Put On Your Tin Foil Hat, PR Only Matters If….
Permit me to put on my tin foil hat for a minute. Nothing says conspiracy theorist, like tin foil on your head.
Are the New York Yankees brass just like you and me, only richer? Do they make decisions based on the airwave mouth pieces that fill the New York A.M. dial?
I know what you’re thinking, that’s impossible. Is it really? From what I can tell Hank, Hal, Brian and the rest of the crew up in the Bronx are playing real life fantasy baseball and listening to way too much sports talk radio. (Ok, I think what they are doing is way smarter than that, but the fans aren’t looking hard enough.)
My first assertion isn’t completely out of the question. Brian Cashman is clearly getting his scouting report from our friends a CBSSports.com Eric Mack or Scott White.
Here we have a guy that dropped serious cheddar to sign Fantasy baseballs number four first basemen, and number three and twelve start pitchers. (According to cbssports.com) These are additions to a line up that already boasted fantasy baseballs number three closer, number three third basemen, number four ranked short stop and number seven ranked second basemen.
Unfortunately for Yankee fans in fantasyland there are very few points for relief pitchers that don’t close, so Cashman didn’t bother to worry about his bullpen again this off-season.
Also like most fantasy teams the Yankees are a little thin on the bench. After pressing their top utility man outfielder, first basemen and relief pitcher extraordinaire Nick Swisher into action the Yankees are left with a bench that features Berroa, Gardner and Molina.
Now Yankees fan can say what they want about Cashman’s attempt to recreate a fantasy team in pin stripes. So far it looks like his attempts to do all of his scouting at the All-star have failed to pay dividends and the Yankees are a mere one game over five hundred after twenty one games.
Who could’ve predicted that?
Now that alone wasn’t enough to convince me that the chaos that was the Yankees front office wasn’t just a collection of stiffs with a penchant for my life but with more bread to spread around.
Then this happened…Yankees announce new ticketing plan. (This is where the Yankees true brilliance shows through, this move goes against every free market principle in their collective Steinbrenner bodies. Follow along.)
What did my eyes and ears deceive me?
Had the loud mouth callers and sports talk radio hosts in New York City been loud enough and obnoxious enough to cause the 2009 New York Yankees to bend to their will?
The New York Yankees, as in the team owned by George, the team now guided by Hal “Needless to say my dad is a tough act to follow” and Hank “You tell him to hit the damned ball…and hit it when it counts” Steinbrenner. Are now bending to the will of the airwaves.
We are all more than familiar by now with the issue of empty seats in the Legends Suite, and Delta Sky 360 Suite.
In case your not, the Yankees were struggling to sell about 2000 seats per game at the new stadium. So what you might say, well those 2000 seats happen to be the $2500 seats located directly behind home plate and therefore directly in the middle of your TV screen as you watch the game.
Now the Yankees just this week have decided to slash those seats by between 35 and 50 percent depending on the seat. So the $2500 tickets are now going to retail for $1250, and the $1000 seats for $650.
I roast the Yankees for a lot of things; this is not one of them. Lowering tickets to adjust to the market demands makes sense to me. We do it every day in our lives. Baseball tickets being particularly time sensitive, I even give them credit for making this decision in a timely manner.
You know as well as I do, that no matter where you live a ticket price goes something like this. A seat with $50 at the box office, $85 on stub hub, $100 from a scalper 30 minutes before game time, $25 after the first innings and whatever they can get for it by the third. If that isn’t 100% accurate it’s pretty close.
So Hank and Hal good for you. Sitting down and realizing this, realizing you misread the market. Don’t take it personal, it’s not like you’re the only one. Warren Buffet looks confused and he knows more than the rest of us, or so it would seem.
My issue comes with the rebates described in a press release by Hal from the other night.
I know this going to sound weird, but I spent everyday for as long as I can remember hearing that sports is a business. Then for as much as we malign that phrase shouldn’t it teach us to be better consumers?
People will see this as a good PR move by the Yankees. You know why the Yankees need a good PR move? It is because after spending $425 Million dollars on free agents in the off-season they are 11-10 on the 29th of April.
If the Yankees were 17-4 there wouldn’t be this need to buy a little time so to speak.
I can’t believe we live in world where the New York Yankees, an organization that says you should be allowed to spend your money however you see fit is going to reimburse people for paying the market rate on tickets. Maybe they are still waiting on their Carl Pavano check?
I would contend that if I went out and bought a new Lexus the day it hit the lot, there maybe 19 different cars there loaded with different options and in different colors. On that day the cost on that car is $90,000.00. A year later I return to the same car lot, there are two left, my options are between a green and a blue Lexus. My options are chosen for me. That being said for giving up the options, I’ll probably pay $70,000.00.
Why do I use this example? I do it because the free market says that 85% of Yankee stadium sold at the market price. The remaining 15% of people had to take the seats that were left. On the other hand the Yankees had discovered that they must take action to sell the remaining tickets.
So one of two things is going on here, and I am not buying the Yankees have become like a hooker with a heart of gold.
I think the truth lies in the fact that playing fantasy baseball has finally caught up with the Yankees brass and this ticket rebate is like a prematurely balding man buying a Cherry Red Porsche, it takes the attention off the real problem. All it does is serve to distract from the fact that Teixeira is batting .206 and Burnett and Sabathia in nine starts have surrender 32 runs and combined for a 3 – 2 record.
Top 10 Free Agents Your Team Doesn’t Have
There is no doubt that this year’s free agent class has been one of the most epic of all time. There was a ton of big time talent available like CC Sabathia, Mark Texeira, Manny Ramirez, and Adam Dunn. If you are a team in need then you have the opportunity to really turn things around. Just ask the New York Yankees!
Yet, given the amount of talent available the market has developed slower than Andruw Jones’ bat this season. We all have Scott Boras to thank for that. He likes to hoard his players until the last minute while he tries everything to create a circus and a buzz around his players. And unfortunately he represents the majority of the biggest names in baseball.
Another thing that has slowed the market is the economic uncertainty that owners are facing. No one is sure what the impact will be on their respective markets. If you ask Scott Boras baseball is recession proof. Nevertheless teams are treading very carefully, especially those in smaller markets that rely more on ticket sales.
But I need to also mention that we need to not only look at this year’s free agent crop when analyzing the market. We need to consider who will be on the market in the coming years. Fred Claire does a great job of analyzing the free agent market in the coming years. Read it if you have the time but the jist of it is that the market, in terms of the amount of talent that will be available, will be much thinner in the years to come. And that tells us that now is the time to buy, especially considering that contracts are going to be smaller this year because of the amount of talent out there and because of the economic uncertainty.
That being said, here are the top 10 free agents left in this year’s market:
MANNY RAMIREZ, OF/DH
Not much needs to be mentioned here as Manny Ramirez is one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time. He recently hit .396 with 17 homers and 53 RBIs in 53 games for Dodgers and pretty much carried them into the playoffs, while making everyone on the team better around him. Sure he has a checkered past and has proven to be quite juvenile. But it is apparent that all he wants to be respected for his talents and acknowledged. He has a ton of money and I do not believe that is all that motivates him. And Harold Reynolds of ESPN and MLB Network notes that what Manny has done in the past is nowhere close to as criminal as what so many other players have done on and off the field! Manny just attracts attention because of his electric personality and bat.
DEREK LOWE, SP
If you are looking for pitching, and most teams are, then Derek Lowe is your safest option left because if his consistency. He averages more than 15 wins a season, throws a heavy sinker that keeps the ball on the ground, has a stellar record of not being injured, and has proven to be a great big game pitcher. The Mets are the front runners to sign him but I don’t think that the three-year, $36 million offer will get it done unless Lowe is really motivated to pitch in NY this season.
BOBBY ABREU, OF/DH
Abreu is consistent and his cautious approach keeps him healthy. He is in very good company, joining Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols, as having reached at least 100 RBI in the past six seasons. His defense is average, and is better than Manny’s and Dunn’s but that isn’t saying much. He is patient at the plate and uses the whole field. He would set a great example for other young hitters on any team he lands with. He will probably be the best bargain of this year’s free agent class as he is highly underrated.
ADAM DUNN, OF/DH
Adam Dunn is a great power hitting left handed run producer. But he is a below average fielder that has proven to be cranky player when he doesn’t get his way. Dunn does not run well, Manny might be able to beat him to first, and he strikes out more than almost anyone else. However his patience at the plate gives him a good OBP and his all or nothing approach gives you about 40 home runs and 100 RBI each season. Given his lack defensive liability and power stoke he may be well suited for the American League, possibly the Angels, which is why I list him as a possible DH. It has been reported that the Nationals and Jim Bowden may make a run at Dunn but the Dodgers have also listed him as a fall back option if they do not land Manny.
BEN SHEETS, SP
Big Ben is a great pitcher with electric stuff….. when he is healthy that is. He has a better career than A.J. Burnett but also has an injury plagued history that is keeping teams away. He is definitely not getting the respect he deserves which makes him a possible bargain and candidate for a short-term incentive laden contract. If he stays healthy he can be one of the top pitchers in the league. Unfortunately that is too big of an “if” for most teams it seems.
PAT BURRELL, OF/DH
Pat Burrell has all the shortcomings of Dunn. Poor defensive skills, no speed, and strikes out at a dizzying rate. But he is also good for 30+ home runs and 100 RBI a season. His declining defense and lack of speed also make him well suited for move to the American League. I am totally amazed that there are not more teams going after his power bat. Maybe it is because of the fact that he has not been able to put together a complete season, often playing poorly in either the first or second half of each season. He tends to not be consistent and that maybe his main drawback. I still feel that Burrell is in the same group with Sheets and Abreu as one of the more underrated free agents of this year’s market.
MILTON BRADLEY, OF/DH
Bradley is coming off of a stellar season in which he lead the entire AL in both on-base percentage (.436) and OPS (.999). Another plus is that he is a switch hitter that hits for power and average. The reason that I list him so low is that he has bad knees that limit him to probably 130-135 games in the field. It is said that he could still go to the National League and the Nationals are said to have him at the top of their list, as well as the Cubs.
JON GARLAND, SP
Jon Garland is coming off of a weak 2008, which is never good for a free agent, despite a respectable 14 wins which can be counted on from him. He rarely strikes anyone out and is said to be one of those guys that pitches to contact, so he needs a solid defense behind him. His career is not that dissimilar to that of Burnett or Lowe but again his 2008 was not super, with an ERA of 4.90 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 1.53. Garland would be a much better fit for the NL where there is no DH and has been rumored to be sought after by the Cardinals and their pitching maestro Dave Duncan.
OLIVER PEREZ, SP
Perez is solid lefty, posting 25 wins over the past two seasons with the Mets. He has proven to be pretty durable by pitching over 170 innings in the past two years. He is a strikeout pitcher, averaging 150+ over the past three seasons but is also hittable with an average of 150 hits per season during that same span of time. So he is not spectacular but can be solid. Unfortunately Boras is his agent and is of course asking for way too much, 5 years and $70 million. I doubt that he’ll get that in today’s market. The Mets would like him back but need to first see if they can land Lowe before they will make him an offer.
ORLANDO CABRERA, SS
I am going to round out my list with an infielder, not just to round out the top 10 but because he deserves it. Cabrera is much better, right now, than Renteria. And Renteria surprisingly signed an $18.5 million deal. Cabrera is a masterful fielder, earning this year’s Defensive Player of the year from MLB.com/TWIB and just missed the Gold Glove award in the AL. Along with his glove, Cabrera also brings his bat with him to the ball park. He hit a respectable .281, can score around 100 runs per season, will swipe some bags and makes for a great lead-off man. Unfortunately the market was full of good SS this year so he has lost some value. But some team somewhere will end up with a great lead-off man/SS at a great value.
Honorable mentions: Jason Giambi, Orlando Hudson, Joe Crede, Andy Pettitte, Garret Anderson, Randy Wolf, and Freddy Garcia.
CC Sabathia Has Accepted Yankees Offer
The West Coast and the National League may no longer be home to a certain left-hander from Vallejo, California.
According to multiple MLB news sources, the New York Yankees may have struck oil with starting pitcher CC Sabathia late last night.
Today, one day after Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman traveled one mile up the Vegas Strip to talk with the 2007 AL Cy Young winner, reports have surfaced stating that Sabathia has agreed to a $140 million, 6 year contract with the Yankees.
The New York Post was the first to break the story early this morning, announcing ” CC Sabathia is going to be a Yankee.”
story still developing…..
Milwaukee Brewers Offer Sabathia Arbitration
According to various news sources and MLB.com, the Milwaukee Brewers have offered C.C. Sabathia, Ben Sheets, and Brian Shouse arbitration before the midnight deadline (Eastern Time).
Sabathia recorded 251 strikeouts in the 2008 season, and maintained an ERA of 2.70 over the course of 253 innings pitched.
Caption: C.C. Sabathia throws a pitch during a game in Cleveland. The Indians drafted Sabathia in the first round (20th pick overall) in the 2001 draft.
C.C. Sabathia is expected to negotiate the largest contract of the off season as the offers continue to pile up in his favor.
The Yankees have reportedly offered Sabathia $140 million for six years of his services, while the Brewers stay in the hunt offering C.C. $100 dollars for 5 years. Sabathia is expected to obviously decline the offer from Milwaukee.
The pitcher is considered a Class A free agent.