The Yankees will send Ivan Nova to the hill today in the rubber match against the Blue Jays, while the Mets will need to beat Cliff Lee tonight to avoid a sweep in Philadelphia. Before those games get underway, let's check out the latest on New York's two teams….
- The Braves could look to trade Derek Lowe even if they're still in the playoff hunt, according to a scout who follows the team. Ken Davidoff of Newsday says the Yankees, who "negotiated seriously" with Lowe when he was a free agent, would be an obvious candidate to kick the tires on the right-hander if he's available.
- Another scout told Davidoff that it's been years since he's seen Jose Reyes, who can be a free agent at season's end, play as hard as he's playing now.
- Through the season's first month, both the Yankees and Mets are receiving production from unlikely sources, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- Discussing the Yankees' unexpected production from veteran players, GM Brian Cashman told Filip Bondy of the New York Daily News, "When I fix things on the run I have a lot more success than doing the obvious slam-dunk things."
- Vitaminwater co-founder Mike Repole likely isn't interested in investing in the Mets unless 100% of the team is for sale, he tells Dylan Butler of the New York Post.
- According to Newsday's Steven Marcus, the Mets' future minority partner would be in position to take over the team if the Wilpons eventually decided to give up control of the franchise.
hi
Thanks. I’ll pass on Lowe. Yank’s have better internal options. But I could see a reunion with the Red Sox, which at this point, could make a lot of sense. The Dice-K two 1 hit outings where too good to be true and probably an aberration. Expect to see him on the DL shortly. Wakefield is not the answer for a #5.
Lowe is better than Millwood and Garcia at least.
Disagree considering the cost ($ and prospect/player return) and it’s a moot point as I expect Millwood to either opt out or be released today.
Very good point. Lowe is better than Milwood and maybe Garcia (won’t throw him under the bus because of one bad start) but in addition to his salary, what would the costs be to acquire him? If you can squeeze 10-15 wins from some collective of Milwood and Garcia and do so for less than zero prospects and less than $5 mil for 2011 and no commitments beyond this year then he two, along with offensive support, seem like a better option.
of course it would be better if you could do that. but you don’t know that you can; that’s the entire issue
especially with the unforeseen and potentially serious problems with hughes, counting on burnett garcia colon nova millwood et al for the 2011 season is just as risky as ever. solid april returns from a couple of them do not change that at all
“The Dice-K two 1 hit outings where too good to be true and probably an aberration.”
but colon is for real so let’s pass on improving the rotation
you are the stephen colbert of yankee fans
I made no mention of Colon in my comment and you missed my point. If Lowe were to be made available, I could see a reunion with the Red Sox. I’d rather see the Yankees look elsewhere within or to another team come the trade deadline. I sense a little sour grapes in your comment. No? Not like anything I said was false..
Plus. This is classic Dice K. Pitch a few games and then on and off the DL for months and then ineffective.
and word up to Cashman..
For around $8mm he got Colon, Garcia, Chavez, Jones, and Martin. Really really really happy Cashman didn’t pursue other free agents this offseason. cough cough craw cough..
“Another scout told Davidoff that it’s been years since he’s seen Jose Reyes, who can be a free agent at season’s end, play as hard as he’s playing now.”
Yeah, it’s amazing what prolonged leg injuries in a player who depends on his legs can do to his level of effort!
As a lifelong Mets fan who watches the team every day, I think I’ve seen Jose play more often than this scout. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a healthy Reyes not play hard.
While it wasn’t clear from the limited context what Davidoff & the scout was saying, the implication that Reyes doesn’t always play hard is there. It’s just not true. Shame on Davidoff for leaving the false impression.
The anonymous – always anonymous, never on the record – scout is probably trying to put Reyes down.
Maybe it’s a scout for a team hoping to pick up Reyes on the cheap if he becomes a free agent this winter. Won’t work. Reyes’ price is likely to be high no natter who signs him.
Agree. I have never been a Reyes fan, but one thing that cannot be said about him is that he doesn’t hustle. The guy plays at full speed all the time everyday. To imply otherwise is just untrue and a very cheap shot.
Couldn’t agree more.
Knowledgeable baseball folks knew if Reyes was healthy this year, he’d likely put up numbers pre ’09, you know before the health and injuries surfaced which plagued him the past 2 years.
I think sometimes some forget he’s only 27, not 32.
I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you but if I could play devils advocate for a bit. Maybe this professional scout who keeps logs and notes and records of what he sees in a player game to game, month to month, year to year, has spotted something that the casual, even die hard fan wouldn’t spot. It could be a conspiracy you know, maybe the scout hates Reyes and is bashing him, maybe some team is telling their scout to put him down in order to drive the price down. Occam’s razor suggests otherwise.
Given the spotty track record of many scouts these days, if anyone is making assumptions in this instance it is the scout who has no doubt watched Reyes less than avid Mets fans. And it’s not just Mets fans who can attest to Reyes’ all out style of play since he broke in. I am sure Mets coaches and beat reporters would say the same thing. In fact, up to and including Terry Collins, Mets coaches have been saying for years that Reyes needs to slow down his game. You don’t tell someone who doesn’t play hard that he needs to slow down his game. Also, I don’t believe anyone in the media has actually alleged Reyes doesn’t play hard.
If the scout hasn’t seen Reyes play hard in years it’s because that scout hasn’t seen a fully healthy Reyes play in years. For Davidoff not to make that clear is irresponsible. But not unexpected seeing he is part of the NY media.
I can just see it…Revive night at Citifield, XXX night at citifield….
Lowe for either Nunez or Gardner perhaps?
Yanks need a starter, Braves need to get rid of a starter, and can use SS or OF help. They’re actually playing Joe Mather today.
You a Yankee fan pal? I’m not trying to be mean, but it would be just like a Yankee fan to want to send ONE of those two for a grizzled veteran who will give them EXACTLY what the Bombers need to survive that crazy division…. and then state that one of the pros to the trade is because “Braves need to get rid of a starter.” Just don’t think that one comes into the conversation from the Yankees standpoint, even if they do believe it to be true.
Not saying a deal between these two isn’t gonna happen, I think it’s pretty perfect match, but just not for those guys. That depth is too important to the Yanks, and for the Braves it’s not enough to warrant trading a dependable veteran having a good season. I don’t think it will cost the Yankees any of the Betances, Banuelos, Montero, Sanchez collection, but never underestimate a squirming Yankee front office. I would think that Warren, Golson, and a young player or two from deep down the ladder would be a decent trade.
Lowe is on the wrong end of his 30’s signed to a bloated contract for a team with a surplus and Nunez is 10th in the Yankees’ system on the prospect list. A system in the upper half in terms of talent in the majors. You really think that’s a huge rip off just because you’re not a Yankees fan?
Lowe is having a good season but a) I have no faith that he would perform as well in NYS or the AL East for that matterb) Warren is actually a pretty good pitching prospect who is simply overshadowed by the killer b’s.
Nunez is a decent prospect at a position where offense is limited. Golson isn’t really a prospect. Not sure what’s approriate for Lowe but considering he’s 38 in June and would probably have over $20 mil left on his deal thru 2012 makes me less inclined to give the Braves much.
Nunez would be a target I see the Braves going after. If Nate Mclouth falls apart I also see the Braves braves going after Mike Cameron from the Red Sox.
Although there are no immediate signals that Fred Wilpon and his family are willing to sell a controlling interest, a person familiar with the process said: “…It’s logical to assume” that if the Wilpons’ Sterling Equities company “ever decided to sell, they’d certainly give their partner a shot at it.”
That is also the expectation of Major League Baseball, a person knowledgeable about MLB said. A spokesman for Fred Wilpon declined to comment.
Wilpon declines to comment, bla bla bla, shows ”no immediate signals” of willingness to sell, bla bla bla, dodge, duck, feint… I’m no expert but to me this is what it looks like when a man with a big ego finally admits to himself that his days as team owner are likely numbered…and that he probably shouldn’t’ have blustered on and on about how the Mets would be the plaything of Wilpon children & grandchildren for a long time to come.
does cashman accept every interview request he gets or what
I think it’s more as a Yankees GM he probably gets 100 times more requests than 27 other teams in the majors.
very unlikely
Lowe isn’t going to like it in NY. Too much traffic clogging up the race track, and it’s tough to get cabbies to drag race you.
I think he meant as a starting point at least I hope so, as did I. There will be many variables going going into a trade such as if the Braves decide to eat some of his contract for a better return. Then you can expect the Braves to target a few prospects that we know little about as an addition to the main pieces.
This is meant in reply to musky fish.
I think he meant as a starting point at least I hope so, as did I. There will be many variables going going into a trade such as if the Braves decide to eat some of his contract for a better return. Then you can expect the Braves to target a few prospects that we know little about as an addition to the main pieces.
Seriously? You’re aware Cashman had nothing to do with that signing and you know what, I personally don’t have a problem with it. You can never have too many good bullpen arms. Yeah, he has sucked a few times, but it’s not like he erratic or getting blown out (i.e. giving up 5 runs). He had a few bad outings..Take a look at wheel house wheeler and Jenks…I’d rather have Soriano.
Feliciano?
As always, a Yankee thread where people try to find the one and only bad move the GM makes versus the many smart moves..
That’s a ridiculous amount of money to spend on 3 BP arms (Mo, Soriano, Feliciano).
Whether the Yankees have the money or not, whether they’re entitled to spend the money any way they see fit, this type of thing is the reason non Yankee fans are often heard commenting ‘they buy their championships’.
Even Francessa commented at the beginning of the season something to the effect of ‘Yankee fans need to calm down about this Colon and Garcia signings. Yankees will just throw them out there for 5 starts and if they stink, cut them and get what they need at the trade deadline. No worries there.’
And that Jeter contract? I’ll give Cashman credit, he was right when he invited Jeter to go out on FA and see if he could get what the Yankees were offering. No other team with a creditable GM would pay that kind of money for past performance. Not for an aging SS – oldest in the league – who likely isn’t going to produce the kind of numbers he put up in the past and isn’t likely to be able to field that position going forward. Yankees paid for the C on his uniform and to appease the fans, more so than production.
as always, a Yankee fan trying to prove to that their gm can build a team without spending money, but forgetting that he spent over 20 million per year on the 8th and 9th innings alone.
‘they buy their championships’
I know, isn’t it amazing, all the other teams pay their players with bars of soap and free drinks at the saloon. Dumb Yankees, paying their players with real money.
Honestly, the Yanks are built to win championships. I’m not crazy about either contracts for Soriano or Feliciano but cosidering Mo’s age and his nagging abdominal issues he’s had I have no problem carrying what effectively is a back up all-star caliber closer. As for Pedro…….he is a great lefty specialist and Cashman rolled the dice on him. 2/$8 mil is a lot but this was the year of the overpriced middle reliever.
I am confused by this. You said:
“Whether the Yankees have the money or not, whether they’re entitled to spend the money any way they see fit, this type of thing is the reason non Yankee fans are often heard commenting ‘they buy their championships’.”
Of course the Yankees have the money, and of course they are entitled to spend it however they see fit. Do you disagree with that? On what grounds? Do you think you should be entitled to tell the Yankees how they should spend THEIR money? Frankly, your little rants sounds more like petty jealousy than some communistic view of baseball economics but I’m not completely sure if it’s not a bit of both.
You’ve completely missed the point.
The salaries of those 3 BP arms combined make up more than half the entire payrolls of some small market teams. There is no disputing that, hence where the ‘they buy their championships’ mindset comes in.
*woosh*
Irony, don’t you love it?
So what? You can pick any three players on the team and the same could be true.
SS + C + back up OF.
3b + back up C and lefty specialist.
How many teams are carrying two legit closers that aren’t under 6 year team control?
All the Yanks did this year was reallocate funds not spent on Lee or Pettite.
I will be a little shocked if Soriano were to stay with the Yanks for all 3 years though. Wouldn’t be shocked if he went back into the FA market soon and I wouldn’t be shocked if he were traded since he doesn’t have a no-trade clause and is somewhat of a luxury as opposed to a need.
Back in Radbourn’s day, teams didn’t have GMs, they just sent out a bulletin in the local paper and men simply walked on the field, expecting nothing more than a pat on the bottom and some fine whiskey. That all changed when those damn Yankees had the bright idea of giving actual money to players to make their team better. How someone can root for that hive of scum and villainy, the organization that ruined the game of baseball forever, we may never know.
They spent 15 of that on resigning their own homegrown player. And if teams like the Red Sox didn’t offer the same contract and NOBODY spent money on FA’, they wouldn’t have to have spent that. Not to mention the other 11 million was a non GM signing and he has hurt the team so far, not helped it since Joba, another homegrown, has been the better pitcher so far.
What’s even more ironic is what I consider to be the real reason for the success of the Yankees for the past 15 years or so. Steinbrenner being banned from MLB for the period of time that saw the FO developing and keeping their better prospects/young talent, rather than trading them away for all big names/established stars that were not always successful in NY. The Jeters/Pettitts/Posadas/Riveras of their farm system. Coincidence? I think not.
Aging SS with “horrible” defense: check.
“Aging” team overall: check.
Colon, Garcia (“scrubs”): check.
Feliciano injured: check.
singing a 41 year old closer for 18m a year: check
“Declining” A-rod: check.
Phil hughes injured (supposedly our 2nd best starter to start the season): check.
First Place in the AL east: CHECK!!!
I really thought the Red Sox were going to sweep the floor with the yankees…
And what’s more ironic and what ppl need to be scared of is that the Yanks are following the Sox’s model of developing from the farm and supplementing with mega-stars thru trades or free agency.
One can argue that the Yanks may have cut loose some of the wrong prospects (Ian Kennedy, Jose Tabata, Mike Dunn) and time will tell, but it’s hard to argue the logic of keeping guys like Hughes and Joba who have high ceilings with many more high end prospects in the system.
Not to mention, this year might see the continued development of some great pitching prospects and the emergence, or at least on a national level, of some really good looking position prospects (Heathcott, Murphy, Flores, etc).
although moderately witty, doesn’t do much to refute my point.
playoffs start next week
prospects aren’t as valuable to nyy as they are to basically any other team. they’re a luxury
i don’t think nyy fans should bother arguing with the people complaining about “bought” championships and all that. clearly outspending isn’t the only thing they do well, but it is the most important part of what they do. so what. they play really good baseball
Their are plenty of teams that are paying guys like Feliciano $4 million or more, not just the Yankees. Mo is the best in the game, a lifelong Yankee and a baseball legend, why is it so bad for a team that has the money to actually pay a lot of it to the best in the game? Soriano could be considered a luxury or he could end up being integral to the teams success, can you tell me which it is right now? No? Then how can you bash the Yankees for signing him? Someone was going to pay him a lot of money, why do you care who?
He was served soggy french fries. You know how much soggy french fries suck. I’d be upset too.
No, never said the Yankees couldn’t spend their money how they see fit. Where did you read that?
There’s no cap in MLB, Yankees are ‘spending’ by the rules, paying the luxury tax when they go over it. I think you missed the point I was making. That spending at all costs to win (ala who cares what the luxury tax is?) is the reason fans comment ‘they buy their championships’. Don’t have what we need? No problem, get out the checkbook and acquire whatever we need. Money is never an object with the Yankees. For the other 29 teams, it is.
The Yankees outspend every other team and by a large margin. No rant, no jealousy, no petty, sarcastic comments. Just facts.
Don’t believe the hype other teams spend money too. Even the poor Mets spent 142.8MM this year. Get you fans to show up and your team can spend it too
Not in our case…While there’s a definite drop-off from Lowe, you have:
Medlen coming back
Minor in minors
KK in minors
Three obvious starters that could fill a hole as a #5. 1. Hudson, 2. Jurrjens, 3. Hanson, 4. Beachy, 5. Medlen/Minor/KK