SABATHIA & TEIXEIRA TO THE DODGERS? HELL NO

I don't normally like writing about what already didn't happen, meaning a story that came out today that suggested that the Yankees got a call from the Los Angeles Dodgers asking about the availability of CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira but then moved on to the Sox. Joel Sherman of the New York Post had that story, read HERE and it's a great piece today, but we already know the Dodgers have Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez, Nick Punto and Carl Crawford and what's done is done.

Sure, we can imagine what could have happened, but that doesn't do any good after the fact. Look, the Dodgers probably knew the answer from Yankee brass would be "No", but I guess if you are trying to steal a page from the Steinbrenner playbook (Read HERE), you make that call, who wouldn't I guess.

Sherman writes: "...what led to a phone conversation with the Yankees about Sabathia (four years at $99 million left after this season) and Teixeira (four years, $90 million left after this season). The Yanks told Dodgers executives they had no interest in moving either."

But this is the best part, and totally shatters my theory about the Yankees wanting Alex Rodriguez to be the all-time home run champion in pinstripes (WHY THERE'S A PLAN FOR ALEX RODRIGUEZ)...Sherman suggests that the Yankees could have tried to push ARod on them, check it out:

"However, the more interesting concept is Alex Rodriguez. Now there are no signs the Dodgers were interested in A-Rod. Ramirez is playing short now, but they view him as their long-term third baseman with the currently injured Dee Gordon at short. And it is not hard to find executives who think A-Rod would not hold up as an everyday third baseman in the DH-less NL.

But, if nothing else, this episode should dissuade us from using the word “untradeable” to describe any contract. In Crawford, for example, the Dodgers just took on a player who recently underwent Tommy John surgery and, thus, is no lock to be ready for next season. Crawford was miserable under a microscope in a big city in Boston. He will not play for the Dodgers this year and has five years at $102.5 million left after this season.

By comparison A-Rod has five years at $114 million left after this season, has a fading body and is a polarizing figure. Plus, he is six years older than Crawford.

Nevertheless, you could make a case for a Yankees-Dodgers winter deal involving A-Rod..."

Whatever the case, the Yankees are in a pennant race, they're not trading away the Monster and Tex, although it's flattering I guess if you're those guys. But I think ultimately the Yanks and CC and Teixeira genuinely like each other. Alex? Well, let's just say Sherman's right...there is a case for moving Alex.  Me personally? I know his contract is ridiculous and many can't stand him, but I like Alex in the Bronx...but I really REALLY want to see this guy hot in New York... and I feel like it's never going to happen.

Great piece Joel Sherman.

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THE DODGERS ARE STEALING A PAGE FROM THE STEINBRENNER PLAYBOOK

The Los Angeles Dodgers went big this past weekend and clearly Magic Johnson is on his way to become the George Steinbrenner of the West Coast. In case you live under a rock, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto were traded to the Dodgers for James Loney and 4 minor leaguers.  Read HERE.  It was a crazy weekend if you were a fan of one of those teams.  If you were a Yankee fan, it was just nice to see the Red Sox being disrupted for a change.  It was interesting to me because I just don't know how I feel about rooting for Don Mattingly's Dodgers and wanting guys like Josh Beckett do well... I am not a fan of that guy at all!

This is a picture from Nick Punto's Twitter account of Beckett, Gonzalez and Punto on their way to LA on an airplane.  Man, Twitter's so freaking cool.

What's interesting to me though is the Dodgers and how they'll be perceived.  Lord knows, the Yankees have been bashed for years because they went out and bought players that would help their team win.  Seems like a weird strategy right? Notice the sarcasm.  The Los Angeles Dodgers are doing what they're supposed to do.  If you have the money to purchase guys and guys you think can help your team are available, don't you go for it?

The Yankees did it for years, the Red Sox have done it.  Last season the Rangers and Marlins did it.  Team's are catching on and it doesn't make sense to me that it's the Yankees...always the Yankees, that are the ones that are buying championships.  Why? Why not the Dodgers? They literally bought 4 guys, pretty good ones I might add, that can offer a lot for their club.  Now their is talk that they want to buy into a TV deal... read HERE.... let me guess... the moon is next, right?

Look, I wish the Dodgers well.  But, I wish the media would be alittle more consistant when it comes to teams and their purchases.  The Yankees will forever be hated by the sports media because when George Steinbrenner came in, he came in with an iron fist, demanding wins and in turn, he got wins with guys like Reggie Jackson and Catfish Hunter.

Then again, with Tino Martinez, Paul O'Neill and David Wells.  The media jumped all over him suggesting he was buying championships and then anti-Yankee fans joined in.  All I have to say is, where are those sports pages that are defending the great Yankee teams? My friend Tony said it best in a tweet to me the other day. He wrote:

So true.  Magic Johnson is a business man at the end of the day, if he wants to get whatever players he needs to win a championship, let him.  Shane Victorino. Hanley Ramirez. Josh Beckett. Adrian Gonzalez.  Hell, he had an opportunity, he has the money, he's going for it. It's the American dream, you play to win, in baseball, in life!  So let him, but I just wonder, will the media start blasting the Dodgers for buying a championship? Monitor it...watch it closely, because I have news for you...they won't.  God forbid the Yankees sign a big name starter this winter though, they'll hear it again from around the globe, much like they did when they signed CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira... and won a championship.

Look, all I'm saying is this...at the end of the day, the whole reason for owning a team isn't to just get by, it's to win it all.  So... the Dodgers are taking a page from the Yankees playbook.  I applaud Magic Johnson, but I wonder if he'll hear the same crap us Yankee fans have heard for years... No... I doubt it.

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DEAL DONE? SOX & DODGERS COMPLETE BLOCKBUSTER

“You want to fix Boston? Trade away your trouble makers and eat their contracts and bring in and up young energy. Boston needs to rebuild and half of the problem is the manager and the other half are the guys that won’t play for him.” 

–BYB- LEADERSHIP IS EARNED, NOT ASSUMED

Yeah yeah, I’m quoting myself.  OK, it’s looks like I’m an arrogant jerk, I’m not... I’m making a point. And it's this same point I'm struggling with though ironically, because as much as I’d like to act like someone on the Sox and Dodgers paid attention to Bleeding Yankee Blue, my quote above was obvious. Plus, now, as a baseball fan, I'm in a spot. More on that in a moment. Bottom line, Red Sox Nation is in shambles and the only way for them to move forward is to either fire Bobby Valentine, which John Henry would never do, or get rid of the trouble makers.

In this case, Josh Beckett, one of the ring leaders in the Chicken & Beer parties, Adrian Gonzalez, the guy who allegedly texted Sox brass about getting rid of Valentine, Carl Crawford, the most expensive bust in baseball and…Nick Punto… right… Nick Punto have been moved.   OK then.  According to MLB.com, "Crawford and Punto both cleared waivers and can be dealt to any team. Crawford underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow earlier this week, so he won't be able to play until 2013." Read HERE.

(In Photo: James Loney)

In return, and according to Jon Heyman, Dodgers will give up "James Loney and four young players -- Rubby De La Rosa, Jerry Sands, Allen Webster and Ivan De Jesus. In terms of dollars, it may be the biggest, with about $270 million in contracts remaining going to LA. (minus the cash the Dodgers will receive)." Read HERE.

Now this is the part that I’m having a hard time with...the part I'm struggling with....  Holy crap… The Dodgers actually may have a productive team for every Yankee fans favorite player, Don Mattingly!  Magic Johnson is hungry and the fact that a guy like Gonzalez is actually being sent to LA is great for Donnie! Adrian will really help that lineup! But the whole thing is crazy to me, because I like to root for Donnie, but I can't stand guys like Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. How am I supposed to do this now?  Yeah I want Donnie to succeed, but I don't want those guys winning anything!  

So yeah,  “It’s the deal of the century” for both teams as I read on Twitter from many, meaning, it’s a fire sale for the Sox. They can now rebuild and the Dodgers get a few guys that can actually be productive for them in what appears to be a pretty tough pennant race in the NL West.  Nuts to think about, but true.

And where does that leave the Yankees? Focused in the AL East, they have to be!  This doesn't change a thing for them, it's one game at a time.  They still have the Rays breathing down their neck.  They still have Buck Showalter in the Orioles in 3rd with something to prove.  They just need to ignore it and go out and play good baseball. That's it.

There are conflicting reports on if this deal is officially done or not, the latest report is it's done, but it will hinge on a Josh Beckett physical, read HERE.

MLB Trade Rumors reports the money part of this which I'm very interested in:

•  Gonzalez will earn $21MM per season through 2016 and obtain a raise to $21.5MM for 2017-18. The total exceeds $130MM when accounting for the remainder his 2012 salary.
• Beckett will earn $15.75MM per season through 2014.
• Crawford will earn $20MM in 2013, $20.25MM in 2014, $20.5MM in 2015, $20.75MM in 2016 and $21MM in 2017.
• Punto earns $1.5MM per season through 2013.

Deal Done, according to many... Wow.
 

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BOSTON SHAKEUP: SOX & DODGERS NEGOTIATING BLOCKBUSTER

 Update 9:25pm EST: The Boston Globe is reporting: "Pete Abraham reported that the Red Sox would receive from the Dodgers: (James) Loney, right handed minor league pitcher Rubby de la Rosa, minor league outfielder Jerry Sands, minor league infielder Ivan DeJesus, and a prospect."

(In Photo: Adrian Gonzalez looks shocked)
Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston says the Red Sox and the Dodgers are working on a deal that would send Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto...right...Nick Punto to the Dodgers.  Read Gordon's tweet HERE. 

Don Mattingly is about to get saddled with a bunch of slackers or Magic Johnson is making a run to help Donnie Baseball win his first ever World Series ring.  It's getting very interesting and we will have a followup on this story if the deal goes down. I'm dying to know who the Red Sox would get.  My oh my, what has happened to the Boston Red Sox?

More later...stay tuned...

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NOT OUR DAY YANKEELAND, NOT OUR DAY

On Monday of this week, David Phelps recorded his third win of the season with a creditable five-inning outing against the Rangers.  Today... well, let's just say it was a different day. The Boston Red Sox knocked the luster off that victory over the Rangers in the very first inning. Boston's second hitter Carl Crawford singled to left, stole second, and came home on an opposite field HR by Adrian Gonzalez.  The Red Sox led 2-0 and really never let the Yankees up for air the rest of the day.

 

The Yankees put the first two batters of the inning on base in the bottom of the first.  Derek Jeter walked and Nick Swisher followed with a single to left.  In what would be a harbinger of the Yankee performance, Robinson Cano struck out, Andruw Jones grounded out weakly to third, and Casey McGehee struck out to leave both runners stranded.  Jon Lester was masterful in the first and through the remainder of his seven innings of work.  He ran his career record  against the Yankees to 9-4. 

 

Jon Lester threw 105 pitches, 61 were strikes.  The story of Lester's day was that many of the strikes were out of the zone.  He worked down and in to right-hand batters and down and away to left-hand hitters.  The Yankees showed little or no pitch recognition ability and virtually no plate discipline.  Lester recorded 13 of his 21 outs via the ground ball.  Red Sox third baseman Nick Punto recorded seven assists, while shortstop Pedro Ciriaco recorded another three assists as the Yankees beat balls into the ground for routine putouts.

 

Ciriaco was also a major story on the offensive side for Boston.  He went 4 for 4 on the day and scored a run.  He is now 15 for 29 against the Yankees this season.  Ciriaco also had a 4 for 4 day against New York on July 7th.  He has officially staked his claim as the current holder of the "Yankee-killer" title. We've said it before here at BYB, this kid's something special to watch. Unfortunately, we don't need him playing well against us Yanks.

 

The Yankees managed a lone run in the fourth inning on a solo HR from Curtis Granderson, his 32nd of the season.  Otherwise the Yankee offense was miserable.  They never managed more than a single hit in any inning.  New York batters also struck out six times on the day, and managed to get only a very few balls into the outfield.  Robinson Cano's day personified the Yankee futility.  Cano struck out in the first, lunged at a ball in the third and was put out on a weak fly to center.  Cano recorded another bad at bat in the sixth, as he swung weakly at the first pitch of the inning, and rolled out second to first.  Robinson also loafed down the line on the ground out.  Cano's final at bat was another ground out into a 3-6-3 double play to end the eighth inning. 

 

Apart from the Granderson HR, Nick Swisher did manage two hits and Ichiro Suzuki added one more to his total.  Ichiro has now hit safely in 20 of his 22 starts as a Yankee.  Suzuki also stole a base in the fifth inning following his only hit of the game. 

 

In addition to the first inning runs, Boston scored on Nick Punto double in the fifth inning.  His hit plated Ciriaco who had reached base via one of his four hits.  Boston added another run in the ninth on a wild pitch.  Scott Podsednik scored after he singled to lead off the inning and was pushed to third by a Ciriaco double.

 

This was an ugly game for New York.  The Yankees seemed to have pop-singer Adele on their minds, or at least lyrics from her song, "Rumor Has It."  The Yankees played like they had their collective "head in the clouds."  A beautiful 78-degree day was turned ugly by a lackluster Yankee performance, the final was Boston 4  New York 1.  

--Frank Gentry, BYB Writer

Twitter: @yankeefrank23



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THE YANKEES GUIDE TO THE AL EAST

It’s almost time again, Opening Day is around the corner and I can hardly wait! The Yankees made a lot of moves during the off season, and now it is time to see Cashman’s plan put into motion. The AL East is always a tough division, which also makes it so exciting to watch every year. You can find it all here from fierce rivalries to some of the best hitters in the game. This year will be no different, the Yankees aren't the only one to make changes and it is about to get interesting….so let’s break out the scouting report!

Baltimore Orioles

(In Photo: Brian Matusz)
Buck Showalter has a very young team that has a lot of potential but depends heavily on a few key players. Last year, the Orioles young and promising pitching staff did not pan out as they had hoped. This year, Brian Matusz is likely headed back to AAA and and Jake Arrieta is looking for a bounce back year after having shoulder surgery. Showalter has already named Arrieta as his opening day starter, so all eyes are on him. The Orioles are also going to count on Mark Reynolds to make more contact with the ball than he does with thin air since the Orioles do not have a lineup rich in offense. Another key to the offense will be Brian Roberts. Although he is currently on the disabled list with a concussion, he is the best lead-off hitter they have, and if his bat is out of the lineup it is noticeable. Matt Wieters is also crucial to the lineup, and while he is pretty solid defensively he has a hard time batting from the left side. The Orioles are still going through some growing pains, but they have a lot of potential.

Toronto Blue Jays

(In Photo: Ricky Romero)
The Blue Jays become even more dangerous with every year, if the Blue Jays were in the AL Central, they might be division winners. This team has a lot of young talent including a strong starting rotation and two closers. Ricky Romero has turned into the ace of a young staff, who has inexplicably managed to induce ground balls at an amazing ratio but has a higher than average fly ball ratio to go with it. Somehow, he keeps batters guessing and it works for him. The bullpen is also going to be a strength for them with two potential closers Francisco Cordero and Sergio Santos both capable of shutting down the game. Offensively, the Blue Jays have a big question mark with Adam Lind who is very streaky but can hit for power. Of course, Jose Bautista knows how to hit for power. After putting up similar numbers in both 2010 and 2011 there is no reason to think his numbers will be any less impressive.

Tampa Bay Rays

The Rays have one of the strongest starting rotations in the entire league along with a productive offense to back it up. David Price is back again along with James “Big Game” Shields who are one of the most dangerous 1-2 pitching combinations in the game. Last year’s Rookie of the Year award winner Jeremy Hellickson is also back after working on some adjustments. One notable difference this year is Wade Davis transitioning to the bullpen, which will only make the bullpen bridge to Kyle Farnsworth even stronger. Offensively, the Rays may not hit for as much power but BJ Upon, Evan Longoria and newly reunited Carlos Pena (yes, again) can come in and deliver during a clutch situation. One of the biggest strengths that the Rays have is their defense, which is fundamentally sound. It will be interesting to see how the lineup changes without Johnny Damon this year, but make no mistake, this is a dangerous lineup.

Boston Red Sox

Oh can you feel the rivalry? The team has gone through a drastic makeover. Goodbye Theo, Francona, Captain Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, and Jonathon Papelbon….and hello change. After an epic collapse, it is time to see what Bobby Valentine brings out of the announcers box and onto the field. The starting rotation is still a big question mark with Daniel Bard taking on a starting position, Matsuzaka still out and John Lackey missing all of 2012. New closer Andrew Bailey is now dealing with a thumb problem which makes things even more complicated. The Red Sox have options, but they could use some depth. The offense is still as lethal as always, but it will be interesting to see how the lineup changes now that Marco Scutaro is not on the team, can Nick Punto handle a starting role at shortstop? Carl Crawford is still injured and will be looking for a comeback, but the Red Sox still have a lot of power in Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Dustin Pedroia. It’s a new look to an old rivalry and I can’t wait to watch the drama unfold!

On Friday the long 162 game season starts and I can’t wait to see how the Yankees new roster stacks up against everyone else. The battle for the AL East is always exciting, but this year it is going to be even more intense. It is hard to predict anything, but you can count on one thing…..it will be a fight to the finish. PLAY BALL!

--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor

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