Yankees make "free" agency exciting

[BritSox]

So it's okay to buy players, just don't buy the best players.


Noted. I'll be sure to relay the message to Yankee ownership.

Nuh-uh. Buy the best players where you can. But he's right in that the methodology that just looks at 'Well, this guy and this were were Free Agents, and these were homegrown and these were trades' is BS. Especially when it doesn't take account of 'homegrown' players signed to huge free agent deals.

I mean, look at the 2004 Sox, since they appear to be everyone's favourite punchbag right now.

Example one: Schilling, Pedro, Lowe, and Varitek were acquired in trades.

Except that Schilling/Pedro were high-priced superstars (or, in Pedro's case, very good established player on the cusp of stardom), who was being traded because his team didn't want to pay his contract, for fairly middling prospects/Shea Hillenbrand.

Lowe and Varitek came over for an established player, as prospects. The latter made his debut as a Red Sox, and the former had only thrown a handful of innings for the M's prior to the trade, and became an established Major Leaguer in Boston.

Or the Free Agents. You may note that Manny, Damon, Mueller, Bellhorn, Wakefield and Ortiz were listed as 'Free Agents.'

But you can't tell me the situations are remotely similar. Manny was a top five hitter in the game when he arrived in Boston on a massive Free Agent deal. Damon was another established player they got by outbidding anyone else who was interested.

Ortiz had been cut by the Twins. Wakefield by the pirates. Bellhorn was paid $700,000, and was essentially a roll-the-dice backup type who earned his way into the team. Mueller was a middling free agent- he was an established player, but no star, and he was actually paid less by Boston than he had earned the year before he joined them.

These situations are DIFFERENT. As are the situations whereby the Indians traded for Matt LaPorta, and the Yankees traded for A-Rod. In the same way that treating both Jeter and Joba as 'homegrown' completely ignores the former's $190m contract.

The better methodology, surprisingly enough, is to look at payroll.

[Braces himself, and awaits the Yankee fans calling him bitter, even though nowhere in this post have I criticised the Yankees for their business practices].

And mweir, for the love of god please stop using "it's within the rules" as a backing reason. Very important rule of debate: just because it's so doesn't mean it ought to be so.

Then your issue is with the rules, not the Yankees.

[Amazinz]

I hate you all for making me wade through this thread.

[Spidey]

I am a die-hard Red Sox fan, hate the new hats though. I gotta hand it to the Yanks though, they had major holes to fill and so far have done a good job filling them. They should be back in contention now. That said the ones I am really dissapointed with is the Red Sox brass. If they really wanted Tex, then they should have paid him. I am still worried about catching, we need another starter and I am concerned about Lowell and a little concerned with Ortiz. However, if everyone comes back healthy, we sign Tek and add another decet pitcher then we will be quite good.

[ayebatter]

I hate you all for making me wade through this thread.

How could you wade thru this flooded valley, I drowned at page 20.

[BritSox]

I am a die-hard Red Sox fan, hate the new hats though. I gotta hand it to the Yanks though, they had major holes to fill and so far have done a good job filling them. They should be back in contention now. That said the ones I am really dissapointed with is the Red Sox brass. If they really wanted Tex, then they should have paid him. I am still worried about catching, we need another starter and I am concerned about Lowell and a little concerned with Ortiz. However, if everyone comes back healthy, we sign Tek and add another decet pitcher then we will be quite good.

Not really true. I mean, in auction leagues, I like having Pujols, but I don't want to pay $55 for him in a $280 cap. It's not like the Sox' methods have been a failure over the last decade. I can vividly recall Yankee fans saying 'Ur just jealous cuz ur owner doesnt do whats necessary to win like da boss' or whatever, when the Yankees got Damon. The Sox stuck to their valuations, and won it all two seasons later. The aim is to compete with the Yankees on a regular basis, not just next year. This does mean the occasional down year.

[Mookie4ever]

I hate you all for making me wade through this thread.

I refuse to do so.

btw - it must suck being an Orioles fan, what with playing in the same division as the Bostons, the Yankees and the AL champ Rays. Yeah, it's got to suck being an Orioles fan.

[noseeum]

I hate you all for making me wade through this thread.

I refuse to do so.

btw - it must suck being an Orioles fan, what with playing in the same division as the Bostons, the Yankees and the AL champ Rays. Yeah, it's got to suck being an Orioles fan.

I think it would have been about the dumbest thing in the world for either the Nationals or the Orioles to sign Teix. Unless the owner is willing to lose a boat load of money for a few years is doesn't make sense. You add a free agent like that when you're a couple of pieces away from the playoffs, not when your team is terrible.

Orioles and Nationals should be focusing on building up their farm systems right now and fielding young major leaguers who might not win but bring some enthusiasm, not signing players to huge contracts. See the Rays.

[AquaMan2342]

I can vividly recall Yankee fans saying 'Ur just jealous cuz ur owner doesnt do whats necessary to win like da boss' or whatever, when the Yankees got Damon.'

You Boston fans are ridiculous. You can't make a point or do anything without resorting to bashing the Yankees in some way. It's nice to see that the Red Sox fan base takes pride having superior grammatical skills though.

[bigh0rt]

I hate you all for making me wade through this thread.

I refuse to do so.

btw - it must suck being an Orioles fan, what with playing in the same division as the Bostons, the Yankees and the AL champ Rays. Yeah, it's got to suck being an Orioles fan.

Careful you might offend both of them.

How could you wade thru this flooded valley, I drowned at page 20.

I skipped from Page 14 to Page 40.

[bigken117]

You guys are missing some great posts if you don't read the whole thread

FWIW, I'm not that upset the Red Sox didn't lose Tex, they didn't need him, as Lowell is plenty fine at 3B, and I was also hoping to see Lars Anderson in a Sox uni. And it doesn't bother me (really) that the Yankees swooped in to outbid the Sox. I commend Theo & co for having a limit and sticking to it. Obviously he's a good player and he would have fit in their line-up nicely, but they didn't think he was worth $180 million. Good for them for not bending over for Boras.

On the surface, the Yankees have had a good offseason. But when you hand out $425 million in contracts, it's kind of hard not to.