Comments on: Cliff Lee is going to the Phillies. What do the Yankees do now?

By: Reflex

Reflex — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 05:32:56 +0000

Read the rest of the sentence. “Gifted defensively with a bat that won’t hurt them”. ie: a defensive catcher with a decent enough bat not to be a black hole in the lineup. Like, say, Russell Martin. Who they signed.

And nobody think Montero is a ‘young catcher’ except Yankees fans. He’s a 1B or DH in waiting. The Yanks have both a 1B and a DH for the next few years. His value as a result is as a trade chip.

The Giants have a couple places they could potentially play Montero, 1B or a corner OF slot come to mind. They also have a very gifted rotation and more talent coming up. Dealing from depth, whether it was Cain or if they could get the Yanks to bite, Sanchez, would be smart of them.

And I’m not a Yanks fan. I am in Seattle. Lincecum is a home town boy here, and nobody I want to see on the Yanks. But Cain I’d deal in their shoes, especially given all the talent they have on the rise. Bumgarner is going to be every bit as good as Cain IMO, and cheaper for the next few years….

By: smokehouse56

smokehouse56 — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:26:27 +0000

Hey uyf, I am still sick that Werth left. I saw the Phillies on TV and in person all four years that they won the NL east. Jason Werth was a damn important part of that team and I really hated to see him go. It will make the Phillies weaker. So don’t make assumptions, please. They will use part of his salary to help pay for Lee. Connie Mack always said that pitching is 75% of the game. We will see. I don’t understand the hate toward the Phillies. You know their past history as well as I do. Terrible. But since the Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton, Pete Rose in the 70′s (2 world series with one series victory) era to the 1993 last the first champion Phillies, the Phillies have become a force. Today they have the best team in the game. You said “remember the beating the Yankees put on your precious Philadelphia Phillies team.” I guess you don’t remember the shellacking the Giants gave the Yankees. Remember Rollins 38 game hitting streak, Howards 58 homers, Hammels world series MVP, Halladay’s perfect game plus playoff no hitter, Untly’s 5 homer in the 09 world series, Lidge and his 47 for 47 saves, and now the fab 4. Yes, for a change, they are my “precious” Phiilies. Live with it.

By: smokehouse56

smokehouse56 — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:08:57 +0000

Just like the Yankees their butt handed to them last year, eh.

By: bigbbfan

bigbbfan — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:25:40 +0000

I share your estimation of pitching in the NL versus the AL. In recent years AL pitchers who went to the NL almost always had a considerable improvement in their record and the opposite seems to be true of NL pitchers goiing to AL. I am sure that Lee did not relish the thought of facing Boston and Toronto so many times next year. San Franscisco managed to hit him pretty well and they had a very weak hitting team.

By: bigbbfan

bigbbfan — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 17:17:00 +0000

“a declining third-baseman” Were you on another planet this past season? That third baseman was one RBI away from leading the major leagues in RBI’s. In other words there were 249 everday players in the majors who would love to be declining that much.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 22:50:07 +0000

Who wouldn’t? I can think of one, how about Werth. But you will probably say something like the Phillies didn’t want him anyway and he wasn’t worth (no pun intended) $126M. And that all may or may not be true. But you know one other fact that you can take to the bank that is the Phillies offense will not be the same without him in it and without him hitting behind Ryan Howard who even at 31 years old has already started to see a decline in his numbers. The Yankees may be getting older, but hardly losers. You don’t have to go back to far in your memory (2009 World Series) to remember the beating the Yankees put on your precious Philadelphia Phillies team.

By: yankees1996

yankees1996 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 20:52:04 +0000

Your great team and Lee got their a$$e$ handed to them in the 09 World Series, memory problems?

By: lordd99

lordd99 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:40:06 +0000

Meh, I saw the same type of nonsense coming from Philly fans when Werth left.

By: smokehouse56

smokehouse56 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:55:54 +0000

ROTFLMAO at the yankee fans here on the board. The Phillies sold out every seat last year and will again this year. Oh, that broken down old Cliff Lee. We didn’t want him anyway. “Hundreds of millions to a guy with a history of back problems, and who has gone 26-22 the last two years.” “He went to pitch in a softer league where the 8 and 9 hitters wouldn’t break into a lot of AL lineups. I think we saw the beginning of the end of Lee dominance in the post season, and I think it will carry into next year.” Groucho, you can stick the Yankes up your butt. They are old, losers and useless. Halladay and Lee WANTED to play for a great team and fans. Who woundn’t

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:31:42 +0000

Right now I would think the Yankees first priority has to be to get Pettitte back for 1 more year. That’s critical. Then look for a pitcher via trade (I like Garza) I’m just not sure how practical that option is with the Rays in the same division. Or they can go short term for a couple of years and try a trade with those same Phillies for Blanton. Although I think that’s probably not the Yankees first choice. Then there is always the very short term of the Yankees just looking to replace Vazquez (which they could sign a blind pitcher to do that). They could take a flier on Brandon Webb and hope for the best. Or maybe hope the Cardinals might be interested in entertaining an offer for Carpenter after all he will be 36 at the start of next season and the Cardinals hold a club option for 2012 for $15M. The Cardinals may be interested in freeing up some payroll to sign Pujols. We shall see what the next few weeks bring.

By: grouchomarx4

grouchomarx4 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:24:06 +0000

A guy named Lee should never be a Yankee.

By: sabosgoggles

sabosgoggles — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:58:11 +0000

Because what the Giants really need is a young catcher. It amazes me how fans, and Yankees fans particularly, will toss off ridiculous trade possibilities with no thought to sense.

Also, sorry, but: “gifted defensively with the bat”? That’s quite a gift.

By: ricksterjazz

ricksterjazz — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:44:29 +0000

Hundreds of millions to a guy with a history of back problems, and who has gone 26-22 the last two years. The world as we know it is clearly coming to an end. Totally ridiculous. Lee knows what he was doing. He went to pitch in a softer league where the 8 and 9 hitters wouldn’t break into a lot of AL lineups. I think we saw the beginning of the end of Lee dominance in the post season, and I think it will carry into next year.

By: john638

john638 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 15:24:30 +0000

Poor Yankees, they’ll have to man-up and play like a team. I’ve never seen more prima-donnas on one team.
The desire to win by the Yankees and the Red Sox is all consuming without any common sense or concern for the paying fans. I’ve been a Red Sox fan since 1948 and now I don’t care if they win or lose. It’s a working man’s sport being played by millionaires. who don’t care for anything except the $$$$.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:57:22 +0000

You might try doing the math again it’s 2 times in the last 11 years that they have won it. It’s 4 times overall that they have been to the World Series in the last 11 years. What other team has accomplished as much? No team.
As for how to assemble a team. I guess you mean do it the way the Phillies are doing it. Unless I’m mistaken with the Lee addition that makes 7 out of their 14 highest paid players started their careers with a team other then the Phillies.

By: grouchomarx4

grouchomarx4 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:50:43 +0000

Hey, these are The Yankees! The’ve won 27 championships. 28, if you count the Civil War.

By: proudlycanadian

proudlycanadian — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:18:03 +0000

I guess that the Yankees will now have to try to out bid Boston for Joe Blanton.

By: tjammin

tjammin — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 14:02:03 +0000

The Yankees Dead?? Depends on how you define “dead”. To them, winning the series is the only acceptable outcome–anything short of that is a failure.
What do they do now? I suppose building their franchise the old fashioned way is out of the question? I will point out that in the 90′s they were primarily a home-grown team with a few key FA additions, and won championships year after year. In the 2000′s their M.O. has been to raid other rosters, outspending everyone else to acquire talented by perhaps less than inspired pay-for-play FAs. They’ve only won it once in the last 11 years despite over $2 Billion spent in the last decade. I ask then, is it time to actually build a franchise with true Yankee players rather than trying to assemble an all-star team every year?

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:53:37 +0000

That was meant for Fiorentino…

By: thinman61

thinman61 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:53:23 +0000

Joba Chamberlain pupu platter. Love it.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:52:57 +0000

actually, Chris, it’s “H20-Lee Crap!!!”

By: yiterp

yiterp — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:26:52 +0000

Let ‘em bring back last years team & they will finish 3rd behind Boston & Toronto

By: Reflex

Reflex — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:59:42 +0000

Hey, it was the rumor a couple times in the past couple years. Not saying they’d do it, only that its the type of thing the Yanks should probably be looking into. Montero really isn’t the answer in NY, and offense is not what they really need. Replacing Posada behind the plate with someone who is gifted defensively with a bat that won’t hurt them would probably be just as effective on the overall team as Posada’s poor defense but elite(for the position) hitting.

By: mrznyc

mrznyc — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:48:55 +0000

If you’re a free agent who wants to win the Yanks have too many guys on the far side of the mountain. They’re sort of stuck until Jeter and ARod decide to pack it in – And they’re going to milk it for every last at bat. It was a great team – Once.

By: mtner77

mtner77 — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:47:59 +0000

@Bochy

I was thinking a little along those lines myself. I wonder if those idiot’s are happy that they spit on Mrs. Cliff now? You are right, could absolutely be a non-factor. I hope it was THE reason!

By: Jack Marshall

Jack Marshall — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:40:31 +0000

Your’re right that the Yankees are harder to kill than Dracula, but they have an over 40 closer, an aging shortstop, a declining third-baseman, and only two starters. one of which is 300 pounds and a knee strain from a lost season. You can’t buy what’s not for sale.

By: jkcalhoun

jkcalhoun — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:00:59 +0000

Matt Cain? The Giants value him so highly that they chose to suffer through multiple seasons of Bengie Molina hitting cleanup rather than to deal Matt Cain for some offense. What makes you think they’re willing to part with him now?

By: Bochy's Head/Timmy's Bong

Bochy's Head/Timmy's Bong — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 06:00:12 +0000

Sure, it may have been a complete non-factor, but I really, really want to believe that a couple of Yankees fans’ moronic behavior was the difference. A level of douchebaggery that even an additional $50+M couldn’t wash away.

By: Utley's Hair

Utley's Hair — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:58:05 +0000

All I can say is wow!!!!!!! WTF?!?!?!? To paraphrase Harry the K: Ruben Amaro, you ARE the man!!!!!!

By: Reflex

Reflex — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:51:42 +0000

I think this was a blessing in disguise. I was pulling for the Yanks here just because of how bad the contract they offered was bound to work out. But now they can instead go after someone younger who will only cost them a Catcher that can’t catch and a pitcher who has not been able to realize his potential. In my opinion, they should step up efforts to sign Russell Martin, get Petttite back, and go all in on Greinke or perhaps talk the Giants out of Matt Cain who’s been rumored to be avialable for a couple years now.