2010 MLB Season

[Chalupa]

If you believe Buster, Seattle wants to move Cliff Lee today.

And Yankees are apparently in the mix.

Excuse me while I puke.

[papsrus]

If you believe Buster, Seattle wants to move Cliff Lee today.

And Yankees are apparently in the mix.

Excuse me while I puke.

Apparently the Mariners are shopping whatever the Yankees are offering (package including prized catching prospect Jesus Montero) in an effort to set up some kind of three-team deal.

Edited July 9, 2010 by papsrus

[Dave James]

If you believe Buster, Seattle wants to move Cliff Lee today.

And Yankees are apparently in the mix.

Excuse me while I puke.

Everyone looks better in pinstripes. They're so slimming.

What a fucking crock of shit.

Swisher OPS+: 149

Youkilis OPS+: 157

Destroys him in OBP AND SLG and has more RBI, Runs and HRs.

Given the problems Youkilis is having with his ankle, the fans did him a favor. He needs to time off. I'm guessing he wouldn't have gone/played anyway.

Edited July 9, 2010 by Dave James

[ghost of miles]

Why doesn't NY wait till the end of the year and sign Lee without giving up Montero? Especially with a good five-man rotation already in place. I really wonder if this is prompted more by wanting to keep Lee from going to either Tampa Bay (division rival) or Minnesota (potential playoff opponent). I'd have really mixed feelings about giving up Montero to get Lee...and I assume this means we'd be turning around and dumping Javy, who's been pitching pretty well of late.

EDIT: well, there's apparently speculation that NY might move Hughes to the bullpen if they get Lee, since Hughes is going to hit his innings limit by late August...and NY's lack of a really good/reliable middle-relief pitcher continues to be our biggest weakness.

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

And yet another rumor that NY would then send Javy to Philadelphia for Jayson Werth?

Too crazy for me. NY finally seems to be getting into a really good groove. Swisher and Gardner are both having really good years, Granderson's been a bit of a disappointment but provides lots of speed, occasional power, and good defense... where would we put Jayson Werth? That rumor just seems totally out of left field (or right) to me.

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Chalupa]

And yet another rumor that NY would then send Javy to Philadelphia for Jayson Werth?

Typical made up BS from the NY sports media. Don't buy it. If the Phillies trade Werth it won't be to the Yankees. Amaro is already on the hot seat for the Lee trade. He would be lynched if he sent Werth to either NY team.

Edited July 9, 2010 by J.H. Deeley

[ghost of miles]

I hope so, J.H. (that it's made-up NY sports media b.s.)--such a trade right now would seem like overload to me. (We've already got a well-stocked DH rotation, too.)

In the meantime, Ken Davidoff (generally a more reliable NY sports media source, I think) tweeted in the past hour that Lee-to-New-York is nearly a done deal--Mariners telling other interested teams that they're "out of the Lee sweepstakes."

EDIT: Lee is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Yanks. If this deal's going to happen, hopefully it happens before said scheduled start, eh, Dave James?

EDIT 2: Oh my, they really are trying to complete the trade before tonight:

Lee to Yankees is "imminent"

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Dave James]

Lee is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Yanks. If this deal's going to happen, hopefully it happens before said scheduled start, eh, Dave James?

My understanding is that the Yankees have told the Mariners that they need to make a decision before tonight's game.

[ghost of miles]

Several updates via the NY Times' twitter feed--sounds like it's not quite "done" or "imminent" yet:

Ken Rosenthal

Source says third piece in Lee trade looks likes Triple A RHP Zach McAllister, 22 yo, 7-5 with a 4.45 ERA in 17 starts at AAA. less than a minute ago

Jon Heyman#yankees infield prospect david adams may go with montero in cliff lee deal. but that is 1 issue still being discussed. 7 minutes ago

Jack CurryFrom talks with aggressive Mariners, Yankee officials believe Cliff Lee trade will get traded today. They just hope it's to them. 17 minutes ago

[ghost of miles]

Lee is scheduled to pitch tonight against the Yanks. If this deal's going to happen, hopefully it happens before said scheduled start, eh, Dave James?

My understanding is that the Yankees have told the Mariners that they need to make a decision before tonight's game.

If the deal does happen, supposedly Lee will not be showing up in pinstripes against his former team this weekend, according to Philadelphia baseball writer Jim Salisbury:

Hearing that Yanks will make gentleman's agreement with M's not to pitch Lee this weekend, if/when deal goes down

[ghost of miles]

OK--Joel Sherman now tweeting that Lee-to-NY NOT likely to happen:

Joelsherman1 #Mariners backing off #Yankees offer, Post has learned. Does not look like #Yankees are in it.

Joelsherman1 To repeat the #Yankees aren’t getting Cliff Lee, #Mariners concerned about David Adams ankle plus apparently another team has jumped in hard

Believe it or not, the reaction over at Pinstripe Alley is primarily relief--a lot of NY fans over there opposed to giving up so much in the way of prospects, especially when things are going well right now...and we can probably sign Lee this winter anyway.

EDIT: Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated with a similar report:

#yankees about to "walk" after #mariners dont accept montero, adams and 3rd prospect. pessimism surrounds those talks now

Really curious as to what team has "jumped in hard" and what they're offering.

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

Big Al and Jsngry, look out! Cliff Lee to Rangers? Jon Heyman's latest tweet:

#rangers 1 of a few teams jumping in with big snag in yankees/lee trade talk

and from Joel Sherman:

Hearing #Rangers are working really hard on #Lee now. Tricky because of finances with team sale not complete and MLB-imposed budget

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Chalupa]

I don't care where he goes as long as it's not to the NL or the Bankees.

[Dan Gould]

Agreed. To Texas would be great as they are a strong team already and Lee would be a great equalizer against a team that has beaten them consistently. Twins would be good too but having a great lefty never helped them against the MFY in the past.

[ghost of miles]

I don't care where he goes as long as it's not to the NL or the Bankees.

Don't get your hopes up yet:

3:33pm: The Reds have spoken “extensively” with the Mariners about acquiring Lee in the past 48 hours, a source tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Price reports that the Reds are going “all-out” for Lee

Ken Davidoff#Mariners moved away from #Yankees because "Someone else sweetened their offer," source says. #Rangers or #Reds likely that "someone."

Comment from poster at Pinstripe Alley:

They (the Reds) have everything the Mariners want:

a top prospect (Yonder Alonso)

a catcher prospect (Devin Mesoraco)

and pitching (Travis Wood, Matt Maloney, etc)

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Chalupa]

Lee to Rangers for Smoak

Cliff Lee was going to a contender no matter what. Turns out it was the Texas Rangers, not the New York Yankees.

After talks between the Seattle Mariners and Yanks fell apart Friday afternoon, the Rangers jumped in and reached agreement on a trade for the left-hander, sources confirmed to ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

The New York Post reported that the M's sent Lee and reliever Mark Lowe to Texas for first baseman Justin Smoak and three minor-leaguers.

The Mariners will also send $2.5 million to the Rangers to subsidize the $4 million still owed to Lee. Texas has financial limitations due to bankruptcy hearings associated with the sale of the team. There has been speculation that the Rangers would not be able to add weapons for the stretch run.

http://sports.espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/news/story?id=5367615

Agreed. To Texas would be great as they are a strong team already and Lee would be a great equalizer against a team that has beaten them consistently. Twins would be good too but having a great lefty never helped them against the MFY in the past.

Dan, do you have a crystal ball???

[Dan Gould]

Haven't you noticed before? I said in May that the Red Sox season was fucked, and I was right!

[ghost of miles]

The Boston press is relieved:

Relief: Lee's a Ranger

For exactly 0.5 seasons--very unlikely that Texas will be able to sign and keep him. Gotta hand it to them for pulling off that deal, though, especially given that the team's in bankruptcy court, and it surely makes them a strong contender for ALCS honors this year.

The ESPN story notes:

The Mariners will also send $2.25 million to the Rangers to subsidize the $4.2 million still owed to Lee. Texas has financial limitations due to bankruptcy hearings associated with the sale of the team. There has been speculation the Rangers -- despite leading the AL West -- would not be able to add weapons for the stretch run.

And there still could be trouble. An anonymous official of an MLB team said the Rangers taking on $1.5 million in salary "is going to be an issue" since the team is currently being run by the league. It is not clear if the bankruptcy court would allow the team to take on that kind of debt.

And via Big League Stew, the observation that the trade could come back to haunt Texas in its own division:

As first reported by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Rangers are giving up young slugger Justin Smoak and three other prospects for only a couple of guaranteed months from Lee, as well as relief pitcher Mark Lowe.

The opening of the Rangers' talent wallet — coupled with general manager Jon Daniels mapping a route around the team's bankruptcy by having Seattle foot part of Lee's remaining salary — ended what was a dramatic afternoon for a Friday in early July. While a deal involving the Yankees and their top prospect Jesus Montero was reported to be "imminent," it was the Rangers' last-minute sweetening of Smoak that kept the rich from getting richer in the Bronx.

Not that the Rangers are making a clean getaway. Justin Smoak was the 11th pick in the 2008 draft and will be a great hitter and right-hander Blake Beavan is a stud who was Texas' first-round pick in 2007. Now they're being shipped to a division rival (along with infielder Matt Lawson and pitcher Josh Lueke), where they will be in a position to haunt the Rangers for years to come.

BUT--Texas is gonna be hell on wheels in a postseason 5-game series with Lee this year.

Edited July 9, 2010 by ghost of miles

[ghost of miles]

Somewhat amusing parody of Gilbert's LeBron letter posted over at Pinstripe Alley:

Dear New York, all of the people of New York, wherever you may be tonight;

As you know, our former top target, who grew up in an entirely different region than the one he almost got traded to today, will not be a New York Yankee for the rest of this season.

This was announced with a long, dramatic buildup culminating with an extreme drop with a Joel Sherman report on twitter. This has been "witnessed" in "twitter" before.

Clearly Yankees fans have mixed feelings about this.

Star-divide

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here in New York have never betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the past day and our continually exciting rest of the season. Over the next several days, and weeks, we will be winning ballgames.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly confusion.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, while I smoke my cigarettes, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE NEW YORK YANKEES WILL WIN AN MLB WORLD SERIES BEFORE THE SEATTLE TITLED 'MARINERS' WIN ONE."

You can take it to the banks where you will find my millions! (What's left that I haven't spent on cigarettes, that is)

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to beat the Mariners, I can tell you this shameful display of playing us to get a better deal out of the Rangers has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there. (Whatever that means)

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from another MLB "team" sends the exact opposite message that we want our interns to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless action can only serve as motivation to beat the Mariners tonight and the Rangers in the playoffs. Oh, and the Rangers rotation is still not as good as the Yankees!

The self-declared "Mariners" will be taking the "Smoak and other prospects" from the Rangers up to Washington. And until Lee signs with the Yankees, Lee (and the team he plays for) will not win a title. The Yankees will.

Just watch.

Sleep well, New York. (After joining our game thread, that is!)

Tomorrow is a Saturday.

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge, and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU (caps are fun, right?!) the championship that you got last year as well and is not overdue at all.

Hank Steinbrenner

Owner

Marlboro's best customer

Truth be told, it certainly was exciting to entertain the thought of Lee joining the Yankees this season, but I really did have misgivings about giving up Montero and two other top prospects when NY seems to already be coming together as a team. At least Tampa Bay didn't get him, but Texas probably has a lock on the AL West now and will be toe-to-toe with anybody they face in the AL playoffs, including the Yankees. Congrats to Big Al, Jsngry, and any other Rangers fans here... you guys must be really jazzed to have gotten Mr. Lee.

Edited July 10, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Chalupa]

Nice come back by the Phillies tonight. Trailing 7-1 going into the bottom of the 9th vs. the Reds they scored 6 runs to tie the game. Then Ryan Howard went yard in the bottom of the 10th to get the win. 2nd night in row the Fightin's have won an extra inning game vs. the Reds w/ a walkoff homer! Now if then can just get Oswalt....

[ghost of miles]

Based on this report today via his friend and former teammate C.C., it sure sounds like Cliff Lee wants to be a Yankee:

Cliff Lee never knocked on the door of Safeco Field's visiting clubhouse on Friday, but based upon his recent cell-phone conversations and text messages, CC Sabathia believes the lefty will eventually join the Yankees.

"I don't think we have to do much recruiting," said Sabathia, who played with Lee in Cleveland. "He knows what it's like over here. I've talked to him a bunch about being in the clubhouse and being part of the team. Hopefully it works out."

The Yankees were working toward a trade Friday that could have landed the left-hander from Seattle in exchange for catcher Jesus Montero, infielder David Adams and another prospect, but Lee was dealt instead to the Rangers in a six-player swap.

It may wind up being just a two-plus-month rental for Texas. Lee seems intent on gauging the free-agent market, especially after playing with four teams in the last two years, and the Yankees should be encouraged that Lee seemed receptive to joining New York.

"I know he was very excited about the possibility of coming here," Sabathia said. "When I talked to him this morning, I thought he was definitely coming. It just didn't work out. We'll have to see what happens."

Sabathia said that his wife, Amber, and Lee's wife, Kristen, had gone as far to discuss places that the Lees might live in the New York area.

"We were pretty excited," Sabathia said. "Hopefully we'll get him next year."

In the meantime, though, we'll probably have to face him in the playoffs.

Edited July 10, 2010 by ghost of miles

[Dan Gould]

Have I mentioned lately how much I fucking hate John Lackey?

Does John Lackey have a fucking ounce of self-respect or is he just another fucking worthless piece of shit cashing in on free agency so he can start mailing it in?

He's now completed the first half of the first of five fucking seasons we're on the hook for, and this is what he's fucking accomplished:

The worst statistics of his entire career.

WHIP: 1.542 and that doesn't factor in FOURTEEN baserunners in 4 2/3 innings today. His highest previous WHIP was 1.417 in his first full season in the bigs, and he had gone 4 seasons with a WHIP less than 1.26 before 2010.

K/9: Down more than 1.5 from last year, and the worst of his career including his age 23 season.

BB/9: 3.3, the highest of his career and doesn't factor in his SIX walks today.

H/9 innings: TEN POINT SIX!!!!

This is what you fucking get out of this sack of shit for 83.5 million dollars. If he had a fucking set of balls instead of delicate lady bits he'd fucking stand in front of the microphone and fucking say that he sucks, that he's embarrassed, and that he doesn't deserve to be in the fucking uniform.

For once I'd like to see the famous Boston media actually ask a question like "Are you embarrassed about your performance in Boston after signing such a big contract?"

Imagine if the fucking Yankees had gotten this performance out of Burnett. He'd be gone already.

[Tim McG]

[Chalupa]

Shit we came 3 outs away from having another perfect game tonight in the majors this season. Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies hit a double in the 9th to break up Travis Wood's bid for a perfect game. Phew, that was close. Now on to the 10th, 0-0 w/ Lidge replacing Halladay. Not good.

Lidge falling apart in the 10th. Man, in 2008 he was a perfect 44 for 44. He's just pitched like dog shit since then. WTF?

Edited July 11, 2010 by J.H. Deeley

[Dan Gould]

He trended toward dog shit before then, too. Or have we forgotten what Pujols did to him?