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Some AL East moves:

The Yankees traded Gary Sheffield to the Tigers for three minor leaguers, including highly touted Humberto Sanchez.

Not to be outdone, the Red Sox, according to Buster Olney, are going to be the winners of the Daisuke Matsuzaka sweepstakes with a bid of 'between $38 and $45 million.


My first reaction to that bid is 'holy crap'. However, thinking about it a little more I don't know that's it's all that outlandish. In fact it's possible that it could be a bargain.

When the Jays play the Yankees or Mariners what do you see that you don't see with the other teams? That's right *Japanese* signage. So obviously the Jays are making more money than they ordinarily would by putting these ads up. What would it be over 81 games? If Matsuzaka has the same impact that Ichiro and Matsui had on the Mariners and Yankees it wouldn't be unreasonable to expect that the Red Sox could easily make the cost of the posting fee in increased revenue over the life of the contract. Then they're only paying market rate for a pitcher that most people consider an ace pitcher.
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The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.
Gerry - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 04:42 PM EST (#157751) #

The price for Matsuzaka has two parts and we think we know one of them.  The second part is how much the Sox pay Matsuzaka.  The going rate for a pitcher like Matsuzaka appears to be around $15 mil per season.  If he signs a 5 year deal and if the posting price is $40 mil, then the Sox will have paid $8 mil per year on part one.  That leaves $7 per season for salary.

The negotiations with Matsuzaka will be interesting.  His options are to sign with the Sox or go back to Japan for one more year.  I don't think his Japanese team will be anxious to have him back, unless they don't need the $40 million, so there will be a lot of pressure on him to do a deal in the US.  Scott Boras his agent will have to use all his skills to get a good contract for his client.  The Sox will probably try to get Matsuzaka for $5 mil per year while Boras will be looking at $10m plus.

I think the Sox strategy is very good here.  They can make Boras a take it or leave it offer and the worst thing that can happen is that they don't do a deal.  If they don't do a deal their high bid will keep the Yankees from signing him.  Its a good strategy.

Mick Doherty - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 04:55 PM EST (#157753) #

Sanchez, 23, was a combined 10-6 with a 2.53 ERA and 129 strikeouts in 123 innings with Triple-A Toledo and Double-A Erie this year. Whelan, 22, was 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA and 27 saves for Class A Lakeland. Claggett, 22, was 7-2 with an 0.91 ERA and 14 saves for Class A West Michigan.

Holy crap, that's quite a haul for a guy coming off injury who wil be 41 when the contract extension runs out in 2009. And a vet for three pitching prospects? Who says the Yankee glory days are over? What's next, Brian Cashman? Do the Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte Return to Pinstripes stories have any legs?

Frank Markotich - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 05:14 PM EST (#157754) #

Mick, I think you're underrating Sheffield some.

And I recall another deal that involved three pitching prospects - coming to Toronto for David Cone. That one didn't work out so well. Of course, those were all in Class A, whereas only two are Class A prospects in this trade.

 

Mike Green - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 05:15 PM EST (#157755) #
Humberto Sanchez and Phillip Hughes?  The days of Ed Whitson being the Yankee pitching hope are obviously long gone. 

A number of efforts have been made to convert Matsuzaka's performance in the Japanese NPB league to MLB.  He seems to be in the Halladay/Oswalt zone, but something could be lost in translation.

Mike D - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 06:01 PM EST (#157759) #

The Yankees obviously have several unique and substantial competitive advantages, but it's nevertheless impressive how they generally deal only from a position of strength.  They picked up Sheffield's option because they knew that it was good value for a marketable asset, regardless of whether they could (or even wanted to) find a place for him in the '07 lineup.  Now, they picked up a very good return on an aging and expensive player with serious injury concerns.  Keeping him would have been a good option; this trade offer presented an even better option.

The point is, they usually make the trades they want to make, not the trades they feel they have to make.   Sheffield is replaceable by talent on hand.  There's a lesson here for Jays fans who are clamouring for panic trades from a position of weakness.

Thomas - Friday, November 10 2006 @ 06:34 PM EST (#157762) #
The Jays dipped into the minor league free agent pool today. First of all, they resigned Kevin Barker, Chad Mottola and Brian Wolfe (the A-ball pitcher that was the return in the Koskie trade). Wolfe will play in the minors, likely wherever the Jays need the arm, while Barker and Mottola will play for Syracuse and will provide some depth in case of injury.

They also signed Jeff Duncan, a 7th round pick in 2000 who has a .182 average and a .503 OPS in 154 big league at-bats for the Mets in 2003 and 2004. He had a .798 OPS last year in Triple-A and can play center field. The Jays also signed Blaine Neal, a former Florida Marlins prospect who had a 5.04 ERA in 124 innings from 2001-2005. He didn't pitch in the majors in 2006, but his last year as a regular was 2004, where he put up a 4.07 ERA with San Diego. Last year he had a 1.99 ERA and good peripherals for Double-A Altoona.

Jeremi (or Geremi) Gonzalez may be the most noteworthy addition. He has a career 4.93 ERA in 572 innings, and spent time with both the Mets and Brewers last year. The last player they signed was Beau Kemp, a former Twins 31st round pick who had a 2.32 ERA last year for Triple-A Rochester, but he had a horrible 3.53 K/9 ratio and had a 2.32 BB/9 rate, so I don't expect him to be a factor in the big league bullpen. They'll all be invited to spring training, but I don't think any of them have realistic shots at comg north with the club, barring injuries. Gonzalez should slot behind Towers in the pecking order for the last rotation slot and Neal isn't any better than the 7 or 8 leading candidates for next year's pen.

Phil - Saturday, November 11 2006 @ 11:21 AM EST (#157781) #
Also, the assumption in Japan is that his going to the MLB is a done deal. He announced his intention to make the move at a press conference recently--that wouldn't happen if he didn't have prior understanding and agreement from his team.

FWIW, from occasionally watching him on the TV here, he is very much the real deal, but has been overworked a lot... Not only in the PL play, but in international tournaments (Olympics, WBC). He's been the national team ace for a while now.
Nick - Saturday, November 11 2006 @ 11:44 AM EST (#157782) #

I wonder if the Yankees had Sanchez in for a physical or if the deal is contingent on his health in some way.  For those who don't know, Sanchez was shut down in early August with a tender elbow.  Does anyone have an update on Sanchez's health?

I was a little surprised the Yankees traded Sheffield to an AL rival.  The Yankees are usually only worried about today, not tomorrow.  While they were able to acquire some very good prospects, the Yankees improved the Tigers' chances for 2007 while simultaneously reducing their own chances.  I'm not saying it's a bad trade.  I'm just saying that I can't remember the last time the Yankees traded a very good major league player to an AL playoff-caliber team for prospects.  Can anyone come up with a recent example?

Gerry - Saturday, November 11 2006 @ 12:40 PM EST (#157783) #

Sanchez has reportedly been pitching in Florida although his injury history and body make him more likely to be a bullpen pitcher.

Rumour has it that Japanese teams share some of the posting fee with the player, so Matsuzaka might have a share of that.

Mike D - Sunday, November 12 2006 @ 05:20 PM EST (#157794) #

Our old friend, the O-Dog, models Arizona's all-new uniforms.

AWeb - Sunday, November 12 2006 @ 08:21 PM EST (#157800) #
I'm thrilled Ramirez didn't get signed in the AL. As mentioned above, he's been a top-tier hitter for a while, and plays third base as well. He has been a younger, healthier Troy Glaus. Just below superstar level, but he has been consistently very good.

How many contenders/divison foes could have used him? Yankees if they traded A-Rod, Boston as an upgrade and youth movement, Baltimore to replace a rapidly tailing off Mora, Anaheim to have an actual 3B this year. Maybe Texas if they are going to give up on Blalock. The more good players sign in the NL the better for the Jays (aside from the ones they sign, of course).

I'd say the contract puts a decent estimate on Wells' worth. As I've said before, 15 million/year isn't overpaying Wells if that is what a player of his calibur gets. The prices for players isn't going to come down anytime soon from the sounds of this offseason, where so many teams have money to spend. It's up to the management to decide if they can better spend the money  on other players and/or make a trade to upgrade from Wells, and we get the fun of speculating about it for a while.

Ryan Day - Monday, November 13 2006 @ 09:39 AM EST (#157809) #
 Kerry Wood also re-signed with the Cubs: $1.75 million with performance bonuses potentially bringing it up to $6 million. That's unfortunately a name off the list of players I'd have liked to see J.P. sign, but it also might be a good indicator of what it would take to sign someone like Mulder. That's a pretty fair risk for a player who could make a huge impact if he's healthy.
Pistol - Monday, November 13 2006 @ 04:32 PM EST (#157833) #
Rosenthal notes from the winter meetings.  He spectulates that the Jays may be interested in Craig Counsell as a starting SS.  Of course, the source could be Counsell's agent who could be saying that just to drum up interest.

Infielder Craig Counsell is another popular free agent. The Padres are one of several clubs that view him as a potential regular at second. Other teams like him as a super-utility man. One — believed to be the Blue Jays — wants him as an everyday shortstop.


fozzy - Monday, November 13 2006 @ 08:02 PM EST (#157844) #
from rotoworld:

Blue Jays signed RHP Matt Roney, who had been with the Athletics, to a one-year contract.

For the second year in a row, Roney gets a major league contract despite being a minor league free agent. Roney, who turns 27 in January, had a 2.95 ERA in 47 appearances for Triple-A Sacramento last season and allowed two runs in four innings for the A's. His quality fastball could be enough make him an adequate 11th or 12th pitcher, but he doesn't have much else going for him.

Gerry - Monday, November 13 2006 @ 10:38 PM EST (#157851) #

I hadn't heard that rumour but if the Jays did want to trade Vernon the Dodgers would be a logical partner.  The Dodgers have a lot of prospects, the GM Ned Colletti came from San Francisco where older players were preferred to prospects, and where the Dodgers have money to spend.

I still don't beleieve the Jays should trade Vernon unless they are shut out in their efforts to sign a shortstop, a starter and a catcher.

The Blue Jays season ended six weeks ago now, I assume the Jays have spoken with Vernon and/or his agent.  The lack of news could be concerning, you would think that if there was a deal in the works we would have heard about it.

Pistol - Tuesday, November 14 2006 @ 10:20 AM EST (#157857) #
So much for the interest in Counsell.  Which is reassuring given that he's not that good and not that durable.

From the same article, reading between the lines of the JP quote, I sense that Lugo may be a real possibility, especially if the Red Sox sign Drew and win the DM sweepstakes.

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