<font color=goldenrod>Anyway, apparently K-Rod took a physical in New York already and the Mets are said to have made the best offer so far, although he isn't entirely happy with the money.</font>

If Manny wins the NL MVP I will lose all respect for every baseball writer.

Well he put the team on his back and hit RIDICULOUSLY!

I mean I don't think he is going to win it, I think Pujols is getting it. But I feel Manny was everything an MVP is. Without him, the dodgers don't make the playoffs.

I think the Dodgers would have made the playoffs without Manny because the NL West was so terrible this year. If they were in any other division, they would have struggled. Pujols or Howard deserve it more.

Also, as a Red Sox fan, I don't want to see a player we traded away win the MVP on a different team. Already saw it happen a few years ago when the Bruins traded Joe Thornton to San Jose.

Why? This isnt about the best player, or who played the most games with a team, it is about the value to a player to a team.

Manny took the dodgers from fighting for second, to the NL championship game.

Who else even came close to that value?

take Pujols away and cards are still a middle of the road team. Take away manny and there is no way the dodgers make the playoffs.

The Cards are a middle of the road team? They had a better record than the Dodgers while playing in a much, MUCH tougher division. The only reason the Dodgers went to the playoffs is because the NL West is garbage. 30 of Manny's 53 games with LA were against teams with losing records.

It was bad enough that Pujols was robbed of the MVP in 2006 but if he doesn't win it this year it'll be a travesty.

Ryan Braun deserves some consideration. More than Manny does. Pujols should wind up winning because he helped make Ryan Ludwick and the rest of that line-up look legitimate. Ryan Howard's first half numbers were too atrocious for them to let him win the award. This is how it will probably wind up:

1. Albert Pujols
2. Ryan Howard
3. Ryan Braun
4. Manny Ramirez
5. Aramis Ramirez

Take away Pujols and the Cards still finish 3rd in their division.

So that is middle of the road to me. They dont suck, but they arent a playoff team.

Without manny the Dodgers finish no better than 3rd. That is Value.

Yeah, I can see Braun having a case. Good point there.

Howard/Utley cancel each other out and eat up one anothers vote, plus utley missed time.

The Dodgers were playing .500 baseball and only 2 games back in the division before Manny came so to say they'd somehow finish 3rd behind Colorado without Manny is ludicrous. Arizona played sub .500 baseball after the Manny deal as well. And people seem to easily forget that LA had the NL's best team ERA.

St. Louis was in contention for the wild card up until the last two weeks of the season. If you think they would've been anywhere close to that without Pujols you are grossly mistaken.

I think a team needs to make a playoff for a guy to count as MVP...But to each their own.

If you want Pujols to win it, then you support voting for Josh Hamilton for MVP too. Neither team made the playoffs but would be "Worse" off without them.

Pujols wins

2. Howard
3. Braun
4. Manny

I think I got it right

Howard winning would be even worse than Manny. The argument that Manny was valuable is at least legitimate. Howard is a candidate entirely on stat inflation because he hits in a monster lineup. If Pujols had the opportunities Howard had the MVP race wouldn't even be a contest. Howard had 223 plate appearances with runners in scoring position (4th most in the majors) compared to Pujols' 176 (57th). And even despite Howard's high HR and RBI numbers, he only ranked 25th in Runs Created (Pujols is #1).

This doesn't even get into the 13 less errors Pujols made at 1st base.

There's more to it than making the playoffs. If St. Louis was in the NL West you know they would have won that division easily.

For most of the season, the 3 NL teams with the best records were Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. Playoffs or not, Pujols rightfully earned the MVP award this season.

<font color=goldenrod>Giants sign Jeremy Affeldt to a 2-year deal, first player to change teams via free agency this offseason.

Look for teams needing an upgrade at lefty specialist to all start going hard for Joe Beimel.</font>

So you guys were cool with A Rod winning it in texas? I know thats an extreme example, I just think some form of accomplishment should be part of the MVP race.

Im not trying to knock on Pujols, the guy is a beast, I just dont like his MVP win.

Who is taking the AL MVP?

A-Rod won because there was no one else to give it to. It was either him or Delgado whose team was also out of contention. Shannon Stewart finished 4th in the MVP voting that year. SHANNON STEWART

<font color=goldenrod>In a relatively odd decision, the Yanks and Cubs will play their final Spring Training games of the year in the new Yankee Stadium. Seems odd to want to have your first game in a new park being an exhibition, though I'm sure the Mets will do something similar as well.

If the Subway Series weren't a yearly occurrence, it woulda been awesome to see both NY teams play exhibitions against each other to start their new parks.</font>

The Reds played two exhibition games against Cleveland when they opened Great American. It only makes sense to want to have a test run to make sure everything goes accordingly.

<font color=goldenrod>Good point, suppose it would suck to open a stadium to silence because the PA system wasn't installed properly or something.</font> :o

<font color=goldenrod>One thing I never got - why is rookie status determined by at-bats and not plate appearances? If you exceed 130 ABs as a hitter, you are not a rookie for the next year. But if you walk, it doesn't count towards the total. Odd.

I just realized that Daniel Murphy had 131 ABs on the year to kill his chances for 2009 ROY :o If he had walked instead of striking out in his pinch-hitting appearance on the last day of the year, he'd still be rookie eligible.</font> :(

Going to make a bit of a bold prediction here...

Andruw Jones will regain his form next year.

What form is the to regain? He has bee sliding for a few years now, makes me wonder if he was juicing.

My AL MVP Predictions. Let's see if I get this one right too.

1. Dustin Pedroia
2. Justin Morneau
3. Francisco Rodriguez
4. Carlos Quentin
5. Josh Hamilton

Oh and Andruw Jones is done. He may be able to hit 20 HR's if he has enough at-bats, but his batting average will be hovering around .200

Flubber always regains it's natural form. Didn't you know that.

Pedroia wins AL MVP, Morneau second

Cubbies re-sign Ryan Dempster.

Pedroia? Terrible, IMO

I think it's fair. I would have been ok with any of Pedroia, Morneau, or Youkilis winning.

I mean the Red Sox lineup went through a lot of turmoil this year and only had 3 guys qualify for the batting title.

Really nobody stood out from the pack enough to be a runaway candidate.

If you watched enough Red Sox games this season you would see that Pedroia came through in the clutch more than anybody in the AL. He spent parts of the season hitting leadoff and clean-up. Won a gold glove, silver slugger, led the league in hits, runs, and doubles. And his team made the playoffs. What more do you want?

Very surprised that Youkilis finished third, I thought the votes would have been split between him and Pedroia and he would have finished 5-6.

The Reds are apparently seriously interested in trading for Garrett Atkins from Colorado. Not sure what they're offering in return but Bruce won't be involved. Dunno about Cueto though.

one reporter had him off his ballot completely...

they have the reporter on the local radio station now and they're killing this guy.

This guy has no good argument.. They keep asking him why and comparing people and all he says "i just thought..."

At least the guy from Chicago years ago who didn't vote for Pedro at all said "I'll never put a pitcher on my list".

<font color=goldenrod>A's bench coach Don Wakamatsu is the new skipper of the Mariners</font>

I think Joey Cora will wind up being a better major league manager, but Wakamatsu is a good choice for Seattle. I don't know if he knows any Japanese, but maybe he can finally reach out to Ichiro and pull his head out of his ass.

<font color=goldenrod>I had a class canceled today and thus, a sudden influx of free time. So I went ahead and planned out what would be my dream offseason for the Mets.

With about $25 million available to spend for the 2009 season (probably more factoring in stadium naming rights and ticket prices going up), here's what I'd like to see:

1. Sign K-Rod: He's overrated, but I trust him a lot more than Brian Fuentes and I'm afraid of Wood. They are trying to give him 3 with 2 option years, but odds are they'll have to go 4 guaranteed. Either way, make it backloaded so it doesn't eat the offseason budget.

2. Sign Derek Lowe: I'm REALLY leery of giving another old pitcher a 4 year deal right after finally getting Pedro off the books, but he's been crafty and consistent, and will probably go for less than bringing back Oliver Perez due to not being young and left-handed.

3. Sign Joe Beimel: The lefty tandem of Scott Schoeneweis and Pedro Feliciano just didn't cut it last year. Beimel should certainly be an upgrade, I'm expecting he'll get a similar deal to what Jeremy Affeldt got from the Giants.

4. Trade Schoeneweis or Feliciano: Once you get Beimel, there's no point in having three lefty relievers. Try to trade one of the two other guys, take anything you can get in return. Schoeneweis had the better year last year of the two, but is much more expensive. Surely someone would be interested though.

5. Trade Aaron Heilman: Get him the fuck out, one way or another.

6.. Trade for Huston Street: I keep hearing two things - the Rockies want to trade Street and are one of the only teams still interested in Heilman. Supposedly, they would trade Heilman and make him a starter again, something Heilman's been begging for since 2006. If they really like him like I hear they do, I'm hoping maybe something like Heilman, Nick Evans, and change could get it done...if so, I'd jump at it.

6. Trade Luis Castillo: This is not gonna be easy, as Minaya's stupid contract means Castillo still has 3 more years to go. If he goes, it would certainly be as a part of a "crap for crap" swap, which is just fine with me.

7. Sign Orlando Hudson: Obviously, this can only happen if Castillo is traded. Hudson's deal would also most likely have to be backloaded in order to squeeze into the budget. I really like O-Dawg and supposedly he wants to be a Met...but it all depends on if Luis can be offloaded.

Doing all that would leave the team with:

C Brian Schneider/Ramon Castro
1B Carlos Delgado
2B Orlando Hudson
SS Jose Reyes
3B David Wright
LF Daniel Murphy/someone else to platoon with him (Angel Pagan maybe?)
CF Carlos Beltran
RF Ryan Church

LH Johan Santana
RH Derek Lowe
RH Mike Pelfrey
RH John Maine
LH Jonathon Niese

RH Francisco Rodriguez (Closer)
RH Huston Street
LH Joe Beimel
LH Pedro Feliciano or LH Scott Schoeneweis
RH Joe Smith
Then 2 of: RH Bobby Parnell, RH Eddie Kunz, RH Duaner Sanchez, RH Brian Stokes, or anyone else brought into Spring Training

Bench: Backup C, OF Endy Chavez, OF Angel Pagan, a utility infielder (possibly bring back Damion Easley), and someone else to fill in the last spot

----

Do I see all of that happening? Nope, but I think it would be one hell of a team.</font> :o

To me pitchers just pitched to Pedroia, he didn't strike fear into them like a Morneau would.
I dunno.
Guys as player, don't get me wrong, I'd take him on my team.

If it wasn't for Morneau the Twins would have finished last.

The question that always comes up is can you have a "League MVP" if the team isn't in the playoffs or atleast close.

I watched a lot of Pedoria, I don't think they pitched to him, they also didn't pitch around him... (I know that doesn't make sense...) it wasn't like how many made Ortiz better because they'd pitch to Ortiz cause they didn't want to pitch to manny (and sometimes vice versa).

with all the injuries, he really didn't have protection... maybe at somepoint you could argue Youke when he hit #2...

I just can't see this guy who left him off the ballet... especially when he said he had him as #1 for MVP most the season and when they kept asking specificly what changed his mind he had no answer.

Anyway.. off-season is here... word is Derek Lowe wants to come back to the East Coast... he's divorced his wife and hopefully controlling his drinking, if so, love to have him back.

he was the MVP of that 04 champ, he pitched every big game in the off-season.

According to a sports radio station in Kansas City, the Red Sox have traded Coco Crisp to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez. I haven't seen any of Ramirez's work, but he has posted respectable numbers the last two years in KC and Colorado. They are also saving a shit load of money too as Ramirez isn't eligible for arbitration until 2012. Not sure what to make of it though as Coco really picked up at the end of the season when Ellsbury started slumping.

<font color=goldenrod>Time to have a nice big glass of LOL:

In a recent report for FoxSports.com, Ken Rosenthal says free-agent RHP Derek Lowe is seeking a ‘Zito-type contract,’ according to executives with two different teams.

:lol:

I mean, I guess it makes sense for him to shoot for the moon while the Yanks are still hunting for starters...but once they lock up Sabathia and Burnett, his price SHOULD drop. But my God...</font>

I don't think Lowe's price will drop after Sabathia and Burnett sign. He becomes the top starting pitcher on the market after them. Boras can claim that he is better in the playoffs than Sabathia and is more durable than Burnett so he should be making around the same as they do. Typical Boras claims.

In the end, Lowe will probably sign for $14-15 million for three years with an east-coast team. And yes I know that I just contradicted myself.

<font color=goldenrod>That's just it though. Saying he wants a Zito like contract means he wants 6 or 7 years for well over $100 million. As good as Lowe's been, anybody who commits to a 35 year old for anything longer than 4 guaranteed is batshit crazy.</font>

yeah, cause Zito's deal turned out great.

It's Borus... what did we expect?

it's interesting that the economy is effecting sports... Nascarr is in big trouble, Golf is having issues with sponers pulling out.

Football expects to get hit because one of the top 2 advertisers/sponsers are auto companies.

if people are having trouble paying their mortgage, they aren't going to renew their 50/seat baseball tickets.

Mets/Yanks should still make a splash with the new stadium.

Lowe is a good lefty who has a good post-season record.

As for the Coco trade, it made sense... Ellsbury did slump, but he will be the future, we get a great set-up or specialist and a low price/future.

Also, there is talk Masterson may be a starter next year, so that role gets filled.

<font color=goldenrod>Lowe is a righty...

Anyway, according to Ken Rosenthal, Mussina is hanging 'em up.</font>

I always enjoyed Moose even though he was a Yankee. He was awesome as an Oriole and until this year he was probably going to be the greatest starting pitcher to never win 20 games.

I hope the Sox keep Masterson in the bullpen, he did good as a starter but I think he will find his calling setting up for Paps. They should be able to find a reliable starter on the market.

J.P Ricchardi said in a report that he probably isn't gonna sign anyone. That's great, because our hitting was SOOOOOO good last year, and it's not like we didn't lose our #2 pitcher to Free Agency, our #3 to Tommy John surgery and our #4 just returning from major arm surgery or anything.

Cardinals sign Trever Miller

A's sign Chris Schroder

BREAKING NEWS:









































JAVIER VAZQUEZ STILL FUCKING SUCKS

Mets rumor: Could be trading a package of prospects including F Mart for Bobby Jenks and Jermaine Dye.

Not sure what I think of it yet. What you think of it BV?

Padres trade Khalil Green to the Cardinals for 2 prospects to be named.

Looks like Edgar Renteria is on his way to San Francisco.

And winter meetings start today!

Khalil Green, if he could ever get his batting Avg. up, he`d be something to fear with all the extra protection that he`ll have in the Cardinal line up.

Vazquez's Era will drop .50 with the league change, so he is a viable 3rd pitcher in the NL, for cheap. The guy eats up innings and has a huge K total.

I like that move for the Braves.

If they land Peavy and somehow sign a bat, they could contend in the east.



Any word on where Dunn is going? I really thought the Jays should haev made a run at him.

Yeah, if Greene could bat .290, he would be a great threat in front of Pujols.

I think Dunn will probably wind up in Washington. They don't need another outfielder, but Bowden loves him some OF and will find a way to give Dunn, Willingham, Dukes, and Kearns AB's. Maybe Nick Johnson could be on his way out if they sign Dunn.

And I think Javier Vazquez slept with Dave Wadding's relative while spending a season in Arizona. That has to be the reason he hates him so much.

11-15 4.42 ERA

Randy Johnson in 2005: 17-8 3.79 ERA

Greg Maddux expected to announce his retirement at the Winter Meetings. Maddux was the second best pitcher of his time in terms of longevity and is the smartest baseball player to ever touch the rubber. If he wants, he can have any pitching coach job he wants right now.

In other news, David Ross signs a 2-year deal to be McCann's backup in Atlanta.

Everybody is waiting.

According to Pete Gammons, CC Sabathia won't make a move until Mark Teixeira signs, and Derek Lowe won't make a move until Sabathia signs.

This is gonna be a long offseason if this is the case.

LOL

<font color=goldenrod>Since I'm bored, here's a quick look at some of the big signings/trades I think will ultimately happen, in no particular order:

1. Teixeira - Angels: I just can't see the Angels letting Tex get away. Local teams like the Orioles and Nationals are apparently craving Tex but I'd think he would prefer to sign with a team that actually has a chance of competing.

2. Peavy - Cubs: Rumor has it the Orioles are gonna be the 3rd team in a deal, so I can see this happening. Cubs will have an awesome rotation.

3. CC - Dodgers: They have two rotation spots opening up, CC wants to be on the West Coast, and presumably play in the NL. I doubt the Dodgers will offer as much as the Yanks will, but I think CC will agree to take a couple million less to settle somewhere he wants to be.

4. Burnett - Braves: No explanation needed here really, this is close to getting done.

5. K-Rod - Mets: The Mets need a closer and they have a ton of options available to them in both free agency and trading. However, I think they really want K-Rod and will sign him, as well as trading for a guy like Huston Street to set up and give K-Rod a day off now and then.

6. Manny - Giants: Don't think I've seen this one mentioned anywhere. But anyway, the Giants are rumored to be willing to spend a fuckload to get Sabathia, so that shows they do have money to spend. If CC goes to the Giants, I think they'll invest their money at trying to fix their offense. Manny doesn't seem to care where he goes as long as the money is right.

7. Lowe - Yankees: With Sabathia and Burnett gone, I see no way the Yanks let Lowe get away as well. He's concerned more about dollar amount than years, so that should be no problem for the Yanks.

8. Fuentes - Brewers: Brewers seem to be the Mets' only competition at the two main FA closers, so I can see them settling for Fuentes when the Mets outbid them for K-Rod.

9. Wood - Tigers: Tigers seem to have interest in Wood and I can just see it being a fit. Probably a 2 year, incentive laden deal.

10. Oliver Perez and Ben Sheets: I can see both of these guys either staying with their old teams or essentially swapping teams. Sheets could be a nice #2 for the Mets if he can stay healthy, which is a big if.</font>

CC to the Giants is what I'm hearing more so than the Dodgers.

AN ALEX STORY...



A-Rod desperately seeking himself



Alex Rodriguez is a walking identity crisis. He is perpetually looking for something new because he never has found himself. He is the Howard Hughes of baseball, rich and famous beyond belief and still searching, seeking, yearning.

Right now, he is dabbling in a new religion, dating 50-year-old Madonna after divorcing his wife and trying to reaffirm his status as the best baseball player in the world instead of a $300 million nightmare. And now, in the latest chapter of his early midlife autopsy, Rodriguez is planning on dissecting his heritage.

Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday that Rodriguez plans to play for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Rodriguez played for the United States last time around, though the decision, as is de rigueur with A-Rod, came with all sorts of consternation.

Before the inaugural WBC in 2006, he first leaned toward playing for the Dominican. Then he wouldn’t dare choose between his native country (the United States) and his family’s homeland (the Dominican). Eventually, he bowed to the wishes of Major League Baseball, which needed his star power for the U.S. team.

Whatever the current motive of Rodriguez’s decision – to honor his family, to win the tournament or to rehabilitate an image tarnished like dull silver – it reeks of calculation, as do many of his actions. However brilliant Rodriguez looks on the field – and at his best, he is without peer – he continuously sports a dunce cap with his other antics. He gets caught by cameras with a stripper fling, disses Derek Jeter, apologizes and says he misses having sleepovers with the Yankees captain, opts out of his richest-ever contract during the World Series so he can get one even more lucrative, spends his money on apartment complexes that The New York Times exposes him running like a slumlord and, if that wasn’t enough, dumps his wife for the world’s biggest tabloid magnet and finds himself strewn in the pages of glossy magazines here and across the pond.

Rodriguez needs, like, a prayer. Because the confusion that consumes him isn’t all self-induced.

He joined Seattle as an 18-year-old, thrust into the life of a ballplayer that is so different from reality. Adoration was a birthright, attention a drug, and it took a place like New York, where a person’s true self is always exposed, to show that Rodriguez’s actions weren’t guided by narcissism or stupidity as much as immaturity and the indecision that accompanies it.

He is a kid, or at least his actions say he is, and Rodriguez is either acting out or on the path toward an adulthood filled with contentment and peace. If he is self-aware enough to understand that decisions about religion and marriage and ethnicity are not ones made willy-nilly – that all of these things comprise a person and should not be dictated by others – then he’s well on his way to the latter.

Though everything points toward this being another in a long line of A-Rod decisions made for the wrong reason. He was born in New York, lived in Santo Domingo for about four years and moved to Miami as an 8-year-old. Even though the WBC allows a player whose family comes from a country to play for it, that rule exists primarily so teams such as Italy aren’t filled with no-names.

Without A-Rod, the Dominican is loaded. That makes him look like even more of a carpetbagger.

Rehabilitating his public image at this point is like cleaning up the Exxon Valdez, so the best Rodriguez can hope for is little victories. Leading the Dominican to the WBC championship after it struggled as the favorite last time would help. And if he hits for the Dominican like he has for the Yankees in the postseason – well, it’s tough to get beaten up much more than Rodriguez already has.

Before any of the public reconciliation starts, Rodriguez needs to start by figuring out himself. Never will he be Joe DiMaggio, the New York Yankee who handled his tabloid life with the world’s most famous blonde with grace and style. A-Rod hasn’t even officially confirmed he’s dating Madonna and the whole thing is already a disaster.

The best he can hope for is to be Alex Rodriguez, the best baseball player in the world, who after years of looking found his identity and realized he no longer needed to search, seek, yearn.

<font color=goldenrod>Tigers acquire C Gerald Laird from the Rangers for pitching prospects Guillermo Moscoso and Carlos Melo</font>

<font color=goldenrod>The Mets bought K-Rod and his agent a steak dinner...Jeff Wilpon even attended. Wilpon is typically involved in the final stages of Mets negotiations with big players.....so I wouldn't be shocked at all to see the Mets leave the Meetings with K-Rod as their new closer</font> :love:

Hopefully he can do well when asked to get 6 out saves all year

WINTER MEETINGS!

Reports going around saying that Cashman's chat with CC Sabathia was "great".

Sources claim that CC Sabathia wants to be a Dodger. The Dodgers are the perfect fit for CC. It allows him to hit, it's close to his home, and he wants to win. If they offer CC a contract somewhere near the Yankees I guarantee he'll take it. The belief that players are forced to take the highest offer by the Player's Union is a myth. Same goes for the agents pressuring the player. The union and agents will do what the player wants.

Tigers reportedly sign SS Adam Everett to a contract.

Brewers sign RP Todd Coffey.

I'm very happy with what the Tigers have done so far.

All they have to do is sign Wood or Fuentes and I will call this offseason a success

Greg Maddux calls it a career.

Lots of stuff went down over night.

Dodgers sign Mark Loretta.

Andy Pettitte to the Red Sox?

Yankees are prepping an offer to Ben Sheets.

Mets deal for K-Rod is about 3-years $37 mil.

I haven't heard Dodgers signed Mark Loretta. Where did you find this?

I get most of my info from mlbtraderumors.com

Yeah me too, but I still haven't seen the Loretta signing anywhere

Nevermind, I dug deep into the archives and found it. I'm surprised ESPN and Fox Sports didn't pick up the story

It seems like the Peavy to the Cubs rumors are getting serious. The Orioles and Phillies are reportedly in on the deal. Personally I think that pitching isn't the Cubs' problem, it's their strength. They should be spending more time on getting hitters. But I don't blame them for trying to get Peavy, especially for the package they're giving up.

The Vets vote 2B Tom Gordon into the Hall of Fame.

<font color=goldenrod>Listening to Mike Francesa on the radio today made me want to vomit. He was going on and on about how Sabathia is "embarrassing" the Yankees by not taking their contract offer. And a bunch of people were calling in and agreeing, saying he's an idiot for needing to be sold on the Yanks, etc.

It's like they refuse to believe that a professional baseball player doesn't want to sign with the Yankees...AND for less money, no less.</font>

Done deal! K-Rod and the Mets agree to 3-years, $37 million.

Casey Blake is also on his way to the Dodgers.

Unconfrimed right now, but CC Sabathia has declined the Yankees offer. The Giants are supposed to be heavy hitters right now.

Kerry Wood could be on his way to the Indians.

Trade news: Orioles trade catcher Ramon Hernandez to the Reds for Ryan Freel and a prospect.

Wow, we resigned Blake, and if we could get CC, it would be amazing

The CC thing is ridiculous. In the past two days I've heard he told the Dodgers he wanted to be with them, that the Giants are "supremely confident" that they will sign CC and then today I heard that the Brewers are the front-runners.

I just hope one of the big free agents signs soon so all the pieces start falling.

If CC goes elsewhere I am actually dreading what Brian Cashman will offer Burnett and Lowe. Glad that they sent an offer to Sheets though. Obviously injured a lot but he will cost a lot less than Burnett and Lowe and if healthy is better than both.

It's not always about the highest dollar. CC couldn't spend 140 million in his or his kid's or his grandkid's life, not could he spend 100 million. After the number gets way up there it becomes, or it should, about fitting into a plan and a lifestyle.
Some people will want to go to the Yankees or Red Sox, but for others that's not going to suit their personality or their lifestyle. If anything, people should applaud a guy like CC that recognizes this and isn't just looking for top dollar.
Maybe he ends up in New York pinstripes in the end anyway.

Very happy we landed K ROD, but it doesn't end there. We have got to build a bridge to get to him. Still a long ways to go.

I'm with you on Sheets, Dragon. I would have thrown a low-risk offer to Sheets just to see how he would stay healthy and sign either one of Sabathia/Lowe/Burnett.

All I know is that Cashman better get the ball rolling, getting kinda nervous right now we're gonna walk out of this with nothing.

37 / 3 = 12.333 million. For a closer. Crazy.

If he has 70 appearances, that's 70 innings (ish), he'd be commanding over $176,000 per inning/appearance. Hard to justify that, IMO

Like it or not, closers have all the leverage on the free agent market. It takes a certain breed of pitcher to spend one inning warming up and then being at your best for one inning a night. Some great starting pitchers can never make the adjustment to the bullpen, and the claim that anyone can be a closer is ridiculous. When has a closer by committee ever worked for a team? Especially when it concerns a team like the Mets who could have had another eight wins this year if it weren't for the bullpen. They can afford to spend the $12 mil a year on a closer.

OT: Which has been a more frustrating rumor so far this week? The CC Sabathia drama or the Jake Peavy is going to the Cubs, I mean not going to the Cubs, I mean certain to go to the Cubs, err no chance of going to the Cubs until the team is sold rumor?

Is a player worth $28.5 Mil per season?

That's what K-Rod is making in a pro-rated season.

But still, teams like the Mets can afford to spend that kind of money on a closer. Closers get paid to do what they do, just like hitters get paid to hit, and starters get paid to pitch at least 6 innings a go around.

And doesn't A-Rod make $28.5 million a year?

3 for 37? I take that anyday of the week! Its better than 5 75 thats for sure

This had to be done, we needed the premier closer on the market and we got it at a discount.

His value dropped or at least no one was buying into his demands. 15 mil a year for 5? that's garbage.

BREAKING NEWS: Reports flying around this morning is that CC Sabathia has agreed to the Yankees' offer.

Rockies agree to a deal with Alan Ambree

Rafael Furcal is still being bounced around.

Cubs and Padres got a long way to go to iron out a Jake Peavy trade.

The Yankees topped the Braves' offer to AJ Burnett but just a few million.

<font color=goldenrod>Shame that after all that, he decided to sign there anyway. Then again its the largest contract ever given to a pitcher. I give Sabathia credit for fully looking at his options first.</font>

<font color=goldenrod>According to ESPN, the Yanks had to guarantee a 7th year. $160 million

And now they are on the verge of signing Lowe for 4 years, $66 million</font>

What I've read, says Cashman went to meet CC, not that he signed him. But it does sound like it's getting close.

Jesus that's a lot of money for a 300 pound man.

<font color=goldenrod>3-way deal supposedly in the works that would see the Mets land J.J. Putz to be their new set up man......they'd be dealing Aaron Heilman, Endy Chavez, and Mike Carp</font>

So Sabathia gets 7 years with an opt out clause after 3. 3 years is supposedly when all of the California teams will have the money to sign him. Apparently the Brewers would've had to put the same 3 year clause in.

I don't get it, I don't really care, but Sabathia and his agent are geniuses.

Its lookin like were dealing Heilman and Joe Smith now. The idea of Putz and K Rod is very nice, and I would welcome it with open arms, I'm just a big fan of Smith's.