The Yankees' puzzle, Kenny Williams on the market, and the Rangers' pitching

Tuesday November 10, 2009 9:07 AM By Ken Davidoff

In my mind, when analyzing the Yankees, the fates of Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada have been inextricably linked:

1) Posada's defense appears to be getting worse, but his hitting is still elite. That offense from the catcher's spot makes Posada immensely valuable - but less so if his defense is a liability, and he hits so well that he would be a fine DH.

2) Matsui can play only at DH.

3) Posada is signed for 2010. Matsui isn't.

There's a reasonable solution to draw from this, right? Wave bye-bye to Matsui, and let Posada get more at-bats at DH, while phasing in some combination of young catchers Francisco Cervelli (the most major-league ready, but the lowest ceiling), Jesus Montero and Austin Romine.

It's never so black and white, of course, which is why the Yankees, at this early point in the offseason (especially since they finished their season less than a week ago), haven't decided fully on any set course of action yet. They haven't ruled out bringing back both Matsui and Damon, as Joel Sherman reported this morning.

That said, Damon ranks higher on the priority list than Matsui. As a person in the loop put it: "A guy who can play more than one position (leftfield and DH, in Damon's case) has more value than someone who can play just one position. It gives Joe (Girardi) more options."

As for Posada's defense, and the need to get him in the DH spot more often, the person contended that Posada's throwing arm improved as the season progressed, citing this game as an example. In the ninth inning of the Yankees' 6-5 victory over the Angels, Posada nailed the speedy Reggie Willits in a strike-him-out, throw-him out double play, with Mariano Rivera fanning Juan Rivera (no relation).

So...we'll see. The biggest issue could be timing. Will Damon try to use the clock to his advantage, as Scott Boras clients often do? Or will he push to get something done with the Yankees, even if it's a pricey, one-year deal?

To quote a second person in the loop, "Johnny needs us. He's building a big house (in Orlando)."

I still wonder, given Brian Cashman's stated (and believed, IMO) desire to get younger, whether they would actually follow through and bring back both Damon, who just turned 36, and Matsui, who will turn 36 next June. But at this point in the offseason, you consider pretty much everything.

--The Yankees regard neither Matt Holliday nor Jason Bay as strong defensive outfielders, although they think Holliday is better defensively than Bay.

--White Sox GM Kenny Williams held court on the big picture yesterday and was pretty interesting. Williams can be media-shy at times, but when he gets rolling, he can hold court with the best of them.

Here's Williams on baseball's current structure: "There are actually three or four different free-agent markets. There’s the Yankees, Red Sox, both LA teams, the cubs. Then there’s probably that secondary market where we probably fall in. Then there’s a tier below us - smaller markets, competitive teams that want to go for it in this particular year. Then you have some of the poor-market teams where they’re trying to piece things together.

Some teams can’t walk in the door and say, OK, we’re going to compete with the White Sox. If we want that player, you’re not getting him. And then...last year, I told (Cashman), 'I like Sabathia.' He said, 'You’re not getting him.I’m getting him.'"

On the offseason: "You plan for it. You just can’t plan very well for it. …A guy is only worth what someone’s going to pay. You can have an idea of a guy fitting in a certain range here, and I’m done that many a year. Ten years I’ve done that. I’ve lost free agents across the board because of one team’s willingness to say, 'You know what? We want that guy.'"

On how to win: "There’s no unlimited funds for anyone, seemingly. For 99 percent of the teams, there aren’t unlimited funds. The Yankees won this year. But they’ve been at it for a long time, trying to get it back. There’s no recipe in this success in this thing. There’s no manual for how to get it done. I know the big free agents, they’re the ones that get you headlines, but they’re not the ones that get you over the top."

--The Rangers are handcuffed enough by their uncertain ownership situation that they likely can't make a big play for John Lackey, the Angels ace and Texas native who is by far the best free-agent starting pitcher out there. The Rangers view relievers Neftali Feliz and C.J. Wilson as candidates to graduate to the starting rotation, and they'd be open to trading Kevin Millwood in the right deal.

Lackey could fall to the Yankees by default, but don't underestimate Hal Steinbrenner's desire to maintain a level of (relative) fiscal sanity on his team.

--Cool moment at the hotel last night: Agent Tom O'Connell, the Long Island native, brought by his client Luke Gregerson, who had a very good rookie season with the Padres and who lives in the area. Gregerson met his new GM, Jed Hoyer, who was excited to get some unexpected business done. Hoyer has been trying to speak to all of his new players by phone.

O'Connell's big client is Carl Pavano, who could actually make some money this offseason. While the Twins enjoyed having Pavano and will try to bring him back, keep an eye on National League clubs who saw how Pavano did in the AL pennant race and think, "Wow, if he pitched like that in the AL..." Of course, the big question is whether Pavano would stay motivated on a multi-year deal.

--Belatedly (my apologies), here are the results to the preseason predictions contest. As I mentioned earlier, Dennis is the winner. He was one of five and a half people to correctly forecast the Yankees to win the World Series (Islander505, having picked "New York over New York" without being more precise, is the half-person), but the only one to say the Yankees would pick the Phillies to end their long, horrible drought of eight years:

1) Dennis, 37; 2) James K., 32; 3) (tie) Andrew Z. St. Ebbins and Jeff, 27; 5) Sandy, 26; 6) Islander505, 25.5; 7) (tie) NaOH and Lou Scala, 25; 9) JRock, 23; 10) Larry, 20; 11) (tie) Stephen Latham and Gerry, 18; 13) Dan, 16; 14) michelken, 15; 15) Poppy, 14; 16) (tie) Richie G. and Send it in JEROME!!!!!!!!, 13; 18) (tie) Chris and Steve L., 12; 20) (tie) ERC, Bob Tufts and whynot, 11; 23) (tie) Peter W. and DG, 9

Let's hold a more traditional contest - a book giveaway - tomorrow. And check here, once again, for frequent posts. Hopefully more than yesterday, given the structure of today's proceedings (there's a more organized schedule, whereas yesterday, I had to wait in the hotel lobby for people to arrive).

Omar Minaya on slugging, and Kenny Williams on Hideki Matsui

Monday November 9, 2009 8:21 PM By Ken Davidoff

The Mets' contingent has arrived, and from talking to them, there's a level of frustration concerning the mediocre free-agent pool. To paraphrase the legendary Steve McCroskey of the "Airplane!" movies, it looks like the Mets picked the wrong year to have so many needs.

I think they'll at least check in on Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, John Lackey; they have to engage, for public relations' sake. But Omar Minaya made it clear today that he prioritizes the outfield bat over the starting pitcher.

"As a club, we have to slug more than this year," Minaya said. Asked about going after the big-name free agents, Minaya said, "I Think you always have to explore – and in the past, I’ve always explored, at least – the availability of the better players. I think me going forward, if those guys are healthy, I still think we owe it to at least find out, if the better players are there, what is the possibility of acquiring these players?"

Some Mets officials actually think that Bay plays better defense than Holliday, but there still seems to be an overall preference for Holliday. If the Yankees actually follow through on their early hints and don't go after either guy, then the Mets might actually have a shot at one.

--When White Sox GM Kenny Williams gets going, there's no one better. He spoke at length about the overall state of the game, and he was highly entertaining. I'll blog it in the morning.

For now, though, one interesting comment: A Japanes reporter asked Williams about his potential interest in Hideki Matsui, who filed for free agency today (as did Yankees Johnny Damon, Eric Hinske, Jose Molina and Xavier Nady).

"He's an excellent outfielder," Williams said - I think he meant "player," as opposed to praising his nonexistent defense. "He's the World Series MVP. I'd imagine he's going to cost more in salary than we want to pay. But if he should want what we have, you never know."

The Matsui sweepstakes will be one of the more intruging sagas of the winter. One added element: Since Matsui is neither a Type A nor Type B free agent _ the compensation system is a joke and needs to be changed, and likely will be changed in the next collective bargaining agreement _ teams will not be deterred by the notion of paying Matsui a salary plus a draft pick.

--It's not clear whether expanded instant replay will be discussed tomorrow, but one New York GM is in favor of expanded replay, and one wants to maintain the status quo. Guess who feels which way.

Brian Cashman, Felix Hernandez and the Elias rankings

Monday November 9, 2009 5:10 PM By Ken Davidoff

Brian Cashman entered the hotel lobby here at 2:51 local time, and he was immediately swarmed by media folk. I'd say close to 50 in all, more than half people from Japan who want to know the latest about Hideki Matsui.

Here is the story I wrote. The essence:

--Because the Yankees won the World Series and just had the parade on Friday, Cashman is behind in the preparation. The Yankees usually know their entire gameplan by now. They don't yet. Cashman will hold pro scouting meetings shortly to go over everything.

--That said, Cashman did nothing to discourage the conventional wisdom that the Yankees will bid farewell to Hideki Matsui when, as you can see, he said that he doesn't strongly consider postseason performance, positive or negative, in his evaluations.

--He made an interesting, telling remark when he said, referring to last year's Mark Teixeira signing, "We looked at the available free-agent market going forward. We felt we were going to need that type of impact bat. And we needed to move on it last year, because this year, those type of bats weren’t going to be as available." Translation: Matt Holliday, you're no Teixeira. I really would be surprised if the Yankees went hard after Holliday.

--Mariners GM Jack Zdueincik spoke of his ace, Felix Hernandez: "We have him for (2010) and the next year. We have to keep open-minded about everything. But right now, I consider him an integral part of our team."

The Red Sox figure to kick the tires on King Felix some more, and in that case, the Yankees will, too. But considering the progress Seattle made last year, it should really take a fantastic package to pry Hernandez loose.

--The Players Association released the Elias Rankings today. These are essential in that they determine compensation for free agents. In order to sign a Type A player who has been offered arbitration (or, if you sign him before the Dec. 1 deadline for offering arbitration), a team must "give" a top draft pick - first-round pick if you draft 16th through 30th, second-round if you draft first through 15th - to the club that lost the player. The club losing the player also receives a sandwich-round pick.

Clubs that lose a Type B player offered arbitration receive a sandwich-round pick. The signing team pays no penalty for acquiring the free agent.

Your Type A free agents are: Jason Bay, Rafael Betancourt, Orlando Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Octavio Dotel, Jermaine Dye, Chone Figgins, Mike Gonzalez, John Grabow, Kevin Gregg, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Holliday, Orlando Hudson, John Lackey, Bengie Molina, Darren Oliver, Placido Polanco, Marco Scutaro, Rafael Soriano, Miguel Tejada, Jose Valverde, Billy Wagner, Randy Wolf.

Your Type B free agents are: Garret Anderson, Rod Barajas, Erik Bedard, Joe Beimel, Ron Belliard, Adrian Beltre, Doug Brocail, Marlon Byrd, Kiko Calero, Mike Cameron, Doug Davis, Carlos Delgado, Mark DeRosa, Justin Duchscherer, Scott Eyre, Jon Garland, Brian Giles, Troy Glaus, Vladimir Guerrero, Rich Harden, Ramon Hernandez, Bob Howry, Nick Johnson, Randy Johnson, Jason Kendall, Adam LaRoche, Braden Looper, Felipe Lopez, Brandon Lyon, Jason Marquis, Melvin Mora, Guillermo Mota, Xavier Nady, Will Ohman, Miguel Olivo, Vicente Padilla, Chan Ho Park, Carl Pavano, Andy Pettitte, Joel Pineiro, Fernando Rodney, Ivan Rodriguez, Brian Shouse, Russ Springer, Fernando Tatis, Yorvit Torrelba, Dave Weathers, Randy Winn, Gregg Zaun.

I'll post my "Offseason Report Card" once the fates of all the Type A free agents are resolved, even if that takes us into spring training.

Saturday reading: Hideki Matsui, and more parade stories

Saturday November 7, 2009 7:52 AM By Ken Davidoff

While we have plenty of parade coverage, I based myself at Yankee Stadium yesterday and spoke with Hideki Matsui afterwards. As I think I've made pretty clear, while the Yankees would miss Matsui both professionally and personally, they need to get younger and create more flexibility for the old players they still have.

Jorge Posada seemed to get worse defensively as the year progressed, didn't he? And yet he can still hit so well. Which is why it's essential to get him more time as the starting DH.

Which brings to mind: Next offseason will be a huge test for the Yankees' "new" way of thinking. They have expended the time and resources to build up one of the game's best supplies of young catchers: Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero and Austin Romine. Cervelli is ready to step in next year to back up Posada. The other two need more time in the minor leagues.

But when Joe Mauer becomes a free agent next year, will the Yankees make a run for him? Or will they actually let an organic transition take place, and have Montero and/or Romine learn from Posada during Posada's final season of 2011?

Mauer will be a 27-year-old free agent; pretty, pretty good. But catchers, in general, age quickly and are not great investments.

This could all be moot, as I do think there's a legitimate chance that Mauer re-signs with the Twins before ever hitting the open market.

--Meant to mention yesterday that the Phillies exercised their 2010 option on Cliff Lee, the biggest no-brainer of the offseason.

All right, I'm going to try very hard to take the day off. Have a great day.

--Self-promotion update: I'll be on 1050 ESPN Radio at 11:20 this morning with Seth Everett.

The parade, Hideki Matsui, Chien-Ming Wang and the Twins-Brewers trade

Friday November 6, 2009 5:23 PM By Ken Davidoff

I watched the parade and the City Hall ceremony from the distant comfort of Yankee Stadium. What did people think? I thought the parade was fine, but the ceremony was lame. Only three speakers (Hal Steinbrenner, Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter)? Back in 1996 and 1998-2000 celebrations, they invited many players to come up and speak, leading to some great moments.

Remember when Bernie Williams was about to be a free agent in 1998, and he pointed to George Steinbrenner and said, "You'll have to talk to this guy"?

Remember when Darryl Strawberry, having been through cancer and a drug suspension, broke down crying in 1999, and Joe Torre stepped to the stage to comfort his player?

Those were awesome. This? Eh.

--Hideki Matsui came back to the Stadium afterwards and expressed great happiness about the ending of his season while not getting specific at all about his future. Don't tell my competition, but I'm going to write a column on Matsui for tomorrow.

--Chien-Ming Wang spoke to us while holding his baby son. He said he's going to see Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. on Monday for a follow-up appointment to his right shoulder surgery. He said he could be pitching in rehabilitation games in April or May. That seems optimistic.

In any case, the only way Wang will be back with the Yankees is on a reduced salary from this past year's $5 million.

--Interesting trade between the Brewers and the Twins. Minnesota, in dealing Carlos Gomez for J.J. Hardy, clearly gets the player with the greater upside. But the Brewers have young stud Alcides Escobar ready to step in at shortstop, and Miwaukee might have enough offense in its other spots to withstand Gomez's poor production while benefiting from his defense.

--The Diamondbacks exercised the $8.5 million team option on former Cy Young Award winner Brandon Webb, a sensible move given the high price (still) of quality starting pitching out there.

UPDATE, 7:49 p.m.: Scott Boras told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times that Manny Ramirez will return to the Dodgers for 2010. Boras can read the market well enough that Manny, who played poorly this past season upon his return from the drug suspension, couldn't get $20 million out there. So he'll use the platform year with the Dodgers to build another campaign for another big contract. That's the situation in which you want Manny.

Thanks to MLBTradeRumors.com for the Manny knowledge.

World Series Game 6 in review

Thursday November 5, 2009 9:54 AM By Ken Davidoff

Apologies for the tardiness this morning. Man alive, was I tired. I'm not as young as I was nine years ago, you know.

Congratulations to the Yankees. 2009 proved to be a sublime season, one in which an exceptionally talented group of players came together and brilliantly executed the vision of general manager Brian Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner - while manager Joe Girardi learned from his first-year mistakes and displayed a boldness that paid off (I'm talking more about long-term, regular-season decisions than some of the postseason moves).

It was a crazy scene after the game last night, with your usual small percentage of dopey players (cough!) or even coaches (cough!) spraying champagne on the greater crowds. But I took more enjoyment in the quieter scenes.

In Derek Jeter noticing Andy Pettitte's parents _ Pettitte's dad Tom used to be around the ballpark more, but he has been in hiding _ and giving them big hugs. In Hank Steinbrenner, of all people(!), standing calmly in a corner and clearly living through his dad.

In longtime staff members, who work very hard and don't get paid anything like ballplayers, exchanging embraces. Some of those folks will get a share or at least part of one, and that will significantly help their lives.

Many of these folks "suffered" through the eight-year drought, and as I wrote in my column, I really hope we can learn from that period. Those clubs didn't suffer from any kind of moral failing. They just weren't quite as good, particularly on the pitching front, and they ran into some bad breaks, whereas the 1996 and 1998-2000 Yankees benefited from some well-documented good luck.

Alex Rodriguez will be vindicated now, and to reiterate a point I made earlier this postseason, I hope the story of Mark Teixeira sheds some light on the wrongheaded way we evaluate players. Yes, Teixeira had a lousy postseason, although, even within that lousiness, he had a few huge hits - not to mention his excellent defense. But enough of Teixeira's teammates covered for him, just as he covered for them in the regular season, and now Teixeira won't be haunted by some ridiculous, "He's not a winner!!!" blather.

Last night on Twitter, a discussion began about whether Hideki Matsui's MVP performance would prompt the Yankees to bring him back for next year. I tweeted, "Remember, #Yankees brought back 1998 WS MVP Brosius, and would've been better off letting him go and playing youngster Mike Lowell." 

OMG, you would've thought I desecrated something holy. Yankees fans insisted that the titles of 1999 and 2000, and near-miss of 2001, meant that Brosius was better than Lowell, the Yankees' own prospect whom they traded to Florida for three young pitchers who didn't pan out.

You can't use team results to back up your analysis of individual players. You just can't. It's not intellectually defensible.

Anyway, what else about last night?

--What in the world was Charlie Manuel thinking, leaving Pedro Martinez in the game against Matsui in the third inning, with J.A. Happ all warmed up? It was clear that Pedro was naked out there.

Here's what Manuel said: "When he got there, Pedro, he knows how to pitch. He's got experience, he knows how to pitch and everything, and you know, I had to let him face that guy. Also when we were down, if Matsui got a hit, of course, but we can go down 4-1 and we can definitely rebound there. But I had to let him -- it wasn't time for me to take him out."

Yeesh. Of course, back when Grady Little infamously showed too much faith in Pedro, Little didn't even have a contract for the next season. Manuel is signed through 2011, and he also has a World Series ring with the Phillies. I think he can overcome this.

--Pettitte definitely showed the strains of pitching on three days' rest, but he gave the Yankees enough - especially when he looked so much better than Martinez on five days' rest. I'd be stunned if Pettitte wasn't a Yankee in 2010. Given the money the Yankees will save on leftfield/DH - I doubt they'll spend half, next year, of the $26 million they expended this year on Matsui and Johnny Damon - they should have some leeway to give Pettitte more guaranteed money and avoid last winter's headaches.

--Matsui. During the live chat the other day, Richie G. (Lynbrook, not the other Richie G., whom I don't know) asked me whether I'd be happy for any of the players if the Yankees won. Well, I'll confess: As Matsui stood on the podium on the field last night, accepting his World Series MVP trophy, I was happy for him.

He has conducted himself with dignity, kindness and consideration every day of each of his seven years as a Yankee. He came to the Yankees because they were the Major League Baseball equivalent of the Yomiuri Giants, his team in Japan, and it took him this long to get his ring. For him to stand up there with his long-time interpreter Roger Kahlon, and thank the fans for their support, I thought that was pretty neat.

But no, I don't think he'll be back. Damon? Let's let that one sit out there a little longer. I'll get a better feel next week, at the general managers' meetings.

--Mariano Rivera, on the field afterwards, told Fox's Chris Rose that he wants to pitch for five more years. Who are we to doubt him?

--Here's the rest of Newsday's coverage.

--Open free agency will start on Friday, Nov. 20th. Today, players can start filing.

--Dennis won the preseason predictions contest. I'll post the final standings shortly.

--All right, got work to do for our commemorative sections and all that. So I may post again today, but then again, I might not. Thanks to all of you who have stuck around for the completion of the Yankees' championship run. And as you know, things will remain interesting here now that the Hot Stove League is on its way.
 

Quick, "haven't slept on these" thoughts from Game 2

Saturday October 10, 2009 1:35 AM By Ken Davidoff

Have a 9:25 flight, and will be running around in the morning prior to takeoff, so let's knock this out now. When I arrive at the Metrodome, I will check in.

--My column isn't even up yet, but I wrote about the 2009 Yankees' remarkable late-inning prowess. In the regular season, the Yankees had a .942 OPS in the ninth inning, easily their best inning. That's just not supposed to happen.

I'm sorry, not to take anything away from Mark Teixeira or Alex Rodriguez - they're both awesome, obviously - but Twins closer Joe Nathan sure looked tight out there. Falling behind 3-and-0 to A-Rod, and then grooving a 3-and-1 fastball down the middle? And then making the errant pickoff throw on Brett Gardner in the 10th? 

Nathan couldn't have been more polite answering questions afterward, and he disputed that he felt more nervous than for any other save opportunity. But I don't know. That was pretty brutal.

--As was the foul call by leftfield umpire Phil Cuzzi on Joe Mauer's 11th-inning, should've-been-ground-rule double. Look, Mauer rebounded to get a base hit, and the Twins loaded the bases with none out in the inning, so you can't go too crazy with the "what could have been." Nevertheless, a runner on second with no outs is better than a runner on first with no outs.

In any case, we need more instant replay. That play would've been corrected in 10 seconds flat.

--Joe Girardi was all over the map with his bullpen selections. He bailed quickly on Joba Chamberlain, then left in Phil Hughes for too long, then put too much faith in Damaso Marte. But this much talent can cover up many flaws.

--After all of the silly buildup, A.J. Burnett has a characteristically weird game, constantly getting into trouble and escaping most of it. I still can't believe how badly Carlos Gomez botched the fourth-inning play in which he negated the run about to be scored by Delmon Young.

--Could Hideki Matsui wind up with the Mets? It's a longshot, but David Lennon wrote about how much Matsui wants to stay in New York.

--The Red Sox, meanwhile, are down to their last breath.

And that's it for now. See you later today (tomorrow, spiritually. I'm off to get some rest).

UPDATE, 4:13 p.m. C.S.T. Greetings from the Metrodome! I didn't arrive here early enough to hear Carl Pavano address the media first-hand, but I'm planning on writing something about the Yankees having to beat him (or at least, you know, not lose to him) in order to win their first playoff series since right before they signed him, in October 2004 - here at the Metrodome.

Brian Cashman, amazingly, still has Pavano's back and blames the reported ill will on his teammates rather than Pavano. Said Cashman: 

"I suspect it’s no different than fans. I’s no different than, there’s a resentment of, 'He’s making all of this money and we need him.'

"I’ve seen players lose perspective, too. They wouldn’t want to be judged that way, either. I’ve seen some of the players who judged him harshly also get hurt. And they didn’t get the same treatment. Where they wouldn’t want that same treatment.

"I remained objective. I went down with him. He took a lot of crap, and so did I. I never lost my perspective on what really happened. It was a move that didn’t work out because he didn’t stay healthy. Do I blame him for it? No, I don’t. I don’t think he laid down on us."

Mid-day reading: Hideki Matsui, Ken Griffey, Jr., Oliver Perez and the Nick Swisher bunt

Wednesday August 26, 2009 3:42 PM By Ken Davidoff

For my Midweek Insider, I asked Hideki Matsui whether he would be all right playing with Ichiro Suzuki. Matsui said yes. Thanks to Sandy for inspiring me to ask the question.

Now, does that mean Matsui will actually play with the Mariners next season? I'm still skeptical. If they're not enemies, then Matsui and Ichiro are nevertheless not close. I can see better possible fits for Matsui in the White Sox or maybe even Oakland, if Matsui's price drops enough.

It will be a fascinating component of the offseason, in any case, to see what the market is for free agents Matsui and Jim Thome, aging DHs who are enjoying very strong seasons. But the new reality is that teams aren't going to spend huge dollars for DHs. At the rung below that, you'll have Ken Griffey, Jr., who hasn't yet ruled out another season, and Jason Giambi, who won't retire until no one answers his phone calls.

--Big news from San Francisco: The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled today that the U.S. government acted unlawfully in seizing the infamous "List" of baseball's 2003 survey test. Now we can say, officially, that people like David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Sammy Sosa were victimized by our government. Their information never should have reached the hands of government investigators.

Why aren't I including Alex Rodriguez on that list? Because it's not clear whether someone with access to the list was involved the story that outed A-Rod as an illegal PED user. It could have just been former friends of A-Rod who knew about the failed 2003 test from A-Rod himself.

--Oliver Perez needs season-ending surgery on his right knee. Hey, what would a day be without bad Mets injury news?

Go ahead and crush the Mets, yet again, for the Perez signing; Year One of the three-year, $36-million deal was an utter waste. I still want to see what happens from here. With the Mets, if they're intelligent (insert punchline here), closely monitoring Perez's offseason workouts, and then with Perez under the Mets' control for all of spring training, rather than Perez going to the World Baseball Classic and not taking care of himself.

Even if you subscribe to the belief that the Mets overrated Perez's 2007 and 2008 seasons, he was still so, so much worse this year.

--Sorry, I had to cut short this morning's post, so to catch up for a moment: We all wondered, in the press box, why in the world Nick Swisher was bunting in the bottom of the ninth last night. With four runs already in for the Yankees, and with Rangers closer Frank Francisco clearly unnerved.

Even if Swisher had successfully gotten down the bunt, moving tying and winning runs Robinson Cano and Jerry Hairston Jr. to second and third, the Rangers might have felt relieved just to get an out on the board. Francisco could've told himself, at that point, "OK, just get two flyballs, and we'll at least keep playing."

But with Swisher botching the bunt, and with Melky Cabrera lining into a double play, the Rangers did even better. River Ave. Blues put up a good post about this. Thanks to JE for the link.

So why didn't I write my column about this? Three reasons:

1) The realities of newspaper deadlines. The game ended precisely at 11:00. At that point, my column for the first edition was already due.

2) The Yankees are still six games up on the Red Sox. It's hard to get that worked up over a tactical blunder given that it was relatively inconsequential...

3) ...especially when Joba Chamberlain pitched so poorly. To me, Chamberlain is a far greater concern, moving forward.

--Good guy Aaron Boone will be activated by the Astros on Sept. 1. Glad to see it.

Alex Rodriguez, Ian Kennedy and Jose Reyes

Friday May 8, 2009 6:31 PM By Ken Davidoff

Greetings from Camden Yards, still my favorite "new" ballpark. It's a beautiful night for a ballgame.

A-Rod, in his pre-game comments, was...typical A-Rod, I guess. Stuff like this:

“You look in the mirror and realize that it’s time to grow up. It’s time to play baseball. I love the way I did things in ’07, and things in ’08 kind of went away from my ’07 plan. I have no one to blame but myself. Now, in ’09, I have an opportunity to make things right.”

And this:

“I think I’ve had a lot come my way over the last 16 to 18 months. I’m just trying to do the best as a human being to move forward. I think I’ve been up front and I’ve paid a price. Now I’m looking forward to the present and the future. Really, at the end of the day, I’m worried about my book. I think I still have an opportunity with nine years to have a happy ending.”

The fan treatment during pre-game batting practice was pretty tame. One persistent fan with an Orioles shirt shouted, "A-Fraud, welcome back! You're a real role model!" Nick Swisher, standing behind the batting cage, egged on the fan, putting his hand around his ear and urging him to crank up the volume. "You get it all out?" Swisher asked, smiling.

It was sort of amusing, and yet, you thought that Swsiher would've been better off ignoring the creep. Just as Hideki Matsui, standing next to Swisher, was ignoring both the fan and Swisher.

Behind the Yankees' dugout, meanwhile, the Yankees fans on site greeted A-Rod very warmly.

Also behind the Yankees' dugout, a Yankees fan taunted pitching coach Dave Eiland. "Hey, Eiland," the fan shouted, "how about you get these guys to pitch?"

And I thought to myself, "I didn't know Jack was in town!"

The Mets' and Yankees' 25-man rosters, Part 2

Tuesday March 10, 2009 3:48 PM By Ken Davidoff

So this idea came to me from yesterday's live chat (two items below), when Mo asked, "Besides Tatis/Murphy and Cora, who else is on the Mets bench to start the season?"

I felt like Homer in this episode of "The Simpsons," when Marge asks him to name Bart's friends, and the best Homer can offer is, from the best of my recollection (it's not in the linked transcript), "The fat kid. The one with the thing."

We've still got plenty of time, as we noted below, but here's how I would construct the Mets' and Yankees' rosters, given our current choices and current knowledge:

Mets

Catchers (2): Ramon Castro, Brian Schneider

Infielders (6): Marlon Anderson, Luis Castillo, Alex Cora, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes, David Wright

Outfielders (5): Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Bobby Kielty, Dan Murphy, Fernando Tatis

Starting pitchers (5): Livan Hernandez, John Maine, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, Johan Santana

Relief pitchers (7): Rocky Cherry, Pedro Feliciano, Sean Green, J.J. Putz, Francisco Rodriguez, Tim Redding, Brian Stokes

Thoughts: No thanks on Pudge Rodriguez _ I like the idea of having both Castro and Schneider in their walk years _ and I think Hernandez will do enough to win that fifth starter's job. I also like the idea of having a bona fide long man-spot starter in Redding, an asset they have lacked since Darren Oliver in '06.

I agree with what whynot wrote yesterday - Kielty could be this year's Tatis.

That seventh reliever, Cherry, was tough to find. I went with him because a) he has missed a decent amount of bats throughout his career, and I'd like to see him in the National League; and b) since Cherry is a Rule 5 pick, the Mets could lose him _ they'd have to offer him back to Baltimore for $25,000 _ if they don't put him on the 25-man roster. Why not see what they have? It's not like Bobby Parnell or Eddie Kunz are turning heads at the moment. Also, I'm not as concerned about the "one lefty in the bullpen" arrangement for now, not with Putz set to take the eighth inning for himself.

Good for the Mets, BTW, for releasing Duaner Sanchez. Maybe that will send a positive message to the clubhouse about accountability and expectations.

Yankees

Catchers (2): Jose Molina, Jorge Posada

Infielders (5): Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter, Cody Ransom, TBD, Mark Teixeira.

Outfielders (6): Melky Cabrera, Johnny Damon, Brett Gardner, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher

Starting pitchers (5): A.J. Burnett, Joba Chamberlain, Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang

Relief pitchers (7): Alfredo Aceves, Jonathan Albaladejo, Brian Bruney, Phil Coke, Damaso Marte, Mariano Rivera, Jose Veras.

Thoughts: Angel Berroa is hitting well, but I'm still not convinced he can help the Yankees. Hence the TBA. Heck, I'd rather see Mark Grudzielanek sign and help out. I think Gardner gets the starting centerfield job, and Cabrera becomes a backup, although I'd look to trade him now since his value will only decrease if he's riding the bench.

Let Phil Hughes get consistent outings, and prove he can stay healthy, in Scranton. Keep Joba in the starting rotation. On the bullpen side, you'd have to bet against Edwar Ramirez being physically ready for the start of the season. I think this is a potentially excellent Yankees bullpen. I keep reading that bullpen is a real trouble area for the Yankees, but I don't see it.

Thirteen things I think I think about the Yankees' acquisition of Mark Teixeira

Tuesday December 23, 2008 9:31 PM By Ken Davidoff

Greetings from sunny (and windy, but I probably shouldn't complain to New Yorkers right now) Florida. I was going to post something tonight, anyway, concerning the Hall of Fame and World Baseball Classic, but I'll sit on those thoughts for a day. The Mark Teixeira news takes precedent.

I haven't stolen from Peter King in quite some time, but it feels right tonight. So here we go:

1) I think I'm an idiot. I'd link to the number of times that I wrote the Yankees weren't getting Mark Teixeira, but then it would be time to board the plane back home. Good Lord, did I fall for the Yankees' line of baloney. See #4 for more on this topic.

2) I think I'll stipulate that Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett all have the potential to be great signings. It's not fair to compare this haul, in the negative sense, to Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright four years ago. Everyone (besides the Yankees) knew that Pavano and Wright would be horrible.

Nor is it fair to compare this to what the Tigers did last winter, because the Tigers decimated their farm system with their trades for Edgar Renteria and Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and Willis was coming off a terrible 2007 with Florida.

I agree with Keith Law: The Yankees have exhibited fine taste this winter.

3) I think, that said, what the Yankees have done this winter is just too much.

Not too much money. That's not our problem, Yes, on one level, it's obnoxious, but on another level, I can't help but admire the Steinbrenners for putting so much money right back into the team.

No, it's too much risk. It's just not good roster and payroll management for a team that is trying to replicate its dynasties of 1936-39, 1949-53 and 1996-2000.

In a vacuum, Sabathia might be every bit the ace the Yankees hope. Burnett might have really found himself in 2008, with the help of Roy Halladay, and might build on that with dominance and reliability.Teixeira might settle right into New York and put up the numbers he has the past two seasons while shuttling from Texas to Atlanta to Anaheim.

But...in a vacuum, Sabathia might feel the wear and tear of his recent workload, and might be turned off by New York's negativity. And Burnett might do/say something stupid, and miss more time due to more injuries. And Teixeira, coming in on a gargantuan contract, might fail to connect with the fans the same way as Alex Rodriguez in the Bronx and Carlos Beltran in Flushing.

Look at SI.com's photo gallery of the 18 players who have signed nine-figured contracts. Count the number of times you say "Yeesh!" and "Good Lord!" Yes, some of them were indisputedly dumb investments (Kevin Brown and Carlos Lee, to name two) before the ink dried. But some seemed smart at the time.

The truth is that we live in a cruel world, and stuff often doesn't happen as you hope. Ken Griffey, Jr. can't stay on the field. A-Rod delivers on the field, yet he hamstrings the Rangers' payroll _ and annoys his teammates _ so much that there's virtually a parade when he leaves town. Barry Zito can barely be a back-of-the-rotation starter, let alone an ace.

So to think that Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett can all deliver - that none will ever turn into an albatross - seems quite optimistic. Unrealistic, even. At least Sabathia can (and will, you'd have to bet) bolt after three years.

Great organizations look to contend year after year after year, and the best way to do that is to optimize those precious 25 roster spots. And the best way to do that is to avoid too many long-term commitments, no matter how talented those players are to whom you're committing.

4) I think that I thought Brian Cashman agreed with all of the philosophies I just espoused in #3, and I look forward to my next conversation with the Yankees' general manager. He has some 'splainin to do.

Here are some of the thoughts that Cashman has shared with me and others _ and when I write "others," I mean "Joel Sherman" _ in the past year: