Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Impervious to pain

Remember all that discussion about the impact of the numerous financial crises on the game and specifically the impact on the Yanks? Yeah, well, um....not so much.

The Yankees are said to want to sign two out of three starting pitchers they're coveting -- CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe. Sabathia is, of course, their No. 1 target. But Yankees players seem to love the idea of signing Burnett, a pitcher who has dominated them.

Some baseball people say the crashing U.S. economy could give the Yankees an even greater advantage in this free-agent season. Some other teams may be affected by baseball's debt rule that limits spending for teams with significant debt, and some owners may be affected by plummeting stock prices and hurting businesses. Meanwhile, the Yankees' revenues are expected to jump by a few hundred million from an already sport-high $400 million.

4 comments:

Mark said...

"But Yankees players seem to love the idea of signing Burnett, a pitcher who has dominated them."

Wow, that pretty much exactly mirrors my Boggs/Matt Young crack from yesterday. The Yankes would regret signing Burnett, I think. He had a "career" year with the help of some pretty lousy peripherals.

So, of course: the Yankees should sign him. Especially as a panic sign if CC goes west.

Jason @ IIATMS said...

Yeah, I knew you'd like that one!

It would be somehow fitting, though, if the Yanks wind up with Burnett, another member of the 2003 Marlins team. Pavano failed in NY and Beckett's been a success in Boston. Just guessing that if Burnett winds up in Boston, he'll thrive, but the Pavano funk will coat him from head to toe in NY, dooming him.

tHeMARksMiTh said...

Somehow, I think the Yankees may not earn quite as much money as they think they will. I realize they're in New York with lots of die-hard fans, but I just think they're overestimating and building themselves up for a let-down. I could be completely wrong, but we haven't seen the ramifications of the financial crisis and probably won't for a few months.

Jason @ IIATMS said...

Yes, there will be a let down, but I still think there will be a halo-effect of the new ballpark.

Yes, I'm talking out of both sides of my mouth: I think there will be a real, tangible negative effect on ALL team revenues, including those in NY. But I also think the newness of the Stadium will still draw like mad.

In other words, I have no freakin' clue!