Random thought of the day: Manny & The Rays

Was thinking about the big bats out there to be scooped up and Manny came to mind. With the Rays coming off an incredible season, a possible increase in attendance, after years of being among the cheapest teams in the game... wouldn't it be something it they landed Manny as their DH?

They already have a great OF and they have a need for a big bat as DH. The team seems to be a pretty loose bunch.

Manny thrived in the AL East and would surely love to get some cuts at the Sox in a visiting uniform. We already know he kills the Yanks.

Would this make sense?

/end random thought

Tangent: NFL shenanigans

Thank you, Deadspin, for the story, the interview and the impossible-to-remove mental images. Note: contains adult language.

Sabathia's 2008: After April, wow

Was just called by my oldest buddy who commented that Sabathia wasn't "that good" last year until he got traded to the Brewers. I disagreed. Here's why:

March/April

• 6 games
• 1-4 record
• 7.88 ERA

May

• 6 games
• 2-3 record
• 2.44 ERA

June

• 5 games
• 3-1 record
• 1.89 ERA

July (CC was traded 7/7/08)

• 6 games
• 4-0
• 2.27 ERA

Sabathia vs. AL East

Here are the stats for Sabathia versus his AL East opponents, career:

Versus Boston

• 7 games
• 2-4 record, 48.1 IP
• 3.91 ERA
• 1.22 WHIP
• 35 K's

Career @ FENWAY:

• 3 games
• 1-1 record, 23 IP
• 1 CG
• 2.35 ERA
• 1.26 WHIP
• 12 K's

Versus Tampa Bay

• 11 games
• 7-1 record, 81 IP
• 2.44 ERA
• 1.04 WHIP (excl IBB)
• 73 K's

Versus Baltimore

• 9 games
• 5-0 record, 64.1 IP
• 2.38 ERA
• 0.96 WHIP
• 40 K's

Versus Toronto

• 10 games
• 7-3 record, 67.2 IP
• 3.46 ERA
• 1.03 WHIP
• 64 K's

And perhaps most amazingly...

Versus NYY

• 9 games
• 1-8 record, 49.2 IP
• 6.16 ERA
• 1.57 WHIP
• 32 K's

Now what?

I was set to get started on a whole "who's next?" posting, but came across this, which does a pretty good job of answering that question. I'll get to this deeper in a bit as I am still trying to sift thru the rubble of the Sabathia 'quake.

CC Sabathia has agreed to terms with the Yankees. If that wasn't enough to get fans excited for next year's rotation (judging by comments it is), then perhaps news of A.J. Burnett's pending pinstripes will only fortify faith in the 2009 season.

The Star-Ledger's Dan Graziano grazed the subject of A.J. Burnett while covering the winter meetings in Las Vegas:

Cashman also met Tuesday with free-agent right-hander A.J. Burnett. The Yankees are preparing a four-year, $64 million offer to Burnett, hoping to top the four-year, $60 million deal the Braves offered him. They'd like to sign both Sabathia and Burnett (or Derek Lowe, if Burnett goes elsewhere) and may not stop there.

Newsday also suggests the Yankees may look to better the Braves:

The Braves' offer is believed to be for four years and $60-million with a vesting option. A Yankees source said, "We can do better." And they plan to. That will likely mean guaranteeing the fifth year of the pact.

I've said many times that I like Burnett's AL East track record but his injury history is being glossed over. I LOVE Burnett at 3 years, like at 4, hate at 5. That's my range on Burnett. For Sheets (and Lowe), it's LOVE at 1 year, like at 2, hate at 3.

Buster reporting: it IS about the money, stupid

Just saw on Mike & Mike on ESPN2: Buster Olney reported that the Sabathia deal is for SEVEN years and $160 million, or $22.857 million per year.

Um, wow. Just wow. Thankfully he's just 28 now because by 35 (or sooner) and some 20 extra pounds, this might be really ugly. Go ahead, Sox fans, rip the guy apart. But look me in the eye and tell me if you would be doing the same ripping if he were coming to Boston. It's only natural. Besides, it's only money.

Loyal reader TadtheBad used the right word: rationalizing. All NYY fans are rationalizing this deal this morning. And anti-Yanks "fans" are doing the same on the other side of the fence.

Ken Rosenthal confirms Buster's report:

Free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia has reached agreement with the Yankees on a seven-year contract worth approximately $160 million, according to a major-league source.

UPDATE (12pm 12/10/08): Update on Sabathia's fine print

The deal, according to a source close to negotiations, gives Sabathia the right to opt out of the contract after the first three years, by which time he will have been paid $69 million. Sabathia appreciated the clause because it satisfied concerns he had about living in New York and the impact it might have on his wife and three children.

He will make his opt-out decision after the 2011 season with four years and $92 million remaining on the deal, at which time he could renegotiate, leave or stay.

Surprise: it IS about the money after all

So it's happening: Sabathia's coming to New York. So it's about the money after all, eh?

After three straight days of face-to-face meetings between GM Brian Cashman and Sabathia, the big lefty decided he wants to spend the next six years of his career as a Yankee. The decision came late last night after Cashman flew to see Sabathia at his home in San Francisco. By the time the meeting was concluded, Sabathia had informed the New York Yankees that he had made his decision to call New York his baseball home, the Post has learned.

Jayson Stark posted this last night, before we learned that Sabathia appears to be headed to NY:

It was a visit, said one source familiar with the situation, that was "not about money."

"This is a guy trying to come to grips with New York and whether he can play there," the source said. "I think, in his mind, he's trying to get there. But he's not there yet." So Sabathia called the GM of the Yankees late Tuesday afternoon and invited him for another chat -- their third face-to-face visit in the past three days. Except this one included Amber Sabathia, the wife of CC and a woman who clearly has questions of her own about whether New York is right for both of them.
......
I asked another baseball man who has known Sabathia for years whether he thought CC could work himself into a New York state of mind, even for $140 million. The answer I got:

"Oh, he could play there. He could do it. CC is an amazing guy. There isn't anything he couldn't handle. But I don't think it would be his ideal scenario. Let's put it that way."

And the update from ESPN.com wire services updated a whole 5 minutes ago (at 8:42am):

While a deal is not done, the source said there are "zero major road blocks" that would prevent the Yankees from reaching agreement with the Yankees.

"He's now excited about becoming a Yankee," said one source.

The terms of the deal are still being negotiated, and it's possible that the final deal will look different than the six-year, $140 million contract that the Yankees initially dangled -- perhaps with another year in some form, perhaps with more salary.

Great line from IT IS HIGH, IT IS FAR... (emphasis mine)

Sounds like Cashman was the Lord of the Living Room last night, wooing Mrs. Sabathia and closing the deal with C.C.

More updates to come as I get to them (or you send them to me!)

20 years later: F*ckFace

Imagine that, twenty years have passed.

ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, then working for the Baltimore Sun, got to Ripken and Fleer first. Fleer's president Vincent Murray claimed that hadn't seen it before and that the company was doing all it could to correct the error immediately. Ripken told Kurkjian he was angry and disappointed.

"It appears I was targeted (by teammates)," Ripken told Kurkjian. "I know I'm kind of a jerk at times. I know I'm a little off. But this is going too far."

You'll have to click on the link above for the whole story, but it's a fun read.

Obligatory ARod/Madonna dreck and drivel

Reading this makes me feel dirty and seeing pictures of her makes my skin crawl.

"Alex and Madonna are very, very cozy," the insider reveals. "Yes, they are intimate, and they are intoxicated with one another. Alex can't get over that he's with Madonna."

But the insider has some sage words of wisdom for Rodriguez: "This isn't a deep and serious love affair. It will last as long as Madonna wants it to," our leak predicts. "She could get five or six years out of it - but only if it's in her best interest to keep him around."

Alex, this is NOT the Madonna of the late 80's/early 90's, dude. This is what you're waking up next to. And believe me, you have OPTIONS. Consider using them.

Bathroom humor never gets old

Funny (if you find this sorta thing funny, that is) thing posted by Pete Caldera today: Brian Cashman loves a good fart prank. Who knew?

Ben Sheets apparently met with Cashman today, after Cash played his annual prank on the writers at his suite. Cash used an electronic "whoopie'' cushion and couldn't hold back the laughter after nailing his first unsuspecting victim by remote (thankfully, it wasn't me). "It's day one,'' Comic Cash said. "I have to have teams calling to get a mock trade going,'' he said, referring to his Dallas Winter Meetings prank of placing a Ben Sheets (what irony) trade proposal on his desk, visible to the writers. On the scrap of paper, it had Wang and Cano going to Milwaukee.

Hendry pokes Cashman; plus Peavy stuff

I'm quite sure it wasn't intentional, but I chuckled reading this (emphasis mine):

"Honestly," [Cubs GM Jim] Hendry said, "it's my job … if you want to add significant dollars, then I should be able to move some, too. That's part of my job. It doesn't take a lot of creativity if you just spend the most money and buy the most expensive player all the time. As a general manager, I feel an obligation that if we want to do a few things -- instead of one thing or two things -- then we've got to get creative."

Zing!

And not for nothing, I still don't buy the "Peavy to the Cubs by Christmas or bust" stuff. If the Padres need to cut salary and we enter February, there's no reason why a trade can't be done then. Doesn't have to be with the Yanks (and leave my obsession alone, will ya!), but the need to free up cash is very real in San Diego.

And you wonder what that financial pressure looks like and why I so adamant that Peavy WILL be dealt:

One of the big questions hovering over that chat will be how much pressure the Padres are under to move Peavy, who is scheduled to make $11 million next season for a team whose payroll is in the midst of plummeting as close to $40 million as Towers can cut it.

"That will be tough," Towers said. "That's almost a quarter of our payroll. And it makes it tough to improve a great deal on the field. But I still consider Jake to be a tremendous asset. He's one of the best pitchers in the game. I'd much rather go into the season with a guy who's an established No. 1 [starter], and hopefully our young players are as good as we think they are, and improve that way, versus doing a poor baseball deal just because he's making a quarter of our payroll."

A quarter of their payroll. That's significant, dontchya think? If your salary was halved, wouldn't you do what you had to do to survive under the new conditions? And that BMW in your driveway.... time to get rid of it, even if it's in a deal that you KNOW favors the buyer. The Padres have become the MLB example of what the current economic crisis looks like. They are suffering through the equivalent of having just lost their job, their mortgage is about to adjust, they are mid-divorce. Not a position of negotiating strength. Time to sell the assets that they must in order to survive the New World Order.

Yanks pushing forward

While the Sabathia waiting game goes on, it seems the Yanks are getting ready to throw some bigtime loot around at the other top pitching free agents. It doesn't seem that this would preclude the Yanks from still offering Sabathia his golden ticket.

I'm not your source for every rumor (I'll defer to the more-than-able and adequately-staffed MLBTradeRumors.com for that), but here are the headlines on Burnett and Sheets:

• Yankees going full throttle after Burnett
  But another offer may be in the works for Burnett, as the Yankees are said to be willing to go beyond the reported four-year, $60 million offer the Braves have put forth, according to reports on ESPN.com and SI.com.
  ......
  "We're dealing with other free agents at the same time," Cashman said. "We hope to engage some clubs while we're here. Obviously, today is Day 1 and we have needs we have to fill. I can tell you we're not waiting, per se, for CC. We're trying to affect change in our roster in a positive way with quality additions, but it's just been a slow winter so far."
  
  
• Yankees Brewin' up multi-year offer for free agent Ben Sheets (The Daily News updated their dollar range; updated below)
  According to a source, the Yankees will offer Ben Sheets a multiyear deal - most likely for two years in the $26 million range - before the winter meetings conclude on Thursday

Sheets and Burnett. Tell me with certainty that this won't be another Wright and Pavano and I'll exhale. It's the extra year for Burnett that concerns me. I do like the 2 year term on Sheets.

Could the Yanks really land both Sheets and Burnett, lose out on Sabathia, and then decide to go for Lowe? Sheets, Burnett and Lowe. Probably for something in the same total price as Sabathia alone. Though, what if the Yanks land Sheets (or Burnett) before CC makes up his mind? Would that help sway the Big Guy?

Slaying the Golden Goose

What if the Yanks really DID pull their offer to CC and stuck by it? (I don't think that's going to happen, but play along for a moment) According to a contact of Bill Maddon from the Daily News, it could be the professional death of Sabathia's agent:

According to industry sources, it was Genske and not Cashman who asked for the meeting, although the Yankee GM is just as anxious to find out Sabathia's intentions now that the big lefty has had a couple of weeks to mull the six-year, $140 million offer that would make him the highest-paid pitcher in history. The reason Genske wanted the meeting, said one source, is that the agent is trying to buy more time for another team more to Sabathia's liking to approach the Yankee bid.

With each passing day, the likelihood of that lessens considerably. "(Genske) has to be concerned about them pulling the offer and moving on to the other (free agent) pitchers," the source said. "If he blows this deal, he's dead as an agent. For one thing, who's going to approach that $140 million if the Yankees are out of it? Sabathia winds up with a deal $20 million less than Barry Zito? Like I said, (Genske's) dead."

I honestly must admit, I forgot about the using of Zito's dollar figure as one benchmark. Yes, that deal is for 7 years at an AAV of $18m, but agents (and players) like to point to the TOTAL dollar mark as well as the AAV. Setting a high in both must be nirvana. Pissing away that chance, however unlikely I think that is, could indeed be professional suicide.

Also in Maddon's article, he hints that Cashman might go to a 5th year on Burnett, if need be. This must be spooking Genske. And they like Sheets, too. And they make and spend a lot of money. And the sun rises in the East.

Now that the Atlanta Braves have established the A.J. Burnett market at four years, $15 million per with an easily attainable vesting fifth-year option, it is believed the Yankees now were willing to go a fifth year for the oft-injured righty. Similarly, they were prepared to make a multiyear offer to Ben Sheets, who has a far worse injury history than Burnett.

"There's nothing more ominous for all the clubs here operating in this economy than the Yankees being desperate for pitching," said one agent Sunday night. "They don't seem to care what it costs them to get it."

Clarifying my Peavy "obsession"

Just to clarify, I'd love to have Jake Peavy on the Yanks...at a cost. Not ANY cost. A cost that is better for us than them.

I merely thought that Peavy would be a great addition to the rotation, but not as a de facto #1 pitcher. I have also maintained that the Yanks should just sit back and wait for the market to come their way. The Braves are seemingly out of the equation. The Cubs appear to be the leader but all indications are that it's going to require a 3rd team to get that done. The Cardinals are out, too. Perhaps after dealing Khalil Greene and not re-signing Hoffman (as I wondered aloud here) the Padres don't need to shed Peavy's salary.

My premise consists of this: The Padres have gone so far out on the ledge with Peavy that it'd be nearly impossible to turn back with him still on the team. The team needs to bring payroll WAY down. Therefore, at some point, they will NEED to deal Peavy, even if it's for $0.75 on the dollar (or worse). And with the economy cratering, the Yanks remain one of the very few teams that could absorb Peavy's contract...a contract that, this summer, looked better than it does now. Peavy's contract averages around $15m a year for the next four years or so.

So let me ask you this: If you could get Peavy (especially after getting Sabathia, a big leap of faith) for a few AAAA type players and one younger prospect with upside, wouldn't that make sense to help fill out a rotation? Remember, Peavy's contract is an albatross at this point for other teams considering trading for him. The higher the contract being absorbed (in total dollars and years), the less in return the trading team can expect to receive.

My fears and concerns about Peavy have been documented here. To refresh:

• Peavy faced only 69 batters in innings 7-9
• With only 27 games started, Peavy averaged facing 2.56 batters after the 6th inning
• Batters hit .290 against him later in games
• Peavy faced only 38 batters after throwing his 105th pitch; Averaged 106 pitches per game in 2008 (103 PC/game for a career).
• Peavy's away ERA in 2008 was 4.28; .258 Batting Average Against (BAA)
• Peavy's home ERA in 2008 was 1.75; .205 BAA
• Peavy's almost a neutral GB/FB pitcher, with a 1.11 GB:FB ratio in 2008, in line with career numbers. The bigger Petco keeps the flyballs within the fences for long outs.
• K-rate of 8.60 lowest since 2003, down from 9.67 in 2007. As a result, his K/BB rate of 2.81 was also a low since 2003 and down from 3.53 last year.
  
  My thought on Peavy-to-the-Yanks remains this: If the Yanks can dictate their price (ie: not Hughes), then go for it.

Would the ultimate "cost" for Peavy be any worse than Ben Sheets? Both have been exclusively NL pitchers, never pitching in the East. Both have had injury problems, though Sheets' history is longer and obvious. Peavy has won a Cy Young. Sheets would cost draft picks as compensation and would likely require at least a 3 year committment; Peavy a 4 year. Peavy would cost more developed young players versus draft picks.

Peavy would be "cheaper" than Burnett in total dollars and likely years (4 vs. 5). But Burnett's proven himself in the AL East and that means something to me.

Don't get me started on Derek Lowe; adding a 37 year old for 3 or 4 years is absurd. I'd rather take 5 years of Burnett than 3-4 of Lowe, since they seem to be both asking for the moon in AAV salary.

But what if Peavy was the 2nd or 3rd pitcher the Yanks added this off-season? That'd be a nice rotation, no? Again, only if the cost was in the Yanks favor.

In case you were wondering...

In case you were wondering about how the teams help the players prepare for the season, particularly the younger guys... From Yanks Eric Hacker, via email:

"They give us a schedule for the whole off season. It has day to day showing everything that we need to do. Now it is split up between pitchers and position players. There is also different agility stuff depending on if you are a pitcher, infield, outfield, or a catcher. It is up to the player to find a place to work out. I know some guys have personal trainers, work out in groups and some work out by themselves. Everybody has there own thing they like to do. Also our throwing programs are different for pitchers and position player."

I hope they treat it more seriously than I handled my "suggested summer reading list".

IIATMS Exclusive: Catching up with Mike Hargrove

During a quiet stretch a few weeks back, I went digging in SI.com’s Vault. For those of you who aren’t aware, SI put their old articles online. [My bookmark to the author’s favorite baseball stories can be found here] One of those articles I wanted to re-read was one by Gary Smith entitled “The Ripples From Little Lake Nellie”. For those who don’t remember, it was more than 15 years ago when Cleveland Indians pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were tragically killed in a boating accident during Spring Training. Bobby Ojeda was seriously injured in the accident.

The article got me wondering where how then-Indians manager Mike Hargrove handled the entire incident and where are the families now. I was lucky enough to reach Mr. Hargrove, who kindly agreed to speak with me about this incident. (Please note that this was a chat about a horrible event that claimed the lives of two MLB players, and nearly a third. I had no intentions of asking Mr. Hargrove much about his 2007 resignation from the Mariners.)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

It Is About The Money, Stupid: Mr. Hargrove, thank you for taking the time to chat with me regarding this sensitive story. Can you tell me a bit about where you are these days?
Mike Hargrove: Right now, I’m back in Cleveland. We moved here in 1994 after living in Texas. We’ve raised our kids here and they’re mostly living in the area, too.


IIATMS: Where do you stand with managing? Any plans or desires to return to the game?
MH: Right now, I am not affiliated with any team. I’m not ready to go back. I’ve had some offers but right now, I’m enjoying this time. At some point, I’d like one more chance to manage in the majors.


IIATMS: I’d like to go back to the tragic incident in 1993. How did you hear about the accident?
MH: I had spent the afternoon with two of my coaches playing golf. Afterwards, we were all excited to see the Space Shuttle launch later that day since we heard that we’d be able to see it from our place [in Florida]. I remember being disappointed that was cancelled. My wife and I had some friends over for dinner. The phone rang. It was our strength coach Fernando Montes and I was irritated as it was our day off.

Fernando told me there was an accident and that “Oly’s gone”. I asked “Gone where?” and only then did I realize what happened. I remember feeling the blood drain to my fingers and going numb. I got on the phone with GM John Hart and then went over to visit the scene.


IIATMS: What did you find when you got there?
MH: We met Fernando who guided us to the house. We arrived and saw the big klieg lights out back. I could see a bass boat up on the shore. We went into a house full of crying babies. I remember talking with Patti [Olin] but the rest is pretty much a blur. John Hart and Dan O’Dowd came over. I remember going to get Steve’s keys from his car for his wife when a deputy stopped me, saying “You don’t want to go over there.”


IIAMTS: How did you tell the team?
MH: Dan [O’Dowd], John [Hart] and I went to the hospital to see Bobby Ojeda who was in critical condition. We were there all night. We then left for the training facility. By 6:30am, the team started arriving. By that point, they all knew. We cancelled all team activities and basically sat around talking, sharing. It was a big group hug. I gave the guys the choice to go get some work in, and many did as a way of coping.


IIAMTS: How did it affect the team?
MH: I’m really not sure. I know that everyone was totally committed to playing hard. Thankfully we had veterans like Ted Power who were leaders.

They say “time heals all wounds”. It really doesn’t. Time doesn’t heal the wounds; it merely scabs over until it gets ripped off again.


IIAMTS: How did the team memorialize Olin and Crews?
MH: We didn’t do much, other than committing ourselves to go about our jobs and play as hard as possible.

[IIATMS Note: In response to the accident that took Olin and Crews in 1993, the Indians wore a patch on their sleeves of their jerseys. It consisted of a baseball with their numbers on it. Olin's #31 is on the left, with an arrow above. Crews' #52 is on the right, with a star above it. The Dodgers also wore a patch with Crews' #52 for the 1993 season.]

The Indians planted two small trees outside the facility along with a plaque. Those three foot trees are now big trees that are being moved to the Indians new facility in Arizona.


IIAMTS: How did you memorialize Olin and Crews?
MH: I really didn’t do that much. I felt that going overboard would trivialize things.


IIAMTS: How often do you think of them?
MH: Not as much these days, less than before. I rarely think about the accident but more about the players.


IIAMTS: Do you speak with the families?
MH: We’ve lost contact with Laurie (Crews). We’re still in contact with Patty. She’s remarried a great guy. We were with her whole family including in-laws when she visited in Seattle.


IIAMTS: Where are they now? How are they doing?
MH: Kevin Wickander [Olin’s best buddy in the bullpen] is in Phoenix. I last saw him in 2007 after Spring training. Wick’s gone through some tough times [see notes below] but he’s turned the corner. He’s a good man; was then, is now.

As far as the Olins and the Crews, they remain part of the Cleveland family.


IIAMTS: Do you think this experience changed the way you relate to the players as a manager? The article painted you as a disciplinarian who pulled a 180 degree shift.
MH: I definitely went too far the other the direction after the incident. I was excusing too many things. I was creating an alibi for the players so not to hammer them when they needed to be hammered. Eventually I got back to an enforcing style and discipline. I began to treat them like men again, not kids.The accident did make me a better person and manager though. Definitely more empathetic.


IIAMTS: So what’s next for Mike Hargrove?
MH: I was asked to work with the Italian team to prepare for the WBC, so I’m looking forward to doing that. After that, I’ll be back working with the Liberal, KS Bee-Jays. I played for them in 1970, the year I was drafted. About 45 players have played in the majors after playing for the Bee-Jays, including Ron Guidry. And I’ll be looking for that last shot to manage [in the majors].

[IIATMS Note: Active players who have played for the Bee-Jays include: Rich Harden, Ian Kinsler, Hunter Pence, Kelly Shoppach, Troy Percival and Scott Hairston.]

####

I'd like to thank Mr. Hargrove for taking the time to chat about this subject. To his credit, he seeemed to genuinely appreciate the chance to talk about this story with me, just some guy with a blog who he's never met before. When make interview requests like this, I'm not really sure what to expect. Mr. Hargrove got back to me after midnight the day I emailed him with my ideas. He encouraged me to call at my convenience, not his. I've gotten to be quite cynical and jaded over the years, but when a man with Mr. Hargrove's playing and managing resume treats you with that level of respect without ever meeting you, I just feel pretty darn encouraged.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate it more than you know.



Additional reading, notes:

• Mike Hargrove’s Wikipedia page, the Human Rain Delay, coaching and playing records
• Mike’s decision to manage the Liberal KS Bee Jays. Noteworthy quotes:
  "I found that for the first time in my life, I was having to work at competing. Some people said it was because of a conflict with Ichiro," he said. "That was absolutely untrue. I felt like I had lost my edge."
  ......
  "I'm enjoying this. I'm having fun," Hargrove said. "I would like to manage again in the big leagues someday. But I'm not unhappy here by any stretch of the imagination."
• Jayson Stark’s story from 2003, ten years after the accident
• Another story from 2003, ten years after the accident
• Kevin Wickander’s cautionary tale
• ESPN.com’s story about Hargrove’s sudden resignation in 2007
• Bobby Ojeda’s Wikipedia page

Waiting in the weeds on Peavy

I tell ya, I am not making this stuff up. Not until the ink is drying on another team's letterhead will I believe Peavy won't wind up in NY. There been a confluence of factors that keep pointing back to the Yanks (Braves trading for Vazquez, Cubs resigning Dempster, economy worsening, Yanks looking to gobble up as much SP as possible, glut of OF's, etc.).

If the Yankees come up empty on Sabathia, Burnett and Lowe, they could try to make a push for San Diego's Jake Peavy, who remains on the trading block. A club official confirmed the Yankees' interest in Peavy, though he noted that the 2007 NL Cy Young winner has made it clear that he has no desire to pitch in the AL.

Peavy has a full no-trade clause, but as the Padres desperately look to dump payroll - San Diego Thursday dealt shortstop Khalil Greene and his $6.5 million salary to the Cardinals for a pair of prospects - they could ask him to add teams to his list.

"As of now, we have not discussed Jake's willingness to accept a trade to the Yankees," [Peavy's agent, Barry] Axelrod, said in an e-mail. "Simply stated, we have taken the position that we will not spend time analyzing any potential trade until the Padres present it to us as a real possibility. Until then, we sit and wait."

Just like the Yankees.

Except I don't think that the Peavy situation is a binary one. I think the Yanks will take a run at him regardless of who else they sign and no matter the timing, if the Padres asking price becomes palatable.

Settle down, fellas

I've gotten a number of emails and IM's wondering any number of things related to the Yanks and Sabathia:

• Why hasn't he signed?
• Doesn't this look bad for the Yanks?
• What if the Yanks don't get any of the big pitchers available?
• 摩登美发课??摩登优女帮强档美容课堂，为女性度身定做的贴心课堂
• The incredible pet nail trimmer
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The last three are actual emails, scary as it might seem (I didn't print any of the adult-themed ones!).

Ten things to consider:

1. Sabathia would rather be in California, all things equal. So would I, if the truth be told.
2. All things are not equal; the Yanks can pay more than anyone and will likely do so.
3. Sabathia might really test the "It's About The Money, Stupid" mantra
4. Sabathia is taking his time on this major life decision. He has that right and good for him to take it. It might be a no-brainer for you and I, but he should be allowed the time to make up his mind. The last thing I'd want is for him to suffer from buyer's remorse.
5. Sabathia is probably hoping to see either LA team make an offer, though it appears the Dodgers won't have the wherewithal to do so.
6. His hometown Giants have just overpaid for Renteria and do not appear to have the pockets to pay two pitchers (CC and Zito) a combined $40+ million.
7. I don't think this reflects negatively on the Yanks; if they were located in LA, this would have been done already.
8. The Yanks are not the destination they were in 2000, 2001, 2002, when they were making regular World Series appearances. The team is getting old. The beat writers are incessantly negative towards everyone but Mo and Jeter. Ownership is erratic, and that might be a very kind term to call Hank and Hal. And they play in the AL East, home of the reigning AL Champs and the 2007 World Series Champs. It's rough out there.
9. The economy really IS in the crapper and really WILL affect ALL teams, Yanks included. Even with the new palace.
10. THE WINTER MEETINGS HAVEN'T EVEN STARTED YET! Folks, we all want the news faster than ever but give these things the chance to run their natural course.

Cashman is out West, talking to Boras and reportedly scheduled to chat with Sabathia. Take a deep breath.

Sabathia is a different case entirely, and the reason he is stalling, to those who know him, is just as the general manager suspected: his first choice is not New York. Sabathia is from Vallejo, Calif., near the Bay Area, and it is well known that his preference is to play for a team on the West Coast. But the money is elsewhere.

"It's not that he doesn't want to be a Yankee; that's not it at all," said a friend of Sabathia's, who was granted anonymity because Sabathia had not authorized him to speak on his behalf. "It's just the aspect of being out there, his family, that kind of stuff."

Like I have said regarding Peavy, don't count out the Yanks until the ink is drying on some other team's letterhead. Until then, kick back, relax. It's Friday, the weekend is in sight.

Yawn: ARod to play for Dominican Republic

Please people, let's not make this any more dramatic than it deserves. Unfortunately, it's going to be another will he/won't he? situation again, just like in 2006. The WBC Hokey-Pokey.

“He wants to play for the Dominican team,” [David] Ortiz said by telephone Thursday. “We’ll talk about it now after he gets here, and he’ll probably announce it here.”

You can insert your own joke/headline here. Here are a few to get you started:

• ARod to play for the DR; Vegas odds for the US spike
• ARod to play for the DR; US team rejoices
• ARod and Big Papi together at last; Madonna on rampage
• ARod to reject Madonna's request to play for the Italian team
• ARod to wear man-scarf while playing for the DR squad
• ARod to ask Madonna to sign permission slip to play for the DR in the WBC
• DR to ARod: Gonna dress you up in my love jersey

The piranhas attack the hippo

In a spring training game, the Minnesota Twins will get to face the Netherlands. If there's a funny bone in the Karma Gods, we'll be able to see Sir Sidney facing one of his former teams. And I hope they chew him to bits (emphasis mine below).

The Dutch team is using the Spring Training facilities of the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton in training camp and will likely face the Major League team in an exhibition match. On March 5th they will make the bus ride to Fort Myers to play against the Minnesota Twins. They are in Pool D with Panama, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, playing at the Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, which has hosted Major League games of the Montreal Expos in the past. The Netherlands open the tournament against the Dominicans.

I can't see the Flyin' Dutchmen lasting too long in that Pool. I'll take the under, whatever it might be.



Thanks to Ron Rollins for the link. I don't want to steal from ShysterBall but Ron's earned the title of "International Baseball Correspondent"