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My letter to Mark Teixeira: It was all about the money

By Joe Florkowski | January 7, 2009 | Big A Baseball

Dear Mark Teixeira,Call this sour grapes if you will but....When I read that Mark Teixeira made his decision to go to the Yankees based on his wife's decision, I said to myself, "What a LIAR!"Mark, you went for the money.Just be honest. You went for the money.The Yankees offered you between $12 million and $20 million than you were getting from other teams.Don't try to develop this cutesy story about how you asked your wife where you wanted to be and she hemmed and hawed and said that she wanted you to be happy, but then - oh my gosh - she turned around and said, "I want you to be a Yankee."That sure is a great story and I am sure it will make the back pages of the New York tabloids. But it is a bunch of hooey.You went for the big payday. I can't blame you. I...

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Report: Giambi Signs 1 Year Deal with A's

By Brian Lestz | January 7, 2009 | The Bronx Block

According to the NY Post here, Jason Giambi's tenure with the Yankees officially came to an end yesterday as he signed a 1 year-deal with Oakland. The deal reportedly is for $4.5 million, and includes an option for 2010 at $5 million with a $1 million buyout. It is rumored that $4 million of the deal goes to Jason, while the other $500,000 goes to his mustache.Not to toot my own horn, but I predicted this signing over a year ago (Giambi's, not his mustache's). It just makes sense for the A's, as they've developed a tradition of looking for value in post-prime, high on-base, high slugging players whose value has taken a hit (David Justice, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, Mike Sweeney). Billy Beane is always looking for hidden value; and injury risks who are past their prime are probably discriminated against more so than they deserve (especially when it's...

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Pavano - a gamble worth taking

By Ron Vallo | January 6, 2009 | Tribe Report

My Yankee-fan co-workers will be laughing in the morning.In fact I'm certain they are laughing right now, but I'm not within earshot at the moment so I can't hear them.They are laughing because, while they signed CC Sabathia (just for starters), the Indians have inked a deal with Carl Pavano to help fill out their rotation.(Read Michael Taylor's initial take on the deal here)(Photo credit: Keith Allison/Flickr) Yankee fans HATE Pavano. And now the lowly Cleveland Indians - one of baseball's many Bob Cratchit's (I know the seasonal reference is a little late but it is still Three Kings Day after all) - have had to go panhandling and came up with the despised Pavano.His crime?...

Read more | 5 Comments | Tags: Carl Pavano, Cleveland Indians, Joe Smith, Kerry Wood, Mark DeRosa, Mark Shapiro, New York Yankees

Pettitte rejects Yanks $10M offer

By Nick Shlain | January 6, 2009 | True Yankee

A reunion seemed inevitable at the start of the off-season, but now it is uncertain. Pettitte has rejected the Yankees' one-year, $10 million offer, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, and there is no standing offer for now.Pettitte could return because some in the Yankees' hierarchy want him back. But in a winter of aggressive activity, the Yankees have been unwilling to bend for Pettitte. As an eight-year, $180 million deal for first baseman Mark Teixeira becomes official with a news conference Tuesday, the awkward Pettitte drama plays out in the background. (Source)Alright, Pettitte looks to be playing some serious hardball. The Yankees should probably just bite the bullet now and a throw a few million more dollars at Pettitte. Bringing him back sets up their rotation very nicely. If he doesn't return, Phil Hughes would be the 5th starter. I would feel much better about the Yankees...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Andy Pettitte, MLB, Phil Hughes, Yankees

Yankees keep sticking it to Red Sox

By Evan | January 6, 2009 | Fire Brand of the American League

It started with Jose Contreras as the first strike then moved on to Mark Bellhorn and Alan Embree... it graduated to Johnny Damon and Carl Pavano... then they whisked away Mark Teixeira and made sure we couldn't bring Kevin Cash back by bringing him aboard too... and now they've signed... JASON JOHNSON!

When will this madness ever end! Johnson, an ex-Red Sox had an 0-4 record with six starts for the Red Sox during 2006 where he also played for the Cleveland Indians and Cincinatti Reds. His ERA in those starts? 7.36. Curse you, New York! Who will you take from us next?

Read more | 8 Comments | Tags: Boston Red Sox, MLB, New York Yankees

Initial Thoughts of MLB Network

By Alan Smodic | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Much like DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package, the MLB Network is more baseball than one can handle. -- programwitch/Flickr.com

On January 1, Major League Baseball followed in the footsteps of the NFL and NHL by unveiling its own channel -- the MLB Network.If you don't already know what this exactly is, MLBNetwork.com's about page helps:MLB Network stands for Major League Baseball Network, which means access to more baseball than America's ever seen! This new 24-hour network delves into the world of baseball, going far beyond the field. Fans can tune in at any time for fresh perspectives, current news, the latest trade rumors, pre and post-game banter, highlights and more.Again, if you've seen the NFL or NHL networks, just picture those and think baseball. I wasn't sure if I'd receive the channel (I get the NFL network, but not the NHL), so I was surprised to see it coming in through my satellite. Obviously, I checked it out.I was impressed with my first viewing. The first show I saw...

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Guess who said this

By Nick Shlain | January 5, 2009 | True Yankee

"I still don't have a good feel about their club," one former Yankees player said. "They'll have a great statistical club, but I still think they're so away from what made them great. They don't have enough down-and-dirty guys like (Scott) Brosius, Tino (Martinez) and (Paul) O'Neill." (Source)Chad Curtis, is that you?...

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: MLB, Yankees

Weekend Update: Catching up...

By bottomlinesox | January 5, 2009 | The Bottom Line

Jason Varitek - Bosoxs

Incase you spent most of the weekend recovering from a New Years party hangover, here are a few tid bits you might have missed: The Providence Journal is reporting that the Red Sox have rekindled talks with Scott Boras about Jason Varitek and a two-year deal may be on the table. Boras is still hoping to get Tek a four-year deal and around $10M per year, but with no other suitors, the Sox can afford to wait for reality to sink in. That said, I'm not too keen on using a combo of Bard/Brown/Kottaras in 2009, so I hope the Sox either re-sign Varitek or bite the bullet and trade Buchholz for a young catcher like Saltalamacchia or Montero. * * * * Gregg Zaun told the Boston Globe he would love to play for the Red Sox: "I'd love it. My agent has had ongoing talks with Boston and I...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Doug Mirabelli, Gregg Zaun, Jason Varietk, Los Angeles Angels, Mark Teixeria, New York Yankees, Scott Boras

Initial Thoughts of MLB Network

By Alan Smodic | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Much like DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package, the MLB Network is more baseball than one can handle. -- programwitch/Flickr.com

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MLB Top 10: Best Offseason Acquisitions to Date

By Jaymes Langrehr | January 5, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Oakland won the Matt Holliday sweepstakes in November -- bryce_edwards/flickr

It's hard to believe that baseball's offseason is nearly over, but pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just over a month. A struggling economy and penny-pinching GMs have led to a somewhat slow offseason, but that doesn't mean good deals were made. With all the publicity the Yankees' spending spree is getting this winter, it's easy to lose track of some of the better deals that flew under the radar. Here are 10 smart transactions (made at a sensible cost) that you may have forgotten about.10. Jeremy Affeldt to the Giants -- signed for 2 years, $8 millionThe first free agent signing of the offseason wasn't very glamorous, but it's turned out to be one of the better (read: sensible) signings of the offseason. Affeldt may not light the world on fire, but he's a very solid lefty reliever that will make San Francisco's bullpen better. Give credit...Read more

Read more | 5 Comments | Tags: Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Top Ten, Washington Nationals

Top Fits for Andruw Jones

By Evan | January 5, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Andruw Jones - kla4607/Flickr.com

With word that the Los Angeles Dodgers have restructured outfielder Andruw Jones' contract to an affordable $5 million deal (with the rest of the $15 million deferred over the next six years without interest) and a pledge by the Dodgers to release or trade Jones so he can land with a new team, which teams seem like fits for Jones?There are a couple criteria that need to be met to fit for Jones. One is that Jones is primarily a centerfielder, although we won't let that play too much into our fits -- outfielders, centerfielders most notably, tend to move around the outfield corners more often than infielders do.Secondly, Jones has expressed a desire to start and will control his fate if he is released. Only through the trade market would a team be able to secure him as a fourth outfielder if they promised to give him ample playing...Read more

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers

Baseball's (and the Yankees') free spending

By Alan Smodic | December 30, 2008 | MVN Outsider

What some people actually believe. -- andycarvin/Flickr.com

The stories themselves are a little old, but I didn't come across them until today when Deadspin put together a small piece on it.But there's obviously been some fallout throughout baseball over the recent spending of the New York Yankees to the tune of $423.5 million for the services of A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira. In comparison, the rest of the teams in MLB have spent $296.6 million combined. (Yes, the Yankees have spent more than every other team combined.)That being said, the New York Times and MLB.com recently put out stories centering on this topic, but looking at them through eyes of each team.Talk of a salary cap is brought up in each article, especially the MLB piece with Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who wrote to the Bloomberg News that "at the rate the Yankees are going, I'm not sure anyone can compete with them. Frankly,...Read more

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, MLB Outsider, New York Yankees

MLB Top 10: Baseball's Best Stories in 2008

By Jaymes Langrehr | December 29, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Evan Longoria - Keith Allison/Flickr.com

We're just a few days away from ringing in 2009, so it's time to look back on the year that was 2008. Major League Baseball provides us with tons of memories every season, but only so many can make it into a Top 10 list -- here are the Top 10 moments from this past year in Major League Baseball. Feel free to share your own in the comments section.10. This is the game that never ends...The final All-Star Game played at Yankee Stadium lasted nearly 5 hours (4 hours, 50 minutes), and would have lasted longer if Justin Morneau wasn't able to beat Corey Hart's throw home on a sac fly by Michael Young. The game tied the record for innings played in the Midsummer Classic, matching the 15 innings played in the 1967 affair. With so many innings being played, a number of records fell -- the 2008...Read more

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MLB Crystal Ball -- Yanks no lock for playoffs with Teixeira

By Jaymes Langrehr | December 24, 2008 | MVN Outsider

New York's signing of Mark Teixeira was both a surprise and an inevitability. On one hand, the Yankees were surprisingly quiet when it came to reports of the offers Teixeira had on the table. We heard about the Angels. We heard about the Red Sox. We even heard about the Orioles and Nationals. But we didn't hear much about the Yankees -- just that they may be interested, but not willing to make a splash like they did in the CC Sabathia sweepstakes.Just hours after the Angels dropped out of the running and the finalists were whittled down to Boston and Washington, we learned that Teixeira and the Yankees agreed on an 8 year deal worth a total of $180 million. Sure, most were surprised (and later expressing varying levels of anger) that the Yankees had signed the biggest bat on the market, but if anything, this shows that we...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Mark Teixeira, MLB, MLB Crystal Ball, New York Yankees

Yankees Return To Desperation Already

By Nicolas A. Lewis | December 14, 2008 | MVN Outsider

AJ Burnett during a rehab stint with the AAA Syracuse Chiefs Larry Coor/flickr.com

Last offseason, when the Yankees - without actually coming out and saying it - finally admitted that perhaps throwing money around at free agents like it was going out of style was perhaps not the wisest decision, and that it might be a good idea to try building internally from the ground up, I was genuinely happy. The main reason I had always despised the Yankees was not because they were always winning, but because they had been the bully of the yard, the group who had always decided that they could solve a problem by simply spending a lot of money - even when signings like Kevin Brown tried to show them otherwise. It would appear as though the Yankees have given up on that reformation after only one season, and I for one am nothing but disappointed. It's like the fat guy on "Biggest Loser" who gets...Read more

Read more | 19 Comments | Tags: A.J. Burnett, CC Sabathia, MLB, New York Yankees

Winter Meetings Report: Sabathia disappoints with NYC money grab; Mets dominate closers market; Big bats still available

By Brandon Rosage | December 12, 2008 | MVN Outsider

One host couldn't hide his disdain for the plot twist CC Sabathia supplied for baseball's off-season storyline, while the other host can't get enough big market spending. In this "Winter Meetings Report," The Pitch hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage bicker about the affect Sabathia's signing has on the off-season market, as well as the business of entertainment for Major League Baseball. Discussion also moves to the New York Mets' acquisition of Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz to solidify their bullpen, and the latest developments regarding Mark Teixeira and Manny Ramirez' future. Plus, the show gives some time to the Red Sox' new logos and added rumor mill sorting. Join the discussion, listen in and participate via e-mail (thepitch@mvn.com) or in the comments....Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: audio, Boston Red Sox, CC Sabathia, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Washington Nationals

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