Of all the gazillion articles written in the past month about how the potential Derek Jeter contract compares to the 2007 budget-busting deal with Alex Rodriguez, I haven't seen anybody write about the very short time frame -- just 19 days -- between A-Rod opting out, and Rodriguez getting another record-setting contract.
I was looking up some numbers today on it. And in my research, I discovered that although Hank Steinbrenner gets the blame from nearly everyone on the deal, Randy Levine was the Yankee front office person who did most of the actual negotiating with A-Rod, although Hank did pay the bill. And most of it was done over the phone, and away from the prying eyes of the media. Here's how it all breaks down:
* October 28, 2007: Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman breaks the news during Game 4 of the World Series that A-Rod is opting out. Word on the street is that Boras wants $350 million over 10 years. (An aside -- A-Rod ended up with $275 million, around 22% less than Boras asked for. And if A-Rod ends up achieving all the incentive goals, he'll end up with 15% than the original request. Big difference between that, and what Casey Close did in first asking for triple what the Yankees wanted to pay!)
* October 29, 2007: Brian Cashman says the Yankees will not negotiate with A-Rod. Hank Steinbrenner agrees, saying there is "no chance" A-Rod will be a Yankee again. "It's goodbye," he says.
* October 31, 2007: Boras says the Yankees are free to negotiate with his client, but the Yanks aren't budging -- yet.
* End of October/Early November 2007: Buster Olney's paperback version of his book "The Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty" reveals that A-Rod talked to people in the Yankees clubhouse, blaming Boras for the opt-out mess, and saying that he wanted to be a Yankee. Word reaches higher-ups, but they think it's just a bargaining tool.
* Early November, 2007: A-Rod reaches out to Warren Buffett to ask him for advice. I wasn't able to find an exact date, but it appears to have happened around November 5. The Oracle of Omaha advises him to ditch Boras. A-Rod contacts Joe Mallory of Goldman Sachs (the firm does business with the team) for advice on how to approach the Yankees. Mallory suggests Alex talk to Gerald Cardinale of their company.
* November 7, 2007: Cardinale calls Randy Levine. Cardinale assures Levine that A-Rod wants to be a Yankee. But according to Olney's book, Levine is skeptical, since he knows Boras has been talking to teams at the winter meetings. However, according to Olney, the Yanks have no good options to replace A-Rod's bat in the lineup, or at third base. They tell Levine to call Cardinale back the next day.
* November 8, 2007: Levine, Malloy, Cardinale, and Rodriguez talk on a conference call. A-Rod apologizes. According to Olney, Levine says that any negotiations will proceed quickly, or not happen at all. A-Rod proposes over $300 million. Levine says the Yanks were prepared to offer Rodriguez $296 million, but would subtract $21 million because of A-Rod opting out early and costing them the Rangers' subsidy.
* November 9--10, 2007: After around a dozen calls, the two sides agree on a basic framework for the new contract -- 10 years, $275 million, with future talk on incentives. But nothing will happen until A-Rod meets with the Steinbrenner family later that week to apologize.
* November 14, 2007: A-Rod and then-wife Cynthia Rodriguez visit Hal Steinbrenner's house. Rodriguez apologizes to Hal and Hank. The apology is accepted.
* November 15, 2007: Word leaks out in the media about the new deal. The basic framework of the deal is done, but there is some time spent over the next week on the incentive clauses.
* November 26, 2007: The home run incentive clauses are finalized, and publicized in the press.
* December 13, 2007: As best as I can tell, the deal has been completed for weeks, but A-Rod doesn't have a press conference with the New York media -- done via conference call -- until this date. Ironically, it's the day the Mitchell Report is released, and that garners most of the share of the media attention.
Anyhow, from what I can tell, the basic contract deal appears to have taken only took a dozen or so phone conversations to get done, in a very short time frame. As best as I can guesstimate, it took only between a week to 10 days between A-Rod reaching out to Warren Buffett, and the framework to the contract being completed. And of that time frame, it only took several days of phone conversations between Levine and A-Rod to get the deal done. I thought that was very interesting, given that the Yankees first met with Jeter and his people last month, then met again for five hours on Tuesday, and not much has happened since.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Tom Verducci plays around with facts and figures in Derek Jeter article
Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci wrote a full-throated defense of Derek Jeter for the Yankees to show Derek Jeter the money. Verducci's piece is similar to his Joe Torre defense: He's an icon! He's got a lot of rings! How dare the Yankees demand he take a pay cut! The Yankees made him look bad by saying how much he thinks he's worth!
Which isn't surprising. After all, Jeter was one of Torre's and Verducci's key sources in "The Yankee Years." And don't forget, that book is where we heard about A-Rod being called "Single White Female," and how we heard all sorts of sordid details about that supposedly one-sided jealousy/obsession he had with Jeter.
But in this latest piece, Verducci doesn't just bash the Yankee front office and lionize Jeter as an icon. He doesn't just write this article like it's a press release from Casey Close. Verducci also twists around a lot of facts in the case, and I'm not letting him get away with it.
Verducci says:
2. Here we go again on the A.J. Burnett comparison. Let's review: Burnett was coming off a great season; he won 18 games and led the AL in strikeouts. The Yankees desperately needed arms. A.J. was the second-best free agent pitcher on the market that year, after CC Sabathia, and the Braves also wanted to sign Burnett. That's called leverage, something Jeter doesn't have these days. Sure, Burnett had an abysmal 2010, but it is completely forgotten that his great performance in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series completely changed the series around. If the Yanks had lost Game 1 and Game 2, they may very well have lost the series. Considering that so much of the Jeter hype is about the rings, why isn't the fact that Burnett was a key component ot the 2009 team ever taken into account?
3. As for A-Rod, it sticks in Verducci's craw -- and Jeter's craw, too -- that Rodriguez makes more money than Jeter. Tough. Newsflash -- Jeter was never as good a player as A-Rod. Rodriguez signed his contract at age 32, after the greatest season he had and the best season a Yankee hitter had had since Mantle and Maris. In Jeter's case, he wants A-Rod money when he's 36, and on the downside of his career. As for Verducci's outrage that "one is allowed to mention Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million contract in the negotiating room," Verducci also fails to mention that Jeter is the second-highest paid player of all time, making $205 million so far. Boo bleeding hoo. If Jeter wants that kind of deal, the Yanks should offer it -- when he gets close to hitting 660 homers, that is!
Then there's the way Verducci tries to put a happy face on Jeter's awful 2010 season:
As for the positive figures Verducci highlighted, I ran a look at Jeter's stats over the last 19 games of the season. Jeter did go .342 over those games, with a .436 OBP. But it should be noted that, by the time Jeter finally got into a groove, the Yankees were already assured of a postseason spot. Then he went in to the playoffs, the time he was supposed to shine, and hit just .250, with a .286 OBP, and 10 strikeouts. That's a very different picture than what Verducci paints.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Which isn't surprising. After all, Jeter was one of Torre's and Verducci's key sources in "The Yankee Years." And don't forget, that book is where we heard about A-Rod being called "Single White Female," and how we heard all sorts of sordid details about that supposedly one-sided jealousy/obsession he had with Jeter.
But in this latest piece, Verducci doesn't just bash the Yankee front office and lionize Jeter as an icon. He doesn't just write this article like it's a press release from Casey Close. Verducci also twists around a lot of facts in the case, and I'm not letting him get away with it.
Verducci says:
The Yankees, who reportedly offered Jeter a three-year, $45 million deal, want to cut Jeter's pay by 21 percent, to pay him less money than they committed for Kei Igawa, to pay him less money annually than they do A.J. Burnett, and, including this deal, to pay him less money over his entire Yankee career than they will give Alex Rodriguez just for the nine seasons between when he turns 34 and 43. Of course, no one is allowed to mention Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million contract in the negotiating room.1. To pay him "less money than they committed for Kei Igawa" sounds like an outrage. But what he wrote distorts what really happened. The Yankees actually are paying Igawa a total of $20 million in salary. Igawa has a five-year contract. So he's making $4 million a year, not $15M. The extra figure involves the $26 million posting fee the Yanks had to pay Igawa's Japanese team for the right to negotiate with him. That adds up to $46 million. Granted, it was a huge mistake. But it's a distortion to insinuate that the Yanks are paying the hapless Kei Igawa more than Jeter.
2. Here we go again on the A.J. Burnett comparison. Let's review: Burnett was coming off a great season; he won 18 games and led the AL in strikeouts. The Yankees desperately needed arms. A.J. was the second-best free agent pitcher on the market that year, after CC Sabathia, and the Braves also wanted to sign Burnett. That's called leverage, something Jeter doesn't have these days. Sure, Burnett had an abysmal 2010, but it is completely forgotten that his great performance in Game 2 of the 2009 World Series completely changed the series around. If the Yanks had lost Game 1 and Game 2, they may very well have lost the series. Considering that so much of the Jeter hype is about the rings, why isn't the fact that Burnett was a key component ot the 2009 team ever taken into account?
3. As for A-Rod, it sticks in Verducci's craw -- and Jeter's craw, too -- that Rodriguez makes more money than Jeter. Tough. Newsflash -- Jeter was never as good a player as A-Rod. Rodriguez signed his contract at age 32, after the greatest season he had and the best season a Yankee hitter had had since Mantle and Maris. In Jeter's case, he wants A-Rod money when he's 36, and on the downside of his career. As for Verducci's outrage that "one is allowed to mention Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million contract in the negotiating room," Verducci also fails to mention that Jeter is the second-highest paid player of all time, making $205 million so far. Boo bleeding hoo. If Jeter wants that kind of deal, the Yanks should offer it -- when he gets close to hitting 660 homers, that is!
Then there's the way Verducci tries to put a happy face on Jeter's awful 2010 season:
In his final 28 games, including the postseason, after some physical and mechanical adjustments, Jeter's batting average (.311) and OBP (.390) were in line with his career averages (.314 and .385).Those stats look very impressive, but they distort what really happened. From June 10 to September 10, Jeter hit just .232, with a .311 OBP, and an anemic .631 OPS. That isn't just a slump -- that's falling off the cliff for half the season. At age 30, those numbers are a little troubling. At age 36, they're a huge blinking warning sign.
A few down months by Jeter 16 years into his career have handed the Yankees leverage, and they are wielding it like a ballpeen hammer in public.
As for the positive figures Verducci highlighted, I ran a look at Jeter's stats over the last 19 games of the season. Jeter did go .342 over those games, with a .436 OBP. But it should be noted that, by the time Jeter finally got into a groove, the Yankees were already assured of a postseason spot. Then he went in to the playoffs, the time he was supposed to shine, and hit just .250, with a .286 OBP, and 10 strikeouts. That's a very different picture than what Verducci paints.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
ESPN: Mets are 'playoff-contending team'
After two down years and the prospect of minimal spending this offseason, expectations for the Mets in 2011 are low. So I did a double take when ESPN's Buster Olney, while discussing free agent Adrian Beltre's prospects, wrote this:
But here are the playoff-contending teams which don't need a third baseman: the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Rays, Twins, etc., etc.
Which of these is not like the others? The other six teams besides the Mets are not just contenders, they actually make the playoffs in 2010 while the Mets won 79 games. In 2011, I just don't see how the Mets can be a serious contender without a healthy Johan Santana.
But if Olney is looking longer-term, say, over the life of a four-year deal for Beltre, I'm glad to see him upgrade the Mets to contending class. Maybe it won't be until 2012, when the payroll situation drastically changes, but the Mets do have a core of top players, a good crop of 2010 rookies and a significantly upgraded front office.
The Mets have earned a lot of criticism the last few years, but that's only because they are a big-market team that should be contending, not because they are the most hapless organization in baseball, as so many in the media seem to enjoy writing. At least someone is giving the Mets some respect. Now let's hope they can earn it on the field.
One of the things that gives me hope about the Mets is that, even if they had the money this year, the new regime would probably not go after Beltre, who hit 48 homers in his contract year of 2004, was a free agent bust with Seattle, and now has had another great season in another contract year. Buyer beware.
But here are the playoff-contending teams which don't need a third baseman: the Yankees, Mets, Rangers, Phillies, Braves, Rays, Twins, etc., etc.
Which of these is not like the others? The other six teams besides the Mets are not just contenders, they actually make the playoffs in 2010 while the Mets won 79 games. In 2011, I just don't see how the Mets can be a serious contender without a healthy Johan Santana.
But if Olney is looking longer-term, say, over the life of a four-year deal for Beltre, I'm glad to see him upgrade the Mets to contending class. Maybe it won't be until 2012, when the payroll situation drastically changes, but the Mets do have a core of top players, a good crop of 2010 rookies and a significantly upgraded front office.
The Mets have earned a lot of criticism the last few years, but that's only because they are a big-market team that should be contending, not because they are the most hapless organization in baseball, as so many in the media seem to enjoy writing. At least someone is giving the Mets some respect. Now let's hope they can earn it on the field.
One of the things that gives me hope about the Mets is that, even if they had the money this year, the new regime would probably not go after Beltre, who hit 48 homers in his contract year of 2004, was a free agent bust with Seattle, and now has had another great season in another contract year. Buyer beware.
Oh, no! Sergio Mitre is back!
I read this morning on LoHud that the Yankees have re-signed Sergio Mitre . I don't understand this deal at all. Is there nobody else out there in the majors who can be a better mop-up guy? Mitre is a terrible pitcher. I just don't get Brian Cashman's fascination with him
The only noteworthy thing about Mitre's career as a Yankee is that he managed to be front and center in virtually every 2009 postseason celebration picture and video clip. Make that two noteworthy things -- he was also very visible in the White House photos.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports the story of the deal on Twitter:
What do you think? Tell us about it!
The only noteworthy thing about Mitre's career as a Yankee is that he managed to be front and center in virtually every 2009 postseason celebration picture and video clip. Make that two noteworthy things -- he was also very visible in the White House photos.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports the story of the deal on Twitter:
How about this incentive? Stop being terrible! I still have bad memories of him after he took over from David Robertson's terrible performance in the Cliff Lee playoff game at the Stadium this ALCS.Pitcher Sergio Mitre agrees to $900,000 deal with Yankees. Could earn $200,000 more in incentives.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Separating Derek Jeter's playing abilities from all the hype
A friend of mine accused me the other day of "hating" Derek Jeter. Not true. What I can't stand is the nauseating myth built around the captain, giving him superpowers that simply aren't there. And some of the mythmakers need a dose of reality potion nearly as much as Jeter does with his ridiculous contract demands.
Jeter got a 10-year, $189 million from the Yankees not because of his intangibles, or his leadership, or his calm eyes, to use a Tim McCarverism. He got that kind of cheddar because he was a great player in the prime of his career. And really, all the focus on this other stuff takes away noticing the actual tangible baseball skills he has shown over the years, albeit much less so as of late.
Why isn't him being a first-ballot Hall of Famer enough? Why do we have to hear this myth, that Jeter isn't just a great player, but he's the best person to ever walk on the baseball field? That he was a better player than A-Rod, when he never was? That he doesn't care about money? That he's the greatest leader ever? It's nonsense. That's why they're called intangibles -- because you can't measure them!
I never thought Jeter was a good captain. Even before the A-Rod stuff, there was his annual "it's not the same team" post-playoffs speech he'd make every time the Yankees would lose in the postseason. Not exactly the kind of leadership that Paul O'Neill and David Cone provided in the late '90s dynasty.
As Newsday columnist Ken Davidoff noted:
I remember watching A-Rod's first press conference with the Yanks, where he looked as happy as a clam. Meanwhile, Jeter mumbled through the whole thing, and looked like Vick killed his dog or something. I don't care if A-Rod is the most annoying person in the world; he was also the greatest player in baseball at the time. The fact that Jeter allowed his personal feelings to cloud what was good for the team was contrary to what he's supposed to be all about -- winning.
Then there are Jeter's ridiculous contract demands after coming off the worst season of his career. Yet except for Ken Davidoff and Bill Madden, most of the New York writers have given him a pass, just avoiding directly criticizing him. Are they worried that if they say something, Jeter will cut off their access or something? It's very peculiar.
One writer --MLB columnist Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com -- did say what needed to be said:
What do you think? Tell us about it!
Jeter got a 10-year, $189 million from the Yankees not because of his intangibles, or his leadership, or his calm eyes, to use a Tim McCarverism. He got that kind of cheddar because he was a great player in the prime of his career. And really, all the focus on this other stuff takes away noticing the actual tangible baseball skills he has shown over the years, albeit much less so as of late.
Why isn't him being a first-ballot Hall of Famer enough? Why do we have to hear this myth, that Jeter isn't just a great player, but he's the best person to ever walk on the baseball field? That he was a better player than A-Rod, when he never was? That he doesn't care about money? That he's the greatest leader ever? It's nonsense. That's why they're called intangibles -- because you can't measure them!
I never thought Jeter was a good captain. Even before the A-Rod stuff, there was his annual "it's not the same team" post-playoffs speech he'd make every time the Yankees would lose in the postseason. Not exactly the kind of leadership that Paul O'Neill and David Cone provided in the late '90s dynasty.
As Newsday columnist Ken Davidoff noted:
Remember, when free agent CC Sabathia voiced concerns about the Yankees' clubhouse to Cashman, the GM admitted to the big lefty that the clubhouse was "broken."If Donovan McNabb could welcome dog killer Michael Vick to the Philadelphia Eagles -- a dog killer who ended up taking his job, yet -- then I don't think it was too much for Jeter to get over his issues with A-Rod. It was up to the captain to make the peace there. No less than Joe Torre admitted in "The Yankee Years" that the clubhouse was divided. How is that conducive to winning? How does that make Jeter any sort of great leader?
That's because Jeter, the team captain, could never work through his issues with Alex Rodriguez (and he apparently still can't, since you'd be naive to think Jeter's current contract demands have nothing to do with A-Rod). It's because Jeter did not help create an open, welcoming environment....
It did indeed take the arrival of Sabathia - and even A.J. Burnett a little bit, at least in his first year - to eliminate the "Choose a side, Jeter or A-Rod" - vibe that existed in the Yankees' clubhouse for a long time.
I remember watching A-Rod's first press conference with the Yanks, where he looked as happy as a clam. Meanwhile, Jeter mumbled through the whole thing, and looked like Vick killed his dog or something. I don't care if A-Rod is the most annoying person in the world; he was also the greatest player in baseball at the time. The fact that Jeter allowed his personal feelings to cloud what was good for the team was contrary to what he's supposed to be all about -- winning.
Then there are Jeter's ridiculous contract demands after coming off the worst season of his career. Yet except for Ken Davidoff and Bill Madden, most of the New York writers have given him a pass, just avoiding directly criticizing him. Are they worried that if they say something, Jeter will cut off their access or something? It's very peculiar.
One writer --MLB columnist Anthony Castrovince of MLB.com -- did say what needed to be said:
Jeter gets bonus points for the respectable way he's gone about his business the last 16 years, but he's pushing the limits. Yes, he's the face of the Yankees, but he is not bigger than the Yankees. His agent's contract suggestions, however, suggest he believes otherwise, and that's more of a slap in the face to "the Yankees brand" than anything the Yankees themselves are bringing to the table in this ridiculous melodrama....I agree!
Let's not make this a matter of respectful worship for a sacred cow. This is a negotiation between a team and a player, plain and simple. And if Jeter is adamant about receiving anything resembling $23 million a year, then the Yankees ought to instruct him to negotiate elsewhere.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
What would have happened with Derek Jeter's contract situation if A-Rod hadn't opted out?
I wrote a piece for The Faster Times the other day wondering about what would be happening in the Derek Jeter contract saga if there weren't Alex Rodriguez's contract in the picture. Check it out here.
Also, my Red Sox friend Sully of Sully Baseball interviewed me yesterday for his podcast. It was great fun to talk to him -- we actually have very similar takes on sports, despite the teams we root for. One of Sully's main points over the years is how Boston fans and New York fans have more in common than you'd think. For example, the baseball season never ends in these areas -- fans talk 24/7 about their teams, even in the dead of winter. You go to most other parts of the country, and that isn't the case.
Will let you know when you can hear the podcast. It should be very entertaining.
Also, my Red Sox friend Sully of Sully Baseball interviewed me yesterday for his podcast. It was great fun to talk to him -- we actually have very similar takes on sports, despite the teams we root for. One of Sully's main points over the years is how Boston fans and New York fans have more in common than you'd think. For example, the baseball season never ends in these areas -- fans talk 24/7 about their teams, even in the dead of winter. You go to most other parts of the country, and that isn't the case.
Will let you know when you can hear the podcast. It should be very entertaining.
Brian Cashman: Rappelling Elf?
I don't even know what to say about the news that Yankee GM Brian Cashman is going to rappel 22 floors down a building with his friend Santa Claus this weekend. Oh, and to top it all off, Cash will be dressed as an elf. What the???
This is one of the weirder stories I've heard this year. When I first read about it on my friend Steve's WasWatching site, I thought it was a joke. I still can't quite believe it's real.
I'm not crazy about Cashman doing this, especially without a net. Leave the rappelling to the trained professionals. If Cashman wants to do something involving a rap-type activity, he should be a special guest star on the new Jay-Z album or something. Not this.
The Yankees have issued a press release about Cashman's participation. Here's some of what he said:
"I've been leaving milk and cookies for Santa for some time now, but this year I wanted to take a more active role in assisting him," Cashman said in a statement released by the Yankees.
He said, "As an elf, you have to be willing to build toys, wrap presents, prepare reindeer for flight, or rappel off buildings for Santa. I take my role as an elf seriously because there are a lot of children out there counting on him."
I guess we really are in the post-George Steinbrenner era. I can only imagine The Boss' reaction to Cashman doing this when it's already December, and the Yankees haven't signed a single free agent. Not to mention that the winter meetings are coming up next week.
It's also a little strange that Cashman is doing such a stunt as GM of a team which has had such very strict non-baseball activity clauses in players' contracts, stemming from Thurman Munson's tragic death in a plane crash. Remember, Aaron Boone got his contract voided from getting hurt playing a game of pickup basketball. Yeah, yeah, I know a GM is different from a player, but if Cash were to get hurt doing this stunt, it would put the team in a bit of a pickle.
Here's hoping Cashman's elf moment comes off without a hitch.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
This is one of the weirder stories I've heard this year. When I first read about it on my friend Steve's WasWatching site, I thought it was a joke. I still can't quite believe it's real.
I'm not crazy about Cashman doing this, especially without a net. Leave the rappelling to the trained professionals. If Cashman wants to do something involving a rap-type activity, he should be a special guest star on the new Jay-Z album or something. Not this.
The Yankees have issued a press release about Cashman's participation. Here's some of what he said:
"I've been leaving milk and cookies for Santa for some time now, but this year I wanted to take a more active role in assisting him," Cashman said in a statement released by the Yankees.
He said, "As an elf, you have to be willing to build toys, wrap presents, prepare reindeer for flight, or rappel off buildings for Santa. I take my role as an elf seriously because there are a lot of children out there counting on him."
I guess we really are in the post-George Steinbrenner era. I can only imagine The Boss' reaction to Cashman doing this when it's already December, and the Yankees haven't signed a single free agent. Not to mention that the winter meetings are coming up next week.
It's also a little strange that Cashman is doing such a stunt as GM of a team which has had such very strict non-baseball activity clauses in players' contracts, stemming from Thurman Munson's tragic death in a plane crash. Remember, Aaron Boone got his contract voided from getting hurt playing a game of pickup basketball. Yeah, yeah, I know a GM is different from a player, but if Cash were to get hurt doing this stunt, it would put the team in a bit of a pickle.
Here's hoping Cashman's elf moment comes off without a hitch.
What do you think? Tell us about it!
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