Wednesday’s news, tightly edited
DMZ · November 15, 2006 at 12:06 pm · Filed Under Game Threads
From sensory deprivation tank, Mussina agrees to 2y, $22.5m contract with Yankees
NL Manager of the year is Marlins’ fired Girardi
Leyland wins AL Manager of the Year
Acta named new Nationals manager
100-year old Hernandez gets two year, $12m contract
Mark DeRosa gets 3y, $13m
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The Yanks probably would’ve picked up his $17M option if they hadn’t come to terms, so I guess Mussina gets an extra $5M guaranteed this way, but if the Yankees don’t pick up that option, he could’ve cashed in pretty huge in this market. He would’ve been pretty easily the best non-Matsuzaka option for next year, maybe the next three. He is getting older, but you couldn’t tell from his performance last year.
This screams hometown discount to me.
I know! And who gives the Yankees a discount?
So the Mussina options were:
1) $17M option
2) $1.5M buyout
3) Renegotiate
Does he get the $1.5M buyout as part of the “Renegotiated” 2/$22.5M contract?
Does this free up enough money for NY to sign Gil Meche? 🙂
well, you know, the Post sez “the Yankees view him as a fourth/fifth starter, they won’t get into a silly bidding war fueled by a team (Baltimore?) that needs Meche to pitch higher in the rotation.”
Oh man, 2 years, $22.5 million. Is Mussina really worth $2.0 million a year more than Washburn? [end/snark]
#1,2– let’s see, Westchester is about 30 min. from Yankee Stadium and Montourville is about 2 hours, right?
… and the last time the Yankees won a championship, Cal Ripken and Mark McGwire were playing, as opposed to HOF-eligible, and Mussina was an Oriole. So there’s that angle for Mussina to consider as well.
How come in the El Duque article it says he’s 41 if on his player page on ESPN says he was born in 1969? I might be wrong but I didn’t know it was 2010 yet.
He’s older than his published birthdate, and everyone knows it, but it remains.
So the Mets have two righthanded pitchers named Hernandez who were both born in/around 1964? Talk about coincidences!
Another news item … Shane O’Neill pimps Gary Matthews Jr. as the M’s best option in the free-agent pool in today’s P-I. I hope that’ll be the next free-agent analysis post.
Yeah, when I saw the line I assumed it was Roberto Hernandez. Dude looks like leather.
7. Indeed, EP. Maybe Mussina, being at the end of his career, wants one more shot at a World Series title, and feels he has a better chance of it with NYY than anywhere else.
And who’s to say it was a lock that NYY picked up his option? The re-up may have been their idea. 2/22 spreads the financial hit out and makes it more bearable, plus Mussina gets more money in the long term.
I’m surprised no one seems to be itching to hire Girardi. Is it possible the owner word-of-mouth on him is bad regarding respecting the guy who pays you?
I don’t think there’s any real indication that Mussina is nearing the end. I can see him being effective for another 3-5 years.
It’s unfortunate that even so, he’s a Don Sutton-type of pitcher who probably won’t make the Hall of Fame if he falls short of 300 wins (he’s at 239 now).
Well, it’s also a matter of how long Mussina WANTS to pitch. He could still be effective at 45, but does he want to pitch at 45?
15 – Jim, I dunno, are pitchers who string together 15 seasons of double-digit wins, plus only two losing seasons ever, all that common? He might be sort of in the gray area of HOF material, but given that 300 wins is becoming less and less possible for guys to achieve, I’d think his name would at least end up on a significant number of ballots. Another good season or two and a world series ring would certainly help, not that I’m hoping the Yankees win or anything, of course.
Meanwhile, in rumors:
— Heyman at SI
And sheesh, I don’t think anything illustrates the sorry state of the pitching market more than all the teams getting linked to Meche…
He’s older than his published birthdate, and everyone knows it…
I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he was older than Julio Franco.
The Padres acquired Heath Bell and Royce Ring from the Mets Wednesday in exchange for Ben Johnson and Jon Adkins.
Bell: Triple-A Norfolk this past year, 1.29 ERA with 56 strikeouts in 35 innings. Mets: 5.11 ERA and .331 OppBA in 22 games
Ring: 2.13 ERA in 11 games for the Mets and a 2.97 ERA in 36 games for Triple-A Norfolk.
Adkins: 3.98 ERA in 55 games for the Padres and a 1.38 ERA in 13 games for Triple-A Portland
Johnson: .250 with four homers and 12 RBI for the Padres and .263 with seven homers and 22 RBI for Triple-A Portland
http://www.rototimes.com/player_notes/mlb
12 – “You’re with the Mets, leather.”
From the SJ Mercury News article about the new A’s stadium comes this gem:
Because, after all, the A’s haven’t been competitive since Reggie went to New York…
Better yet, new owner Wolff states that the only decision made on the team name is that it will end in “of Fremont.” I hope he was joking.
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Selig said a new ballpark was vital to the future of the A’s. The team’s existing home at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland lacks the type of revenue-generating potential — including high-end seats and sponsorships — that modern ballparks provide, he said.
“If you’re playing in a stadium that can’t produce the revenue streams you need, you’re really rendering that franchise uncompetitive,” Selig said.
Right, because the A’s have been shown to be uncompetitive over the last few years.
How does Bud get away with this crap? Sure, the A’s have a lousy stadium that earns them very little money, but it clearly hasn’t made them uncompetitive.
I think he means uncompetitive in the game the owners play amongst themselves, a game called “Raking in Dough Hand Over Fist.” The A’s are perennial doormats in that game, perhaps.
#15: I think what will hold back Mussina is a general feeling in the media that Mussina, while being a very good pitcher, isn’t really a GREAT pitcher. You know, he doesn’t have lots of 20-win seasons, strikeout or ERA titles, or oodles of Series rings.
It isn’t a bit fair, but that’s my read of his national profile. I compare him to Sutton because Sutton was a roughly similar pitcher and got hung with a similar rep.
Jim – You’re right in that Mussina’s not flashy. In fact, he doesn’t have ANY 20-win seasons, strikeout/ERA titles or WS rings. Despite that, I’d still argue that he *is* a great pitcher. 239 wins…3.63 career ERA…5-time All Star (that’s it?!)…6-time Gold Glover…
Not that I’m saying those are the best ways to judge a guy’s career, but those will certainly be taken in to consideration. Bottom line: I think he’s a Hall of Famer.
I agree. But so, in my opinion, is Bert Blyleven, Jim Kaat and Tommy John.
Mussina’s comparables on BB-Ref are:
1. Juan Marichal (915) *
2. Kevin Brown (897)
3. Curt Schilling (892)
4. David Wells (884)
5. Dwight Gooden (873)
6. Clark Griffith (868) *
7. Bob Welch (867)
8. Orel Hershiser (859)
9. David Cone (857)
10. Catfish Hunter (855) *
* means HoF.
Some aren’t eligible yet (even still playing)… so Mussina has a good chance. But the lack of a dominant season – did he ever strike fear into the hearts of batters? – will hurt his chances.
It’ll take him four healthy seasons to get to 300. That’s asking a lot.
But it’d only take him three 2006 type seasons to get to 3000 K’s. 250 wins and 3000 K’s should count for a lot. Wearing the pinstripes should put him over the top.
Comparables through 37:
1. Juan Marichal (915) *
2. Jack Morris (873)
3. Clark Griffith (869) *
4. Bob Welch (867)
5. Carl Hubbell (860) *
6. Curt Schilling (857)
7. Tom Glavine (857)
8. Jim Bunning (854) *
9. Bob Gibson (850) *
10. Kevin Brown (847)
Five current Hall members, one current probable (Glavine), one current maybe (Schilling).
I think he has a 45% chance of getting if he retired today, 75% if he gets three more good years and 3000 K’s.
I think Mussina is a hall-of-fame quality pitcher, but doesn’t have a hall-of-fame profile, yeah. They sure can’t put him in before they put Blyleven in, and I don’t know if that’s going to happen.
I think Blyleven might be screwed. There seems to be a backlash now against all the sabe-friendly voters who have been calling the surface-stats guys morons for years for not picking Blyleven.
I think Blyleven might be screwed.
Yeah, I wasn’t around during his time, but I often hear rumblings that he was kind of a prick/jerk/etc during his playing days. Whether or not it’s should be relevant, that sort of thing can definitely swing a vote.
Your point about Blyleven becoming a SABR poster boy is good, too. Too much of the media is still hung up on the stats v. scouts issue.
Well, he can always get in as a broadcaster!
Oh, wait…
I like Mussina *ALOT* but if I was going to wish for an ex-yankee for the Ms rotation, i’d rather have Andy Pettitte for the next two years…
22. Jackson came to New York from Baltimore.
29. In the minds of every member of the 1997 Seattle Mariners, Mussina has to be first-ballot HOF.
There is no way you want Andy Pettitte, with his on/off trick arm, over Mussina for the next two years. No.
Well I do have a bias for pitchers whose middle name is Eugene but I also find lefties who do this to be useful:
2005: 222 innings; xFIP:3.29; K/G:7.5; GO/AO:1.65
2006: 213 innings; xFIP:3.82; K/G:7.4; GO/AO:1.89
🙂
Great site here, have been reading it for awhile after stumbling across it, and this is my first post so here we go…
Joe Girardi was on ESPN saying he was taking a break from coaching (and he said that could be 1 year or 3-4 years he doesn’t know) but that he also wants to manage again and is taking the time to be with his wife and kids…
So my question is… is Girardi a great manager? I’m not a stats freak or a baseball fanatic, but I do love the Mariners and was wondering if one of the experts here could chime in on the possibility of firing Hargrove after the upcoming season and replacing him with someone like Girardi?