Random Bits for the Day

Okay, so I have a few MLB bits for the day, but I was also reading this article by Michael Rosenberg at FOX Sports (on the Santana trade), and I have a quick reaction.

Here’s what he had to say:

Yeah, they would have paid Santana a lot of money — a lot more than Hughes or Kennedy would get. So what? They are the Yankees. Hank Steinbrenner washes his armpits with hundred-thousand-dollar bills. The benefits of having a very good, cheap, young player are diminished for a team with such a high payroll.

It’s basically an “if you have it, just spend it all” type of argument. That concept, when put into practice, is simply unsustainable. The Yankees have been spending money for years now, and, although its gotten them far, maybe it’s time for a new philosophy that focuses on player development and cost efficient contracts (with great young players).

One of the bigger reasons Santana was not had by the Yankees was also due to money and this philosophy being championed by Rosenberg. The Yankees, although willing to spend and spend, have been saddled by bad contracts. Look at Giambi, Pavano, even Mariano’s new contract is pretty terrible. These spending sprees have hurt them from making other moves. By keeping their cost efficient players (young players) they’ll be able to make bigger and hopefully smarter transactions in the future.

Anyway, here are those bits I promised:

• The Umpires’ union is upset with Major League Baseball. Apparently, in an attempt to perform adequate “background checks” on baseball umpires, the MLB went around their neighborhoods and asked community members questions about the umps. The article states that some umpires’ neighbors were asked whether or not the umpires in question were affiliated with the KKK. Well, that’s a nice idea MLB, but next time, don’t mess up the execution.
• Next up, if you’re still following the Clemens-McNamee-Congress situation, Andy Pettitte has become a key player for both Clemens and McNamee and will be speaking to Congress soon. Earl Ward, McNamee’s lawyer, believes that Pettitte will corroborate McNamee’s allegations. Basically, McNamee is claiming that Pettitte spoke with Clemens about HGH, and then went over to McNamee and asked him about it (directly after a conversation with Clemens).

That’s it for now. Be back with more later.

The Santana Aftershock

Bill Smith knows what happened. He knows all too well what happened after he overplayed his hand in the Santana Sweepstakes. He was left reeling and now has Carlos Gomez in CF, while Philip Humber may get a chance to crack the rotation.

Ben at RAB thinks that Smith didn’t overextend himself and is a good enough talent evaluator to gauge the ceiling of the players sent back to Minnesota. This is true, Smith knows what he’s getting and seems okay with that, yet I still believe that he himself knows the return on Santana wasn’t nearly as good as what he could have had (earlier).

If Smith was content with the package, he wouldn’t have made a desperate phone call to the Yankees on Monday night (after all the proposals were in). He wouldn’t have conceded or caved, as reported in that article, which essentially states that he called the Yankees and asked for a combination of Kennedy-Melky and a top-prospect (Hughes, who would’ve been hard to bargain for, was simply left out of the deal altogether).

The NY Daily News is reporting that Smith actually asked Brian Cashman for a combination of Ian Kennedy and Chien-Ming Wang, with the Yankees flat-out rejecting that offer (and laughing histerically). Here’s the text on that:

According to sources familiar with the entire negotiations, after the Red Sox removed Lester, the Twins called the Yankees back and proposed a scenario in which Hughes would not have to be part of the deal. Instead, they asked for Chien-Ming Wang and Ian Kennedy. The Yankees flatly rejected that, leaving the Mets as the Twins’ only alternative.

This still doesn’t indicate that Smith thought the Mets had the best offer. All it demonstrates is that the Twins called the Yankees on Monday morning, knowing Lester was now off the table (Olney reported that Lester was no longer being traded as of Sunday), and asked for the world (Wang and Kennedy). The Yankees balked and the Twins figured they’d crack if a deal was on the table later. Once Santana asked to be traded by Tuesday (or else), the Twins, under duress, had to make a move and chose the Mets (or, some would say that they were forced to choose the Mets).

With that deal near completion, Smith immediately called the Yankees and asked for the lesser package of Kennedy, Melky and a fourth player (the desperate Monday night phone call). He knew this package, in itself, could be better for the Twins in terms of the future and the present. The Mets package is grounded in the future (win later, way later), as the players still have a long ways to go before they fully develop.

Some have described the package as a high-ceiling reward, and that the GM was taking a risk when he agreed upon the deal, knowing that the gains could be tremendous. However, it’s just too risky. Jim Callis at Baseball America certainly agrees.

So, in the end. I still think Smith got fleeced when you view the package in relation to the others that were offered weeks ago (by different teams). We cannot fully evaluate the deal until a few years from now, but, at first glance, this is what I see.

Thanks to Bronx Liaison for the info.

What Do You Think?

From the Boston Herald:

The Sox are two rings and about two years ahead of the Yankees in their plan to keep fresh draft talent streaming through the minor league pipeline, with one or two players emerging as major league contributors each season. Jonathan Papelbon, Kevin Youkilis, and Dustin Pedroia have made a huge difference, while Buchholz and Ellsbury are well on their way. Justin Masterson, Jed Lowrie and Michael Bowden are just three of the players on the horizon, and the team now is in a position where it doesn’t have to give up everything for a Johan Santana.

Granted, these players have made major contributions in Boston’s WS championship. However, althought I’m no organizational expert (Baseball America ranks organizations in March of each year, and in 2006 Boston was ahead of the Yankees), with some of their recent signings (e.g. Brackman) and with the rapid development of many young players in the Yankee farm system (e.g. Joba, etc.), I would have to disagree.

Good Luck Bill Smith

From ESPN:

In return for Santana, the Twins would receive center fielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra — a package which some talent evaluators believe could be the fourth-best offer that Minnesota received during this process.

HA! Smith held onto his pitcher for too long. He could have had Hughes and Melky for Santana, both of whom are major league players. I’m glad we got to keep these guys, but you have to wonder what the response is in Minnesota. Granted, good trades aren’t necessarily about the public’s response, and can only be judged in retrospect, but Phil Hughes was looked at as a can’t miss prospect (what were they thinking?).

Ken Rosenthal has a nice piece about this topic as well. He wonders if the package for Santana was enough. He wonders why the Twins didn’t acquire Mike Pelfrey. He wonders why Bill Smith waited so long to make a deal. Everyone should be wondering this.

Smith overplayed his hand. He was obviously waiting on the Yankees to fold, but they truly called his bluff, dropping out of the bidding in the end. In fact, if the Yankees would have offered a package of Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera and Jeff Marquez, one could debate as to whether or not that package is better than what the Mets gave up.

So, with that said, good luck Bill Smith (really). I wish you the best and I hope that you don’t get knocked out on one of the many mean streets in Minnesota.