The Yankees, who are pressing for pitching and have money to burn, have re-entered the Mark Teixeira Sweepstakes, SI.com has learned.
It had been presumed the Yankees were concentrating only on starting pitching for the moment. But sources tell SI.com that the Yankees aren't about to concede Teixeira to the rival Red Sox or anyone else.
I hope this is true.
31 Comments:
Very interesting.
I cannot agree more with the Teixeira move. I think Yankee fans are forgetting how much offense we are losing with Giambi and Abreu on their way out. Giambi's on-base percentage was .373 last year and Abreu is a solid .300 20/20 guy. I am as caught up in the pitching thing as the Yanks are because I cannot stomach another season of call-ups and Rasner types, but when we start losing games 3-2 and 2-1 we are going to point to this moment in time and say, the Yankees should have spent the money and gotten Teixeira. Finally, I am one of the few idiots who is dropping $850 per ticket for the next 5 years to sit in the 4th row on the field and I am not about to do that to watch Gardner, Melky, Cano and Molina. Bottom line, they built a $1.3 billion stadium, have $80 million off the payroll to play with (minus the CC signing)and are asking their oldest and most loyal fans (we have had our seats since 1967) to shell out at least DOUBLE for their tickets next year. I am one of the few who won't have any problems with any of this if their line-up and staff is as follows:
PITCHING:
Sabathia
Wang
Burnett
Sheets or Pettitte
Joba
Hughes (6th starter)
Line-Up
Damon
Jeter
Arod
Teixeira
Nady
Matsui
Swisher
Posada
Cano
Agree with everything except with how you set up your lineup.
LF Damon
SS Jeter
1B Teixeria
3B A-Rod
DH Matsui
CA Posada
RF Nady
2B Cano
CF Cameron
If Cano is on this team, he will be batting 5th.
Let's get Tex!
Agreed! Nationals offered 8 years at $160. Lets just go the 10 at $200 and be done with it. I WANT TEX!!!
I had a hunch they weren't out of the Tex sweepstakes....
Mike
Peter, I don't like a ten year deal, but I'd have no problem if the Yankees offered an eight year deal for more than $20 mm per year. Like $180 over eight years.
Greg,
If you are doing $180 over 8 you might as well do $200 over 10 because then you are getting him for $10MM per for the last 2 years of the contract.
I just wonder how effective he will still be at 37 and 38 years old.
With Burnett... no more starters... just Tex.
I'd be fine with that Anon, but I think the Yanks may make another attempt at bringing Pettitte back for one year.
Damnit... Hughes needs the 5th spot, not Pettitte...
Peter F - sell some games ! I have $25 seats for next year . UGH
I think Hughes has to earn a spot in the rotation. Plus there are always injuries. Even if they get Burnett and Pettitte, Hughes will probably get a shot at some point next year.
A shot at what? Not at being a full-time starter...
At earning a spot in the rotation.
Also Joba has a strict innings limit so he probably won't be able to make 30 starts. Hughes also has an innings limit and couldn't come close to 200 innings next year.
So where does he fit in this rotation? CC Wang Burnett Pettitte Joba? If he pitches real well, he won't push anyone out. Sure he'll pick up Joba's unfulfilled starts, but that's not what he may deserve...
After last year all Hughes deserves is a spot on the Scranton starting rotation, and I think the Yankees feel the same way.
The good thing about Hughes is that he's still very very young. He will get his chance.
I'm not saying he deserves a spot... but he can at least battle for it...
That's fair. I can't even disagree with that, but I also can't disagree with the Yankees wanting to add two more starters. That want to put the best team possible out there.
The only way Petitte should end up on this team is if he comes back and accepts the Yanks $10 mil offer. On the open market he is an aging lefty, a .500 pitcher, with a 4 or 5+ ERA. He won't even get the 10 mil. he's been offered by the Yanks. If the Yanks are going to sign Burnett, than they should sign Sheets for the two years, and show Andy the door. Sheets has #1 type stuff when healthy, he's much younger and the Yanks would get him at a bargain by comparison, with little risk since it would be short term. And the benefits with Sheets far outweigh the risks, and certainly trump what Petitte can bring.
I actually think the Yankees should bring back Pettitte and sign Sheets, and let Burnett go to the Braves. It doesn't look like that's going to happen, though. But I think the short-term deals give the Yankees much more flexibility in the upcoming years.
And as I've said many times Pettitte wasn't that terrible this year. He really only had a bad two months, and that was because of his barking shoulder and the fact that his off-season was a disaster. And even with that his ERA+ was only 5 points lower than Burnett's.
But why give him 14 mil, when if you wait it out you can get him for 10? The market for Petitte is shrinking, and becoming almost non-existent outside of the Yankees.
Sheets is a great pitcher but he is an NL guy and how he will handle NY is unkown. Pettitte is a guy you can go get for 1 year (there is value in that guys) and is battle tested. I have a ton of confidence in Andy come play-off time whereas who knows with a Sheets. They should split the difference, offer him $13MM and be done with it. Andy will sign for that and the Yanks will avoid shelling out $35MM+ for Sheets. Besdies, we all think of Andy as the solid #3 pitcher he used to be, but in a rotation with CC, Wang, Burnett and Joba, he is a #4 guy now at best. As for Hughes, the kid is SO young! Lets see him in Scranton until the AS break. You know with Burnett and Pettitte and Joba, somebody will be on the DL or need some time off. Hughes is a PERFECT #6 starter.
I don't necessarily think they should give him $14, but he doesn't want to sign for $10, so I think the Yankees should offer a little more. It's really not a big deal if the Yanks give him $12 or $13 million.
Playoff tested Petitte is a thing of the past. His stuff at the end of last year was bottom of the rotation, and borderline garbage. He is very hittable, and getting moreso with each start. Sure for just a one year deal its no big thing, but I'd rather bring a guy who can be an ACE like Sheets in here for the same money for two years. Potential Ace-13/mil/yr or bottom of the rotation has been for 13 mil/yr? To me there's no debate.
By the way, what is it with Yankee fans and their sad devotion to anyone left over from the dynasty? Why do you guys want to overpay them to underperform? The past is the past, it's time for the Yanks to move on.
The reality of the starting pitching market is that you have to overpay for all of them. Carlos Silva makes $12 million a year, you're telling me Andy Pettitte isn't worth at least as much as Carlos Silva? This has nothing to do with any devotion to players from the dynasty.
Well, you're right about the reality of the pitching market. But my point is that the Yankees can underpay for an ace rather than overpay for a bottom of the rotation guy. Sheets stuff is about as good as any other pitcher in the league. Petitte is consistently losing quality and resorting to guile. I guess I attrtibute your opinion about Petitte to devotion because, if the yanks are already going to sign Burnett, SHeets is the best available. If the Yanks don't egt Burnett than maybe consider Petitte.
The news seems to be pointing the the Sox getting Tex. This is a double whammy. Not getting him is one thing (and the Yanks NEED him), but to have him go to Boston is the worst possible scenario. This is where we need George's S.'s EGO to come in and pay the $200 over 10 years. I miss George sometimes! Cashman should stop wasting his time on Burnett for 5 minutes and work on TEX!
I agree with you about Sheets' stuff, and the cost, which is why I'd sign him over Burnett. But I don't think they can go into next year with a rotation with Burnett, Sheets, and Joba. Between the injury concerns with all three (especially Sheets and Burnett) and Joba's innings limit there are too many disasters waiting to happen in that rotation.
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