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All things considered, from budget to on-field talent, I think Cash did a very nice job this offseason. Now it's up to Girardi to get the team working as well as a ballclub as he did last year. Yep, Girardi and his coaches have got some "tough" decisions to make, but I think almost every MLB manager would love to have such "tough" choices to make. :-)

Just one week to go ...

that only means less time for gardy to get work.. 14 year old rethread , i don't get it 900,000 for him, 2 mil for winn, hoffman for bruney, what ever $ they dump on that move , gardners pay, , thats around 3 to 4 mil??? i'm lost.. how does the kid get ready if he is the starter..maybe they draw straws each game..

Well said, Mitchell.

And BWP, I think it just gives the Yankees some protection like if Granderson can't hit lefties, or they need some extra oomph against a particular lefty.

Hello Peter, think of this..platoon grandy if he can't hit lefties, platoon every one in left, swisher is a 250 hitter at best??? if grandy don't hit we are in trouble..we will have six outfielders that swing for the fence and won't hit over .250.. now look at the$s out their..we could not find a 5 mil guy or give russo and gardy left field??? until it don't work. then go find a rethread..whats the diff. between shelly and thames? shelly can catch somewhat.. believe me i did not what shelly .. but at what ends do we keep getting these has beens.. just my take..

I love what Cashman did this offseason. As hard as it is to say goodbye to Damon, the team got younger and better. The Vazquez deal was magic. Probably not as potent as we were last year offensively but we're better defensively and did I say I like Vaquez?

BWP- I think the difference is that Duncan has never shown that he can hit ML pitching, Thames has. And, Duncan seems like a guy who needs to play a lot to be productive, while Thames doesn't.

I like Duncan and I wish the Yankees had given him a real chance, but Thames is a good move. He only gets $900k if he makes the team out of camp and that is a great risk for the Yankees.

Tim

Vazquez is my favorite move of the offseason as well. 200+ innings that should be above average from your fourth starter? That's huge.

This may seem a bit off topic for this thread, but I don't know who else or where else to ask this. It's about incnetive-laden deals.

Randy Winn signed what was widely reported to be a $2MM deal - but his guaranteed base salary is almost half that at $1.1MM with $900K in incentives for plate appearances as follows: $100K each for 50, 75 and 100 plate appearances, and $150K each for 125, 150, 175 and 200.

Now, this tells me that if the other players step up, this guy is exposed to missing on on almost 50% of his paycheck. Or if the team wants to pay someone in the executive office a $150K bonus, all they need to do is call the coach and tell him to put Winn on an innings limit. Yeah, I am sure that the day that I just had is making me very suspicious of people motives but ... seems like Winn has signed a deal with very low leverage. Guess the salary levels really are slimming down for third tier players.

Does anyone know if Winn has any recourse if he's getting shafted? Anyone ever seen the wording for these contracts? Is there any arbitration clause for grievances or a, "which incentives shall not be unreasonably be withheld" clause?

Just a question that's rattling around in the cranium right now ...

Mitchell-

The best way to put it is he is SOL.

He can sulk, demand a trade, throw a fit, but he doesn't have any right to demand the Yankees to play him. But, his incentives are pretty low, he makes the remaining 900K with 200 plate appearances.

Hope your day gets better!

Had a hunch it was like that Peter. Thanks.

I guess that on the other hand, Winn could pull a Pavano and claim his glutes are too sore to play as a result of riding the pine for too long thus being able to collect $1.1MM while riding his his living room couch during rehab. Whole lotta trust goes into these deals - on both sides.

And thanks - but my day showed me (again!) that even after 90 days of laying a deal out using glossy photos with cirles and arrows on the back of each one (thanks Arlo) - some people couldn't buy a clue about how to make a business deal work even if someone gave them the money to buy the effin clue. Like the line says: "you can't fix stupid".

Mitchell- Ugh, that stinks.

Trust is what it is. One to keep an eye on in 2010 is Magglio Ordonez and the Tigers. He makes $15 million in 2011 if they give him enough playing time.

A not so minor detail I am picking up re: Winn's deal? That AB count is against LHPs. If that's true, those milestone's just somewhat got harder to achieve. Yankees might be able to save a few $.

Dollars aside, Winn's an experienced player who gives Girardi some depth and options.

That's a fascinating detail Mitchell, I can't recall ever hearing of a contract with similar incentives. And, quite a risky one for Winn to sign considering how poorly he hit against LHP last year.

Honestly Peter? I'm skeptical of the report because, as you say, it would be VERY unusual.

Just looking at the math for how many ABs vs southpaws an everyday player would have - pretty much makes some of the milestones almost mathematically impossible for a 4th outfielder.

Mitchell

I just found the mlb story and it specifically says "left handed plate appearances" so it must be true

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100208&content_id=8039276&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

I am just as surprised as you are. It also makes me like the signing a whole lot more.

Re: Vazquez, a 4th starter with that kind of upside just makes me giddy. I know his time in the AL hasnt been great (52-46, 4.52 ERA) but the 1.26 WHIP is solid. Expectations are so low, I wouldn't be surprised if we get a 15 game winner with a sub 4 ERA and I'm secretly hoping for more. Very rarely do fans acquire a player of this ability and immidiately forecast 'worst case' scenarios like they have with Vazquez. This is good for him, pressure wise. I think he's going to surprise to the upside.
As for contracts with incentives: does anyone honestly think if Winn is deserving ABs, Cashman is going to be able to tell Girardi, "screw him over to save 900k" and the NY press isnt going to get ahold of it? Weighing that publicity (never mind the old manager, they don't tell me who to play game) versus 900k? Silly. Does Winn tank it when he knows 1.1mm is all he'll make? Not sure he does when you think about the bonus' he makes if gets on the post season roster. Or playing for another 1yr deal? There is a small amount of professionalism and trust necessary but self interest of both parties is still the driver of performance. Pavano is the exception that proves the rule not the reason that incentive laden contracts don't work.

Tim,

You're right on both points. Javier is a great signing as a solid number 4 starter. I think he will do well for us.

My question about incentive laden deals was a hypothetical one that I admitted was asked with a really jaded slant on my part - and Peter indicated, like you, that it was all about trust and professionalism in these deals. Cashman & Co can't risk being caught benching a performing player to save $125K or $150K. The media muffins would tear the team apart and heads would roll.

The unique thing about Winn's contract is that he reportedly gets the extra $ only with ABs against southpaws - which is a pretty weird. This guy is a platoon player with limited ABs to begin with, so just how many lefties could he possibly face ??? Were I Winn, I would be sure not to spend too much of those incentive bucks before I actually got the ABs.

thats a fair point but on Winn's ABs coming against lefties but maybe he wasn't going to get much more money from anyone else and he figured a post season roster bonus was worth coming for.