On this date last year, the Rays signed Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to one-year deals. Damon put together a successful season in Tampa Bay, but MLB suspended Ramirez for violating its drug policy and he appeared in just five games for the Rays. Here are today's AL East links…
- Though the Orioles have some interest in extending Adam Jones, they haven’t begun extension talks with the center fielder, the Baltimore Sun reports. Jones is one of Baltimore’s three unsigned arbitration eligible players, along with fellow CAA client Jeremy Guthrie and right-hander Brad Bergesen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes previewed a possible Jones extension last summer.
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said it seems like compensation for his departure to Chicago should be determined sometime soon, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports. The commissioner’s office will determine what the Red Sox obtain from the Cubs as compensation.
- Larry Koestler of River Ave. Blues says the Yankees should target Zack Greinke at least as much as they target Cole Hamels next offseason. Both pitchers are set to hit free agency within the year, assuming they don't sign extensions first.
… Larry Koestler apparently knows absolutely nothing about Zack Greinke
I’m pretty sure if the Phillies have the room to avoid the luxury tax, that they are going to extend Hamels. Even if they don’t, he’d be worth the price of going over it.
Greinke in The Bronx sounds like a psychological experiment destined to fail.
Perhaps the Yank office is thinking that their shrinks and RXs can loosen ZG up sufficiently?
Nah, roids don’t help for anxiety
The Yankees should target a DH. Oh ya sorry they have like 3 of em already.
Cool?
zach greinke wouldnt sign with the yankees due to his anxiety issues
are people still beating that drum?
it’s a drum that often doesn’t go away
He now represents himself (for the time being) and if I remember correctly when the royals were trying to move him didnt he personally try to say that he would be fine in NY? Not saying the anxiety woundnt be an issue once he was there but I dont think it will be a determinate in him signing with the yanks.
I don’t think its a given that someone with anxiety concerns can’t do well in New York, but I wouldn’t invest in Greinke if I were Cashman. Alot could go right, but if things go bad, it’s liable to go really bad.
I can’t imagine why the Yankees would want to commit to Greinke. Put in strictly economic terms, if they are serious about going below the luxury tax threshold at least once, they need to clear the AJ salary (and more) not replace it. The new CBA incentivizes them enormously to do that, and looking at their current payroll , they have a real chance at doing it in 2013. Bringing in a Greinke salary would make that much less possible. The actual cost of every dollar over the threshold-for them-is huge. Would any player (much less someone who has, for all of his considerable talent, issues) be worth that type of commitment?
The goal is to get under the lux tax by 2014 when AJ’s and Jeter’s contracts expire… not 2013.
My mistake-I meant after 2013. No AJ, no Mo, no Kuroda, no Soriano. And a lower salary (if he plays) for Jeter. That’s over 70Million to play with.
I believe Jeter has a $8 mil player option for 2014 though, and you know darn well he will take it.
I’m going to take a guess and say that option is going to be converted into something else non-playing long term relationship with the team. Jeter’s not going to have any statistical thresholds he is trying to attain, he’s not likely to have the physical ability to play the position, he’s a very proud guy, and he’s watched the decline of both Bernie and Posada and doesn’t want to be seen that way. I think there will be a soft landing for him, quietly arranged.
Getting under in 2014 is still going to be tough. Cano and Granderson are FAs. Add a Cole Hamels with Cano, Granderson, Arod, CC and Teixeira and you’re already close to $140-150 mil, Arod, CC and Tex count $73 mil. That leaves 19 roster spots and ~$40 mil….
Greinke probably isn’t the best candidate but as far as the lux tax is concerned it may not be an issue. Depending on what happens with Mo (does he retire), Swisher (does he return) the Yanks could have up t $4 mil off the books since Kuroda, Feliciano, Jones, Garcia and the previously mentioned are all on the last year of their deals. After raises they should still have about $30 mil coming off. They can sign a back loaded deal that has a modest salary the first year or two and then more money afterwards.
A back loaded deal doesn’t help the luxury tax. It goes by AAV.
I doubt the yanks would go after zack greinke for two reasons 1) his anxiety issues and 2) they need a Lefty in their rotation, not another righty. as their rotation sits right now its 1 lefty and 4 righties with their two other possibilities being righties also. Hamels if not signed by then is a better option.
I see Greinke staying with a small-mid market NL club, though I could also see him pitching for the Cubs.
Zack Greinke is a premiuim talent and I hate to use the term intangible, but he doesn’t have the emotional toughness to handle New York(I not a yankee fan). If I were Cashman I would not spend big on a pitcher who may not handle the pressure of the zoo.
Could you think of a guy with a personality that’s worse of a fit for New York than Greinke? C’mon that makes no sense for the Yankees.
Castro is going to the Sox. Theo and Ben agreed to it awhile ago…. but Theo didn’t want to sell it to his fan base. Make Selig the big bad guy. Sox traded Scutaro knowing they would get Castro.
Let the bashing begin…..
*insert bash*
If it was going to be a starting player then Selig would have announced it months ago in order to give both teams time to make other choices. The Sox can probably look forward to a low reward prospect or a check.
The commissioner should use the same system they use for arbitration. Have each team name one player they’re willing to give up (in the case of the Cubs) or accept (in the case of the Red Sox). Then the commissioner picks one of those two options — no middle ground, no third player to split the difference. That will force both parties to put forth a reasonable offer, perhaps even settling before the commissioner has to make the decision.
John Rocker
How would that force both parties to put forth a reasonable offer? Why wouldn’t the Sox just shoot for the moon and the Cubs pick from the bottom of the barrel?
It’s the same concept as arbitration. If you high-ball or low-ball (depending on the context) and the other side has offered something ‘fair’ (in comparison), then the arbitration panel will rule in favor of the other side. That gives you a big incentive to make a more reasonable offer in the first place. It’s a model used in various negotiating fora and it generally works pretty well. This would seem, to me at least, like a perfect case in which to apply it.
Sox ask for Garza.
Cubs offer a bag of baseballs.
Selig is forced to side with the Cubs or turn front office personel into deadline trade chips, which would be an absolute disaster for Baseball.
In that scenario, the Commissioner would give Mr. Garza to the Sox, because that’s a lot more reasonable option than a ‘bag of balls’ (figuratively or literally). But that’s exactly why the Cubs wouldn’t offer a ‘bag of balls’ and Sox — probably — wouldn’t ask for Mr. Garza. But if the Sox actually did ask for Mr. Garza and the Cubs offered a decent AA or AAA prospect, then the Commissioner would likely choose the prospect. Which is why the Sox wouldn’t ask for Mr. Garza in the first place. That’s the beauty of the arbitration model.
if selig gives a big name player to the Sox, he’s effectively establishing GM’s not only as tradeable commodites, but tradeable commodities that deserve big money contracts on par with front-line starting pitchers. Once this happens, all the ‘small market’ teams are screwed ‘cuz now in addition to not being able to afford top flight talent, they can’t afford half-decent front office staffs either.
The Sox, at this point, should consider themselves fortunate if the eventual compensation check reaches 7 figures, since all the leverage is with the Cubs, even more so if Selig’s involved.
I believe that the two sides had there chance to come to a fair deal and the Red Sox got greedy and now both sides must decide there fate in the Commissioners office..I feel a major piece from both sides will do the trick Sorry Cub fans Garza maybe the target of the Commisioner and the Red Sox maybe having to deal away Ellsberry or Crawford I hope a fair deal for both clubs comes out of this whole thing..but I’m guessing I respect both teams…
if it were Ellsbury for Garza, the Red Sox would hang up the phone, but Ellsbury & Epstein for Garza, Cherington isn’t that dumb to pull that off
I believe that the two sides had there chance to come to a fair deal and the Red Sox got greedy and now both sides must decide there fate in the Commissioners office..I feel a major piece from both sides will do the trick Sorry Cub fans Garza maybe the target of the Commisioner and the Red Sox maybe having to deal away Ellsberry or Crawford I hope a fair deal for both clubs comes out of this whole thing..but I’m guessing I respect both teams…
Where the BLEEP did this Garza talk come from? Man, sports radio SUCKS in Nashville! No baseball rumors.
I highly doubt they are going to take any highly valuable asset from the Cubs organization. (Jackson/Garza)
I am going to guess it’ll be money or an agreeable prospect (which it would seem none exist.) Since they can’t agree on a prospect or player, I imagine the Cubs will have to pay a pretty good chunk of dough for this one. This isn’t something the Commissioner is going to want to deal with on a yearly basis, so I am guessing he will make an example out of these teams. Maybe a couple mil to the Sox? How much is too much is the question here.
I’ll guess now- 2-5 million range.