Mike Cameron-Yankees Rumors

Is he worth 10 million? I don't know about that.

my assumption regarding the yankees balking at cameron's salary is just negotiations plain and simple. they are offering a positional player who plays the same position who is cheap and under control for someone the brewers want to trade because of his pay. i doubt cashman really thinks the brewers are going to send $$ with cameron rather that they will do something (i.e. take igawa and a portion of his contract)instead.

If Raul Ibanez is worth $!0MM in this market, Mike Cameron is worth 10MM.

I am having difficulty with the Yankees on this one. They have the money to pay both guys, and Igawa is not exactly as useful to the Brewers as Cameron will be to the Yankees. Perhaps they've gotten too used to trading a bag of balls for a good player (Bobby Abreu anyone?) and don't know how to work a non-lopsided trade any longer?

sbs0311 those are all short-term investments...

Dave4G4e,

GMs don't think like fans. With the rotation upgrades already made, the Yankees don't need Manny's bat to succeed. He's not really a great fit for the Yankee organization either. Any team would love to have his production, but few will put up with his nonsense.

Manny should have played it out for the Sox. He would have had a guaranteed $40MM going forward to 2011. Now he's looking at taking a paycut because he wanted to cash in.

That's it Cash...stick it to them!!!

The Yanks didn't want to pay Abreu 16 mil so why pay Cameron 14 mil ($10 mil plus Igawa's $4 mil) and basically give them Melky?

I understand we have more money than any other team but it doesn't mean we should overpay just because we can, especially when it's not an absolute need like it was for CC and AJ.

I think the Brews are stuck w/ a player they don't want and who will more than likely be their most expensive player next to Suppan.

Peterherman: Man-NY will be able to get much more than 2/40 mil. The Dodgers have already offered him more. I don't think he's get the years that he wants however. I think the Yanks and DOdgers would be more than willing to give him 2/50.

The guy is above average offensively and defensively at one of the thinnest positions. Yeah, he doesnt deserve the money Ibanez gets.

The Yankees have some nerve after throwing all this money to CC to ask Brewers to pay some of Cameron's salary. Talk about arrogance.Losers. I hope the Brewers tell them to get lost.

"especially when it's not an absolute need like it was for CC and AJ."

Giving AJ 5 years and 82.5 was an absolutely necessity? Really?

"You don't consider that overpaid?"

Who isn't overpaid? You have to understand how ridiculous it looks for the Yankee front office to shy away from an extra few million after their spending last week.

Plus, Cameron is a good player. Looking at BA and K/bb isn't the only way to evaluate him. Without a doubt, he's better than Melky.

YFS78, think he was referring to the 2 years of options that Manny had declined which would have been 2/40. Anyway the melky+igawa for cameron wouldnt have been 14m really as Igawa's contract is 3/12 so the real cost of the transaction would be $6m

Cameron should only bat against LH pitchers. As such, he is overpaid.

It wouldn't be that bad of an idea to take Igawa+full contract and Melky Cabrera for Mike Cameron. Obviously, they lose the offense and power from CF, and they lose a little defense at said spot, but they also practically get a rotation candidate in Igawa. I don't think he's a bust yet, just that he needs to get out of the spotlight in New York.

Although, if Sabathia is pushing for this trade since they're 'buddies', then the Yankees paying all of Cameron and most of Igawa's contract will happen.

I don't understand why the Yankees are demanding the Brewers take on their mistake. Drop Igawa from the conversation and make the deal.

What people seem to be overlooking here is that Igawa actually has NEGATIVE value, given his current contract. He was outrighted to the minors and cleared waivers. Any team could have picked him, either when that happened, or in the Rule 5 draft, but no one wanted him at that salary.

Yeah but the Yanks are resolved to having him stay in the minors and be a last minute resort in case of injuries, etc. We can afford to eat his salary. Can the Brews afford to ear Cameron's?

The issue here is who has the leverage?

The Brewers are apparently desperate to rid themselves of what amounts to a sixth of their payroll for 2009, given that they're likely giving up until 2010, it would be unacceptable to go over budget on a team guaranteed to lose.

Who wants Cameron? The only teams with holes in centerfield are, perhaps, the White Sox and Oakland. If they had any interest whatsoever, don't you think you would have seen them mentioned in these trade rumors? The fact remains that the Brewers have exactly one option to go to if they want to unload Cameron. The Yankees have several options if they want to fill centerfield.

The Yankees have all the leverage, that's why you're seeing rumors of Igawa or significant money going the Yankee's way to cover Cameron's contract. You think if the Brewers had any other trade partners they'd have already settled for Melky?

The Yanks do need bat. last season the y had problems scoring runs and they lost Giambi and Abreu. If they don't get a big bat, those pitching upgrades won't do much.

scribble: The debate isn't Ibanez vs Cameron. Ibanez's value lies with his bat. Cameron's value, supposedly, is his glove and friendship w/ CC. If you assume all of Cam's salary and all of Igawa's 09 money and give them two players, regardless of their production, is too much to pay for Cameron.

I don't think the Brewers are as desperate to unload Cameron as most think.

If this trade doesn't go through, they can just hold onto him and get a much, much better player than Cabrera in the draft, if Cameron is a Type B FA again next year.

Or they can trade him at the deadline or sooner if a contender suffers a key injury or underperformance.

When you run the numbers the least effective solution is to sign Tex and keep Melky in CF.

It's not that Melky is bad in the outfield, his metrics actually suggest he is worse than just a placeholder. He has negative value. When your VORP is sitting at -6 life is not good.

Cabrera, Igawa for Cameron and Hall?

Igawa and Hall both have bad contracts to even out the deal...

"I'm not sure how the Yankees have managed to steer the conversation toward Cameron being overpaid. He's not, and a fair baseball trade would involve the Yankees paying all of Cameron's salary while giving up something useful."

Amen, Tim. Although I question whether the Yankees have steered the negotiations in that direction or just the media coverage of the negotiations in that direction.

As far as we know, the Brewers may be reading these accounts and laughing hysterically at the notion that they would have to take Kei Igawa AND pay him.

I don't think the Brewers are as desperate to unload Cameron as most think.

If this trade doesn't go through, they can just hold onto him and get a much, much better player than Cabrera in the draft, if Cameron is a Type B FA again next year.

Or they can trade him at the deadline or sooner if a contender suffers a key injury or underperformance.
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Exactly a point I am trying to make. The Brewers are not desperate to move him at all. That is why Milwaukee has some leverage here. They know CC demands that the Yankees get Cameron and that is why Melvin is not budging over this current deal.

Thank you at least someone knows what the Brewers are thinking. Everyone else here believes that the Brewers don't have any leverage. They do!

I would be pissed if I was a Brewers fan.

YFS78: Sure maybe the Brewers wanted Igawa after the Yankees 40 man roster was considered off limits but they don't want his contract. So its simple either the Yankees can give up Coke and Melky for Cameron and keep Igawa's contract. Or give up Igawa pay for the contract and keep Coke. This is what every other fan is saying, the Yankees should be lucky they don't have to give up anything really of value. The Brewers are looking for a little salary relief and hoping one of the two projects pans out. I mean basically what you are saying is you'd trade Matsui for Pierre. That is a similar senario Yankee's "save money" b/c Matsui makes more this year than Pierre. The real difference in this situation is that Pierre while over paid is a Major League ball player. Igawa is over paid and has no success in the majors.

I don't think the Brewers are as desperate to unload Cameron as most think.

If this trade doesn't go through, they can just hold onto him and get a much, much better player than Cabrera in the draft, if Cameron is a Type B FA again next year.

Or they can trade him at the deadline or sooner if a contender suffers a key injury or underperformance.
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Exactly a point I am trying to make. The Brewers are not desperate to move him at all. That is why Milwaukee has some leverage here. They know CC demands that the Yankees get Cameron and that is why Melvin is not budging over this current deal.

Thank you at least someone knows what the Brewers are thinking. Everyone else here believes that the Brewers don't have any leverage. They do!

Posted by: craig | December 15, 2008 at 01:17 PM

No way. Its the Yankees that have leverage. The brewers who have lost their two best pitchers in CC and Sheets need to unload Cameron and his 10 million dollar salary for money to spend on pitching. Where as the yankees dont NEED to make this deal but it would be an upgrade.

The only reason the Brewers picked up Camerons option was a desperate attempt to lure CC back to them. The Yankees were already discussing signing Cameron if the Brewers did not pick up that option except somehow the media got wind of that so the Brewers did not want to give CC another reason to go to the Yankees and picked up the option.

The Brewers are definitely desperate to get rid of Cameron and anything in return would be considered a bonus. The fact that they get a decent young player in return in Melky is like hitting the lottery for them right now. There was probably nobody in baseball that would have considered signing Cameron if he became a free agent besides the Yankees.

Point...the Brewers were hoping bringing back Cameron would land CC....it didn't work now they are stuck with paying him 10 mil and they desperately need to free up that money so they can spend it elsewhere. And until they free up the money the free agents they were targeting (Wood, Fuentes, Sheets) will continue to sign elsewhere. The Yankees are in the position of power because they do not necessarily need Cameron and are in no rush to acquire him because the Brewers have no place else to unload him.

I remember reading Melvin's comments when he re-signed Cameron. He said he was worth the $10 million and is a great CF with a veteran presence. They are NOT desperate to get rid of Cameron's contract.

the Brewers are looking at pitchers like Randy Johnson, Randy Wolf, and John Smoltz. They will not need to clear up payroll to sign any of those guys. We may solve our closer problem in house with McClung.

We need another LH bat. They will sign a couple of pitchers and may have one via a trade of Prince or JJ.

Bottom line is, the Brewers know Cameron is worth the money. That is why they signed him. I know his signing was an act to lure CC into signing with Milwaukee.

Melvin would not have a problem keeping Cameron. He is only signed for one year. By then they will get a quality CF in return via free agency next year or a trade.

I think that all of this whole debate is unreal, IGAWA SUCKS for one, Melkys alright, Camerons old, take Igawa out, take Kennedy and Melky and give us Billy Hall along with Cammy, another Sabathia buddy, NY World Champs for 2009!

To say the Yanks won't in a world series because Arod can't hit is the dumbest take I've ever heard. There are 24 other players including 8 hother hitters. Poor pitching has been the biggest reason why we don't have #27.

YFS78: Sure maybe the Brewers wanted Igawa after the Yankees 40 man roster was considered off limits but they don't want his contract. So its simple either the Yankees can give up Coke and Melky for Cameron and keep Igawa's contract. Or give up Igawa pay for the contract and keep Coke. This is what every other fan is saying, the Yankees should be lucky they don't have to give up anything really of value. The Brewers are looking for a little salary relief and hoping one of the two projects pans out. I mean basically what you are saying is you'd trade Matsui for Pierre. That is a similar senario Yankee's "save money" b/c Matsui makes more this year than Pierre. The real difference in this situation is that Pierre while over paid is a Major League ball player. Igawa is over paid and has no success in the majors.
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How do you figure? Yanks don't need Pierre (see Gardner) and Matsui, if healthy, is good for 25 hrs and 90 rbis? You're comparison doesn't match at all.

Actually the Brewers ARE desperate to unload Cameron. The Brewers problems are not on the offensive or defensive right now. There problem is they have no pitching whatsoever. Gallardo is a good young pitcher but so far has not proven he can stay off the DL. Sheets carried the pitching staff there first half of the season, CC carried the pitching staff the second half, both are gone. The Brewers have little to no money to spend right now which is why they so desperately need to get of Cameron so they can chase someone like Randy Wolf or Randy Johnson....both of who are going to about 8 mil (roughly the same as Camerons contract) to get to sign. If the Brewers want to compete in 2009 they need to unload Cameron asap so they can fill their other needs. No team has a chance unless they have a solid pitching staff.

So again the Brewers are obviously the ones desperate to make a move, not the Yankees. If the Yankees don't acquire Cameron they still have a great defensive option (gardner) in center and more than enough offense in the 1-8 spots in the order. Now if the Brewers don't unload Cameron they are forced to settle for the team they have now without upgrading their pitching and basically go into another rebuilding process. Which team sounds like the one with leverage?

"I find it very odd that the Yankees want to spend almost $25 M on Swisher, Cameron, and Pettitte rather than signing Tex."

Again, filling 3 holes for the price of one is very odd. Especially when that 'one' you would prefer them to sign is going to become an albatross of a contract sooner or later. Give me Cameron/Swisher/Pettitte over Tex any time.

At the end of the day I feel that if the Yanks see Cameron as being that important then I'm sure they will work it out. However, I take exception with some of the attitudes here. If the brews wanted Melky AND a pitcher, and the Cash said anyone on the 40 was off limits and somehow Igawa's name came into play then in what world would it make sense for us to eat his contract as well?

As good as Cameron is , is he worth $10 mil owed to him, $12 mil owed to Igawa AND Melky, a 24 yr old inexpensive servicable CF?

Am I missing something? Not saying that Igawa will ever become anything special but why would we take $10 mil off the Brews books AND pay Igawa to play for another team?

If I'm wrong in the thinking that they wanted the Yanks to assume ALL of the remaining 12 mil over 3 years then please tell me. Otherwise that's insane. I know the Yanks have money to burn but Cameron isn't worth $22 mil, Igawa and Melky which is what it boils down to.

Can someone help correct me if my thinking is off in terms of what they want the Yanks to pay towards Igawa's remaining 3/12 contract?

Seriously...for the record. Melky is not a bad defensive CF.

No please. Can some answer my question? Are they asking the Yanks to pay the entire 12 m left on Igawa's contract or just the 09 salary?

"An elite centerfielder who has power/speed, and will give you an 800 OPS on a one year deal. Yeah, I don't know if that is worth 10 million. You're kidding right?"

Finally, where were you earlier? I kept saying that's a steal and if the Yankees don't land him someone else could, because Cameron is a very good player on a very fair contract, for only one season. The Yankees have a center fielder in AA who will be ready in late 2009 or 2010. Gee, I think a good one year stop gap would be good considering they just spent $282.5 million on pitching, they might as well go all in next season considering how much salary they dropped at the end of the season.

Cameron is a plus defensive CF with 25 HR power, with a decent .330-.340 OBP, and good speed on the bases. On a one year deal for just $10M, when the other options on the free agent market are Jim Edmonds, Rocco Baldelli, Willy Taveras, Corey Patterson, and other options that don't exactly appear to be everyday options.

I am not sure on that one. Apparently they said the financials were worked out but the other player is yet to be decided upon. Looks like the Yankees are going to pay the $ but giving another player is yet to be determined.

I still think we should trade Hall and Cameron for Kennedy and Cabrera.

If you guys are going to re-sign Pettite, then why not get rid of Kennedy. Also, what about other pitchers in AAA besided Igawa?

I think camron makes some sense but not as much as a move for david dejesus, iam just so tryed of seeing yankees strike out or pop up with risp(thanks giambi)

dejesus had something like a .417 avg with risp and like 75 rbis in the leadoff whole while putting up a over .300 ba.

and he maby not be as good as camron in center but its not like camron blows him away out there

The yanks can prolly have dejesus for kennedy, melky and a relif pitcher like veres, i dont understand why they wouldnt move on that insted of camron, someone please tell me why?

There's no way I would trade Kennedy and Melky for Cameron or Cameron/Hall. If the Yanks didn't trade Melk and Kennedy for Santana they would look foolish to do it for those two. I could careless what the "perception" is of Kennedy. 9 bad mlb starts doesn't make him a bust. The Yanks would be better served in letting him pitch in AAA and be available in case of injuries or to let his value restore and use him as part of another deal. Even if you envision him as being a 4th or 5th (Jon Garland type) he can be of value to someone.

I'd rather the Yanks pull the trade and let's see how the Brews can move him to someone else.

James: DeJesus will cose the Yanks a lot more than Melky, Kennedy and Veras.

I'm trapped between non-Yankee fans that undervalue guys like Melk and Kennedy and Yankee fans who think we can rob other teams for their best players. Aye caramba!!!

I'd rather trade Melky and Kennedy for Coco.

At least the latest update is no Igawa. Would be nice to get Kennedy and Cabrera for Hall and Cameron.

speaking of crisp i bet they could trade for a royals plyer for outfielf but they probly wuldnt want melky so hed hafta stay or go elsewhere

coco over cameron? this is funny. you ppl are misinformed

Look you people seem to think Cameron is the 2nd coming of Willie Howard Mays, Jr. If you think that way, so be it, I won't try to argue against you but Coco is a very good player. I had the pleasure of watching him here in Cleveland and was always impressed with his game. He's a hustler on the field as well.

You people rate players stricly according to stats as if this is some sort of fantasy league. I look at a player in terms of how do they fit in with my team. Johnny Damon turns 36 and needs to replaced when he becomes a free agent next year and we let him walk. I think Coco, despite not having a great obp, could be a good replacement for Damon short term until Jackson, who is talented yet unproven, shows what he can do. He can play CF or LF. He can give you 25-30 stolen bases, 10-15 hrs, 30-40 doubles, doesn;t strike out as much as Cameron, plays good defense and is 7 years younger and 5 mil cheeper. Offensively, what does Cameron do MUCH better than Coco other than hit a few more Hrs?

cuz he woulda got his butt kicked by grant balfour until he did by johnny gomes instead, and he always runs his mouth, and he wouldnt be able to fight his way out of a wet paper bag. that my friend, is a definition of a little bich. little man syndrome, cant bak urself up, so u feel the need to talk urself up

It will be fantastic when the yanks fall flat on their face just like last year!!!

Even as a Mets fan, to say that about the Yanks rotation makes me laugh. Seriously?
I would set CC's over/under number at 18 in year one.
Burnett has a better chance of getting hurt as opposed to sucking it up, could K 200+.
Wang won 19 in back to back years and would have for a third straight if not for a freak injury while running the bases.
Joba struggled to go 6 because they did not properly stretch him out after he was an 8th inning guy. He should not have a problem and could be a monster...
but who knows, your assessment could be right.

On the note of Cameron, I loved this guy when he was with the Mets, he was gritty and played an excellent CF before that collision with Beltran ended the Met tenure. Yea the avg is low, and K's are high, but he hit for pop and was a fun player to route for. It has been nearly 4 years now, but for one year, he could help the Yanks hitting low in that lineup.