In his latest column for Sports Illustrated, Jon Heyman writes that the waiver trade deadline was a dud outside of the Manny Ramirez claim by the White Sox. Even though the waiver trade deadline was somewhat quiet, this offseason should bring us plenty of interesting storylines. Here's what Heyman has in hot stove news..
- The Brewers are still holding out hope that they can re-sign Prince Fielder. Meanwhile, others in baseball believe that they have virtually no chance of retaining the slugger. Milwaukee's chances of hanging on to Fielder took a hit when the Twins re-upped Joe Mauer for $180MM. Fielder wants at least that much but it's likely too rich for Milwaukee's blood.
- Heyman hears that Matt Kemp is seeking a deal with the Dodgers similar to Nick Markakis' contract. Markakis inked a six-year, $66MM extension with the O's in January of 2009. In fact, as a center fielder with power, Kemp sees himself as more valuable. However, the soon-to-be 26-year-old knows that he won't get that kind of deal with the Dodgers.
- Speaking of the Dodgers, Heyman says that it's tough to envision Ted Lilly approaching the $12MM salary he got from the Cubs.
- Mets GM Omar Minaya has told friends that he enjoys scouting and talent evaluation. Heyman wonders aloud if this is a precursor to Minaya has accepted that he will be assigned to a new position. Some in the organization wonder if owner Fred Wilpon traveling to the minors with assistant GM John Ricco means that the Mets intend to elevate Ricco to the GM position. It's possible, however, that Ricco was just assisting on a scouting mission.
- It's hard to quantify Derek Jeter's value to the Yankees though early guesses of him earning $25MM per season in his next contract seem high at the moment.
- Unsurprisingly, Heyman writes that Texas will non-tender Jeff Francoeur this offseason.
If Jeter gets over $20 mil per I will stop watching baseball. A man with a .266/.331/.374/.705 slash and a -4.3 UZR does not deserve that much. Especially a man who will be 37 years old at the begining of that contract.
I know, I know he’s Derek Jeter. And I know he’s a real Yankee. And he’s won umpteen World Series Rings. And he has slept with Jessica Alba. Whatever, he has already been paid over $200 000 000 for that. You have to pay him for his performance now and what it will likely be in the future.
I say he SHOULD get about $10 mil a year for 3 years. That takes into account merchandising and his legacy and the Alba thing. Will he get more than that? For certain. Should he? No.
AMEN! I completely agree. However, he is going to get whatever he asks for because he’s Derek Jeter. Which is just plain wrong…
I’m Dave Gershman…How much money do I get?
Just to simplify, yes, he does not deserve that much. But he is Derek Jeter.
I am a devout Yankee fan, and I agree. His numbers have been disappointing this season, and since he is 37, they don’t look as if they’ll get better. The contract he should get is 3 years, 45 million, because I don’t think he’ll accept any lower.
What if he repeats 2009 when he lead all MLB SS in WAR (5th overall)? Is the one year age difference the reason why he is bad now, or might he be better next year?
He didn’t lead all MLB SS in WAR, Hanley Ramirez did. Jeter was 3rd behind Hanley and Tulo.
Fangraphs: Jeter 7.4, Hanley 7.2, and Tulo 5.7.
That’s very strange. Baseball-Reference has Hanley at the same 7.2, Tulo at 6.8, and Jeter at 6.5.
B-R and fangraphs use a different calculation of WAR.
Sure that could happen but the probability is very slim. The worst part is that he will probably insist on being the starting SS and he has only had two positive UZR in the last 12 years and that range aint getting any better as he gets older.
Actually his UZR has gotten much better with age…
Here are Jeter’s last 6 years of UZR: -14.9. -7.3, -17.9, -0.3, 6.4, -4.3. I don’t think you can really say that his UZR has gotten better with age. All you can conlude from that his fielding has been really bad for 5 years and above average one year. And you can see that the bad years were REALLY bad years.
Derek Sanderson(!?) Jeter is a bad shortstop and will not get better in his late 30’s.
Its a lot easier to make your arguments when you make up your own stats.
I think he could easily bounce back… but if he does, he’ll probably be more around a .285 average, with the same power and maybe a couple more SBs compared to this year, with a little better fielding… nothing terrific, but that would probably put him in the top 5 shortstops
and then in 2012 I could see his stats dropping back down to what they are this year…
and then if he plays in 2013, which is likely, he’ll have the same numbers again, with less SBs (probably about 6), and terrible fielding (he’ll probably end up playing DH 30 or so games, same with A-Rod, for both fielding and injury reasons)
This is not a dis on your comment but I never understand why fans level critique at the ballplayer and never the owners. The Yankees make/made BILLIONS on dollars due in part to Jeter’s numbers and marketability. To claim a player’s worth based simply on numbers (especially at the level of Jeter, A-Rod, etc) is myopic. Jeter/A-Rod have done more for the Steinbrenners’ wallet than the other way around.
Baseball is about numbers beyond the slash line.
I take nothing on the internet personally of course. In reply though Jeter made over $200 000 000 over the course of his Yankees career and that is not including endorsements, post season money and again, Jessica Alba. Also, it has been a symbiotic relationship Jeter has had with the Yankees. Do you think he would have won all those WS championships with say the Pirates? No. So Jeter has been more than compensated for his numbers and marketability. There is no reason, other than pride, that Jeter should hold up the Yankees for $20 mil/year.
I would think he would rather be fairly paid Yankee legend than an over paid weight.
Mr.Rihanna should get that kind of compensation. . .
but hey, we’re LA, we’ve McCourt, so nothing.
give the McCourts a few months in court and we will have a new owner…
Hope so.
As do I 🙂
It’s going to be really, really fun this off-season detrermining where Prince Fielder will go. Going to be awesome.
Mil may be disappointed at the offers they rrecieve from other clubs. Probably not as good as the package they sent to the Indians. Not many teams can afford a $23 mil+ a year DH…
Well the whole point is getting 1 year of him. I bet they’d settle on 2 top 50 prospects and a lower level prospects. Something like what the jays got for Roy.
You could be right. It’s still one year for $18 – 20 mil, 2 top 50 and a lower level prospect. Maybe Texas if they don’t re-sign Lee. Boston, but their ‘top 50’ prospects would be light. The Rays of the Brewers pay $10 mil or so of the salary.
No. He’s getting paid 10.5 next year man.
No. He’s getting paid 10.5 next year man.
He’s making $10.5 mil in 2010. He’s arb elig for 2011…
oh yeah thats right. my bad. Well still…It’s Prince Fielder, one of the best players in the game.
Johan Santana was the best SP on the game when he was traded for Carlos Gomez and … Once you eliminate the teams that can’t afford his $$$, don’t deal with his agent, don’t need 1B and don’t want to part with top prospects, worth more than gold these days, it doesn’t leave a big market. Especially if the Padre free fall continues and Boston….
Yeah, but you gotta pay prospies plus only get one year, and he’s pretty one-dimensional as well.
No he’s not he’s actually a very good defensive 1B.
Well the whole point is getting 1 year of him. I bet they’d settle on 2 top 50 prospects and a lower level prospects. Something like what the jays got for Roy.
i dont know if a team pulls the trigger in that case though.
You are getting Prince Fielder and aren’t paying him that much. He’s one of the best players in Baseball. Is you have the chance to win, you take that chance. He’s might even be worth 3 top 100 prospects and a Major League Ready prospect.
For example, if the Yankees have Betances, Banuelos, and a reliever, that might be too little
Negatives:
1. Cost – he won’t be cheap. My guess is that he lands between $13m-$15m in arbitration.
2. Contract – only have him under contract for one year. His new team has to know that he will be prohibitively expensive if you ask him to forgo FA and sign an extension.
3. Defense & Baserunning – not good on either front. UZR/150 has him at -8 or worse for 4 out of the last 5 years. And that’s remarkably better than what he brings to the table as a baserunner.
4. Body Type – incredibly durable to date. However, history does not favor people that are built like Prince.
5. Positional scarcity – who has bucks AND needs a 1st baseman? Yanks – No. Red Sox – No. Mets – No. Angels – No. the usual suspects all have 1st baseman that are similar or better than Prince.
I’m not surprised in the least that the Brewers were having a hard time finding takers for Prince. Fielder is a beast with the bat. He deserves to make boat loads of money. I just don’t see that lining up unless you have a team like Baltimore/Washington, etc jumping into the fray.
Fielder has absolute value for a contender in 2011. It’s just too early to tell right now who will be projecting themselves as a contender at this point. Then the question is murky over compensation….cash and prospects.
I can entirely see why teams would shy away from him as a free agent, but he should have plenty of potential suitors this winter.
Not just saying this as a Sox fan but I can see Prince get dealt to Boston. Boston’s in desperate need for another big bat and with Beltre most likely leaving this would give the sox an opportunity to slide Youk to third and put Prince at first. Prince’s swing would be so nice at Fenway, he’s pretty much a dead pull hitter and with the short right field porch, Prince would hit a ton of bombs. Plus, Prince has been linked to Boston before.
I tend to agree with you. I think Boston is going to check in one last time on Adrian Gonzalez and get turned down and then make the deal for Prince…and it’s going to hurt. It will take some good chips to get him before he hits free agency for a full year.
The most interesting thing Boston could do is get Prince, make him DH and resign Beltre. Having Youkilis, Prince and Beltre in the lineup with possibly Martinez resigned would allow the Red Sox to take chances on some younger guys in the OF.
I don’t think Prince would agree to be a straight DH, but that’s where his future lies in the AL on a team with a better glove option at 1b.
Theo plays poker and waits Mil out. They can’t pay him $18 mil and get just draft picks. Theo has some decent options. Sign Beltre and keep Youk at 1B. Trade for Fielder and move Youk to 3B. Sign Martinez and a catcher move Youk to 3B. Get a one year stop gap 1B/DH and wait for 2012. Keep all of the ammo…
Moving Youk is a bad move. He goes from being a ++ defender at 1st to a solid below average defensive 3rd baseman. You would be better off paying the bucks to keep Beltre at 3rd and Youk at 1st.
I don’t want Jeter back. I love him to death, he’s been wonderful, but if he won’t take a one or two year deal, I don’t want him back.
The Yankees, as much money as they have, cannot have a situation with 4-5 guys (A-Rod, Tex, Jeets, AJ, CC) making like 160MM total when they are in their mid and late 30s, and in the case of Alex and Derek, in their 40s.
I didn’t even want Alex back after he opted in 2007, and I think they should have let him go — even with the 2009 title he was a part of.
Ownership CB’d Cashman big time right there and stuck us with a 37 year old 3B with a bum hip. Don’t make the same mistake at SS.
The question is how much would it cost the Yankees to let Jeter walk?
The league minimum when Eduardo Nunez just bats 9th everyday and plays a good SS?
lol totally expected that answer…Supposedly since Arod’s contract is basically getting recouped from the home run milestones, etc…I would think between the 3000 hits and him being the “Captain” and all it would cost the Yankees a lot in merchandising, media backlash, etc. Yanks nearly have to hand him a blank check (with a clause he no longer can play SS!) not from a baseball perspective, but a business one.
WTF are you talking about?
The New York Yankees don’t need Derek Jeter to make money. Or did you miss the 83 years before his arrival?
I don’t want to sound flippant here, because I love Jeter. But we don’t need to do anything. This isn’t European football. There aren’t going to be fan boycotts because we didn’t sign him.
The New York Yankees baseball team winning baseball games against other baseball teams is what makes money.
Of course the Yankees don’t need Derek Jeter to make money….But they will make MORE MONEY with Jeter than without…..agree?
FYI when CBS owned the Yankees before Steinbrenner they were losing $…
I don’t know about that. I mean how many more people will buy a Jeter jersey? I think pretty much every fan already has one and wouldn’t buy more than one. And if he keeps hitting like he is this year or close to it, people won’t be flocking to the stadium and paying $100/seat to watch him hit .260 and watch balls roll by him.
quick research looks like someone figured his off the field value alone around $3.9 mill and could be around $5 mill for these record breaking years….
Also this the Yankees people will be flocking to the stadium to watch “anybody” put on the pinstripes!
What about the intangibles?? Are they factored in?? You have to account for the intangibles…
You mean like the money they get from selling those Number 2 jerseys?
The same money from Number 2 jerseys that just gets pooled into MLB revenue sharing?
Because the team wasn’t winning.
It will cost them 5 less errors on the season, 20 less balls going past him in the field. And as long as Yunieski Betancourt has better OPS than Jeter I don’t think they will lose much in the offence department. Keep him if you want to be nostalgic but he will only be an albatross and the fans will end up turning against him.
Yuniesky Betancourt can blow bubbles with beef jerky and he doesn’t do push ups, he does push downs.
Yunieski Betancourt doesn’t sleep, he lies in wait. Superman wears Yunieski Betancourt pajamas.
a fan base.
I don’t really see the Fielder/Mauer comparison. I would look more to Ryan Howard for a Fielder comp. The Phillies helped Fielder with that crazy Howard contract.
The interesting thing about the Jeter situation is his worth is only to the Yankees. On the Yankees, he could justify asking for 20 million plus a year because he’s part of the brand currently and he’s also pursuing 3000 hits as a clean player. His pursuit of 3000 will be treated like a true event since he’ll have done it all as a Yankee.
That said, if he were a free agent w/o the Yankees as an option, he’d be lucky to get a 2 year deal for 18 million dollars total with his current level of play.
His bat has pretty much vanished. His OBP is low. He routinely grounds out and hits into DP’s. His defensive range is limited, but his arm is still quite good.
If Jeter somehow gets more than 2 years from the Yankees, it will be a colossal mistake and misuse of payroll. He’ll be glorified pinch hitter by year 3.
There’s no way he can play another position other than SS as his numbers would be league worst for a DH or OF’er and it would affect the Yankees offense and win total.
I tend to think the Yankees are going to give him big money, but if this past season isn’t making them think twice then they are morons.
Cal Ripken fell off a cliff as a player. It happens. I don’t know if Jeter is done, but I don’t think he’s the same player he was even last year. He has no power and has trouble getting the ball in the air out of the infield.
The Yankees should be careful with the length of their offer here. Arod will be riding the pine in his 40’s pinch hitting once in awhile.
I don’t think they want their entire future bench to be earning 50 million dollars. That can happen if they overpay Jeter in years and dollars.
your posting so far is the only one that’s objective and make sense. Thank you
His bat has vanished? Couldn’t he just be having an off year.
Quick reminder – less than a year ago he finished with a 334/406/465 line. While I wouldn’t expect a return to wOBA of 390, he certainly is better than his current wOBA of 317. Expecting something in the 340-350 range is reasonable. With LA defense that puts him at a 3.5-3.7 WAR player. Using win values from this year you would peg his value at $15-$17m conservatively. And that doesn’t take into account that he is Derek Jeter. His name IS worth something.
Now, I wouldn’t pay him anything close to that. I also think that going beyond a 2 year deal will be a big mistake. But this is the Yankees. They can afford to overpay. Their fans expect the team to overpay. Going 3/$50 wouldn’t kill the franchise and would show a lot of class. If the Yankees don’t want him then I would think he lands something like a 2/$24 type deal on a team trying to build credibility (like the Nats).
bjsguess,I don’t think he’d take 3 for 50. I think he’ll want 3 for 60-75 million and that’s when it becomes a major problem. You can afford to overpay him for another 2 years. Past that, you cannot. The team is going to have to move on at some point and break in/acquire another SS. If Derek Jeter is making 20+ million as a reserve, it affects what you can do. While Yankee haters like to think the Yankees have no budget, they do actually have one. They aren’t going to take the future payroll up to $250 million dollars just so they can reward Jeter who has been paid handsomely so far in his career for the last dying breaths of his career. The one thing you can say about an older Arod is if the power is still there, he serves a purpose at DH. Jeter will have no purpose on this team if he can’t play SS physically. The other thing is anyone expecting Derek Jeter to take a pay cut this off season will be surprised to see he won’t. He just won’t. It’s an ego thing. I know he appears to be humble and to only care about winning, but he won’t take a 50% pay cut just like Damon wouldn’t take one from the Yankees. These guys would rather go to another team than walk back into that locker room with their tails tucked between their legs. Jeter will be expecting 20+ million a year and I wouldn’t be shocked if he’d be expecting to be extended to his age 42 season like Arod is. I don’t think this is going to be a slam dunk negotiation. It has the potential to get ugly if Cashman really puts the best interest of the team long term ahead of the best interest of Derek Jeter and legendary status.
I sadly agree with this completely. It’s too true. I see him hit into more ground ball outs and DP’s than anybody else on the team, even more than Bret Gardner. When he does miraculously hit a home run people treat it like a mile stone marker. I still think he should come back on a 1 year/$10MM deal with a vesting option for $5MM w/ a $2MM buy out. It’s reasonable but shows due respect.
Derek Jeter will re-sign with the Yankees for about 20MM without a big fuss. While he certainly is not worth that kind of money as a ballplayer, as part of the Yankees Brand he is worth every penny. The Yankees are no longer just a baseball team, they are an international Brand,like Coke, GM, HP, or SONY. It may sound arrogant or a bit like hype but that’s the fact. They have a new state of the art stadium, where they hold boxing mayches, use the park for Football in the winter, a restaurant that’s open year round, partnerships with the Nets, Cowboys and a Sports Network.Derek Jeter is part of that brand and will be the new symbol of the Yankees in the future. He is this generation’s Joe Dimaggio, cool, classy, handsome,girls on the arms and never taking a misstep off the field. He’s certainly past his prime on the field, but the Yanks can afford to overpay him for a few years,and can carry him on the field for a short period. Say what you will about his play this year, it has not been atrocious, just not up to the Jeter standards. Besides,NY can carry a weak SS in their lineup. Jeter is also a smart man and like Joe D will not embarrass himself by being greedy or staying on too long.Look for him to quietly sign for ‘nice’ money in the off season and retire on his own terms. And for those that think he will walk- get a grip!!
Yeah but we are arguing that it’s dumb. If the Yankees offer him a 3yr 45 million dollar deal, that’s the best he’s going to get by far. What’s he gonna do, reject it? Take it and be a malcontent? No, he’s Jeter, he will be a professional. Again, the Yankees brand is far bigger than Derek Jeter…he’s a huge piece, but his time is coming to an end. The Yankees image is about winning, not about any given player. The Yankee brand will be fine if Jeter leaves and they win the World Series anyway…but if they give Jeter an outrageous deal, sacrifice resources to plug other holes, and end up being a third place team that hurts the Yankee brand. No one player in baseball is bigger than the organization. I mean Brett Favre left the Packers and I’m pretty sure they still have fans.
You’re right that the Yankees are a brand, but brands need faces. There’s a reason that companies hire celebs to appear in commercials.
Whatever the Yankees pay him, it will be worth it for them from a brand/marketing standpoint. This is sports. The product that is being sold (the game of baseball) is literally conveyed through human beings (the players) – that’s why you need people to be the “face of the franchise”.
Any marketing firm will tell you that people are going to make associations to your brand on their own, no matter what – so the best thing to do is to try to provide that face for them to associate it with. Derek Jeter is that kind of guy. I’m sure everyone would agree that having A-Rod as the “face” would be a disaster.
And as far as your Brett Favre comparison, it’s totally different. For one, the Yankees are an international, global brand – because they’re the team that plays in one of the most famous cities in the world, and because baseball is a global sport (whereas football is certainly not). Secondly, the financial impact from losing Jeter is FAR greater than it would be for losing Favre in Green Bay. New York has a population 60 (SIXTY!) times greater than Green Bay, on top of being one of the largest economic centers in the world. That’s A LOT more potential dollars lost from pissed off fans.
LOL Mets
I expect Jeter to bounce back next year. I just don’t see such a precipotous falloff for him or Arod and would not be shocked to see both rebound to post decent numbers in 2011. I could see Arod around .285/.370 w/ 30 hrs and Jeter at .300/.360 10 hrs next year. Obviously both will be overpaid by the time they reach 40. Actually, they are both overpaid now I guess.
If I were the Yanks and Jeter I could live with a deal around 4/60 mil. That’s the same annual amount that Mariano got and the same length given to Posada. There should be ZERO comparisons made between what Jeter wants and what Arod got. If Jeter goes that route then it’s pure ego. Arod can age more gracefully and be more of an offensive threat than Jeter. Arod can have a down year of .275/.350 w/ 25 hrs and that would still beat Jeter at .260/.340 and 10 hrs and below avg defense at SS. Also, Posada sort of plays an interesting sub-plot to this all. If he retires after the 2011 season then that will usher in the conversations of Arod as a full-time DH. If he (Posada) comes back after 2011 then most surely he would be a full-time DH. That keeps both Arod and Jeter on the field longer. My guess is the Yanks will have a much harder time saying good bye to Jeter than Posada. So, I say all that to say that while both Arod and Jeter will be overpaid in there later years the possibility exists that Arod will age more gracefully with a move to DH by 2012 than Jeter will playing SS at age 37+. And Jeter simply doesn’t hit w/ enough power to really be a full-time DH.
From a marketing standpoint you can still sort of justify that Arod’s impending milestones should still pay, or offset more of his salary due than Jeter’s milestones. Jeter basically has the march towards 3,000 (w/ 105 to go) and then 3,500 (if healthy at this pace maybe by the end of 2014 @ age 40). I really can’t see any serious march to 4,000 or beyond. Even at 3,500, while he sets a personal milestone he still won’t surpass anyone in terms of All-time leaders. At 3,515 he can move into Top 5 all-time and 2nd in the AL to Ty Cobb but those aren’t really the “sexy” records. Arod on the other hand stands at 604 can sell TV ratings as he approaches 700 HRS and passes Ruth’s 714, Aaron’s 755 and Bonds 762. With 7 years left on his deal he can become the all-time leader by averaging an obtainable 23 hrs per contract year. He also is close to other major milestones as well.
3,000 hits (needs 356)
3,500 hits (avg of 122 per contract year)
2,000 RBI (needs 197)
2,298 RBI (all time record. Needs an average of 71 per contract year)
2,000 RUNS (Needs 259)
2,296 RUNS (all time record. needs an avg of 79 pcy)
So if Arod can avg 22 hrs, 71 RBI and 79 runs he will hold the record for HRS, RBI and Runs all time. Compare that to Jeter’s march to 3,500 and Arod’s milestones have more “oomphh” to them. Add that to the fact that Arod’s career can be lengthened w/ a move to DH and I don’t think logically that Jeter can hope to get anywhere near what Arod has and in fact, 4/60 mil is about right. Maybe… MAYBE 4/75 w/ milestone incentives but that’s about it. That’s very generous.
Why dont the mets just announce Jeff Wilpon as the new GM already?
The Wilpon footprint is seen on most of the mets moves recently anyway.
If Wilpon announces as the new GM, he’ll have no scapegoat to dump on.
bingo !
at least somebody gets it.
Omar might as well dress up as the team pinata. cuz thats the main reason
the Wilpons employ a GM. The Wilpons are adverse to criticism, not losing.
the wilpons would rather lose with 9 nice guys than win with 9 bad guys on
the field.
Nelson Doubleday warned us about them when they ran out Cashen/Johnson out
of town. Nelson was hands off, hired a president and GM he trusted..and held
accountable, and gave them full autonomy. The Wilpons dont give any rope for
a GM to hang himself when they block the team from doing the obvious (
releasing perez ).
another example of how they set up an environment that breeds mistrust.
their first choice for manager in the 04 off-season was Lou Pinella. Lou
told them he wasn’t interested ( smart man ). Their 2nd choice was Willie
Randolph. Willie was not allowed to bring in his own bench coach. Tony B.
brings in Jerry Manuel from Chicago ( they played together ). they bring in
Rick Peterson from Oakland, they promote HoJo from the minors. they bring in
Manny Acta ( who had manager aspirations ) to be 3rd base coach. the only
coach Willie is allowed to bring with him is Rick Downs ( one of the game’s
most highly revered hitting instructors ). So from the jump Willie has no
say in how his staff is shaped up.
In 05, the mets improve…partly because the staff improved ( enter beltran,
pedro, career years for floyd, )…
In 06, the mets improve more, get career years from unexpected places ( 2B,
C )
In 07, 2 months into the season, the mets hit a 3 week slump and fire the
hitting instructor ( aka Willie’s only friend ).
( this again was said to have come from Tony B.)
HoJo says to the Daily News that the Wilpons came to him a week prior and
asked him what was wrong with the hitters, and what would he do to improve
the team, he gave his recommendation to them, but said he did not want to
over-step Down’s authority and did not relay his thoughts to him. HoJo ( by
not telling Rick ) was in fact lobbying for the hitting instructor position
himself. ( remember he held that title in the minor leagues ).
Willie invites Rickey Henderson every year to help the team with
base-running and eventually replaces HoJo as 1st base coach.
Willie suffers through the collapse in 07. Suffers through a poor start in
08. and now the sharks are circling. Tony B. who for the longest had skipped
chain of command and had a direct b-line to the Wilpons was finally able to
convince them that Willie was the problem, Omar’s pleading for Willie to
keep his job, the tug of war between tony and omar is won by tony and willie
is fired at 3 AM on the west coast, after a win. it has been said that the
mets did not want to risk the mets going on a winning streak.( which would
make firing Willie a PR nightmare ).
Jerry Manuel, ( who like HoJo ) was used by Tony B to get rid of Willie. (
remember when Jerry conviced Willie to pinch hit Cliff Floyd who only had
one good leg in the 06 play-offs ). Jerry was Tony’s boy from their days in
the minors in the expos system ( they played in the majors together in 1980
).
There were reports of Tony B. celebrating and popping champagne when Willie
was fired. Why would u do that if it makes Omar look bad. Obviously Tony and
Omar were never friends and Tony was picked by Jeff to work in the
organization, but not necessarily reporting to Omar, he reported directly to
Jeff himself. Why not…Jeff is the one really pulling the strings.
( btw, I worked for the commisioner’s office and knew people in the mets
front office back in 06/07 )
these stories are just the tip of the iceberg, u have no idea how
dysfunctional the mets front office is, they make the knicks look like the
celtics.
Good stuff.
-ECB
I don’t think Fielder is going to get the kind of contract he wants unless he has a monster year. He had a good year so far but not an elite one. He’s got to have a 40+ hr year w/ a .285/.400 line and decent defense at 1b. His defense has regressed this year.
If you look at the big spenders who can afford Fielder you have to wonder who has the need for a power hitting 1B or would invest that much money in a full time DH?
Angels have Morales and will probably look to spend the big bucks elsewhere.
Dodgers have financial issues.
Giants are cheap and will probably just bring back Huff.
Mariners have the need but will Fielder want to hit in Safeco for the next 5+ years?
Mets should stick with Ike Davis and spend money elsewhere.
The Nats could splurge if they don’t resign Dunn this year.
Orioles can pick him up and DH him with Scott at 1B.
Phillies are set at 1B.
Red Sox, Yanks and Tigers are all set at 1B but could hypotheticaly sign him as a DH or in the case of the Tigers a DH but that’s EXTREMELY doubtful. For the sake of the conversation let’s assume the Sox sign DON’T bring back Beltre and fail to sign a C to move Vmart from C.
The Cubs might be an interesting match.
So of the teams mentioned that leaves the Red Sox, Cubs, Orioles, Nats and M’s as viable options assuming the Dodgers stick w/ Loney and/or still have financial issues. Of those 5 one of them will have Adam Dunn this winter probably. And then of those remaining 4, 1 will probably have AGonz. So that narrows the market for Fielder to 3 teams and if one of those isn’t the Yanks or Red Sox then who’s going to push the offers into that $180 mil market?
red sox can flip youk to third and pick up fielder for 1b, its a possible scenerio. Cubs is not a good fit, they need to full out rebuild. The Mariners would be a good fit, they are desperate for offense
why would they want to do that considering the year beltre is having
I would say the biggest issue with Jeter is not that of the Yankees’ move but that of Jeter’s move. Does Jeter tarnish his legacy by holding out for an exorbitant amount of years and money due to his ego, does he agree on a fair, short and cheap deal to return to the bombers for another season or two or does he bow out from the game gracefully and with a little gas left in the tank to avoid ever allowing us to witness a complete breakdown season where his legend fades into a sad shell of itself? He’s not there yet but he’s clearly on the way so what does he do?
I’d say the last thing he wants to do or should do is sign with any other team just to continue playing.
I really hope the line about, “The Brewers still hold out hope they can re-sign Fielder”, is either a joke or Doug Melvin trying to play up the off-season trade market a bit.
It’s Fielder (and the media that keeps equating him with better players) that’s dreaming not Milwaukee. Fielder is not Joe Mauer. He’s maybe the 4th or 5th best 1st baseman in the NL. He may think he’s worth Joe Mauer money, but after his 2010 season where he’s only driven in 69 runs with a month to go, he’ll be lucky to get what he already turned down from the Brewers ($20 million per year) on the open market. Another year next year like this, and he’ll be looking at $15 million a year offers tops, not 25.
Fielder likely won’t be convinced his worth isn’t anywhere near his opinion until he actually hits the open market. If the Brewers truly want to retain him, all they need to be is patient. Since the trade market for him isn’t strong (another tipoff to his true value), they may just wait.
well, thats all milwaukee can really do, is let him test the free agent market and hope his price comes down, But they must watch out for Boston, I can see them snagging him
The biggest question about Jeter is who else will pay him? If the Yankees offer him 2 years and 18 million, who else will even come close to matching that? His value comes in the fact that he’s the face of the Yankees and a team leader. Even if he doesn’t get what he’s asking, the market just isn’t there. I can’t think of a single team that would pay him more than 4-5 million.
I think Derek Jeter has made a lot of money in his career, and that he is pretty old, so the Yankees should just give him a 3 yr/45 mil and be done with it. He has a chance to bounce back and have a good year, his defense has been decent, and the Yankees lineup can carry a weak SS, like they are now. I just can’t see the Yanks letting Jeter go.
Alright settle down. Regardless of the new contract he gets he will be the first Yankee to 3000 hits and will retire as a Yankee. Frankly, I think he’s has a bad year because of his pending contract situation.
So you’re saying Derek Jeter can’t handle the pressure of an impending free agency?
Because that sure makes a whole lot more sense than it being the fact he’s on the wrong side of his mid-thirties.
Then he would have had a bad season last year, when really, had one of the best seasons ever at 36. That might be a factor but that isn’t completely it.
Alright settle down. Regardless of the new contract he gets he will be the first Yankee to 3000 hits and will retire as a Yankee. Frankly, I think he’s has a bad year because of his pending contract situation.
No way Fielder gets 8 years/180 mil.