Maddux is going to the Yankees

[Rizon]

Originally posted by attackemu
Am I the only one who saw that the link LLN gave says Maddux isn't joining the Yankees?

I'm finding contradicting links all over. Everything is constant everwhere: "Yankees deny talking to Maddux".

Course, thats what they ALL say. Celebs deny breaking up or engagements or children. Teams deny theyre talking to so and so. Then a few days later the news comes out.

I'll just sit here and polish my batteries until I know for sure.

[KILLERBS24]

The Yankees are denying it because they want to make themselves look like a big deal again with the ARod press conference tomorrow. They want that to big the big sports story so Steinbrenner can see his work all over the media and doesn't want anything to detract from that. Come wednesday or thursday the Maddux talk will 'start'

[John C]

Who is to say that Maddux is a great pickup for the Yanks? Do they have any youngsters that can benefit from his wisdom? Other than the fact that they have two vacuum cleaners on the left side of the infield, and a great lineup, he's not that much better than Kevin Brown anymore.

That's NOT to say that Kevin Brown is bad. Far from it. But it's to say that Brown is unreliable, something Maddux might end up being this year, if age continues to wear him down the way it has.

[John C]

Just to add to my argument, I'm *shocked* that Maddux isn't going with the Cubs. Was his breakup THAT bad?

I'm also surprised the Cubs didn't try to overwhelm him from the beginning. Could you imagine his experience and intelligence with Prior/Wood, and how much better he could make them? It's also a NL team, and (in my opinion) the favorite to go to the World Series out of the NL (deeper than Houston, not as battered age-wise offensively).

[Ervinmagicsmall]

Not to sound like Oliver Stone or anything, but is anyone else subscribing to the Scott Boras Quid Pro Quo theory? "Hey, I'll push ARod and Hicks into accepting a trade, if you, Georgie-boy, offer my guy Maddux what we're asking for..." Then George trades Contreras for Vidro.......

[John C]

Wouldn't shock me. Montreal has become where Yankees go to become former Yankees.

[Crapshoot]

Originally posted by sixto
i'll tell you, to the end of my days i expected i'd be an anti-competitive balance person. and i still am. but goddammit, george steinbrenner is really trying my patience. on one hand, i can't justify telling him not to spend money that he has to spend. on the other hand...goddammit!

that's me. ITs straining, right about now. I honestly think a reasonable course of action for smaller teams is to demand a larger share of revenue from games they are involved in- The Yankees TV contract is valued at a $100 million or so, and its reasonable for small market teams to get a share out of that.

[Johnny Slick]

Eh, if Maddux gets signed, I don't think it's that big of a deal. I don't know how his DIPS look, but by ERA+ he was a slightly above average pitcher last year and he's going to turn 37 this year. Maybe he bounces back, maybe he doesn't. At that age, CW points to "doesn't."

[crackpott]

it's got nothing to do with his stats. It's the fact the Yankees can just say "We need a pitcher... well, who's available? Let's sign him."

I don't understand what would be the unions beef with a cap/floor that would put the overall amount spent at the same total as it is now.

[BaseballMan]

yeah but that yankee lineup could make Maddux look like Maddux of the past. Just look what it did for Andy Pettite and they didnt even have A-Rod. You dont really need a great ERA to pitch for the Yankees. Just good enough to hand it over to Rivera. Of course you still have to pitch better than Jeff Weaver but i think Maddux's grandmother could do that. Dont tell George though he might try to sign her.

I think it might make a interesting race. Boston did get a pretty good pitcher and if Manny & Nomar are pissed off maybe they will play better.

But we havent even started the season yet. Theres still 162 games to play and in my view anything can happen and who knows maybe Tampa Bay comes up with a miracle.
Buying the best players dont always guarantee success and if the Yankees fail to win the Series you can bet there will be hell to pay. Which will most likely mean Torre's job if the Yankees dont win it or even start off bad.

[Skipaway]

Originally posted by BaseballMan
yeah but that yankee lineup could make Maddux look like Maddux of the past. Just look what it did for Andy Pettite and they didnt even have A-Rod. You dont really need a great ERA to pitch for the Yankees. Just good enough to hand it over to Rivera. Of course you still have to pitch better than Jeff Weaver but i think Maddux's grandmother could do that. Dont tell George though he might try to sign her.

What you said about Pettitte is only partially true. The Yankees boosted his win numbers by run supports, but they did hurt him bad on ERA with that infield defense.

Pettitte's career DERA( defense adjusted ERA) is only 4.01, while his career ERA is 4.38.

Pettitte's support netrual W-L and real W-L for last five seasons:

1999 11.1-11.2 14-11
2000 13.1-10.8 19-9
2001 11.6-10.6 15-10
2002 9.5-6.2 13-5
2003 12.6-11.2 21-8

So he's indeed helped GREATLY by that run support.

[Treches]

Pathetic, really. Baseball Genuflection at its best. Next to sign would be an umpire.

[Johnny Slick]

Originally posted by crackpott
it's got nothing to do with his stats. It's the fact the Yankees can just say "We need a pitcher... well, who's available? Let's sign him."

I don't understand what would be the unions beef with a cap/floor that would put the overall amount spent at the same total as it is now.

The unions' beef is that it effectively caps how much the players' slice of the pie changes from year to year.

Look, I have no problem with a cap in theory, but the ONLY way the owners are going to get this kind of thing established is by being completely open and forthright with the players. Given their history together, I don't blame the MLBPA for being ultra-suspicious when Bud Selig states, for the 20th consecutive year, that 2/3rds of all teams in the league are losing money and about to fold (note: that was hyperbole).

What they're going to have to do is get together with the players, appoint an auditor the way they appoint arbitrators (both sides pick a guy, and in turn those two guys pick another guy), and then open up EVERYTHING. In some cases, things are going to be so impossible to pull apart that the auditor's going to have to manufacture numbers,* and the owners are going to have to accept that.

I flat-out do not think they will do this until things become REALLY desperate. Call me cynical, but once again I have to go back to the history of baseball owners, which over the last quarter-century has been one of collusion, union-busting tactics, and outright lying when it suits them. They've reaped what they've sown.

Anyway, any knowledgeable baseball fans knows that the New York Yankees aren't the real potential problem when it comes to non-competitiveness. I'm just waiting for a Rupert Murdoch or Michael Eisner to turn his team into a monstrously high payroll loss leader for the added pub the other companies in the conglomerate will gain with a 130-win team.

*Example: local television revenue. Since the Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a couple other teams also own the companies that broadcast their games in their market, they do not, technically speaking, get very large deals at all. They don't have to; after all, the money's all going to the same place, and all big deals do is hurt the owners' case. This leads to just-plain-silly results like the Mariners (last I checked, the #15 media market) pulling in more money through these channels than the Chicago Cubs (#3).

[SoxWin]

162 games left to go.




I still take my guys.




Let's Get. It. On.

[BaseballMan]

Gotta love that attitude SoxWin.
Glad someone else realizes theres still 162 games for George to screw things up.
I think the Redsox may have helped themselves by not getting A-Rod.
Nomar is pretty good and Manny can be good when wants to be. But with them holding on to Manny he might become valuable in a trade down the stretch.

[Skipaway]

How much fun it would have been if the Yankees actually claimed Ramirez off the waiver awhile ago?

Perhaps the Yankees should have done that and trade Ramirez for Rodriguez instead.

[BaseballMan]

This is gonna be a fun season to watch the Red Sox VS Yankees battle it out and thats just their fans.

[Mike D]

I still hold out hope that Maddux won't go to the American League because he would have to learn new hitters, and that would greatly reduce his performance. Being that I'm a Cubs fan, it wouldn't surprise me to see sign with anyone but Chicago. I still think he'll be in blue this summer, than pinstripes. But if the Yanks do sign him, then yeah, they'll trade Contreras to their farm system in the great white north, and call up Vidro.

[LiftTheCurse]

I new that was coming

[CommishJoe]

Originally posted by Aadik
that's me. ITs straining, right about now. I honestly think a reasonable course of action for smaller teams is to demand a larger share of revenue from games they are involved in- The Yankees TV contract is valued at a $100 million or so, and its reasonable for small market teams to get a share out of that.

Not unless they are going to spend it on baseball. The Yankees already contributed enough to the Brewers' profit margin.