Yankees are still the Yankees; what were the Cardinals thinking?

[rokketmn]

The Yankees got themselves a major league catcher over the weekend by signing Brian McCann to a 5yr/$85mm contract. Since he bats lefthanded, he could hit 30 Hr's with the VERY short RF dimensions in Yankee Stadium if he stays healthy.

From a Sox fan perspective, this deal doesn't worry me.

1. McCann is 30 years old, so 5 years is a lot to give a catcher
2. though he has power, he has been pretty much a .250 hitter the past 2 seasons.
3. he only throws out about 24% of basestealers

This is a good short term signing for the Yankees, but like many other deals given out, this will hurt 2 or 3 years down the line.

What's with the Cardinals giving Jhonny Peralta 4 yrs/$53mm? Here is a guy that looked like he was on the downside before having a nice season due to PED use, as he hit about .250 for 5 of the previous 6 seasons with declining power.

He is a poor defender at SS as well. This just doesn't seem to fit the Cardinals typical way of thinking, as they are usually smart about their moves. The only thing I can see that swayed the Cards to Peralta is that Peralta can also play 3B. That could allow them to maybe trade Kolten Wong for a SS and keep Carpenter at 2B.

The Cards make a nice move to get speed and defense in Bourjos, and thn they plan on throwing Peralta out at SS doesn't make sense to me.

I am looking forward to Clayton's take on this, as maybe I am missing something.

The Dodgers signing of Dan Haren for 1yr/$10mm was a good move. It is only 1 year and Haren could benefit pitching in Dodger Stadium with a potent offense. He pitched well in the second half last season.

Kudos to Floff for predicting Peralta signing with St. Louis.

 

[tabascojet]

cant wait to see McCann dictate the unwritten rules of baseball etiquette to the red sox next season....

 

[rokketmn]

How does the Peralta signing affect Stephen Drew?.

On one hand, he should now be able to at least match, if not better, Peralta's contract because he is the better overall player. On the other hand, the Cardinals and the Mets were the two teams that had the greatest need at SS. The Mets seem unwiling to go the dollars on top free agents, and they do not want to give up draft picks. Drew appears unlikely to go there.

Initial reports I read as free agency started were that Drew could get $12mm per season and maybe a 4/$48mm deal. Now what? The Dodgers if they move Hanley to 3B? Maybe. A return to the Sox? Unlikely, unless he takes a short term deal.

 

[rokketmn]

cant wait to see McCann dictate the unwritten rules of baseball etiquette to the red sox next season....

Yeah. I can see him standing at the plate yelling at Big Papi and telling him that the Yankees are supposed to win at Yankee Stadium.

 

[Brocktagon]

tom brady >>> your favorite quarterback

 

[Brocktagon]

who cares about mcann to the Yankees? I want salty back dammit!

 

[Floffman]

I don't like the McCann signing. Personally I wanted AJ Perz on a 2 year deal then re-evaluate where Gary Sanchez was.

Although I would like to see your post if he was signed by the Red Sox so I know the positives of the deal.

 

[Floffman]

Anybody see Andy Reid Twerking on Phil Rivers:

We Have No Idea What's Going On Here

 

[Brocktagon]

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning lead NFL Survivor Series - NFL.com

Tom Brady, Peyton Manning lead NFL Survivor Series

You might have heard this, but Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are squaring off this week. And of course, this has been a big week for blogs and sports talk radio as they talk about the greatest rivalries of all-time. And you hear all of the rivalries you would expect. Bears vs. Packers. Red Sox vs. Yankees. Lakers vs. Celtics.
Which, come to think of it, shows that a lot of folks hate Boston sports teams.
My man Mike Coppinger even got into the mix with some great sports rivalries. And you can check that out right here. However, I say "posh" to all of those minor squabbles. Because how in the name of Zeus can we talk rivalries and not discuss the greatest rivalry in sports history:
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart.
(And to pull back the curtain a touch, Coppinger has watched WWE pay per views at my house and has tickets to WrestleMania in New Orleans, so I feel this exclusion had to be the result of orders from above.)
But seriously, Michaels vs. Hart is probably the most intense of all sports rivalries. And I find it quite fitting that the latest episode in Brady vs. Manning will happen the same time as the WWE's Survivor Series on Sunday. Because one of the greatest matches between Michaels and Hart was the famed "Montreal Screwjob" during the 1997 Survivor Series. (Though, Patriots fans might believe a current screw job came last week in Carolina.)
I find all of this very fitting. The only question that remains is, who is HBK and who is Bret Hart in this instance? My humble opinion is Brady is more of the "Showstopper" while Manning takes on many of the same characteristics of Hart, who like Manning, was a legacy in his sport. Because that would make Archie Manning the Stu Hart of the NFL. The Manning Passing Academy could be considered the Hart Family Dungeon of football. Owen Hart, like Eli, lived in the shadow of his brother, but was a multi-champion in his own right. Yeah, I guess we have that figured out.
And while I'm on the subject, how come we can go back to the traditional Survivor Series matches? I know we get one, but I would love to see the Meta Powers of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan form a team to take on the Wyatt Family. Or even get together some of the best jobbers in the business to get in on the action. Why can't 3MB be involved some place here?
But you know what? Maybe that would be a great way to settle the Brady vs. Manning rivalry, is to have them fight Survivor Series-style. Maybe when Wes Welker scores a touchdown, it eliminates Danny Amendola. And then when Rob Gronkowski scores, there goes Julius Thomas. And then it works its way down to Brady vs. Manning one-on-one on the field.
Dare to dream. I think we'd have a better shot of John Cena being cheered by somebody older than nine-years old, than to see something like that.

 

[rokketmn]

I don't like the McCann signing. Personally I wanted AJ Perz on a 2 year deal then re-evaluate where Gary Sanchez was.

Although I would like to see your post if he was signed by the Red Sox so I know the positives of the deal.

I was on record here saying that I didn't want the Sox to sign McCann. He is just a bit better than Salty at a much higher price. I don't like giving multi-year deals to guys 30 and over. It is different if you are extending a 26 year old into his 30's, or keeping a long-time or homegrown player.

If he was also great defensively, then it may be a different story. The Yankees got another Jorge Posada: a catcher that can hit, but can't throw runners out and who gives up a lot of passed balls.

As I said, it is good for the Yankees in the short term because of MCann's power, but it may not be that way in 2016 or 2017. I also don't see this as necessarily blocking Sanchez. Sanchez didn't perform that well in AA last season and will likely have to repeat it in 2014. Depending on how he fares, he is likely not a realistic option until 2016 anyway, and by thet time, McCann may be spending a lot of time at DH and/or 1B.

 

[Brocktagon]

Anybody see Andy Reid Twerking on Phil Rivers:

We Have No Idea What's Going On Here

"you can do it, put your ass into it"

 

[da55bums]

Rivers is doing a "NBA" flop


McCann is good to bridge the gap til Sanchez is up, then to 1b he goes. AJ would have been a good signing also.

both McCann and AJ would start a fight with the Sox..lol

 

[rokketmn]

Rivers is doing a "NBA" flop


McCann is good to bridge the gap til Sanchez is up, then to 1b he goes. AJ would have been a good signing also.

both McCann and AJ would start a fight with the Sox..lol

AJ might start a fight in his own clubhouse. I am hoping the Sox don't sign him either. I like what David Ross brings to the table defensively and in game calling, so I am okay with him as my primary catcher. We wil get offense from many other places in our lineup. I would sign Dioner Navarro to back up Ross. If not him, then a guy like Kurt Suzuki.

 

[redseat]

"you can do it, put your ass into it"

Was Rivers even touched?

 

[redseat]

I can't believe how on the NFL Board people are saying "as fans" they were ripped off because of last nights game.

I guess they don't like a team coming back against the Broncos and scoring at will in the 2nd half..

 

[rokketmn]

Anybody check out the Yankee payroll lately. I said they were going to have a tough time coming in under $189mm, and here is the unofficial tally so far.

I have them currently at about $120mm, and here's what they are attempting to do:
- re-sign Cano for about $25mm annually, brings total to $145mm
- arbitration for Robertson, Nova, Gardner, and Kelly, will cost another $12mm, bringing the total to $157mm.
- sign Carlos Beltran for $15mm - total $172mm
- re-sign Hiroki Kuroda for $15mm - total $187mm
- sign Masahiro Tanaka for $15mm - total $202mm

they also need to get a backup 1B/3B and lefthanded reliever. That should cost a minimum of $5mm combined.

The unofficial total is now $207mm, which is $20mm less than last year but the team actually gets older.

They also forfeited their first round pick with the McCann signing. They could recoup it if/when Granderson signs somewhere, but depending on who signs him, it might not be a first round pick.

They have a lot banking on A-Rod's suspension being upheld.

 

[Brocktagon]

i'm going to start my own book

"top 100 reasons why Tom Brady is the greatest to ever play America's game"

how's that sound?

 

[Brocktagon]

Anybody check out the Yankee payroll lately. I said they were going to have a tough time coming in under $189mm, and here is the unofficial tally so far.

I have them currently at about $120mm, and here's what they are attempting to do:
- re-sign Cano for about $25mm annually, brings total to $145mm
- arbitration for Robertson, Nova, Gardner, and Kelly, will cost another $12mm, bringing the total to $157mm.
- sign Carlos Beltran for $15mm - total $172mm
- re-sign Hiroki Kuroda for $15mm - total $187mm
- sign Masahiro Tanaka for $15mm - total $202mm

they also need to get a backup 1B/3B and lefthanded reliever. That should cost a minimum of $5mm combined.

The unofficial total is now $207mm, which is $20mm less than last year but the team actually gets older.

They also forfeited their first round pick with the McCann signing. They could recoup it if/when Granderson signs somewhere, but depending on who signs him, it might not be a first round pick.

They have a lot banking on A-Rod's suspension being upheld.

if you're making up these numbers yourself, I suggest writing for a major sports page for $. this breakdown is awesome.

 

[da55bums]

Beltran isn't going to the yankees, doesn't strikeout enough, Choo will (says the Royals fan who sits next to RF)

 

[Clayton]

What's with the Cardinals giving Jhonny Peralta 4 yrs/$53mm? Here is a guy that looked like he was on the downside before having a nice season due to PED use, as he hit about .250 for 5 of the previous 6 seasons with declining power.

He is a poor defender at SS as well. This just doesn't seem to fit the Cardinals typical way of thinking, as they are usually smart about their moves. The only thing I can see that swayed the Cards to Peralta is that Peralta can also play 3B. That could allow them to maybe trade Kolten Wong for a SS and keep Carpenter at 2B.

The Cards make a nice move to get speed and defense in Bourjos, and thn they plan on throwing Peralta out at SS doesn't make sense to me.

I am looking forward to Clayton's take on this, as maybe I am missing something.

.....

Kudos to Floff for predicting Peralta signing with St. Louis.

Peralta wasn't even on my radar because I assume that his numbers were a result of the PED use and therefore I thought most GMs would stay away. The Cardinals usually do rent veterans to fill in the gaps but this seems a bit like a desperation move because the Rangers just made a big trade that fit their team, Colorado probably wanted way too much for Tulo, Drew is overvalued and Furcal is too much of a question mark. We obviously wanted a good, experienced bat and we are going to expect Oquendo to go to work on the glove. Its really the known PED use that rubs people the wrong way, I think.

I think the general expectation is that Wong will play 2B and Carpenter 3B. Wong showed almost nothing last year, though. I think there is a good chance that Craig will be in the OF and Adams at 1B until Taveras comes up but likely Jay stay out there and Adams plays as a pinch hitter. Matheny basically has a host of options to choose from but there might be some growing pains if they are relying on Wong and Taveras early on.