2008 NY Yankees Trade, release, free agent rumors [Forum Archive]

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2008 NY Yankees Trade, release, free agent rumors

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Posted by: min0 lee

Jason Giambi likely playing final games with Yankees this weekend

BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Friday, September 26th 2008, 12:59 AM

TORONTO - Jason Giambi came to New York seven years ago as one of the most feared hitters in the league, hoping to carry on the winning tradition in the Bronx.

This weekend, he will likely play the final three games of his Yankees career, and while there are no championship rings on his fingers, Giambi wouldn't trade in his experience in New York for anything.

"It's flown by," Giambi said before Thursday night's 8-2 loss to the Blue Jays. "I've had the time of my life here, no doubt about it. It's been great. I've enjoyed every minute."

Giambi, 37, has 209 home runs as a Yankee, tied with Alex Rodriguez for 10th most in club history. Some of those longballs have been memorable, such as his game-winning, 14th-inning grand slam in the rain against the Twins in May 2002 or the two solo shots he hit off Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS that helped set the stage for the Yankees' comeback.

But when people look back at Giambi's tenure in New York, the thing they'll .remember most is the steroid controversy that made him the poster child for all that was wrong with baseball. Giambi found himself embroiled in the BALCO scandal, missed time with a benign pituitary tumor in 2004 and was on his way to being one of the biggest busts in free agent history.

Somehow, through all of it, he emerged relatively unscathed.

In December 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Giambi admitted in grand jury testimony a year earlier that he had injected himself with performance-enhancing drugs. Following a winter of talk that the Yankees would try to void his contract, Giambi held a press conference in February 2005 to apologize for his actions. He never directly said why he was apologizing, but over time, the fans forgave him, as he returned to being one of the most popular players on the team.

"I knew that I came back when Coney said, 'You did it,' " Giambi said, referring to a conversation in July with David Cone. "I said, 'What did I do?' It was mustache day, and he said, 'You got the fans back. You worked hard, you've been that guy and you were honest.' I worked hard to get back where I was."

Giambi credited his managers and coaches for helping him stay positive and battle through the adversity, but it was an act by Derek Jeter in the spring of 2005 that meant the most to him.

"He stepped up and said, 'He's my teammate, he's my friend and we'll welcome him back,' " Giambi said. "That's a very controversial issue for who he is and what he represents, so for him to do that, he's a great friend and I'll never forget that."

After Giambi hit .195 with three homers and six RBI through the first five weeks of the 2005 season, the Yankees asked him to go to the minors, but he refused. He went on a tear after that, finishing the season with a .271 average, 32 homers and 87 RBI, enough to earn him Comeback Player of the Year honors.

While injuries cost him half of both the 2004 and '07 seasons, Giambi played in at least 139 games in each of his other five years with the Yankees, hitting at least 32 home runs in each.

"To not have a little doubt, I wouldn't be human," Giambi said of his comeback. "Of course there was always a little doubt, but I knew in my heart that if I figured out what was the matter when I was sick that I would come back and work hard. I always had the same work ethic, so that wasn't going to be a problem. I made it."

Where will Giambi go from here? The Yankees hold a $23 million option for 2009, which they will certainly buy out for $5 million. Giambi hopes to play for several more years, so he'll be looking for a multiyear deal this winter.

One potential suitor could be the Blue Jays, according to a source, as Giambi has a relationship with GM J.P. Ricciardi from their days together in Oakland and Toronto could use another big bat.

Giambi might be leaving New York without a ring, but he won't downplay his six trips to the playoffs when he looks back at his pinstriped career.

"I thought we would go to the World .Series a lot more, but it tells you that what those guys did was incredible," he said of the 1996-2000 Yankees.

Wherever Giambi winds up, his time in New York will have made a huge impact on his life - and not just on his wallet or his career statistics.

"From the person I was before I got here to the person I am now, the things I've gone through, all the ups and downs; knock on wood, I made it through," Giambi said. "I really did. I'm a better person."

Posted by: soxmuscle

Do the Yankees do what they've been doing (unsuccessfully) for the last eight years by signing every free agent and their mother or do they do they copy the Red Sox mold of building through the farm?

Posted by: soxmuscle

The $7 million dollars it will cost the Yankees to buy out Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano and Damaso Marte is more than the Red Sox will be paying for Papelbon, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Pedroia, Lester, Ellsbury, Masterson and Delcarmen next season combined.

You're right.. I can't say with 100% certainty that this team is screwed yet, but this an offseason with extreme importance to the next decade of Yankees baseball and there's a good chance given the ineptitude of Hank Steinbrenner that this team goes completely down the crapper this winter.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Do the Yankees do what they've been doing (unsuccessfully) for the last eight years by signing every free agent and their mother or do they do they copy the Red Sox mold of building through the farm?

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

The $7 million dollars it will cost the Yankees to buy out Jason Giambi, Carl Pavano and Damaso Marte is more than the Red Sox will be paying for Papelbon, Ellsbury, Lowrie, Pedroia, Lester, Ellsbury, Masterson and Delcarmen next season combined.

You're right.. I can't say with 100% certainty that this team is screwed yet, but this an offseason with extreme importance to the next decade of Yankees baseball and there's a good chance given the ineptitude of Hank Steinbrenner that this team goes completely down the crapper this winter.

You mean this is the end of the Yankees?

Posted by: soxmuscle

I just don't happen to think with the personnel they have running the show that they'll be the Yankees we've come to know and _____ over the last 10-20 years.

Why the laughs? Do you disagree?

Posted by: min0 lee

I wish they would bring back Gene Micheal, he was the man partly responsible for the success the Yankees had in the 90's.

Posted by: min0 lee

Joe Girardi throws no curveballs, says Yankees need new starters

BY ANTHONY MCCARRON
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Monday, September 29th 2008, 9:10 PM

In what could be perceived as an open casting call to elite free-agent-to-be pitchers such as CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, Joe Girardi said Monday there would be "a conscious effort" to upgrade the Yankees' starting rotation this winter.

Girardi headed into what figures to be an offseason of uncertainty for the Yanks by saying, "The project is, in a sense, big, because we probably have to add a few people to the rotation. But the whole scope of things, you wouldn't necessarily say that you have to fix everything. The focus is the rotation."

Girardi believes the Yankees have "a lot of good pieces in that locker room," and said that beginning the season with the same players at third, short and second base and the with same bullpen would be "pretty comfortable."

But the rotation needs "some guys who can give you some innings, the 200-plus innings."

The Yankees had two pitchers do that this year - Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina. But no one else came close. Only two other pitchers, Darrell Rasner and Joba Chamberlain, even cracked 100 innings.

Girardi spoke at a press conference at the Stadium before starting the fall vacation he never wanted. Only a handful of players showed up to clean out their lockers, Hideki Matsui and Pettitte among them, and there were signs all over that the Yankees were moving out of their old home.

The nameplates inside each locker were gone, perhaps headed home with the player or destined for sale as memorabilia. Most of the chairs in front of players' lockers were gone, too.

"You could look back at a lot of different weeks or months and, if we had played better, we would've been in the playoffs," said Girardi, who spent most of his talk concentrating on next year.

Girardi acknowledged that he hoped GM Brian Cashman would return - Cashman's contract is up Oct. 31 - and that Cashman would probably decide soon. After all, little planning for a rotation overhaul can start without the Yankees being sure who will lead their executives. Girardi also said "to become more athletic is important."

Exactly how the rotation will look at the beginning of next season is impossible to predict, considering that it's unclear whether Pettitte and Mussina will retire or whether the Yanks will use Chamberlain as a starter or reliever. Chien-Ming Wang figures to be recovered from his foot injuries, though.

Young pitchers Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy might have been put on notice, though Girardi disputed the idea that giving them rotation spots last spring was a mistake. However, nothing will be handed to them next spring - Girardi said the duo, along with Alfredo Aceves, would have to prove they belong in the majors.

"Is it possible one of them could be in the rotation next year? Yes," Girardi said. "It's possible that none of them are."

Thirteen different pitchers made starts for the Yankees this season, meaning they had to patch rotation holes all year due to injury and ineffectiveness. They want to create a situation in 2009 where they'll have quality replacements if something goes wrong with one of their starters. Perhaps, Girardi suggested, pitchers such as Hughes and Kennedy can fit the replacement role because the manager is eying "more experience in our staff, guys who can take the ball every fifth day.

"But to do those things, obviously, you dive into the free agent market and you have to be able to sign some people. That's a two-way street. They have to want to come. The other way to do it is through trades."

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

The Yankees had two pitchers do that this year - Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina. But no one else came close. Only two other pitchers, Darrell Rasner and Joba Chamberlain, even cracked 100 innings.

Andy and Mike may not even come back next year.

Quote:

Girardi acknowledged that he hoped GM Brian Cashman would return - Cashman's contract is up Oct. 31 - and that Cashman would probably decide soon. After all, little planning for a rotation overhaul can start without the Yankees being sure who will lead their executives. Girardi also said "to become more athletic is important."

I wouldn't be surprised if when he does come back his GM responsibility will be share.

More athletic? they have been saying this since they lost the last WS.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Yankees' Cashman to sign three-year deal -- Newsday.com

Cashman re-upped for 3 years.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Yankees' Cashman to sign three-year deal -- Newsday.com

Cashman re-upped for 3 years.

You.....beat.....me....to my game.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by min0 lee

You.....beat.....me....to my game.

Posted by: Double D

Giambi should have never went to NY! They made him shave!!!!! He was never the same!

Posted by: I Are Baboon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Malley

Giambi should have never went to NY! They made him shave!!!!! He was never the same!

I think his stopping the steroids had something to do with his numbers decline.

Posted by: Double D

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Are Baboon

I think his stopping the steroids had something to do with his numbers decline.

Nonsense......it was all the facial hair. It gave him massive strength!

Posted by: soxmuscle

Buster Olney had a report today stating that Jake Peavy was available.

Do the Yankees do what they probably should have done with Santana and throw the house (prospects) at the Padres to get him?

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Buster Olney had a report today stating that Jake Peavy was available.

Do the Yankees do what they probably should have done with Santana and throw the house (prospects) at the Padres to get him?

I thought you were against this?

Posted by: I Are Baboon

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Buster Olney had a report today stating that Jake Peavy was available.

Do the Yankees do what they probably should have done with Santana and throw the house (prospects) at the Padres to get him?

I think they'll throw eleventy billion dollars at CC Sabathia. Then the Sox can kick his ass in the playoffs. Again.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by min0 lee

I thought you were against this?

I am.

I think Hughes is going to be good.

Him, Cano, Kennedy and a couple of others would almost certainly have to be involved to make a deal for Peavy, which is why I'm kind of for it.

Posted by: min0 lee

Cano has fell out of favor for his lazy play.

Posted by: min0 lee

After winning 20 for first time, Mike Mussina's plans for 2009 still on hold

BY MARK FEINSAND
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Most baseball insiders believe that Mike Mussina is ready to take his 270 wins and ride off into the sunset.

FIXING THE YANKEES FOR 2009

Of course, the only opinion that matters is Mussina's, and the pitcher hasn't spent much time thinking about his future since the Yankees' season ended nine days ago.

Reached Monday at his home in Montoursville, Pa., Mussina told the Daily News that he is still undecided when it comes to playing next season.

PDF: NEWS' 2009 YANKEES

"Not yet," Mussina said when asked if he was close to a verdict. "I'm just enjoying being home right now."

Mussina, who won his last start of the season to record the first 20-win campaign of his 18-year career, hinted after that game that he was prepared to hang up his spikes, though the idea of making a run at 300 wins - not to mention another chance at capturing that elusive championship ring - might be enough to bring him back in 2009.

THE FANS VOTE: YANKEES KEEP 'EM OR DUMP 'EM

"I haven't really put a timetable on it," Mussina said of his decision. "The playoffs are still going on and it still seems like the season just ended. I'm not rushing after it, but I know sooner or later I'm going to have to figure out what I want to do."

Having struggled so badly in 2007 that he was removed from the Yankees' rotation in August, Mussina bounced back with one of the best seasons of his career, finally getting the 20-win monkey off his back after winning 19 in both 1995 and '96.

Mussina, who will turn 40 on Dec. 8, went 20-9 with a 3.37 ERA this season, anchoring a Yankees rotation that was beset by injuries (Chien-Ming Wang and Joba Chamberlain) and underachieving rookies (Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) to help keep the Bombers in the playoff race into September.

After beating the Red Sox on Sept. 28 for No. 20, Mussina said he was "completely satisfied" with his career if this were the end, though he left the door open for a return and a run at 300 wins.

"As of right now, it's my last game in my last year, so I don't know what the future holds," Mussina said at Fenway Park that night. "It could be my last year or it may not be my last year, but when you get to your 18th season, it could always be your last year."

Should Mussina decide to retire, he'll finish with a 270-153 record, a 3.68 ERA, five All-Star appearances, 2,813 strikeouts and a résumé that will give Hall of Fame voters something to think about when his name appears on the ballot.

Posted by: I Are Baboon

I think the Yankers should give Mussina four years/$60 million.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Are Baboon

I think the Yankers should give Mussina four years/$60 million.

2 years.....at least till he wins 300.

Posted by: Triple Threat

Agreed. 2 years will give him enough time to get to 300 wins and 3000 Ks, both of which he'll need to make the HOF.

Posted by: min0 lee

I saw him pitch this past year, I was down on him in '07 but he turned it around this year....he is getting old though.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Maybe I'm wrong about him.

Quote:

Even though he walked five, Phil Hughes pitched five scoreless innings Tuesday for the Javelinas of the AFL.
Hughes allowed just one hit and struck out seven. Still, issuing five walks and hitting a batter versus Double- and Triple-A competition isn't very impressive. Rangers prospect Julio Borbon, who walked just 29 times in 546 at-bats this season, drew two of the free passes.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Mussina should fade away to the National League on a three year deal where he'll be able to both maximize his value and pitch in the inferior league.

You'd have to think there will be a lot of NL contenders vying for his services.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Maybe I'm wrong about him.

To me he pitched pretty good, I didn't see all of his games but last year he was pretty good, although I didn't look like he can pitch many innings.

This year he looked ordinary.

When was that game played?

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Mussina should fade away to the National League on a three year deal where he'll be able to both maximize his value and pitch in the inferior league.

You'd have to think there will be a lot of NL contenders vying for his services.

His preference is to be close to home, I heard he prefers the AL for some reason.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

The Yankees are said to want to sign two out of three starting pitchers they're coveting -- CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe.

Sabathia is their No. 1 target. But Yankees players seem to love the idea of signing Burnett, a pitcher who has dominated them.

The Yankees are not expected to curb their spending as revenues are expected to increase by $100 million in their new ballpark.

Yup.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Yup.

I would take all 3 pitchers.

Why did Lowe leave Boston?

Posted by: I Are Baboon

Quote:

Originally Posted by min0 lee

Why did Lowe leave Boston?

Scott Boras.

The Red Sox would not give him the four years/$36mm that LA did.

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by min0 lee

His preference is to be close to home, I heard he prefers the AL for some reason.

Where's home?

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by I Are Baboon

Scott Boras.

The Red Sox would not give him the four years/$36mm that LA did.

Correct.

His true colors as a person really came out in LA, although I will admit, he's a hell of a pitcher.

Justin Masterson projects to be a Derek Lowe type.

Posted by: soxmuscle

New York Post - The Yankees are getting the impression that CC Sabathia will want to return home to California this winter, so in addition to preparing an incredibly lucrative offer, they also want to impress him with the new Yankee Stadium.

They are hoping to give Sabathia a tour of the new stadium as they court him in free agency.

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Where's home?

He was born and raised in Pennsylvania.

It's funny you ask that because I was thinking Mussina would be a great fit for your Phillies.

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

He was born and raised in Pennsylvania.

It's funny you ask that because I was thinking Mussina would be a great fit for your Phillies.

Haha, so was I! Nice!

Posted by: soxmuscle

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Haha, so was I! Nice!

When the Phillies lose in the Series to the Red Sox, they'll be looking for that seasoned veteran to get them over the hump

Mussina makes a lot of sense though.

Hamels, Mussina, Myers, Blanton, Moyer is an excellent rotation.

Of course that means Kendrick would be bumped from the rotation but how can you rely on Mussina and Moyer staying healthy all year like they did this year?

Posted by: ReproMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

When the Phillies lose in the Series to the Red Sox, they'll be looking for that seasoned veteran to get them over the hump

(Not sure if I disagree, that's why I'm pissed)

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

Ahh yes. One can dream, can't he?

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReproMan

Where's home?

PA.

Posted by: min0 lee

Quote:

Originally Posted by soxmuscle

New York Post -

Stay away from the Post, 90% of the stuff they print is thrash.

Posted by: min0 lee

Giambi, Pavano eligible for free agency after options declined

DANA POINT, Calif. -- The New York Yankees declined their 2009 options on first baseman Jason Giambi and pitcher Carl Pavano on Tuesday, making the pair eligible for free agency.

Pavano

Giambi
Giambi will receive a $5 million buyout rather than a $22 million salary next season, completing his $120 million, seven-year contract. Pavano gets a $1.95 million buyout instead of a $13 million salary, finishing his $39.95 million deal.

The 2000 AL MVP with Oakland, Giambi hit 209 homers during his time with the Yankees. Slowed by injuries and in the center of controversy during baseball's performance-enhancing drug investigation, Giambi failed to win any World Series titles during his time in New York.

In a sign that Giambi may want to return to the Athletics, Oakland announced Tuesday that Bob Alejo will become its director of strength and conditioning. Alejo was Oakland's strength and conditioning coach from 1993-2001 and followed Giambi to the Yankees, working for Giambi personally and for the team during some years.

Pavano was one of the biggest free-agent busts, spending most of the past four years on the disabled list. He made just 26 starts during the contract, going 9-8 with a 5.00 ERA.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Posted by: P-funk

wow, bobby is going back to the A's too. Bobby is one of the nicest guys out there.

Posted by: soxmuscle

New York Post - A statistical group that tracks every ball hit in the majors claims that Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter is the worst fielder in baseball.

Stats guru Bill James and a panel of nine other voters, ranked Jeter 22nd among all major-league shortstops, with one calling Jeter "the least effective defensive player in the major leagues, at any position."

One panel member comes from Baseball Info Solutions.

"They watched film of every major-league game, and had recorded every ball off the bat by the direction in which it was hit [the vector], the type of hit [groundball, flyball, line-drive, popup, etc.] and by how hard the ball was hit [softly hit, medium, hard hit]," according to James.

***

this offseason is going to be awesome

Posted by: I Are Baboon

Boy the Pavano and Giambi contracts are two that the Yankees are finally glad to be rid of.

Of course, that means they have $32 million now to spend on someone else.

Posted by: soxmuscle

They're also saving money on Abreu, Mussina, and Pettite who still could be brought back.

They'll definitely be on a shopping spree this winter, I'm just hoping its of the 5 years/100 million to Manny Ramirez variety.

Posted by: IainDaniel

Mike Mussina to retire

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