calls to any of his teammates. He is a media frenzy. Clearly he is not the formula to winning a series. His production is amazing in the regular season but come playoff time we will now own the biggest bust. We would not have missed his production as much as we all think. It even came out of Jeter's own mouth.I think he would know a little bit more than us bloggers as he played on 4 championship teams. It is no wonder why other fans around the league call us spoiled "Yankee fans". All I have heard and read on every blog for the last couple of weeks was how much we needed to plug a superstar in every position. We need a thumper at first, trade Kennedy and Melky so we can sign Hunter. Us Yankee fans have gotten so used to winning we forgot what actually got it done and it was not guys like Pay-Rod. Just when I thought the Yankees learned from mistakes we took 2 steps foward and 5 steps back. I for one will not welcome Pay-Rod back. I am ashamed to see this guy don pinstripes again.Let's enjoy his regular season success because for the next 10 years we will see him fail come October.
Yankee Bri
Are you out of your mind? Mediocre Starting Pitching and horrible set up men have been the problem not RIVERA!!!! How many closers all year blow less than 4 saves?
Papelbon was the best this year but very few last more than 2 to 3 years. Lets see what he does this year. Look at Gagne he had 2 1/2 seasons of dominance then he was through. Rivera can not pitch more than 1 inning anymore. 90% of the time it is the 2nd inning that does him in.
The Yankees need to sign Lowell or get Rolen. Let the youngsters play till the trade deadline and see what we have.
Mussina Giambi need to go before the season starts only keeo Mussina if Pettite does not come back.
Get rid of the middle releivers bring up the other 3 kids Umberto Sanchez & the other 2 kids as the middle releivers.
I do not have a problem if the Yankees do not win this year as long as they develop the arms. Cano & Melky are keepers also.
I loved in the early 90s the Yankees growing and becoming the Dynasty. Buck, Stick, Mattingly, Williams, Stanley, Leyritz, Key, Oneil brought back the YANKEES that was in shambles. They made people want to come to the Yankees again.
In the 00s we received over price babies, A-Rod, Sheff, Mussina, Brown, Johnson, Wright, Pavano & Giambi. All way over priced losers. Why not way over pay Rivera look at how much money the Yankees have wasted.
I want a team I can root for again. To be honest I've been wanting a colapse for the last 4 years. I want to see them develop young players again.
A-Rod is the best player in baseball but do you want his cry baby antics with a locker full of young impressionable kids.
Jim A,
I hate to repeat myself more than 20 times but the luxury tax has NOTHING to do with revenue sharing. The luxury tax goes to MLB to spend on developing baseball overseas and to community developement and good will efforts. Not one penny goes to another team.
lets not forget the team came to Mo (during the season) and he told them to wait.
I understand BC for not doing a contract before the season.
Just wondering: have they got Girardi locked in a closet somewhere?
Or has he been taking Jeter lessons?
Not a peep out of him during these FA soap operas.
5 rookie pitchers with a new manager??
okaaaaaaaay
The money and length of contract given to both Posada and offered to MO, shows just how far the Yanks felt Bernie's skills had deterioriated.
Yanks intrested in Lowell ....as a 1b option!
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3111752
One of the main reasons Girardi got the job is he has shown he can work with\develop young pitchers.
Jim B and Ken D report what they read. No contacts or sources these two turds have made a career out of repeating what other journalist report. At least Kat hasn't lost sight of her job. She does the leg work and her analysis and commentary is solid on the field reporting. Hurry back Kat
Nudge,
I know the difference between the luxury tax and revenue sharing and I've actually explained it in detail to you before, but for the discussion I was having above, it was relevant. The tax and revenue sharing have changed the game and made teams more competitive as not only can they use money from other teams (revenue sharing) but by using the LUXURY TAX to promote and develop baseball overseas, all teams benefit.
Diane: Last I heard about Girardi was that he was in on one of the meetings with Posada, but you're right, he's been pretty quiet. Maybe he's sitting around saying "I need pitching".
Beware - the Curse of Rodriquez!!!
Very ironic that the Curse of the Bambino was broken in 2004 and the Sox have actually won 2 WS since then while your team has not even been to 1. Also ironic is HOW the Sox broke that curse coming back from an 0-3 deficit against your team to get to the WS in 04. Even more ironic is that it all started when Lucky #13 joined your team! And, the final irony, the Bambino WAS the HR champ for a long time and Rodriquez WILL be the new HR champ once he is done playing. Beware Yankee Fans!!!! The Curse is Reversed.
If The Yankees are Evil Empire according to Mr. Lucchinno, Why Did Old Pope John Paul and New Pope visit The Yankees stadium? Yankees Stadium is Cathedral of Baseball. Fenway Park isn't. Fenway Park is root of all Evil aka Terrorist Redsox Fans..
Girardi should be "quiet". The knock on him was he had trouble with the mgt. For now, he will do all his "talking" on the field. Once he establishes himself, maybe then he will be heard.
Gil L, I'm the wrong guy to ask about Manny Ramirez because I am such a rabid Manny fan that I want him to be a Red Sox for a long long time.
And frankly in 4 or 5 years I still see him still being a terrific hitter.
I'd sign Rivera to the long deal not just for the memories... but also because, as I've asked before... who are you going to replace him with?
And if the answer is Joba, who are you replacing HIM with?
And don't say set up men are not important, especially with all the rookies you'll have in the rotation.
It's a domino effect and people have been predicting the fall of Mariano ever since he let Roberts steal second. And he still is the gold standard.
Well, there's so much spin in this room I'm getting dizzy. Anti-Yankee guys saying this is a mistake, Yankee fans giddy - as always somewhere in between is what's actually going on.
As I said from the start, I'm thrilled to bring Alex back, and I'm more thrilled that Boras has taken a hit to make it happen. It's like Nirvana for me. And it's what I said would never happen, so color me giddy.
Do I think as constituted the Yankees now are better than they were last year - nope. Pitching is still iffy if Andy doesn't come back. Now it's iffy for a different reason than it was last year. Last year the starters were more or less average - this year we don't know exactly what the kids will bring. I'm optimistic, but also realistic that the three top vote getters for the 2008 Cy Young will be Joba, Hughes, and Kennedy. That said, today is not the day to look at that. Today is the day to keep unwrapping this story. Here's some really interesting info that appeared in the Daily News:
More than anything, it apparently was the very public and seemingly ironclad dismissal by Hank Steinbrenner after the opt-out that made A-Rod begin to re-think his willingness to let Boras once again dictate the direction his career would take.
"That's why he called me, to ask if Hank was serious about closing the door on him," a second person said yesterday. "From what I gathered, Boras had been telling him not to worry about what Brian Cashman was saying about the opt-out, partly because they knew they had George on their side.
"But then Alex saw the shift in power, with the Steinbrenner sons taking over, and here was Hank saying 'Goodbye, we don't want you if you don't want to be a Yankee.' Those words really messed with his mind because he really did want to be a Yankee."
Yes, there are indications that Boras had convinced Rodriguez that all of the talk about an opt-out ultimatum from Cashman was merely negotiating rhetoric, regularly reminding him George Steinbrenner was on his side.
After all, hadn't George taken Rodriguez's side on the infamous "Ha" play on that pop-up in Toronto, rebuking Joe Torre for saying A-Rod had been in the wrong?
And hadn't George, in that interview he gave to The Record during the division series, said he had every intention of making sure Rodriguez remained a Yankee?
"I don't think there's any doubt that Boras used George's fondness for Alex as a way of convincing him there was no danger in opting out," one person said. "They both had to know George was slipping, but maybe Boras was able to convince Alex that as long as he was alive, George would have the final say."
The Torre saga, playing out as it did after the season, should have told A-Rod that times had changed, but perhaps by then he was too far down Boras' opt-out road to hit the brakes. Their relationship, after all, goes back some 15 years, to when Rodriguez was 17 and perhaps looking for someone like Boras to guide him in the absence of the father who abandoned him.
According to people who have observed the relationship over the years, Rodriguez has always been grateful for the role Boras played in his life, from setting him up with personal trainers and mental coaches to making him wealthy beyond his dreams with that famous $252million contract. However, they say it evolved into something of a love-hate relationship, with A-Rod growing to resent Boras' control at times, quarreling with him on certain matters but always giving in to him.
That began to change, however, with the opt-out announcement during Game4 of the World Series that seemed to infuriate every fan, media voice and baseball executive in the free world. A-Rod had taken his share of criticism before, but nothing like this.
People who should know say that while Rodriguez had given Boras the go-ahead to opt out, he had no idea the agent would leak the news in a way that would upstage the World Series.
"He was blind-sided by the timing," was the way one person put it. "He was (ticked) and he got more (ticked) as time went on and he saw the hit his reputation was taking. The demand for his (merchandising products) dried up almost immediately.
"He was so angry at Boras that at one point he told friends he was thinking of suing him. Then there was a series of steps that led him to take control of the situation. The Lowell talks (with the Yankees) pushed him over the edge. He didn't want any part of going to Boston. So he made his move without Boras.
Sully,
You basically just agreed with my beef with Mo right now, his answer is holding up things the team needs to get done and they cannot have a plan if he doesn't answer them soon. Do they need to find