When one team (NYY) accounts for about 1/4th of baseballs total revenue its much easier to understand why theyre so fiscally liberal. That doesnt make it fair or right but when owners like Carl Pohlad (Minny) and David Glass (KC) already have more money then the majority of MLB owners and go pocketing their shares from revenue sharing well its just tough to feel bad for those teams. I mean you dont need to spend at the Yankees level to win and thats been proven time and time again.
Point is that to a large degree the very spending that some of the fans in this thread claim to detest is the very spending that is responsible for some their own success. Without it that remarkable string of 15 straight division titles probably doesnt happen.
First, the Yanks farm system under Cashman is one of the Riches (LOL @ using that term in this context) in all of baseball, and second, when it comes to signing FAs if the goal is to sign them, then the amount of $$$ is relative to the goal. Yup....so in the end, its an approach, doesnt add up to a guarantee. Never has, never will.
The haven't spent their money wisely over the last 8 years? Other than last year, they had been to the playoffs for the first 7. Maybe the Braves should take a page out of their book? While the Braves are #14, the Yankees are always at the forefront--they have a winning team, they bring excitement. I don't want to hijack your thread, although in your eyes I'm sure it's just another aspect of the Yankees taking over everything, so I'll end with this reply. While, in the early 2000s it was the norm for us to give up prospects, but what have most of those guys done? Have we really given up that much? They haven't given up any of their players with all the moves they've made the past 3-4 years. This year we will lose 2 draft picks because of the signings of Sabathia and Burnett, but we value our draft again. The Yankees have money, so if they have a bad FA (Carl Pavano, Kevin Brown, etc.) they can eat it. Why should they be criminalized for using their assets? Look at the starting lineups for both teams last year: Yankees: Damon Jeter: Homegrown Abreu Rodriguez Posada: Homegrown Matsui: Not homegrown, but only team Cano: Homegrown Cabrera: Homegrown Wang: Homegrown Pettitte: Homegrown Mussina Hughes: Homegrown Kennedy: Homegrown Chamberlain: Homegrown Rivera: Homegrown Braves: K. Johnson: Homegrown Y. Escobar: Homegrown C. Jones: Homegrown M. Teixeira J. Francouer: Homegrown B. McCann: Homegrown M. Diaz M. Kotsay T. Hudson T. Glavine: Homegrown J. Jurrjens M. Hampton J. Smoltz: Homegrown P. Moylan: only team played for but like Matsui, taken from Australia R. Soriano Tell me who had more homegrown? All of those players for the Yankees other than Ian Kennedy will be back in a starting role for us. So this "idea" and it is a complete misconception that our entire team is bought stars and FA's just isn't true. We have a core of young players--Chamberlain, Cano, Hughes, Austin Jackson (minor leagues), etc. build around a core of Yankees--Jeter, Pettite, Rivera, and Posada, and then meshed with big FA's--Rodriguez, Sabathia, and Burnett.
And the homegrown talent you have left failed to get you in the playoffs with the largest payroll in MLB. What. A. Dis. Grace.
But, that wasn't the argument you started. It was that we spend unwisely and our team is full of guys we go and buy, which isn't the case. Until last year, we made the playoffs every year--that's all you can ask for. Great. Est. Fran Chise. Ever!
It's really great when you're a fan of a team that's not from the biggest city in the country and you know you'll never see a good FA come to play in your city. I definitely think that adds a lot to the sport. Shame on those cities for not being twice as big. It's getting ridiculous these days. I don't even pay attention to free agent signings anymore because I know all the guys worth a **** are going to New York or Boston. Get a salary cap already. Since there are eight million people or so in New York City and it's easy to fill seats that means they deserve the best players in FA every year? The answer is no. We should find out when all the good players down in Tampa hit FA and bet on whether they end up with the Yankees or the Red Sox.
First of all you cant be a fan of a large market team like Atlanta screaming poverty. Its contradictory and silly. Its no ones fault your ownership is cheap by comparison. Atlanta is one of the biggest cities in the US so start drawing 4 million people a season. Even when there was 15 straight division titles you guys didnt draw 3 million. I applaud the Yanks for their commitment to winning regardless the cost. I mean its either they spend it or the Steinbrenners pocket it. Given that choice go ahead and spend it. I wish my Mets would act like the play in the same market. By comparison the Coupon's are cheap. Realistically, Im not optimistic there will be a salary cap next CBA in 2011. Unlike other sports the players union in baseball is insanely strong and there are a large enough minority of baseball owners who want things to stay the way they are. If any of the above wasnt true the Yanks, Mets, and Red Sox wouldnt act like paying the luxury tax every year was more like paying a couple of dollars. I think the biggest reason people complain about the Yankees are because theyre the Yankees not because it makes any sense. The Knicks did the same thing and no one gave a crap because they were losing. Its only an issue because the Yankees are good every year.
Atlanta is not that big of an area. I live right down the road. [Well 150 miles down the road] Atlanta seems big because the southeast is largely a rural area and there are no other real cities nearby. They have a large fanbase because of TBS, not from being a giant city. The days of Ted Turner are over, I can't say I know exactly what they spend these days but I know it's not in the neighborhood of the Yankees or Red Sox. I understand why the Yankees do what they do, I just think they should be stopped.
no argument there... the Yankees are the best franchise ever. BUT, in their scoffing at the luxury tax system that is currently in place, the ownership and management of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are all but ensuring a salary cap will be put in place in MLB in the next collective bargaining agreement. but before that will happen the players union will throw a hissy fit, and there will be a strike or a lockout. and everybody but Yankee and Sox fans will understand why it happened. which is why, even though technically you are right and the Yankees and Sox are just "working within the rules as they are currently written" the rest of MLB's fans have a reason to be ticked about it beyond the fact the free agent pool is cherry picked. we see it coming and we are holding the Yankees and Sox responsible for it, which they should be. and when it all shakes out and there is a salary cap, and that player that would fit perfectly in New York, like say a Mark Texeira comes available on the free agent market in the future, and their cap won't allow it, i hope you enjoy looking back these last several years and still think that making the playoffs is all you can ask for, cause there aint many World Series titles lately for the money spent, and in the future, it is going to become that much harder for the Yankees in a salary cap system. because the era of dynasties in MLB will be over and NFL style parity will be born and alot more guys you've never heard of will be on NY's roster. and not only that, there aren't going to be as many superstars willing to be that solo superstar in NY, or one of a couple guys, even for the paycheck that will still garner, facing that media and the constant questions about "whats wrong with the Yankees?" and why he alone isn't "carrying the team to the Series every year?" like the good old (pre cap) days.
It's probably buried in the offseason thread somewhere but Smoltz looks to be going to the Red Sox. I know there are health issues but this one stings for me. Should have seen it coming I guess.
just leaves glavine. bad thing is tim is a free agent I think after this season. So we might be going through this again
Braves haven't done **** this off-season except sign Vazquez. Word is Lowe is coming to town for a chat. I hope they can sign him too.
I guess they're going to sit on their third place team and hope for a miracle. This has been a disappointing offseason up to this point.
Did we just not make Smoltz an offer or was the Sox offer better? Its going to be weird seeing him in a uniform other than the Braves.
We offered Smoltz around 3M or so and the Sox are reportedly offering around 5 or 5.5M with another 5 available through incentives. Outbid by Boston, there's a shocker. Or maybe they know something about his health nobody else does. Who knows.
yeah I read that too. There are supposed to be some more middle tier fa pitchers braves are interested in as well. Not sure whats going on with that though.
Honestly, I think more had to do with him being in the starting rotation, at least from what I have read, at the back end, then the money. From what I understand Atlanta was iffy about offering him a spot on the starting rotation and of course he wanted to be a starter, which is partly why he is rushing back.
i think he sees Boston as a better shot at winning another title before retiring at this point. with the Yankees loading up and the Rays still being solid, not sure i agree, but his time clock is ticking down fast right now. it will be weird to see him anywhere else. but kind of like Zach and JT, Smoltz has earned my loyalty. i know those former Dolphins left under different circumstances, and get it if anyone is bitter with Smoltzy for leaving, i can understand it. this is just my rationale. so i guess i will have to become a quasi Red Sox fan this season, much like i found myself pulling for Dallas, and to a lesser degree Washington, in hopes Zach or JT could get to the Super Bowl before Miami's amazing run.
also the ESPN ticker reported Lowe was meeting with Atlanta today. hopefully the Braves make sure Hudson doesn't make it to the market if his health is not an issue. guess the Braves ought to check on what offense is available in free agency too, and see what the asking price is for Peavy these days. definitely been a bad offseason so far. still time to change that though.
I'm thinking more like Atlanta should have done more to keep him. I bought tickets and drove to Atlanta several times just to see him pitch. This just really sucks to me. It was so much fun watching him on the mound down at the Ted.
thats how furcal screwed the braves bad really. peavy can decline a trade even if the padres agree. One thing he didn't like about the atlanta trade was that they were getting rid of their good shortstop. So the hope was to get furcal then trade away yunel, but since furcal did what he did............peavy is probably a no go.
i figured at the time the Furcal thing went downhill that was the plan but hadn't seen it in writing.
Well it hasnt looked good for the direction of this franchise this offseason, but I still think you have enough young talent that if you go after 2 of the remaining arms you can survive this. If Mike G is fully healthy you have a nice relatively-young closer. But you have to get to him with the lead and thats the rub. But its the young hitters that need to return to form and figure out how to increase opponents pitch count, work it, and get on base and be driven in the way this franchise used to maximize its offense in the Mid 90's plus....that staff back then was freakish and may never be duplicated with top 4 of Maddux, Glavine, Smoltz and Avery but your offense needs to take the pressure off the arms. Getting 2 out of Lowe, Sheets, Perez, even Kawakami could do the trick, and if you really wanted your offense would improve by signing Manny but that is unrealistic. But I still think your farm system has some of the brightest talent...its a shame that some of the past hyped guys (especially arms) havent panned out...but you still have others if your FO chooses to pass up any of these FA guys.
my local sports page reported the Braves have agreed in principal with Japanese pitcher Kawakami... the Braves web site has an article confirming; http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/news/...t_id=3739179&vkey=news_atl&fext=.jsp&c_id=atl
For you guys? Yes. Horacio Ramirez is a bum. If Soriano can stay healthy hes one of the top setup guys in the NL.
Well there is the 2 I mentioned...now it really comes down to offense taking the pressure off the rotation....good luck with that.
Here's the actual snippet from rotoworld: The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Derek Lowe and the Braves have agreed to terms on a four-year, $60 million contract. The deal is scheduled to be finalized Wednesday after Lowe takes a physical exam. Atlanta has focused on starting pitching this offseason, adding Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami and Javier Vazquez to a rotation that includes holdover Jair Jurrjens. Lowe went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings last season and has started at least 32 games in seven straight years, making him one of the most durable starters in baseball. Missing out on A.J. Burnett no doubt disappointed the Braves, but they're likely better off with Lowe at two-thirds of the monetary commitment. Jan. 13 - 10:53 am et Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution
The Braves have reached preliminary agreement with free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe on a four-year, $60 million contract, according to major-league sources. The deal, first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is pending a physical. Lowe, 36, is the third starting pitcher added by the Braves this season, joining right-hander Javier Vazquez and Japanese right-hander Kenshin Kawakami. http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9073212/Source:-Braves-land-Lowe-with-4-year,-$60M-deal?MSNHPHMA
Derek Lowe is a solid signing. I'm a little hesitant due to his age, but he's been one of the more consistent pitchers in baseball over the past 5 years. The Braves still don't have a true ace, but they have something that they haven't had over the past few years. The Braves now have a couple of inning eaters. Both Lowe and Vasquez are 200+ inning guys. This will help tremendously in the long run, because it will allow the Braves to not overuse their bullpen. Lowe, Vasquez, Jurrjens, and Kawakami are all guys who have pitches with sink action and induce ground ball outs. They are guys that can go 7 innings on a low pitch count. I think this will really help the Braves, because as I said, one of their biggest issues has been overusing their bullpen.
Finally. A great signing by the Braves IMO. Lowe, along with Vazquez and Kawakami were all solid additions, and suddenly our staff is looking a lot better.
