Kuzul

The city of Boston must be ecstatic tonight with the announcement of the signing Carl Crawford

Crawford’s home has been Tropicana Field for the last nine seasons, as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2010, Crawford’s batting average was .307, with 30 doubles, 13 triples, 19 home-runs, 90 RBIs and 47 stolen bases.

Add that to the other new Red Sox, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, who’s 2010 average at the plate was .298, with 31 home-runs, and 101 RBIs.

It would be hard to find anyone who doesn’t agree that the Red Sox are by far the AL East, if not baseball’s favorite heading into 2011.

The pressure is on like Donkey Kong for the New York Yankees to sign Cliff Lee. Maybe the new regime is fine with not being able to compete for a season, but that is just not going to fly.

You cannot forget the major backlash coming from Yankee fans if Lee is not in the Bronx come April. Especially with the Red Sox taking Crawford, who the Yankees were interested makes it a slap in the face.

The Texas Rangers clearly want Lee too; going as far as asking Lee’s camp what it will take to sign the Southpaw.

Lee has expressed how much he loved the Rangers clubhouse and it’s location to Arkansas where Lee lives.

GM Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner now have another reason to sign Lee.

First, the team is in desperate need to add to the starting rotation.

Second reason is pretty simply, the Yankees need to save some face considering it’s the first year the Boss is not in the background.

The rumor is that in two days, Lee will announce were he is bringing his talents in 2011, and my gut feeling is it’s not going to be to the Bronx.

Hopefully, I am dead wrong but Lee has not hinted or even given an inkling of a favorite.

This is why I believe Lee is waiting to give the Rangers a chance to match the Yankees, so he has reason to stay.

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Hasn’t the New York Yankees brass put us fans through enough already?

So far, the 2010 offseason has been emotionally draining for those loyal to the pinstripes.

To be fair, we were warned the moment owner Hal Steinbrenner uttered the word “messy” pre-captain Derek Jeter’s negotiations.

After weeks of vandalizing Jeter, one of the most luminous Yankees ever, and seemingly giving Mariano Rivera the silent treatment, Yankee fans have had about 24 hours of peace.

That was Saturday, today is Tuesday and the Winter Meetings are in full swing.

The MLB Network has around-the-clock coverage, filled with interviews and introductions. The first 24 hours a majority of teams’ GMs and owners sat down to give their respective clubs plan for 2011. I learned a lot:

• The West Coast, NL version of Yankees Mark Teixeira has left San Diego for Beantown, as Adrian Gonzalez is now with the Boston Red Sox. During his press conference, Gonzalez said he couldn’t wait to beat the Yankees. Boston gave up three coveted prospects and one player to be named later to the Padres for the All-Star. GM Theo Epstein said Kevin Youkilis would move to third-base, so Gonzalez can play at first. Gonzalez is described as a left-handed Manny Ramirez and hit .337 in 2010. Merry Christmas Red Sox fans!
• Jayson Werth signed a monster contract for seven years and $126 million with the Washington Nationals. So, now you know Scott Boras is in attendance. As for Werth, he better hope rolling around in dollar bills will ease the pain of losing. Not to worry as no one watched the Nationals games and Stephen Strasburg won’t be back till 2012 so stash some of the green in your locker, too.
• My love affair continues to grow stronger with White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, as he once again told it like it is and it is so refreshing. Ozzie was elated about his team’s new addition of Adam Dunn from the Nationals. Ozzie said his White Sox are AL Central’s team to beat. Ozzie ended his talk by stating he wished he was Jayson Werth’s wife.
• Also, heard from higher-ups of the Rangers, Mets, Braves, Padres, Phillies, Angels and others who took the time to inform us what they are up too. Also, the Red Sox have officially been labeled the favorites to win the 2011 World Series.

So, what news came out of Yankees camp?

Well, we were told that Andy Pettitte is leaning towards retiring, according to a friend of a friend. That is very reliable reporting.

Has anyone found the guy who heard this news from Pettitte’s buddy?

Obviously the answer is no, as no one even knows the “mole’s” name.

On to the Cliff Lee front, all I picked up from listening to this banter is that the Yankees are not the only club Lee’s camp is taking to.

This felt like some kind of polite warning.

Fact remains, sans the two southpaws spells trouble for Yankee universe.

One of the hosts said if this becomes the Yankees’ reality, that for sure the Royals’ Zach Greinke would be in pinstripes. I think this is a baaadddd idea.

I mean what’s next a press conference reintroducing Carl Pavano to New York?

I will happily put my foot in my mouth if GM Brian Cashman comes on TV with both Carl Crawford and Cliff Lee.

Only because that is the Yankees way….still?

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Courtesy of Yankees ‘n More

It has been widely reported that the New York Yankees have engaged in talks with free agent Carl Crawford because they consider him a potential “plan B” should they fail to sign the apple of their eye, pitcher Cliff Lee.

What has not been mentioned at all, however, is the possibility that New York might also be considering the speedy outfielder as a “plan B” should Andy Pettitte decide to retire.

And why wouldn’t they?

If Crawford really is considered a backup plan in the event that Lee doesn’t sign on, why on earth wouldn’t he be just as good a backup plan—if not better—in the event that Pettitte decides to retire?—And by the way, it’s sounding more and more as if that is exactly what Andy Pettitte intends to do.

Think about it.

The thought behind Crawford serving as a “plan B” for Lee was that the Yankees would take the majority of the money set aside for the lefty ace and give it to Crawford, then use one of their current outfielders—most likely Nick Swisher or Curtis Granderson—to acquire a starting pitcher.

If Pettitte calls it a career, the Yankees are still one pitcher short of a rotation even IF they sign Lee.

However, they would be in better shape—who wouldn’t rather have Lee than Pettitte next year, given the option?

The Yankees could then deal one of their outfielders—we’re betting on Swisher—for a starting pitcher to fill in at the 4-hole behind CC Sabathia, Lee and Phil Hughes.

The money the team was ready to pay to Pettitte—at least $12 million—combined with Swisher’s 2011 salary—$9.1 million—would easily cover the salary for Crawford.

And don’t forget, Crawford is a guy the Yankees—especially Cashman—have pined over for YEARS now, and he’s EXACTLY the type of player—super athletic, fast, great defense—the Yankees GM has been targeting in the post-PED era.

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Cliff Lee is, as expected, the most coveted free agent as the MLB Winter Meetings open this week in Florida. Despite the Boston Red Sox’ acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez and the mega-deal between Jayson Werth and the Nationals, Lee remains at the forefront of the rumor mill as proceedings begin.

Lee and agent Derek Braunecker have begun visiting with teams and will undertake more serious meetings as the week progresses, according to Braunecker. The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers remain the favorites to sign Lee, but Lee and Braunecker insist there are other teams in play. Read on for the inside scoop on Lee’s free-agent posturing and the clamor of his would-be suitors.

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This wasn’t exactly a forward-thinking weekend for the Yankees, was it?

While they were putting a bow on contract terms for their 36-year-old shortstop and 41-year-old closer, the Red Sox traded for the Latino Mark Teixeira in Adrian Gonzalez, the White Sox added a perennial 40-home run threat to the middle of their lineup in Adam Dunn; even the adorable Nats signed away power of attorney so Jayson Werth could come lose 90 games for the next five years.

This isn’t to belittle or understate the importance of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. It was obvious New York had to keep them around, and as I predicted last week, there was motivation to get the “messy” Jeter negotiations done before the start of the winter meetings.

It was more striking than anything else—the Yankees shoring up their past while other teams aggressively addressed their futures.

It’s like a fat-on-his-riches record executive sitting in his den enjoying the Beatles library on iTunes while the younger upstarts with something to prove scour the local club scene for the next big thing. One guy soaking in “Yesterday” while the others look for tomorrow.

If the Yankees land Cliff Lee in the next two weeks, this will all be forgotten. But for now, it doesn’t feel like Brian Cashman has begun work on how to make the 2011 Yankees succeed where the 2010 team failed.

He’ll get that chance at the winter meetings, which differ from the general manager meetings in that success isn’t defined by who can clear out the mini-bar before happy hour starts.

Real work is done here, and Cashman has a lot of it on his plate. Who’s the No. 2 starter? How are they going to build the bridge to Mo? Is Pettitte coming back? Should they trust their young catchers? And if not, then who? And where the hell was I? (Sorry, Naked Gun reference. R.I.P. Leslie Nielsen.)

Luckily, the Yankees aren’t the only team in the AL East trying to figure things out.

Everyone just assumes the Rays will chug right along despite the impending losses of Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena and Rafael Soriano. Count me as one guy not convinced the ballyhooed prospects in the Tampa system will be able to contribute immediately.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, got themselves a fine player in A-Gon, but are they really that much better when the first baseman’s entrance signals Adrian Beltre’s exit? I, for one, was terrified of Beltre in a Boston uniform, and I thought he had more than just another good walk year in him.

They still have major outfield production issues, and Werth coming off the board certainly didn’t help. And don’t forget about the fallout from reports they tried to steal Rivera from the Yankees. Jonathan Papelbon was a headcase before this news. He might go into full-on Private Pyle mode now.

(Translation: Stay away from the latrines in spring training, Tito.)

So there’s no reason to panic as a Yankees fan—your team isn’t the only one scrambling right now. They’ve kissed and made up with The Icon. They’ve locked up the rights to “Enter Sandman” for another two years. The brand is fortified.

Now we’ll find out if Cashman can mold that brand into something that’s both profitable and successful.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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No it’s not Jeter, Rivera or Pettitte and as far as I know Cliff Lee has never been a Yankee so who could it be?

As I type with complete and utter nausea, the player is Sergio Mitre.

No, this is not a joke, as the Yankees have signed Mitre for another year at $900,000 to bring his talents back to the Bronx.

What talents convinced the Yankees to make this decision?

Please, someone let me know ASAP.

This has skipper Joe Girardi’s name written all over it because we know he loves players from his Florida Marlins days in 2006.

Do you remember whose brilliant idea it was to pay Nick Johnson over bringing back the World Series MVP Hideki Matsui?

Well, it was Girardi as Johnson was on the 2004 Marlins too.

GM Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner are doing a great job so far.

Signing Mitre totally solves all the problems on the mound because Mitre has been so good in the past.

Mitre has a career record of 13-29, with a 5.27 ERA over seven seasons. Stellar record, but he also is injured a lot and struggles in big jams on the mound.

Mitre gives Yankee fans shivers, the same way Kyle Farnsworth used too.

What’s next? Announcing that Mitre is going to play shortstop too?

Sorry, but this was one player I was hoping to not see in pinstripes ever again.

Well, I guess Mitre can just hog a roaster spot again for 2011.

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It is being reported by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that Derek Jeter and his agent Casey Close will meet with the New York Yankee officials in Tampa, Florida. These negotiations have gone on long enough and things have certainly gotten ugly.

Maybe a deal can finally get done.

Jeter and Close have been looking for a deal in the range of five years, $22 million. General Manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees have not budged from their original three-year deal worth $45 million. Maybe Jeter and his agent are meeting to accept the original offer, or maybe they are meeting to try and get their five-year deal.

Either way, Cashman seems unlikely to budge after his comments in recent weeks. Cashman’s plan might be to convince Jeter that the deal is fair and he will not find such a deal elsewhere. Regardless of what happens at this meeting, these negotiations have gotten ugly already and will go to the next level.

Yankee fans have been getting  impatient with the two sides especially Jeter and Close. $15 million a year is more than reasonable and the fans have every right to be upset.

Hopefully this saga comes to an end and this can all be forgotten because No. 2 needs the New York Yankees, and the New York Yankees need No. 2

Source: Ken Rosenthal on Twitter

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If you’re going to write anything this month about Derek Jeter and his current negotiations with the New York Yankees, you need to begin by weighing in.  So, for what it’s worth:  No, Derek Jeter is not worth six years at $25 million a year.  It is also fair to say that he is worth more than three years at $15 million per season.

For many of us with a lot of Internet time and a lack of a social life (those two things go hand in hand) the story has another rather dark and surprising side.  Looking over discussion boards and comment threads on the subject, you’ll find quite a number of Yankee fans who are ready to crucify the man who’s been their franchise for the past 15 seasons.

Sure, it bears mentioning that there is no group of sports fans that are more easily goaded into fits of rage than the fans of the New York Yankees.  Part of this quality can be attributed to their feelings of superiority and their anger over having to pay for the YES network.  Much of it too comes from the fact that since there are at least three times the amount of Yankee-haters out there, the fans have to spend a lot of time getting grief about their favorite team, its sometimes dastardly late owner, and it’s obese payroll.

The one thing that most Yankees fans have taken very little grief over in the past decade and a half, however, is their shortstop.  Derek Jeter is the textbook example of ‘hard not to like’.  He’s got lots of talent, a great smile and a winning personality.  He dates the world’s most beautiful women and never gets in any hot water—on the field or off.  Aside from the occasional barroom argument about whether his defense had been a bit overrated, Yankee faithful have gotten free passes where Jeter is concerned.

The fact that even a lot of Yankee-haters manage to find a compliment or two for Jeter makes some of the “fans” comments being posted and calls made to talk radio about the current negotiations all the more asinine.

Many Yankee fans have seemingly begun acting just like the hard-line Democrats and Republicans: they toe the party line, right or wrong, and as part of membership must obligatorily trash anyone who thinks differently.  These “Stepford Fans” accuse Jeter of being everything from a “no talent hack” to a “gold digger”.  One “fan” even compared him to Bernie Madoff, the investment guy who stole billions and billions of dollars from his clientele.   

2010 was an off-year for Jeter, to be sure.  Perhaps it is just bad luck (or good luck, if you’re Yankee GM Brian Cashman) that this slump came in his free agency year.  No, Jeter will never play again like he did when he was 25.  But perhaps the Yankees, and their fans, need to consider some other factors, as well.

Barring a major injury in the early season, Jeter will get his 3000^th hit this coming season.  He needs 74 hits and he’s never gotten less than double that in any full season.

Do you know how many of the 3000 hit club reached that milestone in Yankee pinstripes?  Zero, not one of the 27 current holders of that record were Yankees at the time.  Dave Winfield was a Yankee for quite a while (and we all remember how the front office treated him) but he reached his plateau while playing for Minnesota.  Wade Boggs, also a Yankee for a time, got his 3000^th with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The Yankees have six monuments, 23 plaques, and 15 retired numbers in their franchise history.  Their fans walk around with those “27” t-shirts on and give us all the impression that what happened to the franchise in the 20s and 30s matters to them and would somehow be relevant to the rest of us.  But how are we, the non-Yankee-fans, supposed to embrace that sentiment when so much venom and hypocrisy is being spewed about the man who has been the Yankees for so long.

Let’s not forget that Derek Jeter is the Yankee captain.  Some folks think that means nothing, that it is just sort of a public relations gimmick.  Others believe that it does mean something, and that there is a reason why that “C” is not on A-Rod’s uniform, nor is it on that of Posada, Rivera, or Pettitte.  If there are qualities that set Jeter above all else on the team, should those qualities be summarily ignored during negotiations?

For whatever reason, Derek Jeter and his agent have overshot on their estimation of his value—and overshot by quite a bit.  Of course he’s not going to get a $200 million contract in his late 30s.  But while the Yankees’ offer is practical from a management perspective, they should be prepared to come up a ways, too. 

If the organization lowballs Jeter totally (with the fans’ support), you’re saying that history, tradition and sentiment mean nothing in the Bronx.  If you’re willing to go that route, then you must be willing to admit that all the other stuff—the statues, the pompous references to the Yankees’ long-time success are just nonsense.  It’s only right now that matters. On April 1^st, no one has any rings.

The Yankees did not treat Joe Torre in a respectful fashion at the end of his tenure as their manager.  The fact that he has not gotten to another World Series should not matter because what is really relevant (again, if you’re into history) is all the championships he brought to New York while there.

Derek Jeter was there for every one of those World Series wins, not to mention another in 2009.  Doesn’t there have to be some place in a real Yankee fan’s heart for that guy? In the end, its a question of whether being a Yankee fan means anything more than just having something to brag about.

Jeter’s not going to get what he wants, but does that mean it’s appropriate to belittle everything he’s meant to the Yankees? If you don’t believe he warrants what he’s asking, so be it.  But trashing his career, and disparaging his character at this stage of the game seems petty and hypocritical.

I wonder if the faces on those monuments and plaques could talk what they’d have to say about the legacy of Derek Jeter?

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You have to hand it to Hal Steinbrenner: He’s more than just a man with a outstanding wave of auburn hair. There are some serious brains under that Superman coif.

Imagine if someone asked you, in one word, to describe the last week of As The Jeter Negotiations Turn. Now throw out “stupid”, “awkward”, “embarrassing”, “unnecessary”, and”distasteful”. What are you left with?

You said “messy”, right? If so, you just came up with the exact word Hal used to describe the then-pending Jeter talks on Michael Kay’s radio show in October.

In case you’re still in an A.J. Burnett-induced coma, here’s a quick rundown of the events of the past seven days:

Sunday: Jeter’s agent, Casey Close, makes the calculated decision to bring negotiations into the public forum. He laments the Yankees’ “baffling” bargaining strategy.

Tuesday: The Yankees lose containment on Hank Steinbrenner when an AP reporter reaches him via telephone. “As much as we want to keep everybody, we’ve already made these guys very, very rich, and I don’t feel we owe anybody anything monetarily. Some of these players are wealthier than their bosses.”

Ladies and gentleman, Hank Steinbrenner!

Meanwhile, Brian Cashman — obviously rankled by Close’s comments — challenges Jeter. “We’ve encouraged him to test the market and see if there’s something he would prefer other than this,” Cashman told ESPN. “If he can, fine. That’s the way it works.”

Translation: I have a straight flush. You’re holding a 3, 7, 8 and two joker cards. Now what?

Wednesday: A Boston-area blogger named Sully writes that Jeter is overrated and shouldn’t win Gold Gloves. Sully becomes the 20,000,000th person to use the internet to express this opinion. He is recognized with a $20 gift card for use at the Dunkin’ Donuts in Medford.

Thursday: Jeter has an outstanding Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends at his Tampa compound. Girlfriend Minka Kelly sits beside him, presumably in a form-fitting top and hot teacher glasses. Even in these uncertain times, the difference between his quality of life and yours is startling.

Friday: The Daily News reports Jeter had demanded a six-year, $150 million contract — an average of $25 million a year — from the Yankees, who have offered him three years at $15 million per. The New York Times reports a similar demand. Close’s e-mail response: “The recently reported terms of our contract proposal are simply inaccurate.”

This week will be an extremely important one in the negotiation process. The longer this drags out, the nastier this situation has the potential to become. Both sides made statements last week that poured accelerant on the fire. Another week of he said/she said could create an inferno neither side can control.

If both sides are smart, they should realize the time for posturing is over. We’re nearly in December now. The winter meetings begin in a week and Cashman’s attention should be squarely on acquiring Cliff Lee.

Speaking of Lee, if the Jeter talks get uglier, you have to imagine that would send a bad message to both the pitcher and that sweet angel of a woman he calls his wife. After all, would you want to get into bed with a team that was publicly dogging their biggest star since Mickey Mantle?

Full disclosure: I’ve been more on the organization’s side on this. I believe three years for $45 million is more than fair compensation for a player with as many miles on the odometer as Jeter has.

That said, this is Derek Jeter we’re talking about, so the Yankees are going to have to show some flexibility. That doesn’t mean they need to roll over like they did in the A-Rod opt-out negotiations. That was like Briana Banks at the AVN awards-level flexibility.

We’re talking a subtle bending of their thought process. Perhaps they take a page out of the A-Rod deal — please, one page only — and include some escalators that kick in at certain milestones. 3,000 hits, 3,500 hits, 2,000 runs. Nothing too crazy, just something that would theoretically take the contract into the $50-55 million range.

Everybody wins in that scenario. The Yankees wouldn’t have to grossly overpay for Jeter’s return, and Jeter can face the public without it seeming like he came crawling back.

Is it just me, or does this not seem like it should be so complicated?

There’s a thin line between messy and ugly. The Yankees — and Jeter — would be wise not to cross it.

Dan Hanzus writes the Yankees blog River & Sunset and can be reached at dhanzus@gmail.com. Follow Dan on Twitter @danhanzus.

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Derek Jeter continues to seek a massive contract from the New York Yankees, who are showing no signs of caving into the future Hall of Famer’s demands.

According to multiple reports, Jeter is seeking a five or six-year deal worth over $20 million per season.

The Yankees have countered with a three-year contract worth a reported $45 million.

Let the bargaining begin.

It didn’t take long for negotiations to go public, with the Yankees openly encouraging Jeter to test the open market.

It sounded like a dare, and it was.

Don’t expect there to be any teams willing to meet Jeter’s asking price.

In the end, the Yanks appear to have the best chance to sign Jeter.

But should they?

If they simply let him walk, Brain Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner could face a very harsh public backlash.

If they sign him, they risk keeping him on the payroll as he enters his 40s.

It’s a classic catch-22 situation that threatens to damage the shiny luster of the Yankee franchise.

Could the Yankees possibly escape the Derek Jeter negotiations in a positive light?

Let’s play a little point-counterpoint to help arrive at a conclusion.

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