YFSF

Yank-ing Their Chain

Hmmm.

Mark Teixeira sat down with his wife on Dec. 12 to have dinner ... And finally, she said, `I want you to be a Yankee.' So that's when it was done. And once we got the contract figured out, it was a no-brainer." ...

The timing of his decision might be news to the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals, who also sought to sign Teixeira. He met with Red Sox officials on Dec. 18.

"When everyone's kind of around the same contract, there was no rush for me to make a decision," he said. ...

On Dec. 22, Cashman called Teixeira's agent, Scott Boras, and the following day made a $160 million, eight-year proposal. Cashman thought until 11 a.m. on Dec. 23 that Boston was the favorite, then told co-chairman Hal Steinbrenner after hearing Boras' questions that the Yankees were the "lead dog." By 1:30 p.m., he had a deal.

Boras said the Red Sox had no cause to complain.

"I think Boston knows that they got good-faith proposals and they were given proposals, which means if accepted, the player would have signed the proposal," he said. "If teams reject them, they cannot in any way suggest that they were strung along."

Unless, of course, Boras invites the Red Sox to Texas under the pretense of making a deal, then gives them an offer he knows they won't accept six days after Teixeira has already made his decision.

Boy, that new Yankee sure gets more and more likable every day, doesn't he?

The Answer

In the ongoing Battle for Supremacy between the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox, Boston has answered the Yankees' Mark Teixeira swoop-in and Kevin Cash steal with a theft of their own.

Nick Green, welcome to Boston.

Brian Cashman, you've just been served.

Take Your Seats

We have a follow-up on our post earlier this year about frustration over the prices of seats at the new Yankee Stadium.  As we detailed in that missive, our decades-long season ticket holder friend was asked to make a substantial, decade-long multi-million dollar commitment to seats costing, for 2009, more than triple what he paid in 2008 in the old stadium.  He refused to re-up at that time and decided to wait out the situation since the numbers being bandied about were preposterous.  His patience has saved him a great deal of money. 

Late in 2008 he was able to re-up with the Yankees, albeit one section back from the rails, at 2008 prices ($220 a seat) and with no long-term commitment.  Not an insignificant indicator of where the economy stands at the moment, he is also able to pay in four installments as opposed to an up-front payment of more than $200K.  Our question about how the state of the economy has affected, and will affect, baseball teams remains to an extent unanswered, though we have an inkling this season ticket purchase is an indicator of some difficulties to come.  And, these difficulties will likely be endured all across the league.

Bye Bye Andy?

From Tyler Kepner:

A reunion seemed inevitable at the start of the off-season, but now it is uncertain. Pettitte has rejected the Yankees’ one-year, $10 million offer, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, and there is no standing offer for now.

Remembering Yankee Stadium

My contribution to Alex Belth's wonderful Bronx Banter series on Yankee Stadium is up today; check it out. It was a real honor to be asked to take part along with so many distinguished writers. One thing that has struck me in following the series is how formative the bleachers have been for so many of the contributors. The opportunity to sit close to the field, at minimal cost, and to be part of a community is really priceless. One of the things I fear about the new ballpark is that this opportunity will be dramatically compromised. Anyway, enjoy the piece.

Andy's Last Chance?

A number of articles have been written about the dimming chances of an Andy Pettitte return now that the Yanks landed another high-priced free agent. The ubiquitous anonymous sources are doing a fine job of pissing leaking the Yanks' supposed real thinking about the Pettitte negotiations to beat reporters. Anthony McCarron's latest article has one such leaker saying that the chances are 55-45 against the big lefty's return. Interestingly, this same article mentions that the Yanks' 1-year, $10 million offer is still on the table.

It seems to me the Yanks are on a deadline and want to get this Pettitte business done soon so that the front office knows it's payroll situation for the remainder of the off-season. If he re-signs, then I think the Yanks are going to aggressively try to move an outfield contract. If not, perhaps they hold onto all of them and deal with the mess on the field. I think it's a nice mess to have in the first place.

Dayn Perry: Yanks Still A Third Place Team

Dayn Perry doesn't think Sabathia and Burnett will lead the Yanks to the post-season:

It hasn't been enough.

The New York Yankees — flush, as always, with resources and resolve — have been this winter's most active team. But it hasn't been enough. They've coughed up almost $250 million in an effort to revamp the rotation, and they still might bring back Andy Pettitte. Even then, though, the Yankees will remain a third-place team in baseball's toughest division. To be sure, the additions of CC Sabathia and (if healthy) A.J. Burnett make the Yankees a better club, but they still haven't caught up to the Rays and Red Sox. More must be done, at least if the Yankees are serious about making the post-season.

Perry thinks that the Bombers should sign Teixeira to put them over the top:

The heartening news for Yankee fans is that the organization seems to be aware of these weaknesses. According to some reports, they're in the mix for Mark Teixeira, and given their needs that makes tremendous sense. Teixeira would give the Yanks a high-OBP, high-power hitter in the middle of the lineup, and he'd also improve that harped-upon infield defense. It's going to cost a shiek's ransom to bring him to the Bronx, but the Yanks have the dough and are already "pot committed" for 2009 and beyond. Now's not the time for belated penny-pinching. In fact, no team in all of baseball needs Teixeira more than the Yankees do.

I'd like to see an article by Perry examining both Boston's and Tampa's current 2009 rosters. Is the assumption that both teams are going to remain basically the same, if not better, than they were in 2008? I'm not suggesting anything either way but it seems a lot of pundits are taking it for granted that neither team will take a step back. Paul, get on it! I commission a study of Boston's chances of regressing in 2009!

RLYW: CAIRO Likes Yanks' Rotation

SG at the Replacement Level Yankees Weblog uses the CAIRO projection system to compare Tampa's, Boston's and New York's current starting rotations for 2009. The Bombers come out on top:

Assuming health out of Burnett, Chamberlain, Wang and Hughes, this rotation projects to blow away Boston and Tampa, to the tune of 6 wins above replacement.  Part of that is in a better rate performance (ERA of 3.72 vs. 4.19 and 4.24), but there’s also an important factor here that could have a cascade effect.  The Yankee rotation projects to have four separate pitchers who would average 6.2 to 6.9 innings per start.  None of the other teams have more than one such pitcher.  That means fewer bullpen innings, which helps a) rest the pen b) keep the ball away from the worse pitchers in the back of the pen.

Of course as SG points out, this does not make the Yanks the favorite to win the AL East. There are other facets of the game, including offense, defense, and relief pitching. Currently, the Sox (sans Teixeira) are better than the Yanks in all those categories, except maybe for relief. In any case, it turns out that Cashman and company might have spent a lot of money to some positive effect. When was the last time the Yanks had the best rotation in the AL East or baseball?

Game of Passive Chicken?

Are the Yanks set to make Teixeira an offer? Who knows? But in today's local papers there are a few articles that suggest the front office is debating this issue. Meanwhile, everyone still thinks the Sox are very much involved.

David Pinto at Baseball Musings wonders if the Yanks and Sox are playing a game of Hawk-Dove:

This could be an interesting game of passive chicken between the Yankees and Red Sox. With neither of them bidding at this point, the Nationals and Angels can keep their prices low (if $20 million a year is low). Then, we'll see if one of the two big rivals blinks at the last minute and tries to land Mark. At that point, they may be able to obtain his services for $21 million a year.

Counting the Pinstripes

The always brilliant and entertaining Uni Watch attempts to answer the following question:

Will CC Sabathia, with his prodigious proportions and preference for a loose, baggy fit, be wearing the most pinstripes of any player in Yankees history?

Read the whole article to find out the answer. (Does Sidney Ponson play spoiler? You might be surprised.)