Cliff what caught my eye was "...Gillick was dealing better players with more leverage". Is that a rejoinder to Sheff and his Abreu comments? Is the Abreu/Lidle combo better than a Sheff/Wright combo? Other than Sheff's age and injury status he seems to be at least the equal of if not superior to Abreu. I think Lidle and Wright are arguably a wash. Is the difference age and injury status?

PS. Does my window say that Stepping Up was written by Tim McCarver? Over to the right....up a little bit....there it is.

wsport - Abreu is better than Shef, at this point, and Goldman breaks it down in his latest blog. Abreu = +defense, speed, and attitude which more than make up for the lack of power. I think career EQA is .319 (Shef) vs. .314

2 Nice catch. Yes, the comparison is pretty much a wash but given Sheffield's age and injury as well as Wright's injury history he and Wright are definitely the lesser pair. I certainly expect Abreu to outproduce Sheffield in 2007, no matter where Sheff ultimately lands.

there was talk of the tigers shopping bonderman...

i will leave those ingredients to percolate.

(how long could it possibly take for a group of guys to agree to take millions and millions of dollars?)

why would they trade useful pieces for something that would only cost them money?

broxton for sheff. u heard it here first. drew opting out was the best thing to happen to the dodgers. they save 30+ mill and now can retool around that by going after zito and schmidt and aramis ramirez

there were indeed rumors last week or the week before about the yankees lusting after bonderman, so while it may indeed be a longshot, i wouldn't rule out the abilities of a certain mr. ca$hman.

drew being on the market helps the sheff market. why pay drew 60 for 5 yrs when u can have sheff for 1 for 8 mill? plus u know sheffs a gamer.

2) I'm starting to get a little skittish on the Matsuzaka front. It's a truckful of money to invest in a guy who is unproven. We see pitchers who look great in the NL come to the AL and struggle, this guy is coming from a different league. No matter how much Mike Plugh guarantees us that the guy is going to be an ace in MLB, I won't be convinced until I see it with my own eyes. I won't be sad if we get him, but I won't be heartbroken if we don't.

I believe the specific example was the Angels getting him to use in a trade for A-Rod.

But I just can't see anyone spending all that money just for the chance to negotiate, then trade him away anyway...

As for Matsuzaka... I think the skittishness is normal. By July you'll either be glad the Yankees got him or wishing he was on your team. I, for one, am going to hedge my bets and at draft him in the second round for next years' fantasy baseball.

-Bonds would be a feared presence in the middle of an already feared lineup.

-Hughes, for all the upside, is still unproven at the MLB level.

We know what A-Rod can do. We know that in his lousiest season ever, he was one of the best hitters in the league. Without him, we have almost zero right handed power in the lineup.

I'm with you on the naming rights. :)

As for D-Mat, I'll remain skeptical. I dont' really believe he will live up to the hype. Which doesn't mean he won't be real good, but the hype is ridiculous.

http://tinyurl.com/y636am

did you kid nap Alex or something?

Sure, Giambi's body is showing signs of wear, but I don't think that any National League team would think twice about keeping him on the roster as the regular 1st baseman.

You think the hype for Matsuzaka is bad... just imagine what the hype will be if Hughes spends all of 2007 in the minors, and then is expected to be the Yanks' ace/savior/best pitcher of all time in 2008. Right now, my call is that Matsuzaka has an 80% chance of fullfilling the #1/#2 starter hype immediately. Hughes is further down at like 60%, because he's young and a lot can happen. Therefore my completely baseless and arbitrary predictions suggest that there is a 92% chance that at least one of them will be an ace.

If you really think about it, there are very few pitchers you can point at and say that they are both "proven" and "desirable." That is, they have about 3 years of success at a high level and are under 35. My list would be: Santana, Carpenter, Oswalt, Halladay. If all players were available, is there anyone outside of those four who would immediately make most fans happy?

(i am crying on the inside.)

ROFLMAO Theo is trying to save his job -- He's all in.

The boy in the grrilla suit has finally stopped playing possum.

ugh.

1) As Cliff indicates, they could trade those rights, then the Yanks pay the posting fee and the contract. And Team A gets something in return.

2) Team A could also bid some ridiculous amount, fail to sign him and he just goes back to Japan for a year. Then it's a free market with negotiable rates.

Also, don't forget that Team A could pay extra because it allows them immediate opportunities in the Japanaese market. DM's yearly price comes down because he will bring in extra revenue.

In the first place (and how come nobody said this months ago?), it's just antecedently very unlikely that a team that pays a huge amount for the bidding rights will then also offer a big enough salary to make it worth it to Matsusaka to accept. This is now so obvious I feel like my head is going to explode. And in the second place, since Theo knows this, of course he's going to place a huge bid to make sure nobody gets a 'steal'.

We're all suckers.

if they sign him they have to pay 5 yrs min 55 mill

so basically 90 mill for 5 yrs

wow

maybe thats why the wait

Now, I think the winner would have to be very obvious (and foolish) for this clause to take effect, but it is stated in the rules. I can't seem to find the full set of rules online at the moment, however. Anyone know where to find them?

And if Theo's afraid that if he bids $80 million next year when Mats is a free agent, someone will outbid him, then doesn't Boras know that too? I can't see how this deal gets made, no matter who wins the bidding. Unless the winning bid is much lower than people are saying.

Theo is definitely headed into a make or break this year. Sox fans are still pissed about his inaction before the trade deadline last year -- he has a very short rope in '07. If the Sox fail to make the playoffs again, he is 95% out of a job.

45 If Sliced is calling the numbers right, for $115 million Matsuzaka will have to be a lot better than a good MLB pitcher. He needs to be a CY candidate every year. And people are saying Zito is a bad move at 5x15. What is 5x15+40 for a "good" pitcher? LOL

anything is still possible.

Not a bad front four.

certainly beats anything we have

we dont have anything close to that right now. and we cant get it on the free agent list.

disappointing

if he doesnt sign this yr he becomes a free agent next yr and then he can get much more than people are offering now

makes no sense to cut any deal to screw over the seibu people.

Basically if he doesn't sign with the first team, I think that leaves the door open for baseball to invoke that clause, and allow Seibu to accept the next highest bid. Indeed, I see no reason why it couldn't continue like that. That allows baseball to manage DM's salary according to market value, and for Seibu to still collect payment. Of course, DM still maintains his right to play the season in Japan and enter as a true free agent next year, which is more in line with what Boras is most comfortable with.

PS love your assorted breakfast meats. They're the best.

the only concern is his shoulder.

agents dont cut side deals with teams. what if next the mets offer d mat 150 mill? does boras keep his side deal and screw his client over?

those things dont happen. if word of that got out he wouldnt get any clients. he'd lose his credibility and integrity

Obviously, Boras gets a hefty chunk of his client's pay. That's why he's going to make darn sure the pay is as high as possible. Boras gets no cut of the posting fee. So if a team is willing to pony up $X posting plus $Y salary, it's in Boras's interest to get them instead to pay $(X+Y) next year in salary alone. He can give them a big discount next year, say Y/2, and still come out way ahead by waiting.

By the way, 61, that does sound logical, but according to Mike Plugh (at Matsuzaka Watch),

"5. The winner will have 30 days to negotiate with Matsuzaka and Boras, before losing his rights.
6. If that happens, he MUST go back and pitch in Japan in 2007."

Beckett was awful last yr but the guy has great stuff and has won big games in the past (ie world series sniff sniff)

Nothing is guaranteed in baseball but on paper on Nov 10 I'd give them the egde in starting pitching.

Now Schilling may hit a wall, Beckett may have a 2 cent head, Papelbon might not translate great 9th innings for a full 9 innings but it is what it is.

67 Unless baseball rules it wasn't in good faith. That's very much open to interpretation. And if there's no precedent, they could rule that because a contact wasn't reached it wasn't a good faith bid.

Bottom line: In thirty days, we're still in december - plenty of time for another deal to get done. Given that more people will make money (MLB, Seibu, DM) if said deal gets done, baseball tries to enable it, especially since MLB is better able to control his salary. Next year, all the power is in Boras' hands.

Heres the thing. this kid doesnt get any of the posting fee. that all goes to seibu. he gets his own contract.

Now he may get a 5 yr 75 mill roy oswalt deal. or he may take a 3 yr deal for 33. that way hes a free agent again at 29, in his prime.

they get nothing if he plays out the yr in japan and signs next yr.

This huge lump sum does not count towards the salary structure so I have no trouble believing the Red Sox put in a huge bid and intend to negotiate a multi year contract.

Now Plan B. Schmidt or Zito?

Maybe we'll see a Sheff for Bonderman soon too.

other pieces said tha they "might be" "around" $20M "or more".

i don't think that anybody knows anything.

but what do i know?

(nothing.)

I'd rather save some money with a slow build. Bonderman and Zito would be two solid additions to the roster if all of what we're hearing is even slightly true.

Wang
Johnson
Mussina
Zito
Bonderman

Nice! ;-) Perhaps Cash find a way to get something for Wright this winter as well..

this just popped up on si.com:

"The Yankees are in serious discussions to trade Gary Sheffield to the Tigers, SI.com's Jon Heyman has learned.

The Yankees are expected to acquire right-handed pitching prospect Humberto Sanchez, according to source close to the story. It is believed the Tigers will include one or two other young pitchers in the deal.

The Tigers are considering a contract extension for Sheffield beyond one year and $13 million remaining in 2007."

what's the report on sanchez?

I guess it makes sense that he could figure it out and that he used "may have" to protect his sources.

In the way adding Damon hurt the Red Sox twice, getting Matsuzaka is a double whammy. It's a possible killing stroke.

1. The team that wins the bid can't trade the rights. The Irabu deal led to the process being changed.

2. If that team can't negotiate a contract, the process ends. They don't go on to the next-highest bid. The posting fee isn't paid, and Matsuzaka stays with Seibu for another year.

3. Yes, there is an exception, if the commissioner feels that the bidding process has not "been undermined in any way," or that there's been "conduct that was inconsistent with this Agreement or otherwise not in the best interests of professional baseball."

Given that this is an agreement with the Japanese leagues, I think that Selig would come down pretty hard on any team that was playing games. I expect that all the teams involved are serious about their bids and contract negotiations.

Who says we wouldn't throw in someone else?

he looks promising. and i trust ca$hman's judgement.

I'd rather the scenario be him going to Boston or Texas for now, the rest of the league lights him up, and ownership gets impatient & trades him here for less money.

Heh.

...wasn't that a heyman quote?

(i realize that i am dreaming, but wouldn't that be wonderful?)

1) Sanchez has a Wang-like mid-90s sinker (thus the low HR rate).
2) Sanchez is the Tigers' top prospect (well, maybe second to Andrew Miller), which makes me a bit more suspicious of this rumor than I was before.
3) Sanchez was shut down in late July because of elbow soreness and has a history of injuries (he's never made more than 23 starts in a season).

"Zito is a third or fourth starter with the reputation of a one or a two. In fact, over the last three years, he's struggled badly when facing the two premier offenses in the AL, posting a 6.59 ERA against Boston and the Yankees while walking 47 men and allowing 18 homers in 83.3 innings. His control is below-average; only Daniel Cabrera has walked more batters in the last two years than Zito has. And should Zito's stuff slip at all, he becomes a fifth starter or a guy who needs to head to the National League, the current destination for asylum-seekers who fear AL persecution of their fringy fastballs."

But seriously, Whelan is a high-K, high-BB righty reliever who was drafted by the Tigers out of Texas A&M last year. He'll be 23 in January and flat out smoked the Florida State League (high A) this year to the point that his high walk rate almost didn't matter.

Clagget's a very similar sort, but with fewer walks, but also fewer Ks and six months younger. He didn't allow a home run in 59 1/3 innings in the Midwest League (A-ball) in 2006.

Both look to advance quickly as long as they can do like Sanchez has done and increase their control as they go.

So, that sounds like a good deal for our farm system, eh? What do others think? Kind of Steinie in reverse..

Sheff scores a contract extention, goes to the reigning champions, the Yanks lose his bat, and get what in return?

If this is true Cashman got jobbed by the Tigers.

Well done again by Cash.

it's ca$hman. i can trust ca$hman, right?

I hope these pitchers prove me wrong.

I'm sure Sheff's happy.

Sheffield's a very good player, dude, but he's not a player we needed. He would have been worth very few win shares for the Yankees. And we got pitching prospects, for chrissakes, and from MLB's most successful franchise at producing pitching prospects!

I'm happy.