Comments on: Red Sox avoid arbitration with Alfredo Aceves at $1.2M

By: yournuts

yournuts — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:58:36 +0000

If Ace Aceves was your most reliable pitcher last year then you are in deep trouble! Don’t get me wrong, I like Ace alot, he is certainly worth a lot more than the 1.2 million that the sox are paying him.

By: cmoneysportstalk

cmoneysportstalk — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:10:59 +0000

RedSox were very fortunate to take a chance on Aceves. He was undoubtedly, the most reliable pitcher on the staff last season… As for Ortiz, having the type of season he had last year, he will most certainly win if there is an actual arbitration hearing. I just hope he can have a statistical repeat this year to earn that check!

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:39:14 +0000

Dude. Calm down. Aceves is not that great. And he had injury concerns at the time. It’s a perfectly defensible move for the Yankees to cut him, just as it’s a defensible move for Boston to take a flyer on him. Neither’s a genius move, but neither’s a terrible move either.

By: Jack Marshall

Jack Marshall — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:04:46 +0000

You guys are hilarious. The Yankees let a versatile, talented, intense young pitcher with special stuff and an off-the-charts winning percentage go to save a lousy one mil, he proves that it was a complete miscalculation while pitching for NY’s main competition, and you guys talk yourselves into believing it was a stroke of genius. Wow. This exchange belongs in the Confirmation Bias Hall of Fame.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:08:33 +0000

I’d been thinking of it as a lowball offer myself until recently, when several reporters have pointed out that Ortiz’s number may be way too high, considering no other DH is making anything close to that amount. The front office’s number may be seen as more fair by the arbitration panel, considering that no DH is making anything close to that number either.

That’s the theory, anyway. Be interesting to see which way they rule.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 21:57:07 +0000

Ari, the only thing that makes me think Ortiz will win his case if it goes to the arbitrator is that the Red Sox low balled him with their offer. I honestly think if they would have offered him say $13.5MM the Red Sox would have won. But I think their low ball offer may come back to bite them on the ass.

Short of them settling around $14MM as a compromise I think Ortiz goes threw with the hearing. He really doesn’t have much to lose at that point.

By: Ari Collins

Ari Collins — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:07:17 +0000

This. Ortiz will be a year older and, with more interleague games from realignment, his value will go down significantly. No reason for Boston to do that.

There’s also been rumblings lately that because DHs have been making less money lately, Boston has a good shot at winning in arbitration. I’d been hearing that Ortiz will win before the last week or so; be interesting to see how it shakes out.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:51:54 +0000

My friend, look at this way. Because the Yankees didn’t sign Aceves they were able to get Cory Wade and Luis Ayala in 2011 in the bullpen. For what’s it’s worth I think they both did themselves proud for the Yankees in 2011.

By: pisano

pisano — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:42:42 +0000

Thanks my friend, I knew I could count on you for an in depth description on what happened to him, but down deep I really liked what he did for the Yankees and I wish he was still with them, but they have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and best in the AL, so it can’t be all bad.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:10:04 +0000

pisano, my friend you are spot on. Here is a snap shot of the trials and tribulations of Aceves during his brief tenure with the Yankees.

“…During the 2009 season Aceves experienced back issues. They cropped up in late July, and bothered him through his rough patch in August. He stayed mostly healthy that year, though, but in 2010 he finally succumbed. While delivering a pitch against the Red Sox he aggravated his back and left the game. Reports of his rehab and recovery persisted throughout the season, but every time he got close he suffered another setback. But hey, he’s a pitcher and that kind of thing happens. Best to move on and try again next season, right?
There was no indication of what came next. Maybe it had to do with how he approached his rehab. Maybe there were unreleased details regarding the bike accident that broke his collar bone during the off-season. For whatever reason, the Yankees decided to not tender Aceves a contract this past off-season…”

BTW, It’s important to keep in mind Aceves would have been an arbitration eligible player if he stayed with the Yankees for the 2011 season and as such probably would have been awarded via arbitration about $1MM. Considering his injury history in 2 of the 3 years he was with the Yankees I’m sure they just didn’t think it was worth the risk. I happen to agree, that’s just my opinion.

By: pisano

pisano — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:57:45 +0000

anxovies…. he had back problems at the end of the season they had him, then in the off season he fell off a bike and hurt his shoulder and the Yankees thought between his back and shoulder he might be risky. I’m pretty sure that’s the way it went, but I’d ask uyf1950, he’ll know for sure, as he’s spot on with Yankee news, I’ve learned a lot from reading his posts.

By: anxovies

anxovies — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:21:00 +0000

I still can’t figure out why the Yankees let him go. Possibly to make room for Soriano. That went well.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:08:20 +0000

I agree completely my friend.

By: pisano

pisano — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:06:38 +0000

uyf1950…. my friend, that seems like a real bargain for that pitcher. He was about the only guy they could count on aside from their closer. Boston should consider themselves lucky to have signed him last year, thats about the last good signing Theo had.

By: bloodysock

bloodysock — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 15:47:36 +0000

$28 million for two years doesn’t make sense, especially if the interleague/realignment takes place in 2013 as expected.

By: uyf1950

uyf1950 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 14:52:44 +0000

That seems fair for Aceves. Real close to the midway point between their 2 numbers.

Then there was 1. One player on the Red Sox roster yet to settle their arbitration case. David Ortiz asked $16.5MM, offered $12.65MM. Will he or won’t he, settle for something around the midpoint $14.575MM or maybe he’ll get a 2 year deal from the Red Sox for say about $28MM total?