Good news, George Steinbrenner has been re-born. He’s back, in the form of his son Hal, because anonymous sources (that may or may not rhyme with Sandy Marine and/or Ron Frost) muttered a sentence or two to Wally Matthews over at ESPN New York.
Return of the Boss? Hal shows spirit:
In light of the mounting evidence that the New York Yankees are now suddenly, desperately seeking to hold onto Robinson Cano, I asked a baseball person with intimate knowledge of the Yankees, Scott Boras and the economics of the game in general if there was any chance the Bombers and Cano could reach agreement on a contract extension without having to get into a full-scale bidding war on the free-agent market.
The man responded with an expletive, followed by the word “no.”
Ok, no problem there — Cano goes to free agency and the Yankees have to compete with other teams for his services. That’s certainly a realistic possibility
But then a HUGE leap occurs:
Translation: The $189 million? Forget about it. Large checks are about to be cut, not payroll.
For Yankee fans who pine for the good ole days when the Boss never saw a hole in his roster that couldn’t be stuffed with money, this is reason to break into song. Happy days are here again.
Hal Steinbrenner has thrown his wallet back into the game.
So according to Matthews, Hal has turned into George because they might bid against other teams for Cano when he hits free agency.
Talk about jumping to conclusions. All the evidence to-date completely disproves Wallace’s theory.
1. Hal refused to sign anyone this offseason for more than 1 year, with the exception being Ichiro. And we all know the reason why a 39-year old Ichiro was signed for two years was because of possible revenue associated with his chase for 3,000 hits.
2. The Yankees purposely downgraded at both C and RF in order to save money.
3. Even if they re-sign Cano to a monster deal, why does that mean the $189 million is out the window? A bunch of players (Granderson, Hughes, Joba, Kuroda, Pettitte, Mariano, Logan, Youkilis) will be off the books and Hal can skimp on other areas of the team. He didn’t focus on 1-year deals and minor league fodder for nothing.
Get off the crack, Wallace.
15 Comments
Ed February 21, 2013 14:48
Yeah! When Cano signs his monster contract, Hal will make sure he lines up next to 4 minor league position players, 2 past-their-prime retreads, the decaying corpse of Alex Rodriguez, and an old boot he found in his closet to play right field.
Old Boot February 21, 2013 15:21
Hey!
Matzo February 21, 2013 15:10
It is fairly obvious Hal plans on selling. Sold YES. Getting the books to 0 so he can sell it for more. What’s he care about the “fans” reaction to anything? He only cares that there is a good chance it’ll be empty in May there. But hey we all want to see Ichiro chase 3000 hits right????
Brian S. February 21, 2013 15:13
Wally is stinky.
Ron Washington February 21, 2013 16:06
Did someone say crack?
Josh Hamilton February 21, 2013 18:07
I did!
Curt Schilling February 21, 2013 16:32
Hal, if you’re spending, can I borrow $100M? Kinda owe some money to the government.
The Truth February 21, 2013 20:03
What no buyers for the bloody tampon er sock?
Magic Johnson February 21, 2013 22:31
Tell me how my ass taste? I mean besides the HIV drugs.
Impeach John & Suzyn February 22, 2013 00:56
Ichiro can still hit 280 & run & score & field: Johnny Damon with less power & hugely better D. He’s a small downgrade… and wasn’t it enough of Swisher, already? On the other side, a contending team must have some youth. Some. There’s nowhere on this team for it to be, but catcher – a position in which we’ve had “approaching talent” for years. Montero is gone & Sanchez is the future (maybe) so why not give Romine a chance? By mid-season the catcher isn’t going to be Stewart or Cervelli. Swisher & Martin hit homers & got on base some, but they both disappeared in October. Overall, I like the makeup of the team better without pretty boy & UFCatcher.
Do I wish the Yankees had gone in more of a Josh Hamilton direction than Ichiro? Of course. But barring that type of acquisition, which even Wally Matthews knows wasn’t happening, I don’t think they did as badly as NoMaas thinks they did.
XSoldier54 February 22, 2013 08:31
Wallace Matthews is a hack. I can’t believe he actually gets paid to write his ridiculous opinions. He works for one of the biggest left wing rags in the business and continues to refer to the YES network as Al-Yankzeera. Like the Daily News is not about left wing propaganda. Buy a clue Wallace.
The Truth February 22, 2013 12:49
Uh I think you have Wallace mixed up with Groucho Marx look alike Bob Raismann. Doesn’t matter they both suck.
CashNinja189 February 22, 2013 10:10
Were gonna keep to the 189 Muthafukkas! Cano is playin his last year. Let the dodgers have that Chump! When Tyler Austin comes in after July, you’ll forget about that non-hustling pretender. I didnt want Arod back. Cano the fukka is worse. He will look better in Dodger Blue anyway!
bleedingyankeeblue February 24, 2013 14:02
well i don’t see cano easily being left to walk. i think clearly a lot will depend upon what type of replacement player is out there and how much it will cost. and how close one or two position players from within the organization on the lower levels are able to be of positive impact. i think this spring the younger players will get a more critical viewing and quite possibly more frequent call ups during the course of the year. look for accelerated promotions in the lower levels more than usual.
Clay Davis February 24, 2013 21:41
I’ll take any motherfuckers money if they’re giving it away!!!