Before I get into the news of the past few days, I’d like to start off with a quote, dated August 21, 2006:
“We are not the Yankees. We admire the Yankees. I admire the Yankees. I respect them. We have to do things different. Our approach is a little bit different, given our resources relative to the Yankees; we feel our best way to compete with them year in and year out is to keep one eye on now and one eye on the future and to build something that can sustain success.”
“We’re not going to change our approach and all of a sudden try to build an überteam, and all of a sudden win now at the expense of the future. That’s not an excuse. I’m not trying to throw some sort of a cloak over the clear holes that are on this team by sort of talking instantly about the future. I’m not. Our goals are now and our goals are to put ourselves in a position to win every single year.”
“It’s going to occasionally leave us short, it’s going to leave us short every time there’s a player who’s available in a bidding war, taking on a contract, getting the best free agent. We’re never going to sell ourselves out just to get that one guy because we have to take a long-term view given our resources relative to the Yankees. That’s the only way to do it.” -Theo Epstein, Executive Vice President/General Manager, Boston Red Sox
I’ll revisit this quote in two shakes of a lamb’s tail (or however long it takes for you to read the next 1,085 words).
As I’ve written several times already, I don’t understand why a rosy report on the state of baseball’s finances should influence owners and GMs to spend like there’s no tomorrow. Despite my advanced degree in sports business, I’m simply not able to comprehend where all this cash is coming from. But none of that is my problem, as I’m just the messenger:
• In what has been an odd winter for the Dodgers, what with mass player defections (Drew, Lugo, Maddux, Gagne) and new additions (Wolf, Pierre, Gonzalez), Jason Schmidt was signed to a three year, $47M contract. In my opinion, that’s just way too much to pay a pitcher, especially one who will be turning 34 in six weeks. That being said, the Dodgers might have the best 1-2-3 punch in the NL West with power pitchers Schmidt, Brad Penny, and a healthy Randy Wolf.
• After putting in a great half-season in Los Angeles, Greg Maddux is heading south to his off-season home of San Diego to pitch for the Padres on a one year, $10M deal. In a pitcher’s park, with adequate defense behind him, The Professor will be a useful #3 starter behind Jake Peavy and Chris Young. I like this move.
• As I alluded to above, the Dodgers will be adding Luis Gonzalez, formerly the face of the Arizona Diamondbacks, by offering him a one year, $7M contract to play in the outfield. I don’t like that the Dodgers are getting older with LuGo instead of committing to their young prospects Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Then again, with the middle of their lineup disappearing, the Dodgers needed to add a veteran bat and $7M isn’t too steep a price to pay for a guy that could hit 20 homers in 400 AB’s.
• Two last points about the Dodgers: It seems as though Eric Gagne will try to bounce back from his health problems in another city. My gut tells me that Boston will take a flyer on him as Papelbon’s replacement. They’re the only market that can afford to pay what Gagne will ask for; they have a need at closer and the Yanks and Mets are taken care of in that regard. Also, the Manny trade rumors seem to have quieted down. I can’t gauge if that’s because the Red Sox couldn’t find a suitor willing to part with prospects for Manny or if Manny himself simply shut up about wanting to be traded. The most likely scenario had him ending up on the Dodgers for some combination of hitting prospect James Loney and future closer Jonathan Broxton but with Gagne looking like he’s leaving, Broxton will be too valuable to LA.
• The Chicago Cubs were the only suitor in the Ted Lilly “sweepstakes”, offering a pitcher with a career 59-58 record a four year, $40M contract. Do I really need to say anything more about this?
• The Oakland A’s will try to recapture the magic DH Frank Thomas brought to them last year, offering Mike Piazza a one year, $8.5M contract. I think Piazza will be able to adequately replace the Big Hurt. He may not hit more than 20 homers, but he’ll be able to catch 30-40 games as Jason Kendall’s backup. A backup catcher hitting 20 homers and playing 120 games at DH is a nice luxury to have.
• At long last, the Winter Meetings produced a few trades. Philadelphia traded former prospect Gavin Floyd and single-A pitcher Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia. To be honest, I don’t quite see the logic in this trade for the White Sox. For two years, all we have heard is that the team had a surplus of starters and was looking to deal one away in order to open a spot in the rotation for Brandon McCarthy. I suppose McCarthy will get the chance to take Garcia’s spot but what of Gavin Floyd? How will he be used? The Phillies add a workhorse starter to their rotation, slotting Garcia behind Brett Myers and in front of Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels and Jon Lieber. With that staff and a lineup including Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell, the Phils look like a playoff contender right now.
• Two other quick trades to mention. The Braves traded starter Horacio Ramirez to Seattle for reliever Rafael Soriano. The M’s add a starter they desperately need. For the Braves, Soriano represents a reliable setup man in front of closer Bob Wickman and the Braves can use Soriano as Wickman’s eventual (or emergency) replacement as a bonus. Also, the Mets traded starter Brian Bannister for Royals reliever Ambiorix Burgos. The Mets lost several key arms from their bullpen (Roberto Hernandez – Cleveland; Chad Bradford – Baltimore; Guillermo Mota – steroids suspension) and needed a young power arm to use in the seventh inning.
• Finally, onto three juicy rumors. (1) It seems as though the Yankees and Andy Pettitte might be reunited after three years apart. The Yanks seem prepared to offer Andrew Eugene a one or two year deal worth as much as $25M. And if Pettitte comes back to the Bronx, the speculation will immediately begin that his pal Roger Clemens might follow suit in June for a half-season stint with the Yanks. (2) There is also talk that the Yanks will trade fourth outfielder Melky Cabrera and a minor league pitching prospect to the Mariners for first baseman Richie Sexson. The M's need some salary relief as they undergo another rebuilding phase and the Yanks are in the market for a full-time first baseman in order to convert Jason Giambi to DH. (3) Finally, the Mets are rumored to be offering a package of outfield prospect Lastings Milledge and versatile starter/reliever Aaron Heilman to Oakland for one of Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, or Danny Haren. Depending on the final deal, the Mets will supplement players as necessary.
• In sports business news, it looks like Jerry Reinsdorf and some of the other owners have buyer’s remorse. Reinsdorf had baseball’s fourth-highest payroll in 2006, at just under $103M. I’m tired of Reinsdorf constantly pissing and moaning about escalating costs and being unable to compete while he plays in a publicly-funded stadium that has been totally renovated despite being less than 15 years old. Does he forget that immediately after the 1994 strike, after demanding fiscal restraint, he, and not his sworn enemy George Steinbrenner, signed Albert Belle to that then-massive contract? Asshole.
Now back to the quote I started off with...
For a team that dubbed the Yankees the “Evil Empire”, for a team that won the World Series with the second-highest payroll in the league in 2004, for a team that has spent $580M in payroll since John Henry and Tom Werner took control in 2002, for a team that was in first place in the week leading up to the trade deadline this past July and had the ability to seize control of the AL East by trading for either Bobby Abreu or Andruw Jones, for all of that, Theo Epstein cried poverty and gave his fan base that long sob story at the top of the page.
Three months later, the Red Sox have spent $157M to sign JD Drew (five years, $70M) and Julio Lugo (four years, $36M), and post $51M for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, who will likely command a three or four year contract at $9M per season. The final bill could be $193M for three players.
The most interesting element of the JD Drew deal is that the Red Sox are trying to replace Johnny Damon by spending more money over a longer period of time. Damon signed a four year, $52M deal with the Yankees after the Red Sox offered him four years at $40M. By letting Damon walk, the Red Sox made their first mistake. Now it seems that Epstein has compounded that error by spending an extra $30M for a guy who might be ill-suited for the Boston market. Damon, a fan favorite, was an easy fit with the rest of the Idiots (those on his team and those in the stands). We’ll see how those famous Mass-holes take to Mr. Drew.
At the end of the day, the Red Sox, on paper, look like the best team in baseball. What remains to be seen is how all of this tantalizing talent will translate in the dog days of summer 2007 (and beyond). Will it? The nervous and pessimistic Yankee fan in me says it will. The objective baseball observer in me says that Boston will learn, once again, what chasing the Yankees feels like.
“We are not the Yankees. We admire the Yankees. I admire the Yankees. I respect them. We have to do things different. Our approach is a little bit different, given our resources relative to the Yankees; we feel our best way to compete with them year in and year out is to keep one eye on now and one eye on the future and to build something that can sustain success.”
“We’re not going to change our approach and all of a sudden try to build an überteam, and all of a sudden win now at the expense of the future. That’s not an excuse. I’m not trying to throw some sort of a cloak over the clear holes that are on this team by sort of talking instantly about the future. I’m not. Our goals are now and our goals are to put ourselves in a position to win every single year.”
“It’s going to occasionally leave us short, it’s going to leave us short every time there’s a player who’s available in a bidding war, taking on a contract, getting the best free agent. We’re never going to sell ourselves out just to get that one guy because we have to take a long-term view given our resources relative to the Yankees. That’s the only way to do it.” -Theo Epstein, Executive Vice President/General Manager, Boston Red Sox
I’ll revisit this quote in two shakes of a lamb’s tail (or however long it takes for you to read the next 1,085 words).
As I’ve written several times already, I don’t understand why a rosy report on the state of baseball’s finances should influence owners and GMs to spend like there’s no tomorrow. Despite my advanced degree in sports business, I’m simply not able to comprehend where all this cash is coming from. But none of that is my problem, as I’m just the messenger:
• In what has been an odd winter for the Dodgers, what with mass player defections (Drew, Lugo, Maddux, Gagne) and new additions (Wolf, Pierre, Gonzalez), Jason Schmidt was signed to a three year, $47M contract. In my opinion, that’s just way too much to pay a pitcher, especially one who will be turning 34 in six weeks. That being said, the Dodgers might have the best 1-2-3 punch in the NL West with power pitchers Schmidt, Brad Penny, and a healthy Randy Wolf.
• After putting in a great half-season in Los Angeles, Greg Maddux is heading south to his off-season home of San Diego to pitch for the Padres on a one year, $10M deal. In a pitcher’s park, with adequate defense behind him, The Professor will be a useful #3 starter behind Jake Peavy and Chris Young. I like this move.
• As I alluded to above, the Dodgers will be adding Luis Gonzalez, formerly the face of the Arizona Diamondbacks, by offering him a one year, $7M contract to play in the outfield. I don’t like that the Dodgers are getting older with LuGo instead of committing to their young prospects Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp. Then again, with the middle of their lineup disappearing, the Dodgers needed to add a veteran bat and $7M isn’t too steep a price to pay for a guy that could hit 20 homers in 400 AB’s.
• Two last points about the Dodgers: It seems as though Eric Gagne will try to bounce back from his health problems in another city. My gut tells me that Boston will take a flyer on him as Papelbon’s replacement. They’re the only market that can afford to pay what Gagne will ask for; they have a need at closer and the Yanks and Mets are taken care of in that regard. Also, the Manny trade rumors seem to have quieted down. I can’t gauge if that’s because the Red Sox couldn’t find a suitor willing to part with prospects for Manny or if Manny himself simply shut up about wanting to be traded. The most likely scenario had him ending up on the Dodgers for some combination of hitting prospect James Loney and future closer Jonathan Broxton but with Gagne looking like he’s leaving, Broxton will be too valuable to LA.
• The Chicago Cubs were the only suitor in the Ted Lilly “sweepstakes”, offering a pitcher with a career 59-58 record a four year, $40M contract. Do I really need to say anything more about this?
• The Oakland A’s will try to recapture the magic DH Frank Thomas brought to them last year, offering Mike Piazza a one year, $8.5M contract. I think Piazza will be able to adequately replace the Big Hurt. He may not hit more than 20 homers, but he’ll be able to catch 30-40 games as Jason Kendall’s backup. A backup catcher hitting 20 homers and playing 120 games at DH is a nice luxury to have.
• At long last, the Winter Meetings produced a few trades. Philadelphia traded former prospect Gavin Floyd and single-A pitcher Gio Gonzalez to the White Sox for Freddy Garcia. To be honest, I don’t quite see the logic in this trade for the White Sox. For two years, all we have heard is that the team had a surplus of starters and was looking to deal one away in order to open a spot in the rotation for Brandon McCarthy. I suppose McCarthy will get the chance to take Garcia’s spot but what of Gavin Floyd? How will he be used? The Phillies add a workhorse starter to their rotation, slotting Garcia behind Brett Myers and in front of Jamie Moyer, Cole Hamels and Jon Lieber. With that staff and a lineup including Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pat Burrell, the Phils look like a playoff contender right now.
• Two other quick trades to mention. The Braves traded starter Horacio Ramirez to Seattle for reliever Rafael Soriano. The M’s add a starter they desperately need. For the Braves, Soriano represents a reliable setup man in front of closer Bob Wickman and the Braves can use Soriano as Wickman’s eventual (or emergency) replacement as a bonus. Also, the Mets traded starter Brian Bannister for Royals reliever Ambiorix Burgos. The Mets lost several key arms from their bullpen (Roberto Hernandez – Cleveland; Chad Bradford – Baltimore; Guillermo Mota – steroids suspension) and needed a young power arm to use in the seventh inning.
• Finally, onto three juicy rumors. (1) It seems as though the Yankees and Andy Pettitte might be reunited after three years apart. The Yanks seem prepared to offer Andrew Eugene a one or two year deal worth as much as $25M. And if Pettitte comes back to the Bronx, the speculation will immediately begin that his pal Roger Clemens might follow suit in June for a half-season stint with the Yanks. (2) There is also talk that the Yanks will trade fourth outfielder Melky Cabrera and a minor league pitching prospect to the Mariners for first baseman Richie Sexson. The M's need some salary relief as they undergo another rebuilding phase and the Yanks are in the market for a full-time first baseman in order to convert Jason Giambi to DH. (3) Finally, the Mets are rumored to be offering a package of outfield prospect Lastings Milledge and versatile starter/reliever Aaron Heilman to Oakland for one of Rich Harden, Joe Blanton, or Danny Haren. Depending on the final deal, the Mets will supplement players as necessary.
• In sports business news, it looks like Jerry Reinsdorf and some of the other owners have buyer’s remorse. Reinsdorf had baseball’s fourth-highest payroll in 2006, at just under $103M. I’m tired of Reinsdorf constantly pissing and moaning about escalating costs and being unable to compete while he plays in a publicly-funded stadium that has been totally renovated despite being less than 15 years old. Does he forget that immediately after the 1994 strike, after demanding fiscal restraint, he, and not his sworn enemy George Steinbrenner, signed Albert Belle to that then-massive contract? Asshole.
Now back to the quote I started off with...
For a team that dubbed the Yankees the “Evil Empire”, for a team that won the World Series with the second-highest payroll in the league in 2004, for a team that has spent $580M in payroll since John Henry and Tom Werner took control in 2002, for a team that was in first place in the week leading up to the trade deadline this past July and had the ability to seize control of the AL East by trading for either Bobby Abreu or Andruw Jones, for all of that, Theo Epstein cried poverty and gave his fan base that long sob story at the top of the page.
Three months later, the Red Sox have spent $157M to sign JD Drew (five years, $70M) and Julio Lugo (four years, $36M), and post $51M for the right to negotiate with Daisuke Matsuzaka, who will likely command a three or four year contract at $9M per season. The final bill could be $193M for three players.
The most interesting element of the JD Drew deal is that the Red Sox are trying to replace Johnny Damon by spending more money over a longer period of time. Damon signed a four year, $52M deal with the Yankees after the Red Sox offered him four years at $40M. By letting Damon walk, the Red Sox made their first mistake. Now it seems that Epstein has compounded that error by spending an extra $30M for a guy who might be ill-suited for the Boston market. Damon, a fan favorite, was an easy fit with the rest of the Idiots (those on his team and those in the stands). We’ll see how those famous Mass-holes take to Mr. Drew.
At the end of the day, the Red Sox, on paper, look like the best team in baseball. What remains to be seen is how all of this tantalizing talent will translate in the dog days of summer 2007 (and beyond). Will it? The nervous and pessimistic Yankee fan in me says it will. The objective baseball observer in me says that Boston will learn, once again, what chasing the Yankees feels like.
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