“Remember when I promised not to trade our best prospect for a rental? I lied.”
Friday, July 9, 2010 at 9:17 pm by SJK
The deal didn't happen.
And we're happy.
By all reports, the Yankees were very willing to part with their best prospect in Jesus Montero and a top 10 organizational prospect in David Adams....all for a half-season rental.
Yes, Cliff Lee is amazing. But, the Yankees already have a great chance of making the playoffs, 83% according to Baseball Prospectus. The starting rotation is already solid, ranking third in both ERA at 3.79 and xFIP at 4.22. And they won the World Series last season going against Cliff Lee.
So, how much would Lee really improve the team over a half-season? The answer is not enough considering the player cost.
We're actually discouraged that Cashman reportedly would have done this, especially when Lee can be had in the offseason without losing Montero.
Tags: arnold week, cashmoney, trade
Or maybe they were just really confident that Lee would’ve signed an extension.
Uh, Manny – they could just sign him in the offseason for almost no cost. A draft pick, that they very likely may get back for Javy walking.
Trading for him is only for the 3 months. There was no extension window included in the deal.
Realistic odds Lee signs during the
OS?
I am stoked, I think the key was to make sure he did not go to the Twins or Red Sox. Texas I am not so concerned about
Even I understood that the trade was to block Lee from going to the Rays whose odds stood at 67%.
NoMaas, clearly you’re not looking deeply enough at this. Cashman secretly knew that the Mariners would ultimately pull out. He clearly just offered Montero to drive up Lee’s price!
I’m sure that’s what happened.
…or maybe Cashman saw it as insurance for the Yanks making the playoffs (worth probably tens of millions to the organization), and, if not that, insurance against a first round knockout, or an ALCS knockout.
How much is 3, 7, 11 home post-season games worth to the organization? $50 million? $100 million?
There’s other value besides WAR replacement at stake here.
You can’t discount the ability of the Rays to beat the Yanks in a potential ALCS with Lee, Price, Garza, Shields and Niemann fronting their rotation. Even Texas becomes a greater threat now.
Would I have made the trade? Maybe not. But let’s not kid ourselves; it ain’t a no-brainer.
It’s a no brainer in my opinion. Talent you can get with a first round pick+3 months of Lee<a well developped Montero
Maybe we do know Cashman after all. Unlike the past, there is no irrational push from Tampa so he can play it anyway he wants.
Of course Joel Sherman et al have to spin this into some kind of betrayal to cover for their elbows.
The Yankees were in this long enough that the Rays, Twins, and Red Sox were convinced they did not have a chance. Intentional or not? I have no idea, but it works out that Lee goes to a bankrupt team in a desperate playoff push, we keep our best prospect, and still have the offseason to dump piles of money on Crawford and Lee, if so desired.
ju guys really lika me. tank ju for wanting me.
i promiss to hit berry berry good if i make major leegue.
sumtime ju win sumtine ju loose. that how it go.
Oh, booo hooo hooo! Let me play a sad song for ya on the world’s smallest violin.
Uhh don’t know if you remembered but we would still be here
But if we just sign him this winter, we lose a draft pick. So it’s not just the three months we would have traded for; it’s that #1 as well.
Leave the obsession over young “prospects” to me.
Yeah, I was confused about this rental as well.
What is even dumber is the rumor that we’re getting Jayson Werth for Javy Vasquez.
Wow, NoMaas has lost it’s killer instinct. They used to be in favor of moves that improved the team.
Possibility #1
Ca$shman is actually an asshole, the kind who would give the same $ to Nick Johnson that he could have given to Vlad the Impaler (yes i am 2nd guessing that).
Possibility #2
It was all brilliant b.s. and reverse psych.
Possibility #3
They privately have decided that Montero cant catch; first base isnt available, and they need the DH spot for the old guys. So they have to trade him.
But the intent was to move Hughes to the pen for three weeks to save his innings and get three great starts out of Lee. Then trade Lee, Joba, and Cervelli to SF for Buster Posey.
Put Hughes back in the rotation.
Trade Vasquez, Granderson, and a bag of balls to Atlanta for Jason Heyward and Michael Dunn.
Sign Pedro.
Hooray!
If Jesus Montero had been traded I would have gone to Yankee stadium and beat the hell out of Brian Cashman. And if you disagree with me, I’d go into your parents basement, drag you up the stairs and throw you out the window.
Kudos to NoMaas for writing this.
At this point we really don’t need Lee. We’ve won 7 straight and the team is clicking on all cylinders finally. We’ll get Lee in the off season when it’s time to either replace Andy or Javy.
Can you imagine the MSM reaction if Theo almost traded for Cliff Lee?
1.) The Red Sox’s bold statement that they are ‘down but not out’! Everyone loves a scrappy underdog, and the Sox are the scrappiest.
2.) Slobbering praise of the ‘infinitely deep’ Red Sox farm system that they were able to even get near the finish line without even scratching the surface of their farm system.
3.) Fellating of Theo’s incredible skill at blocking the Yankees, best GM in the game by far, maybe of all time.
We are a small market team. we cannot compete with the yankees-Theo Epstein….
I saw the Yankees win multiple World Series with Yogi, Elston Howard and Hector Lopez in left field. I am sure a young guy like Montero could learn to be an adequate outfielder. He is already better than Johnny Damon.
Yes I’m old.
yes, but remember Hector’s full name: Hector what-a-pair-of-hands Lopez
I can also speak perfectly good, standard English. I’m very versatile; that is, capable of turning easily from one task to another in various situations, endeavors, etc. That’s why I’m a considered a strong prospect. Thanks for listening.
I’d be willing to trade away Javy Vasquez for a 16 pack of Nathans Bun Lengths w/ individual mustard packets for each.
See i know value when I see it…
I not chure who dis guy is saying i speek good. but if you ever heard me speek i more like dis. thank ju.
You guys are officially off my payroll.
Just kidding…but couldn’t you have made me look tougher in that pic?
I’m here w/Lori Rubinson, btw.
She wants to know who your favorite Yankees are…
Well, first of all, we’ve have been- Look, when you look at the free agent market this year, we identify John Lackey as a guy. As a difference-maker. There are some- There were some good guys out there and we have talked to some other good ones. But so far, the way I look- we look at it is w- And I was very encouraged by the mini-camp to be able to see Johan Santana, to be able to see Oliver Perez, to be able to get the reports that John Maine’s coming along good. Fernando Nieve’s pitched very well in Venezuela. So, we feel that, at least, from the group of guys that we have- Now, remember, last year at this time, with this same group of guys, teams- a lot of people were predicting us to be able to get to the playoffs and possibly go to the World Series. Our guys are still young. Our guys are still- I have a lot of confidence in Danny Warthen. I have a lot of confidence that our guys staying healthy is the main thing we have to focus on.
What is even dumber is the rumor that we’re getting Jayson Werth for Javy Vasquez
Wait, I get that people are torn over the Lee trade. But if he DID get Lee, are you saying this would have been stupid? Really?
I like Vazquez, but flipping him for Werth after getting Lee would have been an absolute incredible move.
Yes, without Lee, it doesn’t make sense. But consummating both of those trades would have created an absolute juggernaut, granted at a very high cost.
@Steve: We have an absorute juggernaut
Eight-in-a-low, baby!
Fuck you NoMaas!
Yes CHoP, I’m not saying they had to get Lee. Just saying if he had, Javy for Werth is a logical next step.
You are right, the Yanks are playing very well and look to be in excellent shape. They will pick up some bench help and maybe a reliever.
I just think they saw an opportunity to stomp on the throat of the rest of the league and went for it. Overkill perhaps, but it’s not like they were moving Montero for Jake Westbrook. CC and Lee would have been a devastating October combo. Hopefully Montero makes us look back in relief a few years from now. I’m a big fan and happy he’s still here. But Cashman’s job is to win the World Series. This is why he gets paid to make what was probably a pretty excrusiating decision.
Cash was covering his arse.
Trading a lot of good young players and prospect, including the 2 LH relief pitchers we could now use, for Granderson who isn’t as good a CF’er as GArdner and Javy, who we won’t offer arbitration to and will get ZERO for him after the season will look like horrible, horrible moves if Yankees pitching falters (AJ is tenuous, Hughes on a pitch count and Javvy not a top guy)and Yankees finish 3rd ot Tampa and a healthy SOx team.
Getting him early for a top hitting prospect who is our 4 the best defensive catcher prospect and catcher is a defense/ handling pitching staff position, and getting something for JAvy was a no-brainer.
After all, to sign LEE & Werth next year would cost us our first 2 picks in a supposedly loaded draft so we get those 2 futures along with LEE and WERTH, for Montero, 2 middling prospects who we replace with the 2 saved draft picks and we win another world series and Cashman looks like a genius instead of potentially a fool if we finish 3rd and AJAX, DUNN, Vizcaino, COKE all continue play well and project.
This was a no-brainer for the media and fan savvy Cashman.He’s covering up that he traded a bunch of guys for Granderson while Gardner who he had all along was the better CF’er.
I think Texas is dangerous, they got the best lineup in baseball; Lee, Hunter, CJ Wilson, Lewis and fill in (Harden or Holland). Boston was probably still going to be a 3rd place team this yr with or without Lee and Minnesota at the moment is barely over .500,Yes TB would have a stupendous rotation with Lee, my point is Texas is probably the Yankees biggest threat now to conquer the world, Although with their record we wouldn’t have to worry until the ALCS as we’d draw who ever comes out of the weak ass central.
I guess it would be considered a rental since the Yanks clearly can’t afford paying premium money for free agents…this site loses credibility almost every day.
“I guess it would be considered a rental since the Yanks clearly can’t afford paying premium money for free agents…”
Wrong.
If you don’t trade for Lee, you can sign him in the off-season. If you trade for Lee, you get him for three months and then can sign him in the off-season. You can sign him as a free agent whether you trade for him or not, therefore trading for him is only renting him for the rest of the season.
“I think Texas is dangerous, they got the best lineup in baseball”
Really? Yanks are out OPS+ing them 115-105 and out wOBAing them .349-.340. Boston’s also got a better offense than Texas.
Almost fell over laughing at Omar Minaya. If you weren’t working from a transcript, that is fucking awesome and really impressive.
And I echo the sentiments of most people here. It’s a bit bittersweet because Lee would have made the Yanks a virtual lock for the World Series this year. But Montero would have been a steep price to pay for a half-season rental, particularly if he’s signable this offseason or the Yanks don’t go all the way this year. I’m just happy I don’t have to watch Montero develop elsewhere (at least not yet) and that Lee didn’t land in St. Petersburg.
“Trade Vasquez, Granderson, and a bag of balls to Atlanta for Jason Heyward and Michael Dunn.”
I have difficulty believing that people who can supposedly read and write can also come up with stupid shit like this.
Let’s do a 3-way swap with Washing and Atlanta. Let’s get Heyward, J-Jurrjens and Strasburg for Joba, Vazquez and Nick Johnson
If the Phillies traded Werth they would be giving up on the season. So they would not trade Werth for a rental like Vazquez. Not even Amaro is that dumb.
Omar Minaya gives good head