Wood's a no-go

by NumberSeven on Nov 26, 2007 3:22 PM EST

Frontpaged by jscape2000: There goes one crazy idea off the chalk board.

Kerry Wood has agreed to a contract to stay with the Cubs. The deal is worth $4.2M for one year, with a chance at an extra $3.45 in incentives. I was kind of hoping the Yanks would take a shot at him, what with the dearth of quality bullpen arms out there. Not that you know for certainty what you are really gonna get with Wood, but it may have been worth the shot. Now I think the Cubs gave him more money than Yanks would have offered- perhaps their version of a "thank you" a la the Yanks with Mo and Jorge.

Perhaps the Yanks can turn their attention to filling the lefty void in the pen. I posted a question on the Mahay thread a couple days back about two guys at Scranton-- Charlie Manning and Ben Kozlowski -- who are lefties whose numbers look good, but I really know zilch about them. Anyone think either of the could win the lefty job in the pen out spring training? Or any other lefties within the orginzation that could?

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After the Linebrink deal

that is an absolute steal.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 26, 2007 3:40 PM EST reply actions

Cue Andyroth

in 3, 2, 1 ...

by Willton on Nov 26, 2007 3:45 PM EST reply actions

One can only hope that losing out on Wood

becomes the impetus for that jackass getting banned.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 26, 2007 3:49 PM EST up reply actions

What about ...

I just did a cursory search of Free Agent pitchers, and came up with a decent list of guys I would seriously consider. I understand Mahay is a Yankees target, as is Percival (a guy I would take a hard look at and potentially sign).
Other guys I'd consider: Tony Armas, Jeremy Affeldt, Octavio Dotel, LaTroy Hawkins, Jorge Julio, and Jon Lieber.

Lieber intriques me because of his sinker. If he has the velocity and the drop, he could be invaluable coming in and getting groundball dps. The downside to Lieber is that he pitches to contact and yes, some of the groundballs get through, and some of those sinkers don't sink. Still, I'd give him a look. I might also take a look at trying to pry Damaso Marte (although I don't think he's a FA).

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Nov 26, 2007 3:50 PM EST reply actions

Bleh

I don't want any of those guys except Marte, but, as you suspected, he is not a FA. We'd have to trade for him. He'd be a great 7th- or 8th-inning guy.

by SenorSwanky on Nov 26, 2007 4:41 PM EST up reply actions

yikes

jorge julio? no thanks.

but those other options aren't too shabby.

by Clutch like Leyritz on Nov 27, 2007 10:15 AM EST up reply actions

I still like Dotel

I think he could work well in a setup role, but I am not sure if he would take that.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 10:20 AM EST up reply actions

My choice

I really like Dotel, and believe he would be the best bridge to Mo. Perhaps a few more zeroes would entice Octavio to scrap his closer calling in favor of bridge building?

"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will

by Ronster22 on Nov 27, 2007 11:24 AM EST up reply actions

Hopefully

Money tends to change a lot of minds (hopefully Pettitte's is among them!), but I am just worried that Dotel isn't pesky enough to be a setup guy. His heartability rates make him a closer candidate but his peskitude average isn't good for a setup man.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 11:26 AM EST up reply actions

That's absurd

and retarded. Looks like we have another village idiot to rival poor Matt Haggs. Or was that Garp? Andy Roth? Fuck, can't remember with all the retarded village idiots around here.

by docgonzo on Nov 27, 2007 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

In order to be "village idiot" you

basically have to disagree with fisty on something which now makes you village idiot. Welcome to the club, retard.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

There's only one village idiot around here

And that is you garp. Those other guys like strapped and roth are just jackasses. You are at least fun to banter with even if you have no idea what you are talking about.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Damn! I keep forgetting how right you

were that the Detroit Tigers would overtake the Yanks in the WC race on the strength of Gary Sheffield's mighty foul ball's. I am so impressed at how you continue to exhibit that you are an idiot and an asshole wrapped in a douche.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 1:40 PM EST up reply actions

Eh

I admit I didn't see the Tigers implosion coming, but you remain as wrong about the Sheffield thing now as you did then. I am sorry it upsets you so, but I can't help the fact that you are widely acknowledged by pretty much everyone as the village idiot around here. You're billybob without the booze.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 1:46 PM EST up reply actions

Hmmm....as I recall most people

agreed that Sheff had to go. Oh...and in the last go round all that was settled was that most people agreed that you were an asshole.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

Never said he should have stayed

what I said was that when he returned he proved that he was healthy even though he also proved that he couldn't play first base. You said he was washed up and wouldn't bring back anything in a trade. You were wrong.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 2:10 PM EST up reply actions

I thought you trashed Cashman

for getting a pitcher who needed TJ surgery? Now you are saying that they got something good. Make up your mind.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 2:21 PM EST up reply actions

What does that

have to do with Sheffield?

by docgonzo on Nov 27, 2007 2:23 PM EST up reply actions

That's what the Yanks got for Sheffield.

Humberto Sanchez.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 2:27 PM EST up reply actions

I did trash Cashman for taking on

a known visit to Dr. Andrews. Notwithstanding, they did still in fact get some value for Sheffield, thereby proving that Sheff was far from done as you claimed.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 2:44 PM EST up reply actions

Never said he was done, just that he had to go.

Last time I looked, they got "not much" for him and you trashed the deal. I guess that makes you a village idiot too.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 3:19 PM EST up reply actions

I have a different recollection

I don't remember arguing with you about the decision to trade him. I have always thought that was the right move. However, I do recall arguing with you about the possible return. You seemed to think the Yanks would get pennies on the dollar for him.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 3:43 PM EST up reply actions

Actually you are the king of hyperbole

around here, not me, so I would not have said that. I basically said I did not care and that they would not get much because he would wield has assholeness as a no-trade clause. Guess what? He was an asshole and the Yanks did not get much.

The problem is that you dump truckloads of shit on people for even slightly disagreeing with you. I thought our argument was silly because we were not that far off in agreement but your first instinct is to call people retarded or village idiot or whatever.

The fact that you continue to insist that I am an idiot because I thought that the Yankees could make the playoffs without Sheffield (which they did), not get much for him in a deal (which they didn't), and that the Yankees were a better team than Detroit (which they were) only goes to prove that you are an asshole with mental problems.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 4:07 PM EST up reply actions

I think you have conveniently adjusted

your position as I recall your position to have been much different at the time. Regardless, I am sure that you will afford us scores of other opportunities to make fun of you in the near future.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

Uhm...no. I was always of the opinion

that I did not care as long as he was gone. I always thought they would not get much, with or without his mighty foul balls. I also predicted that you would be back in force once the Yankees lost.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 4:45 PM EST up reply actions

By the way, I thought you very dramatically

left this site to set up a little cyber-lovehsack with mg and Relaunch. What happened? Did they change the lock on the treehouse?

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Nov 27, 2007 1:56 PM EST up reply actions

Interestingly enough

The treehouse was destroyed in the Malibu fires. It was tragic but we grossly overinsured it so we should be OK. Seriously though, my problem with PA always was and remains to a larger extent the fucking morons who post "go yankees, yippeee" bullshit for four hours in a game thread. The game threads remain atrocious, but I am the first to admit that the hot stove chatter has been top notch.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 2:12 PM EST up reply actions

I'm not sure

that the upgrade in discussion quality has been due to the lack of game threads as much as the fact that Andy Roth has been posting more often.

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Nov 27, 2007 2:17 PM EST up reply actions

Easy there, Tiger

I am just fucking with you. You are entitled to value a nebulous thing like "peskiness" but I just prefer to use objective analysis.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

Ha

Just fucking with you, too.

by docgonzo on Nov 27, 2007 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Not fair to Haggs

He and I disagree a lot, but Haggs is by no means in the class with those jackasses and/or garp. He is one of the more knowledgeable people at PA.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 27, 2007 12:29 PM EST up reply actions

My bad

Thought your entanglements with him were on par with the other two. I take it back.

by docgonzo on Nov 27, 2007 12:48 PM EST up reply actions

Thank You?

Thank you for what? Being injured all the time?

Not a bad deal though. I really like incentives and 1 year deals.

The best way to improve the NYY bullpen is to go for depth. I'd sign as many guys to 1 year deals w/club options as I could. I'd offer significantly more money than they other guys to get it done too. NY should use their $$$ power to buy some depth and flexibilty.

by KevinV on Nov 26, 2007 4:20 PM EST reply actions

"Thank you"

By all accounts, Wood gave the Cubs a hometown discount....again.

Fear the Evil Empire

by pfistyunc on Nov 26, 2007 4:33 PM EST reply actions

Discount

Yep. And you don't know how much above market value the Yanks would have needed to go to have a shot at him.

It makes me sad, but when a guy wants to stay with the only team he's ever known, and he's willing to take less guaranteed money to do it, I can't fault him.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Nov 26, 2007 11:39 PM EST up reply actions

yeah i don't know how much...

..of a discount it is, but i understand what you mean. I just would have thought that the deal would have reached the $5M area after incentives for a guy that hasn't been healthy in years... it worked out, as it looks, the Yanks probably would have had to give way too much money IMO, and probably an extra year.

You don't realize how easy this game is until you get up in that broadcasting booth. -Mickey Mantle

by NumberSeven on Nov 27, 2007 9:57 AM EST up reply actions

Discount?

For a guy who went from HOF abilities to pitching in 50 innings a yr. hah! That's a shitload of money. And if the Cubs had half a brain they'd start looking into why they barley won the central and got their bats handed to them by a younger, far less offensively explosive team in the DBACKS. Their pen was the least of their issues. Maybe looking for a closer. Dempster sure pulled a few rabbits out of his hat last yr. Gettin WGN in Jerzey I noticed he is not closer material.

It is HIGH! It is FAR! It is! GOOONNEEE!!!

by yankeesRfirst on Nov 27, 2007 2:44 AM EST reply actions