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Yes, the turkey was delicious and it is always great to spend Thanksgiving with friends and family, but I have to admit my mind turned to baseball quite often this weekend.  I sat and wondered exactly what does CC want if $140 million isn't enough and should we take his silence as a polite hint to move on?  I wondered if Phil Hughes' impressive Arizona performance should lead us to pencil him in the rotation for 2009.  I wondered when the hot stove is finally going to yield some news.

It seems like we have a giant game of chicken right now.  CC and Tex and the top players available and everyone is waiting for them to sign.  When that happens, other things should fall quickly into place.  It is just a matter of that happening.  One thing that will occur tomorrow and may get things moving a bit is the arbitration deadline.  Teams have to decide if they are going to offer arbitration to players.  If they don't they won't get draft picks as compensation when those players sign with other teams.  So, I imagine some teams are waiting out that deadline and might make some moves soon.  (On a side note, the Yankees should offer arbitration to Mike Mussina.  I know that he is retired, but remember what happened with Roger Clemens and the Yankees didn't get any compensation because they didn't offer him arbitration assuming he was truly retired.)  

Whatever happens, let's hope for some news soon, this is way too boring!   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 08:55 PM | Permalink

I am sure some people were upset to hear that the Angels might be jumping into the CC sweepstakes and I am sure some people were upset to hear that Andy Pettitte is trying to become a Dodger.  Before you let it spoil your turkey tomorrow, think about the context.

The Angels need offense not pitching (though every team could use pitching on some level) and the best offensive player on the market wore their jersey last season.  The problem is, he is repped by Scott Boras and Boras is starting the negotiations with demands of 10 years and $200 million.  The Angels aren't going to pay that, nobody is probably going to pay that, but Boras is willing to wait.  Boras always waits when he has a big fish like he did with Beltran a few years ago.  So, what can the Angels do to start making Tex nervous?  How about making noise about CC?  I could be totally wrong about this, but I view this as a negotiating ploy more than anything.  

And the same thing with Pettitte. Is he really going to uproot his life and family and head to LA?  I doubt it, but absent an offer from the Yankees you can understand why he would want to create some urgency on their part.  

Anyway, considering it is 5:20 on the East Coast, I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that the hot stove is off for the Thanksgiving weekend.  I think it was in 1998 that Bernie Williams signed on Thanksgiivng Eve, but that is the only time I recall free agency news at that time.  Hopefully, we start to see some movement next week!

And to all of you, thanks for your readership and Andy and I wish you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving! 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, I am sad to report that I root for the Knicks, as thankless an endeavor as there has been in sports recently.  But, you can't change teams, as much as they continually drive you nuts.  So, Friday was a pretty good day for me as the Knicks finally showed they have a clue and made some moves that may result in LeBron James showing up in New York in 2010.

Now comes word that the Knicks' moves may help the Yankees land CC Sabathia. Could the Knicks finally have done something right and helped another New York team in the process?  It seems impossible, but maybe. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The papers today contained all sorts of stories that warmed my heart.  The best pieces of news?  First, the Yankees are not going to give A.J. Burnett a five-year deal (let's hope they stick to that) and second, the Yankees might bid for Mark Teixeira.

I have said before that I think the pitching market adds up to CC and everyone else.  If you get CC you add a great pitcher to your staff and it is stupid to overspend to add Burnett or Lowe at that point.  Besides, how much more do they offer you than  Andy Pettitte who you can bring back for less and on a one-year deal?  If you don't get Sabathia, making a panic move and throwing boatloads of money at Burnett and Lowe just prevents you from moves down the road.  The Yankees have to be very careful and I would prefer they just try and get CC and leave it at that.  A rotation of Sabathia, Wang, Joba, Pettitte and Hughes isn't too shabby.  

And that brings us to Mark Teixeira, who is the best bat on the market.  The Yankees are losing two big pieces of their offense with Abreu and Giambi almost certainly gone.  You can expect a better year from Cano and probably expect better production from the catcher spot.  (Though you have to remember Posada is coming off of surgery and is a risk).  Pretty much everyone else in the lineup is beyond their prime years except for A-Rod and that means they are more and more unlikely to repeat their 2008 #'s.  The Yankees scored 789 runs last year and will struggle to do so again without some upgrades to the offense.  Mark Teixeira is that upgrade and if they somehow walked away with him and Sabathia this offseason, they would have done an excellent job.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 11:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

According to Foxsports.com, Mike Mussina is going to retire. 

Not really a shock and I think this helps the Yankees out.  Moose would have wanted to come back for multiple years and at age 40, that is not a good risk to take.  Plus, despite their performances in 2008, I would still rather have Pettitte in '09 than Moose.

I will blog more on this later, but for now I am off to a hockey game.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 06:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Interesting story here in Newsday about the Red Sox supposedly being "fully engaged" on A.J. Burnett.  We know that Toronto has offered 4-years and $54 million, so I think he signs for at least 4/$60 and probably more.  Considering his injury history and overall numbers I am not desperate to see him in a Yankees' uniform anytime soon. 

Obviously, any pitcher with a brain is going to wait until Sabathia signs and sets the market.  The risk for the Yankees is what happens if Sabathia goes somewhere else?  I imagine they would then turn around and make Burnett and probably Derek Lowe gigantic offers and that would be a big mistake.   

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 12:33 AM | Permalink

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Jon Heyman is reporting the Yankees have acquired Nick Swisher from the White Sox.  The final trade is still being worked out, but it sounds like Wilson Betemit and Jeff Marquez are in the deal.

Swisher played all three outfield spots in Chicago last year and first.  He is signed through 2011 with a club option for 2012 and is 27.  The downside is Swisher hit .219 last year and had an OPS of .742.  Bill James projects him next year at .240/.359/.451 which the Yankees would definitely take. 

The interesting thing is what this will mean for the team.  Swisher would be a nice bat off the bench and an occasional spot starter.  If the plan is to put him in at first for 150 games or so, I am not as thrilled though I could come around to liking it.  But, this move gives the Yankees some options.   

UPDATE: The Yankees have announced the trade officially, Betemit, Marquez and Nunez (the guy they got from Washington for Gonzalez) for Swisher and Kanekoa Texeira.  That also means they cleared a guy off their 40-man roster with this move. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 05:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's official, Damaso Marte will be back for quite awhile.  The press release doesn't mention money, but the reports I have read elsewhere say $4 million a year.  That seems like too much to pay in my mind and I don't love this singing  I don't know why the Yankees didn't just exercise their option and pay him $6 million this year and free themselves of him after 2009.  Or, let him walk and get the two draft picks he would have garnered as a Type A free agent.  Marte will be solid in the pen in '09, but I worry about 2010 and 2011.  On the plus side, they have a solid lefty in the pen for next year.

I suspect this move is being done so the Yankees didn't let Tabata walk out the door for only Xavier Nady.  Tabata might be a star, but I doubt he would have become one in the Yankees' organization and that trade was a not one I would spend time regretting.  It was the right move at the time, the Yankees didn't know that Joba would go on the shelf two weeks later. 

The bullpen is now pretty set.  Marte and Rivera will be joined by Bruney and Veras.  Barring a surprise move, the last couple of spots will come from some combination of Robertson, Ramriez, Coke, Giese, Aceves and Rasner. 

Less than 36 hours until the free agent window opens, fasten your seatbelts. 

Posted by Peter (Yankees) at 01:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)