Now that the Yankees picked up 3 stars....

[Guest StrahansGap]

.....does anyone really give a shit? If they lose in the playoffs, they'll be the laughing stock. If they win in playoffs, they bought their way there. MLB sucks and as a lifelong Yankee fan I'm sad to say that I don't give a shit what happens to them this year.

[xxi-xxv]

.....does anyone really give a shit? If they lose in the playoffs, they'll be the laughing stock. If they win in playoffs, they bought their way there. MLB sucks and as a lifelong Yankee fan I'm sad to say that I don't give a shit what happens to them this year.

 

Although I will be the first to admit that its just plain fucked up to go and spend that type of money, I will also be the first to admit that when you look at the most successful Yankee era of the last 25 years, 93-2001 it was not about buying players or outspending everyone else, in fact the 98 Yankees, arguably baseballs best team since say 1980 did not have the highest payroll in their own division. So its not like they are going back to what they did then, despite what any hater wants to tell you, the successful Yankee teams were not built like this.

 

The 1980's Yankees were and before a WC round would win 85-95 games/year but never make the post season.

 

As for the actual moves, again I am not fan of them, but there is no denying that Teixera and C.C. are much needed additions to the roster. The Yankees have really never replaced Clemens(first time not second) in 2003 and Teixera is a much better player than Giambi ever was, more along the lines of Tino, thats why I like it so much. A case can be made that Burnett is a step back towards the Pavano/Johnson/Vazquez/Wright deals, but there is no denying the Yankees got some good players.

 

In reality, I would be more pissed that Arod is there eating up 27.5 mil a year. That could be put to some better use IMO to get more valuable player(s) who would fit that line of player I am talking about from 1993-2001.

[njsmalls]

The Yankees' payroll will be lower than last year's even after going to buy a bunch of guys. As a Yankee fan you really have to not give a shit what fans of other teams think about the Yankees. We have no hitters in our farm system and our young pitchers outside of Joba hasn't worked out. We had to do something and the Yankees did, they played by the rules and everyone is butthurt about it. The Steinbrenners aren't the richest owners in MLB, they just actually give a shit about their team unlike other owners who just view their teams as toys.

[Herc]

The Yankees' playroll will be lower than last year's even after going to buy a bunch of guys. As a Yankee fan you really have to not give a shit what fans of other teams think about the Yankees. We have no hitters in our farm system and our young pitchers outside of Joba hasn't worked out. We had to do something and the Yankees did, they played by the rules and everyone is butthurt about it. The Stienbrenners aren't the richest owners in MLB, they just actually give a shit about their team unlike other owners who just view their teams as toys.

 

 

that's assuming they're done shopping. they are within 15 mil of what their payroll was last year--and that's not including any raises in anyone's 2009 salary

[Lubeck]

that's assuming they're done shopping. they are within 15 mil of what their payroll was last year--and that's not including any raises in anyone's 2009 salary

 

From everything I have heard/read their done spending. If anything their looking to trade some of their high-priced outfielders.

 

Their spending spree is wildly misreported because like njsmalls said all they were doing was replacing lost contracts and ended up spending less, while bringing in higher value players. I still can't believe they got Tex.

[Lubeck]

The Steinbrenners aren't the richest owners in MLB, they just actually give a shit about their team unlike other owners who just view their teams as toys.

 

That is what makes myself as a Yanks fan feel ok with what the organization does. They don't just take our money and pocket it they use it to give the fans a playoff caliber team every year. And by doing so they bring in the revenue from fans who want to see a competitive team.

 

And bitch all you want about their spending it isn't a fluke that when the Yanks come to play the home team sees an increase in ticket sales and consequently revenue. They aren't just giving other teams money through the luxury tax.

[Herc]

From everything I have heard/read their done spending. If anything their looking to trade some of their high-priced outfielders.

 

Their spending spree is wildly misreported because like njsmalls said all they were doing was replacing lost contracts and ended up spending less, while bringing in higher value players. I still can't believe they got Tex.

 

i have no issues with them spending--i'd love for my team to do that--but im hearing this a lot from fans and it's not really that great of a justification. this is like the first year they haven't totally increased their payroll and i seriously doubt they dont make these three moves if they had half the contracts coming off the books instead of all of them.

 

and if pettitte takes the 10 mil offer they will be at last year's payroll or higher--xavier nady, mekly and bruney still have to go to arbitration

[Lubeck]

i have no issues with them spending--i'd love for my team to do that--but im hearing this a lot from fans and it's not really that great of a justification. this is like the first year they haven't totally increased their payroll and i seriously doubt they dont make these three moves if they had half the contracts coming off the books instead of all of them.

 

and if pettitte takes the 10 mil offer they will be at last year's payroll or higher--xavier nady, mekly and bruney still have to go to arbitration

 

Whoulda coulda shoulda. Maybe they make the moves maybe they don't. That is pure speculation.

 

And if Petitte takes the offer they are still 5 million under. Not at or higher.

 

As far as arbitration...isn't that next year and not this up coming season?

[Herc]

Whoulda coulda shoulda. Maybe they make the moves maybe they don't. That is pure speculation.

 

And if Petitte takes the offer they are still 5 million under. Not at or higher.

 

As far as arbitration...isn't that next year and not this up coming season?

 

the three big moves the yanks made were not payroll driven. the pitching was obviously a problem for the '07 team and supposedly the yanks passed on santana with CC in mind this offseason--the team is built to win now and at least two SPs to slot into two of their top 4 rotation spots was a priority no matter what their payroll was projected to be. i doubt their payroll would've stopped them from going after CC if dudes like giambi and abreau still had a year left on their deals. as for teixiera, the yanks needed a big bat so it was either go after tex or manny this season or pay holliday next season. IMO they made the right move as i think holliday is a product of coors field. either way they were throwing 120+ mil at a big bat this offseason or next regardless of their payroll situation.

 

if pettitte takes the offer they will be 5 mil under last year's salary. the combined salaries of nady, bruney, and melky will surely exceed 5 mil. when those three salaries are created (whether through arbitration or contract agreement) they will count towards this upcoming season. as of right now those three players each have salaries of $0 for 2009. if pettitte doesn't sign maybe they go with hughes or maybe they sign someone else, but when we're talking about less than 10 mil under last year's payroll we're talking about about a 5% difference--essentially giving the yanks about the same payroll as last year. but the team will likely be better for the same cost, so again as i said earlier i think they are making good moves even though i think all 3 of those players they signed are slightly overrated by most.

[Plow]

i have no issues with them spending--i'd love for my team to do that--but im hearing this a lot from fans and it's not really that great of a justification. this is like the first year they haven't totally increased their payroll and i seriously doubt they dont make these three moves if they had half the contracts coming off the books instead of all of them.

 

and if pettitte takes the 10 mil offer they will be at last year's payroll or higher--xavier nady, mekly and bruney still have to go to arbitration

 

The Yankees do have a limit. I will bring up one name: Carlos Beltran. I highly doubt the Yankees make all three off these moves if they don't have 80 mil coming off the books.

 

[Herc]

The Yankees do have a limit. I will bring up one name: Carlos Beltran. I highly doubt the Yankees make all three off these moves if they don't have 80 mil coming off the books.

 

the yanks weren't coming off their first missed postseason in a million years either though. if you want to say they dont sign burnett with all that money coming off the books then i guess that's a fair argument, but i dont think they pass on cc or tex

[fringe]

Instead of 209 million, it will be 190- wow, the yankees are downright miserly.

[mickeef2]

I'm surprised they paid Texeira as much as they did. After all, they were his "first choice all along" (I'm sure if the Orioles were willing to pony up $225 million, he still would've had a tough decision in front of him, what with his love of Don Mattingly and everything), and- get this- his wife said, "I want you to be a Yankee." And you know how much Scott Boras values the wife's input in these negotiations. Oh yeah, I almost forgot- Brian Cashman was a super nice guy to him during the negotiations, too (translation- he wrote a lot of 0s on a check).

[Plow]

the yanks weren't coming off their first missed postseason in a million years either though. if you want to say they dont sign burnett with all that money coming off the books then i guess that's a fair argument, but i dont think they pass on cc or tex

 

I thought your original point was that if their payroll was the same, then they would still add all of these guys.

 

Let's assume for argument's sake that their payroll stayed the same and they did not make the postseason. I think the only guy they sign is CC Sabathia. Remember, there have been numerous reports the past few years that the Yankees have been in the red like 20-50 mil each year. They definitely have a limit.

 

You HAVE to state that they lost all that payroll before they made these three signings, even if it comes close to or is the same as their old payroll number.

 

 

[Plow]

I'm surprised they paid Texeira as much as they did. After all, they were his "first choice all along" (I'm sure if the Orioles were willing to pony up $225 million, he still would've had a tough decision in front of him, what with his love of Don Mattingly and everything), and- get this- his wife said, "I want you to be a Yankee." And you know how much Scott Boras values the wife's input in these negotiations. Oh yeah, I almost forgot- Brian Cashman was a super nice guy to him during the negotiations, too (translation- he wrote a lot of 0s on a check).

 

I'm not surprised. I was surprised he did not get 200 mil. Given his track record and the certain teams that were bidding for him in major markets (Boston, NY, LA), I thought for sure he was getting top dollar.

[Herc]

I thought your original point was that if their payroll was the same, then they would still add all of these guys.

 

Let's assume for argument's sake that their payroll stayed the same and they did not make the postseason. I think the only guy they sign is CC Sabathia. Remember, there have been numerous reports the past few years that the Yankees have been in the red like 20-50 mil each year. They definitely have a limit.

 

You HAVE to state that they lost all that payroll before they made these three signings, even if it comes close to or is the same as their old payroll number.

 

i said it'd be a fair argument, i dont necessarily agree with it. i think their performance last year is way more of a driving force in these signings than the payroll.

 

the yanks are only in the red if you don't count revenue generated from YES. im not sure why the media likes to separate the two, but they do.

 

as for your last paragraph, i understand that the salaries coming off the books are a starting point, but im hearing WAY too much from yankee fans that they made all these moves while lowering the payroll. my contention is that when the dust settles and everyone is under contract and they head to spring training this won't be the case. the yankees and their fans don't have to justify their spending to anyone

[Plow]

i said it'd be a fair argument, i dont necessarily agree with it. i think their performance last year is way more of a driving force in these signings than the payroll.

 

the yanks are only in the red if you don't count revenue generated from YES. im not sure why the media likes to separate the two, but they do.

 

as for your last paragraph, i understand that the salaries coming off the books are a starting point, but im hearing WAY too much from yankee fans that they made all these moves while lowering the payroll. my contention is that when the dust settles and everyone is under contract and they head to spring training this won't be the case. the yankees and their fans don't have to justify their spending to anyone

 

Yeah, I don't see the point of even having to justify spending a lot of money to somebody. Honestly, if you look at MLB and the past winners of the World Series, payroll doesn't seem to have anything to do with it anymore. Also, 7 of the past 8 champions have been a different team. Only the Red Sox won it twice.

 

Money doesn't buy championships, so, I don't even bother arguing about the Yankees payroll anymore.

[Herc]

Yeah, I don't see the point of even having to justify spending a lot of money to somebody. Honestly, if you look at MLB and the past winners of the World Series, payroll doesn't seem to have anything to do with it anymore. Also, 7 of the past 8 champions have been a different team. Only the Red Sox won it twice.

 

Money doesn't buy championships, so, I don't even bother arguing about the Yankees payroll anymore.

 

you're right. and the yankees are subsidizing a lot of these taems who just put the money in their pocket. everyone wins when they go over the luxury tax limit--especially if it doesn't result in a championship for them. i wish my team would spend money like them, instead of feeling like they have to trade peavy when he is locked up for 4 years at 52 mil which IMO is the best fucking bargain in baseball not counting players who aren't FA eligible.. luckily jeff moorad is buying the taem and he wont be traded now.

[mickeef2]

I'm not surprised. I was surprised he did not get 200 mil. Given his track record and the certain teams that were bidding for him in major markets (Boston, NY, LA), I thought for sure he was getting top dollar.

 

I was being sarcastic when I said I was surprised they had to pay him so much, seeing as its been his life-long dream to be a Yankee As if he would've settled for a dime less from the Yankees if the Nationals offered more. I seem to remember it being his life-long dream to be an Oriole when they were still in the bidding. And don't get me wrong- it ain't just Texeira. I understand how the game is played, and how these guys have to say the right things, and believe me I would too if it meant millions of dollars in my pocket. But it gets tiresome hearing these guys babble on about Yankee pinstripes after the check is in the bank. It's about Yankee dollars, and nothing more.

[Herc]

supposedly the nationals offered more but i'm pretty skeptical about that rumor

[Plow]

you're right. and the yankees are subsidizing a lot of these taems who just put the money in their pocket. everyone wins when they go over the luxury tax limit--especially if it doesn't result in a championship for them. i wish my team would spend money like them, instead of feeling like they have to trade peavy when he is locked up for 4 years at 52 mil which IMO is the best fucking bargain in baseball not counting players who aren't FA eligible.. luckily jeff moorad is buying the taem and he wont be traded now.

 

You know, don't take offense to this, but when people tell me the Yankees are bad for baseball, I almost have to laugh -- they are definitely the turbo that's keeping the engine running. I always point to teams like the Padres for ruining baseball.

 

Here they are with a pitcher who is homegrown, will be 28 years old next season, has pitched at least 166 IP since he was 22, a career 3.25 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, two-time all star and winner of the CY Young a year ago. He is signed at an extremely reasonable price for four years and they are trying to trade him!

 

How is that good for baseball? The whole point of arbitration, delayed free agency and getting draft picks for signing free agents was to discourage teams from losing out on their homegrown superstars.

 

I understand they are trying to get back young talent, but it makes no sense to me. It's a horrible message to send to your fans and it's not good for the sport.

 

I am not trying to bash you or your team, it's just a perfect example because other teams do it too.

 

[Plow]

I was being sarcastic when I said I was surprised they had to pay him so much, seeing as its been his life-long dream to be a Yankee As if he would've settled for a dime less from the Yankees if the Nationals offered more. I seem to remember it being his life-long dream to be an Oriole when they were still in the bidding. And don't get me wrong- it ain't just Texeira. I understand how the game is played, and how these guys have to say the right things, and believe me I would too if it meant millions of dollars in my pocket. But it gets tiresome hearing these guys babble on about Yankee pinstripes after the check is in the bank. It's about Yankee dollars, and nothing more.

 

Yeah, I am tired of these guys getting up there and shoving the PR message of my "dream since I was a kid to be a Yankee." I don't buy it one bit. I am glad Sabathia and Burnett steered away from it. They went more of the route of I am excited to play for a team that will always be in the postseason and it's fun to call myself a Yankee because of the history here -- totally fine with me, we all know you're here because of the money.

 

However with that being said, listening to all of them talk. I think Teixeira's press conference impressed me the most. He sounds like a clone of Joe Girardi. Teixeira's father was in the military and seems to have raised a no-nonsense son. Teixeira sounds to me like the guy who will buy into Girardi's conditioning program and working hard day in and day out to do his job.

 

 

 

[Plow]

supposedly the nationals offered more but i'm pretty skeptical about that rumor

 

If they offered 10 years 200 mil, which seems to be the reporting (although I am skeptical too) I don't see why Teixeira would take that. Let's put aside the fact that the Nationals suck, the Yankees seem to be a team that will compete every year and look solely on the business end of the deal.

 

Teixeira will be 36 by the end of his Yankees deal. Seeing as though the market (even this year) seems to go up year after year. If he continues on this path or even just stays as a decent player, he will easily be able to make 2 years 20 mil --the difference in the two deals -- if not more.

 

Plus on top of that, the marketing opportunities in New York for the Yankees probably triple that of the Nationals.

[Herc]

You know, don't take offense to this, but when people tell me the Yankees are bad for baseball, I almost have to laugh -- they are definitely the turbo that's keeping the engine running. I always point to teams like the Padres for ruining baseball.

 

Here they are with a pitcher who is homegrown, will be 28 years old next season, has pitched at least 166 IP since he was 22, a career 3.25 ERA and 1.19 WHIP, two-time all star and winner of the CY Young a year ago. He is signed at an extremely reasonable price for four years and they are trying to trade him!

 

How is that good for baseball? The whole point of arbitration, delayed free agency and getting draft picks for signing free agents was to discourage teams from losing out on their homegrown superstars.

 

I understand they are trying to get back young talent, but it makes no sense to me. It's a horrible message to send to your fans and it's not good for the sport.

 

I am not trying to bash you or your team, it's just a perfect example because other teams do it too.

 

 

i dont take offense, the owner's a fucking putz. he promised that he'd spend money when he built petco and he hasn't. now they have to have a fire sale cuz he's getting divorced--fucking bullshit. thank god for jeff moorad and thank god only khalil greene was traded before the fire sale ended. the only reason why the pads have been competitive (up until last season) is kevin towers...and i guess the texas rangers for being so generous

[mickeef2]

If they offered 10 years 200 mil, which seems to be the reporting (although I am skeptical too) I don't see why Teixeira would take that.

 

Because he's a Scott Boras client, and Scott Boras's clients always go to the highest bidder. Besides, that's not a million or two you're talking about, it's 15 million. I don't care how much you make or are worth, 15 million bucks is a lot of money, and nobody's gonna turn it down for the sake of tradition or history. The people reporting that he had a much higher offer from the Nats are probably the same people who reprted that Damon had an offer of 7 years and 80 million, but signed with the Yankees for 4 and 52 because he "always wanted to be a Yankee" (hmmm...another Scott Boras client).

 

I completely agree with you when you say you don't mind guys saying "It's neat to be a part of the Yankee organization." There's a big difference between that and saying, "I've always wanted to be a Yankee." What they mean is, they've always wanted to be a high paid Yankee.