Yanks money pot goes dry, unable to pickup pitcher at deadline
CHICAGO – The countdown was on to three o’clock on Friday afternoon as the baseball trade deadline was winding down.
Cliff Lee was already gone from Cleveland to Philadelphia. Jarrod Washburn was earlier in the day traded from Seattle to Detroit. While in Toronto, Blue Jays General Manager JP Riccardi was trying to hold pitcher Roy Halladay up in exchange for the GDP of some small country.
The Yankees, in need of a starting pitcher, appeared to search far and wide for an answer to their rotation situation that at least was helped by the early second half performances of Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte. They were beginning to reach a point where Chamberlain’s innings are going to have to be restricted due to the innings limit the team has on him this year.
The team needed a starter and if they really think Sergio Mitre is going to be the answer, someone may want to go and chase Kei Igawa from the minors.
The deadline came and no pitcher showed up on the team’s doorstep. For the last week, you heard reports that the Yankees finances were on shaky ground. That they had reached their limit in terms of spending and could not take on any more money. The contract given out to Mark Teixeira being the last big money deal the team could take on. Even the economy and the recession had brought down even the biggest spender of them all.
You want to know how bad it is? The Yankees and Royals had agreed to a trade in which right-hander Brian Bannister would from Kansas City to New York. The problem was that the Yanks were asking that Kansas City to pay the remaining $650,000 on his contract through the end of the season. The Royals said “no”, and the deal was off.
Just three weeks prior, the team has executed a similar deal with the Pirates for utility man Erik Hinske where they forced the Pirates to pay the remaining $400,000.
Suddenly, it’s the Yankees needing bailouts as if they are the car industry.
If we know anything now, it’s that with the current economic climate, the cap the team will spend is around $206 million. Not a penny more. If Hal Steinbrenner had his way, the payroll would likely be 30% less. This is an admirable position to take after all these years of grotesque spending. But in a year where they are in prime position to chase after and gain that World Series that has eluded them since 2000, playing tonight’s game with baseball’s best record, all they can muster to the mound was Sergio Mitre.
Sure, he did well in his first start, got away with some mistakes in the second and nearly avoided disaster.
Tonight, he showed why the Yankees were trying to avoid from bringing him up a month ago in Minnesota and had to rely on Alfredo Aceves out of the bullpen as a spot starter, who coincidentally has not pitched well and complained of shoulder pain ever since.
No team with a payroll as high as the Yankees should ever have Mitre starting games, unless it is a doubleheader. Even then, that is debatable.
The price for Halladay was too high because not only did the Blue Jays make it that high, but the $20 million owed to him ($5.75 million this year) was going to be something the Yankees can take on right now.
You are probably laughing and thinking to yourself how is it that the richest team in baseball can suddenly run out of money. Unfortunately, a combination of less than expected profits coming from sponsors and other advertisers. Also, the fact that they had to discount their tickets by as much as 50% in some sections, and give away remaining unsold tickets to their current ticket plans holders have brought down revenue.
Don’t get me wrong, the team is still hemorrhaging money from their new palace. At $10 a beer and enough for parking, they are getting away with the sports version of murder. However, what would be hefty profit for other teams is going back into paying Teixeira that $180 million to play great first base, hit bombs and drive in runs.
They make a lot and they spend a lot. Now the two have collided and it’s the Yankees waiting for when significant money can be cleared from payroll this winter.
For now, until further notice, the team has to deal with Mitre. His night would be short lived, going only three innings, giving up a 3-0 first inning lead and charged with five runs and seven hits while throwing 75 pitches to get nine outs.
He had nothing, and the team was powerless to do anything. No one was going to come to the rescue to bail him or the team out. They would have to make do with they have and find a creative way to get through these last month of the season and simply hold their breath that a career long injury prone pitcher (Burnett) holds up. A pitcher (Sabathia) who was thrown 513 innings the last two years doesn’t wear down. A 23-year-old pitcher who is being put on a limit (Chamberlain) has the team creatively get him through the season within “parameters”. And then hope that Andy Pettitte, at his advanced age, can get through the season without showing serious decline.
As currently constructed, they can win a five or seven game with that front four starting and closing a series. The question right now, can the team win enough games to get to October having to hold their breath once every five days?
They can hope for waiver wire deal and hope to land a pitcher much like Boston did last season with Paul Byrd, but the percentages on that happening are very slim.
With Mitre out there, it now becomes a situation where you cross your fingers and toes and pray the night before hoping he doesn’t get rocked.
CHICAGO – The countdown was on to three o’clock on Friday afternoon as the baseball trade deadline was winding down.
Cliff Lee was already gone from Cleveland to Philadelphia. Jarrod Washburn was earlier in the day traded from Seattle to Detroit. While in Toronto, Blue Jays General Manager JP Riccardi was trying to hold pitcher Roy Halladay up in exchange for the GDP of some small country.
The Yankees, in need of a starting pitcher, appeared to search far and wide for an answer to their rotation situation that at least was helped by the early second half performances of Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte. They were beginning to reach a point where Chamberlain’s innings are going to have to be restricted due to the innings limit the team has on him this year.
The team needed a starter and if they really think Sergio Mitre is going to be the answer, someone may want to go and chase Kei Igawa from the minors.
The deadline came and no pitcher showed up on the team’s doorstep. For the last week, you heard reports that the Yankees finances were on shaky ground. That they had reached their limit in terms of spending and could not take on any more money. The contract given out to Mark Teixeira being the last big money deal the team could take on. Even the economy and the recession had brought down even the biggest spender of them all.
You want to know how bad it is? The Yankees and Royals had agreed to a trade in which right-hander Brian Bannister would from Kansas City to New York. The problem was that the Yanks were asking that Kansas City to pay the remaining $650,000 on his contract through the end of the season. The Royals said “no”, and the deal was off.
Just three weeks prior, the team has executed a similar deal with the Pirates for utility man Erik Hinske where they forced the Pirates to pay the remaining $400,000.
Suddenly, it’s the Yankees needing bailouts as if they are the car industry.
If we know anything now, it’s that with the current economic climate, the cap the team will spend is around $206 million. Not a penny more. If Hal Steinbrenner had his way, the payroll would likely be 30% less. This is an admirable position to take after all these years of grotesque spending. But in a year where they are in prime position to chase after and gain that World Series that has eluded them since 2000, playing tonight’s game with baseball’s best record, all they can muster to the mound was Sergio Mitre.
Sure, he did well in his first start, got away with some mistakes in the second and nearly avoided disaster.
Tonight, he showed why the Yankees were trying to avoid from bringing him up a month ago in Minnesota and had to rely on Alfredo Aceves out of the bullpen as a spot starter, who coincidentally has not pitched well and complained of shoulder pain ever since.
No team with a payroll as high as the Yankees should ever have Mitre starting games, unless it is a doubleheader. Even then, that is debatable.
The price for Halladay was too high because not only did the Blue Jays make it that high, but the $20 million owed to him ($5.75 million this year) was going to be something the Yankees can take on right now.
You are probably laughing and thinking to yourself how is it that the richest team in baseball can suddenly run out of money. Unfortunately, a combination of less than expected profits coming from sponsors and other advertisers. Also, the fact that they had to discount their tickets by as much as 50% in some sections, and give away remaining unsold tickets to their current ticket plans holders have brought down revenue.
Don’t get me wrong, the team is still hemorrhaging money from their new palace. At $10 a beer and enough for parking, they are getting away with the sports version of murder. However, what would be hefty profit for other teams is going back into paying Teixeira that $180 million to play great first base, hit bombs and drive in runs.
They make a lot and they spend a lot. Now the two have collided and it’s the Yankees waiting for when significant money can be cleared from payroll this winter.
For now, until further notice, the team has to deal with Mitre. His night would be short lived, going only three innings, giving up a 3-0 first inning lead and charged with five runs and seven hits while throwing 75 pitches to get nine outs.
He had nothing, and the team was powerless to do anything. No one was going to come to the rescue to bail him or the team out. They would have to make do with they have and find a creative way to get through these last month of the season and simply hold their breath that a career long injury prone pitcher (Burnett) holds up. A pitcher (Sabathia) who was thrown 513 innings the last two years doesn’t wear down. A 23-year-old pitcher who is being put on a limit (Chamberlain) has the team creatively get him through the season within “parameters”. And then hope that Andy Pettitte, at his advanced age, can get through the season without showing serious decline.
As currently constructed, they can win a five or seven game with that front four starting and closing a series. The question right now, can the team win enough games to get to October having to hold their breath once every five days?
They can hope for waiver wire deal and hope to land a pitcher much like Boston did last season with Paul Byrd, but the percentages on that happening are very slim.
With Mitre out there, it now becomes a situation where you cross your fingers and toes and pray the night before hoping he doesn’t get rocked.
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