If Phelps hits 2 homers in tomorrow's game and Mientkiewicz continues to hit .077, are we having a controversy, or is Joe already decided as to what he will do for 1B?

Karstens and Rasner are making it tough on Cashman, aren't they? Who goes down? Who is out of the SWB rotation and headed for AA? Where is there room for all these pitchers? If Clemens comes back it's even more difficult.

2 sì, riparato

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/sports/baseball/10yankees.html

Fun fact - Yankees' Class A hitting coach Torre Tyson is named for Joe Torre. Torre Tyson's father Mike Tyson played with Joe Torre with the Cardinals in the '70s.

Very tiring hearing about Pavo. How long will we endure this? I have no patience for him, anymore. Starting to feel the same about first base. The guy isn't in a slump; he just cannot hit.

Not that I care, but 7-1. Don't remember the last time this happened. Used to be, George took the pre-season seriously.

1 I'm with Cliff - I see no reason why Minky doesn't make the team. Indeed, he's the starter opening day and though May. It's sad they're going to waste a month to six weeks to figure out what we already know. Phelps is making it easier on himself. I think they keep him around so long as he continues to produce. And if Josh fell all the way to the Yanks, Phillips will pass through waviers and land in Scranton. Whether we ever see him again will probably come down to what Phelps does in his limted AB's through May then in his few starts after that.

5 Too many variables, and besides, they're going to punt a position for two years just to sign a free agent?

Oh wait, right, CF, nevermind...

Sexson does fit nicely though. His contract runs through next year and he's a righty bat. That would be some lineup.

Even if Felix breaks out in the next year or two, they gotta find some real impact bats . and sadly Sexson is actually one of their real impact bat... sort of.. but the rest is just too shoddy.

Now if Bavasi gets canned with a terrible start...

However, I do believe that good GMs do have a budget for several years down the road. I remember reading an article (I think from Keith Law) that made a lot of sense. The GMs with the huge splashes and the backloaded deals are the bad GMs trying desparately to hang onto their jobs. If it doesn't work out, they are fired, and the contract is the next GM's problem.

So maybe keeping the budget in mind isn't necessarily the sign of a good GM (though, I do believe nearly all (if not all) the good GMs do have some sort of budget), but of a sign of job security.

How did Pavano keep this accident covered-up? You'd think the media would have found out about this accident before 2 months passed. It's either a sad commentary on the news or deliberately held out. After all, censorship is becoming America's favorite past-time. The US gov't (and their corporate friends), already detain protesters, ban books like "America Deceived" from Wikipedia, and fire 21-year tenured, BYU physics professor Steven Jones because he proved explosives, thermite in particular, took down the WTC buildings. Anyway, can we trade Pavano for 'three magic beans'?
Last link (before Google Books caves to pressure and drops the title):
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?&isbn=0-595-38523-0

Also, it's great to see how many young power arms we have. Thanks, Ca$hman!

I have a very, very good feeling about this year.

To be honest, I don't see the Yanks getting Sexson unless Seattle offers to foot much of the bill, and I don't see that happening.

Cashman has said again and again that he wants to reduce payroll, not increase it. Mo and Posada are both due new contracts; let's assume they'll make about what they're making now. Otherwise, who will be free agents after '07? Abreu, if the Yanks don't pick up his option; Pettitte if he doesn't take his option; Vizcaino; Mientkiewicz; Myers; and Cairo. That's it.

Assuming Pettitte and Abreu stay, the Yanks will be cutting ~$6M in payroll. Adding Sexson at his current costs ($14M in '08) eats up those savings and more.

Maybe if the Mariners were to take Pavano . . . then I could see it.

Fitting in Teixeira, or any other big-money free agent for '08, is going to require similar moves, or maybe backloading the contracts, to get the payroll to go down. Don't get your hopes up yet.

Pettitte** ($16M)
Rivera (10.5M)
Myers (1.25M)
Vizcaino (3M)
Posada (12M)
Abreu* (15M)
Phelps (.38M)
Cairo (.75M)
Mientkiewicz (1.5M)

Of those players, Pettitte will probably exercise his option for $16M. I could see the Yankees exercising Abreu's option for $16M. Rivera and Posada will obviously be resigned for just about what they are making now. However, everyone else on the list, can probably be replaced in 2008 by someone in the farm making the minimum.

So assuming the options are picked up and Rivera and Posada are resigned, that looks like $6.88M coming off the books with slightly less than $2M coming on (if all the remaining players are replaced by AAA guys).

So there is a savings of approximately $5M there. However, that savings will quickly go to Wang and Cano who will be going to either arbitration or receiving long term contracts.

So that is my long winded way of saying, that I agree with you. If the Yankees sole goal is to reduce payroll, it is impossible to do it with Sexson on the team at his current salary and the Yankees wouldn't do it.

Of course, if the Mariners took back Pavano in any such deal, that is a whole new economic ball game.

That was not my intention, but I always wondered how it happened.

Obviously Abreu holds the team option and Pettitte owns the player option.

Thanks for the info. It's hard for me to imagine the Ms taking Pavano.

Never heard this. Sounds UNreal. Got any links to back this up?