The Yankees are currently in wait-and-see mode despite injuries to both CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte, though they could make a move for a starter before the trade deadline. ESPN's Buster Olney reports (on Twitter) that the team has "no intention of joining" the bidding for Cole Hamels unless the asking price diminishes dramatically, however.
Over the weekend we heard that the Phillies had started to gauge trade interest in their homegrown ace left-hander, and that they're looking for a package of four or five prospects with an emphasis on help at third base and in the outfield. Since the Yankees are aiming to get below the $189MM luxury tax threshold by 2014, trading prospects for the southpaw and then keeping him long-term may not be feasible.
In other words, the Yankees are going to do their best to try to trade for him and if not, then try to sign him if he becomes a FA.
Jokes aside, as Mike mentioned in his last sentence, if the Yankees Really want to go under $189 million by 2014, then getting Hamels will not make that happen.
I don’t think the Yankees need to sign a big name free agent pitcher anytime soon. By 2014 their rotation could be CC, Pineda, Nova, Hughes and another prospect or a low cost FA. Yes there are question marks, but every team has those.
doesn’t it annoy you though that they’re trying to stay under the luxury tax level? outside of pure greed, there’s no reason to. at all
i get that the rest of the league hates the yankees for their spending. but actual yankees fans should demand that kind of spending. the market provides them enormous revenue either way. they either spend it on talent or on another yacht
i don’t know if they should trade for cole hamels, but they should almost certainly sign him
Actually what annoyed me more (until recent years) was seeing small market owners pocketing the Yankees money from the luxury tax instead of using it for their team. Seems as if they were the ones buying the yachts. Until finally all these teams starting giving out extensions to their young players (McCutchen, Votto, Zimmermann, etc.)
With that said, I don’t want teh Yankees to Not make a move if it made them go a little bit above the $189 million. If Cano wants $2 million a year more than what they want to give him, then give it to him. Maybe the same for Granderson.
I still think they have the chance to do it though because Rivera (if he came back and he probably will), Soriano and the remainder of Burnett’s contract is done. A-Rod’s contract decreases every year here on out (Thank the Lord) and Jeter will be making $8 million in 2014.
Since they take the average salary of the deal it doesn’t matter than arod’s deal goes down for salary cap.
Pretty sure it doesn’t go by AAV and that it goes based on how much a player will make each year. Look up theAngels payroll, and you’ll see this year their team payroll is $154 million with Pujols making only $12 million.
When they are figuring the payroll for luxury tax purposes it does indeed go by AAV.
“Payrolls are for 40-man rosters and include averages of multiyear contracts; health and pension benefits; clubs medical costs; insurance; workman’s compensation, payroll, unemployment and Social Security taxes; spring training allowances; meal and tip money; All-Star game expenses; travel and moving expenses; postseason pay; and college scholarships.”
Learn something new every day. Thanks.
No problem
doesnt matter about soriano. If soriano keeps closing games the way he is this year so far, he will opt out at the end of the year looking for a better deal and possibly be a closer. and if mo comes back next season like he is saying, that will keep soriano from resigning.
… What?
That’s a very big “if”; not a foregone conclusion that Soriano will opt out no matter how well he pitches.
” Actually what annoyed me more (until recent years) was seeing small
market owners pocketing the Yankees money from the luxury tax”
What has been more astonishing even is John Henry complaining even more about that issue than the Steinbrenner brothers. Can you imagine how much George would have been hollering about that from about 2007-10 when Loria was pocketing nealry all (it seemed) and giving out no extensions (except to hanley Ramirez) and sent packing every other decent player that team had? Willingham, Ross, Uggla and on and on..
Owners should have found a way to force each other to spend on the franchises, rather than pocket the cash.
nowadays, there’s supposedly an implicit salary floor in the league.
not sure how effective it is, but it exists.
True. Like you said.. How effective it is is a good question.
I forgot about the JJ extension that was only given out (it seemed) after much pressure was applied after all the money was shipped to Loria and all the talent earlier sent packing and only when the new stadium was built did they start signing people.
The team has never really drawn. Blame it on locale (still a poor location really) fan base hard to keep focused on baseball, or even the old Land Shark that was not suited at all for baseball.
Trying to draw a crowd into a football stadium in the dead of summer for a baseball game is a hard task.
Had Miami built the Marlins a stadium as quickly as Denver did for the Rockies, or when Loria took over in 2002, they would not have needed to be as miserly as they have been.
Sort of. Even Huizinga dismantled his WS team of ’98 so quickly and (without looking it up) don’t think that team cracked the 2m mark for attendance.
It’s like the base is way more into the “other” Fish.. Dolphins and the Miami Heat, rather than the Marlins.
Luxury tax doesn’t go to other teams.
I’ve read different answers to that. Some say it goes to small market teams, some say it goes to the Industry Growth Fund. But the small market teams for certain get money through MLB’s Revenue Sharing. Teams pay 31% of their revenue into a pot which is then evenly distributed.
So for instance say there were only 2 teams in the league, one team had a $200 mil payroll, one had a $100 mil payroll, $93 million goes in the pot ($62 mil and $31 mil) which would give each team $46.5 million
I completely agree with this sentiment in general, but if the idea is to get under the threshold for 2014, so that their tax rate resets, and then to go right back to spending whatever it takes I can understand that.
I wonder what prospects can they trade with Betances and Banuelos struggling
Would have to be a mix of Williams, Austin, Sanchez, or Bichette Jr.
I personally prefer the Yankees do not touch any of them. Their rotation is not old (minus Pettitte and Garcia who both I’m sure will be gone next year), and only 2 batters in their normal lineup are under 30 (Cano and Gardner).
If pettitte want to come back he will be back, he would be healthy if not for taking a ball off his ankle. He is still a really good pitcher.
They don’t really have much to trade unless they want to trade away the top level of talent for 2 months of hamels. They don’t really have anyone else besides banuelos if they lose those 4 guys.
Good point.
Banuelos hasn’t been struggling, just hurt. Betances is just bad.
does hamels have a no trade clause? im not saying he will use it but im just wondering.
doubt it, you don’t usually get one for signing 1 year deals as arbitration players.
welp, looks like the yanks are getting hamels
Yup!
I can barely see through all this smoke.
These are not your father’s/older brother’s Yankees.
The Yankees are in search of bluelight specials at Walmart…Maybe one will be built in Greenwich, CT
I just want to go on the record and say that I also will not be going the bidding for Hamels.
Hamels hates New York…
And CC supposedly wanted to play in California. Players will sign where they money is and/or where they have a chance to win. Unless you actually heard Hamels say he hates New York, that’s just hearsay.
Except for Cliff Lee, CJ Wilson, Zack Greinke, etc. etc.
They all said “I hate New York”?
What about them?
Greinke said he would have approved of a deal to New York. This was before he was dealt to the Brewers.
And both Lee and Wilson had talks with NY when they were free agents. If they hated NY, they wouldn’t even talk to them in the first place.
I think Lee rather be in NY right now haha.
Says who?
Normally I would say that the if the Yankees say that they don’t want a big name, it means the exact opposite but the past few years it seems like Cashman has been pretty honest. They’ve been pretty adamant about not spending freely and with them not going hard on Darvish, they’re clearly not George’s Yankees.
The Yankees biggest competitive advantage (spending power) has been nullified, at least until they get below that threshold.
I think more it has to do with Yanks wanting to keep their prospects instead of stripping their farm system. Hammels will cost any team their top prospects and the yanks mainly have prospects in lower minors no major league ready ones. So why give up your 3 best for one pitcher when you can wait and trade only 1 prospect closer to the deadline for a 1/2 year player. The yanks don’t need dominating starters with their lineup just a mediocre 6 inning guy will still get them a win.
Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the Yankees win a lot Division and World Series before free agency. Going with their farm system and signing players out of school. I read a few days ago why Mickey Mantle never asked for more than $100,000 a year. He said he didn’t want to make more than his friend Joe DiMaggio. When Joe was asked the same question about the salaries today he said he would have gone to George and said HI PARDNER.
” Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t the Yankees win a lot Division and World Series before free agency.”
They were a dredge pretty much until Georgie bought them. CBS ran them into the ground 60’s/early 70’s.
Edit:
Of course they were great before that. The Dodgers were known to have the best farm system and was said they had the minor league talent to support another MLB team stashed away themselves.
Thanks.
Ok, so theoretically is this scenario possible.
Amario: Hey Hamels come in. We are trading you because we just have too many injuries this season to compete, and a team will give us entirely too much for you.
Hamels: But I don’t want to go!
Amario: Ok well then how about we offer you this number in free agency and sign you back during the winter. Then we can keep the huge haul and keep this train going.
Hamels: Sounds good. Who’s the sucker???
Now could that happen???? If so that would be an amazing move to pre-arrange.
Hamels doesn’t have an NTC, so he has zero control over where Amaro trades him.
He’ll go to wherever Amaro gets the best haul from. But I could really see Hamels traded at the deadline then signing with Philly in the offseason.
And, i don’t think you can predict what hamels will get in free agency at this point in the season. if hamels is a huge part of a team getting to/going deep in the playoffs ala CC in 2008, that could up his price tag significantly. Also, whether the Yankees and Red Sox try to sign him, even if one of them ends up trading for him.
True I was just recalling the whole Cliff Lee scenario. He was acquired then traded then re-acquired through free agency. Philly got its prospects back then Lee back. If a similar scenario happens with Hamels it would be pretty interesting. I could see it happening. I mean they get to replenish themselves with a bunch of near ready top prospects, and keep their best players around.
If it gets into a bidding war between teams like St. Louis, Detroit and Texas, then I dont see the Yankees having the prospects to acquire Hamels. Pitching prospects are nice, but it’s not what the Phillies need, nor are they looking for. Bichette and Williams aren’t good enough prospects, nor are they any where close to ML ready the way the aforementioned three teams’ prospects are.
Sox match up perfectly, but I really hope we pass.
I’d love to get Hamels in Detroit. He’s exactly what they need… bona fide ace to back JV, a lefty, consistent, playoff xp. But 4-5 prospects for a half season rental? That’s asking a lot. They probably could come up with an outfielder or two and a pitcher, but I don’t know that I’d go further than that.
We will see if the Yankees go with the farm system. They did that in 2009 and one year out of the playoffs and they went back to spending. The Yankees did the best when they went with the farm system in the 90’s.
Question of the Day: Hamels some how ends up in NY … does the consistency of Hamels automatically push back the line up one spot … ie. Hamels 1 .. CC 2… Kuroda 3 etc
I’d say it’d go 1-CC, 2-Hamels, …3,4,5
The Yanks do not need to morgage the future for Hamels
The pitching has been more than respectable
Looking out a year, CC, Nova, Hughes, Kuroda and Phelps and Pineda
Bullpen will remain solid
If anything go after guys who can put bat on the ball to replace aging starters like Arod, Grandy is not making contact enough again and K ing in bunches
Need a catcher ….
It would not be prudent to trade prospects for Cole Hamels. Don’t trade away good young players for a guy who may only be available for part of a season. The Yankees are pretty solid when C.C. gets back and Phelps can spell Pettite until he returns. I like Phelps and he has a ton of guts and I believe he will come thru big time for them. When Gardner gets back they should really be tough and if Chamberlain can pitch, then they don’t need anything. Stay the course.
I agree.