MERGED: The Official 2007 New York Yankees Thread!

[Cool Calm Mike]

Yankees willing to talk contract extension with A-Rod.

 

[Oboy]

I am starting to think Arod is gone. He said he does not want to renegotiate in season (according to Boras)... and I think that means he is opting out and thus a total FA. I think he ends up getting something sick like 34+ Mil/year! I think the Yanks give pause at that high of a number. Just my gut feeling.

 

[MikeO]

I am starting to think Arod is gone. He said he does not want to renegotiate in season (according to Boras)... and I think that means he is opting out and thus a total FA. I think he ends up getting something sick like 34+ Mil/year! I think the Yanks give pause at that high of a number. Just my gut feeling.

LOL, ......your falling for the PLOY once again. Of course he will opt out. Boras wants him to opt out so he can play other teams against the Yanks and start a bidding war so the Yanks don't have the leverage. If they talk now Borad can't go to NY and say......."I have team X offering $$$ you guys have to match that."

And he wont' see anywhere near $34 mill a season. That's just insane.

 

[Oboy]

LOL, ......your falling for the PLOY once again. Of course he will opt out. Boras wants him to opt out so he can play other teams against the Yanks and start a bidding war so the Yanks don't have the leverage. If they talk now Borad can't go to NY and say......."I have team X offering $$$ you guys have to match that."

And he wont' see anywhere near $34 mill a season. That's just insane.

I agree with all of what you are saying. However, I am still not sure that $34 mil a season is that insane. His current contract would reach $32 mil a season by '09. There is an article in the Post describing that today.

The big question is how much is LAD or LAA willing to offer him? I think those two are the biggest potential places (outside of NY) for him to go. How far is Cashman/Steinbrenner willing to go?? No one knows for sure. I kind of get the feeling Cashman is not that thrilled with Arod. I think Steinbrenner is. So it could be another power battle. Of course, this is all assuming Cash does not get fired. lol

 

[MikeO]

I agree with all of what you are saying. However, I am still not sure that $34 mil a season is that insane. His current contract would reach $32 mil a season by '09. There is an article in the Post describing that today.

The big question is how much is LAD or LAA willing to offer him? I think those two are the biggest potential places (outside of NY) for him to go. How far is Cashman/Steinbrenner willing to go?? No one knows for sure. I kind of get the feeling Cashman is not that thrilled with Arod. I think Steinbrenner is. So it could be another power battle. Of course, this is all assuming Cash does not get fired. lol

I don't think AROD goes. I think if AROD goes he never lives this down. He had to leave Texas because he couldn't take playing on a loser. If he leaves and goes to a team like LA, SF, Cubs or whoever he comes off like the hypocrite of the century. And will kill his legacy forever and he won't be able to leave it down.

 

[Oboy]

I don't think AROD goes. I think if AROD goes he never lives this down. He had to leave Texas because he couldn't take playing on a loser. If he leaves and goes to a team like LA, SF, Cubs or whoever he comes off like the hypocrite of the century. And will kill his legacy forever and he won't be able to leave it down.

That is a great point. I just do not trust Boras. He does not care about Arod like that. He just cares if he gets the most $ possible. So it depends on what he can convince Arod to do.

I still think NYY is probably one of 3 or 4 teams that can afford Arod long term.

 

[rdhstlr23]

That is a great point. I just do not trust Boras. He does not care about Arod like that. He just cares if he gets the most $ possible. So it depends on what he can convince Arod to do.

I still think NYY is probably one of 3 or 4 teams that can afford Arod long term.

You have to remember, A-Rod chose Boras---not the other way around. A-Rod knows Boras is the biggest hardass agent in MLB. He knows his clients get the most money too. That's why he signed him. A-Rod isn't worried about staying in NY. After the way fans have treated him, he could careless about the way he responds---I think it would be fitting too. He's going to opt out. If Ichiro can get a 5 yr deal for 20 mill/yr, I can almost gaurantee you A-Rod will get something around the 28-32 mill/yr for 8 yrs. How could he not? That's why the Marlins President was so outlandish in his comments on the Dan Patrick show---saying that it would ruin baseball (Ichiro's deal).

 

[MikeO]

You have to remember, A-Rod chose Boras---not the other way around. A-Rod knows Boras is the biggest hardass agent in MLB. He knows his clients get the most money too. That's why he signed him. A-Rod isn't worried about staying in NY. After the way fans have treated him, he could careless about the way he responds---I think it would be fitting too. He's going to opt out. If Ichiro can get a 5 yr deal for 20 mill/yr, I can almost gaurantee you A-Rod will get something around the 28-32 mill/yr for 8 yrs. How could he not? That's why the Marlins President was so outlandish in his comments on the Dan Patrick show---saying that it would ruin baseball (Ichiro's deal).

YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER there are only about 4 teams that can afford to pay 1 player $28-32 mill a year. And AROD is currently on one of them. So, if you leave them and take them off the table.......he drives his own price down among the other 2 or 3 teams that can actually pay a guy that much money

 

[Quelonio]

I don't think AROD goes. I think if AROD goes he never lives this down. He had to leave Texas because he couldn't take playing on a loser. If he leaves and goes to a team like LA, SF, Cubs or whoever he comes off like the hypocrite of the century. And will kill his legacy forever and he won't be able to leave it down.

Didn't he come out as that when he left the mariners for the Rangers, arguing he wanted to go to a winning team?

 

[MikeO]

Didn't he come out as that when he left the mariners for the Rangers, arguing he wanted to go to a winning team?

Yep, thats why he can't go back.

Like him or not, AROD will probably go down as one of the 3 best players to maybe ever play the game. He will have the HOME RUN record passing Ruth, Aaron, Bonds and doing it LEGIT.

His legacy is very important to the way the game will remember him. He has to take his legacy into account when he makes these kinds of decisions

 

[nyjunc]

I don't think AROD goes. I think if AROD goes he never lives this down. He had to leave Texas because he couldn't take playing on a loser. If he leaves and goes to a team like LA, SF, Cubs or whoever he comes off like the hypocrite of the century. And will kill his legacy forever and he won't be able to leave it down.

He's gone, if he opts out he's gone and it sure sounds like he's opting out. Then we lose the help from texas if he opts out so his salary will really double if he signs for $30 mil which he doesn't deserve anyway. I'd much prefer we spread that $30 mil around and improve the team than just invest in 1 star player, a star player who has proven he's not a winning player so far.

 

[DonShula84]

The Yankees have a message for Alex Rodriguez: sign an extension before opting out of your contract, or don't sign with us at all. A source told the Daily News that the Bombers have made it clear to A-Rod and his agent, Scott Boras, that they have no intention in taking part in a free-agent bidding war for the two-time American League MVP, and that if he chooses to opt out of his current contract and open the bidding to the rest of baseball, his days in pinstripes will be over.

If the Yankees are serious about this it takes one of the top bidders out of the race lowering his price. Which would make me and Arte Moreno happy but I'm not sure I'm buying it. Though giving Arod an ultimatum like this may piss him off enough that he'll say f-you and walk away from NY.

 

[BigDogsHunt]

If the Yankees are serious about this it takes one of the top bidders out of the race lowering his price. Which would make me and Arte Moreno happy but I'm not sure I'm buying it. Though giving Arod an ultimatum like this may piss him off enough that he'll say f-you and walk away from NY.

It could, but taking perhaps the "biggest" bidder out of the mix could lower his final contract value - especially with the biggest player out of the mix to play other teams against.

But whats a few million $ amongst friends.

Atleast I bet this is what the Yanks are hoping works, and convinces AROD to sign with them now, vs. risk this later.

 

[Oboy]

I keep going back and forth on this. Sometimes I think he is as good as gone. Others, I think he won't leave. He likes the spotlight. Wants to prove he can take a team to the championship. Think about it wherever he has gone, the team has gotten worse. Then soon as he leaves the team gets better. I would bet that gets brought up by the NY media if he leaves NY. Then he will be constantly fighting negative imagery. For a guy that needs to be loved... that may be too much. He finally looks somewhat comfortable in NY. I think he stays (for today anyway).

 

[Motion]

Hughes two starts away from Yanks return

The next stop is Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday night, where he is set to throw 75 pitches. Phil Hughes probably will have one more minor-league start after that before rolling into Kei Igawa's spot in the Yankees' rotation. Hughes' fastball didn't have its usually pop (his first pitch was 91 mph), and he didn't get higher than 92 mph on his next 56 pitches (36 strikes), but his curve, slider and changeup were impressive. After his outing he went to the bullpen to throw 15 more pitches. The goal is to get Hughes' pitch count around 100. "I feel 100 percent," Hughes said. "It's just a matter of getting my pitch count up." -- NY Post