The Yankees and lying and the Yankees lying

DMZ · August 2, 2009 at 4:00 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Hi!

Since Washburn was traded (wooooo) many of you fine readers have decided, in relevant threads or not, to post links to stories coming out of the New York media machine (or national baseball writers) about how the Mariners were willing to trade Washburn to the Yankees but they asked for Joba and Cano and $90,000,000 in small non-sequential used bills or what-the-hell-ever.

Please stop. Here’s what’s going on: there are 15 billion trillion people who cover the Yankees, and the Yankees use this hive mind to promote themselves. This is why every Yankee prospect gets hyped to the skies until they’re traded and discovered to be players with all the baseball talent of an ox and the work ethic of Yuni. Why their crappy-ass stadium before this one was revered as the House that Ruth Built though it wasn’t, and as a hallowed baseball treasure until it had to be torn down and rebuilt for the good of all humanity.

So allllllll of these various stories about the M’s having only one phone call, or having many phone calls, asking for Joba or Joba and Hughes or Austin Jackson, and not being willing to talk sense, they’re bunk. Hokum. They’re lies. Liiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeesssssssssssss.

The Yankees want the story out there that they tried to get Washburn but the M’s were unreasonable. Then later, if it turns out a veteran left-handed starter was the difference between making the playoffs and not, or winning the World Series or not, they’re covered. “We wanted to get one, but Seattle’s crazy!” they can say, and it’ll be lapped up by that vast media mind and injected directly into the skull of every Yankee fan, who will scowl and curse the Mariners for their unreasonable demands.

The M’s front office leaks nothing. Like zippo. They’re possibly the tightest-lipped bunch of people in baseball. But they’re smart. Does it really seem likely to anyone that the team called New York, asked for Joba and Hughes, was refused, and then instead of trying to work something else out or see what New York would offer, just hung up, called Detroit, and made a much worse deal? Or that they repeated the demands a couple times first? Why in the world would they do that? Who seriously believes that that’s how any major league front office enters negotiations heading towards the trade deadline?

Please, stop posting this garbage. You’re just helping them. Don’t help the Yankees.

Comments

24 Responses to “The Yankees and lying and the Yankees lying”

  1. joser on August 2nd, 2009 4:05 pm

    Nice.

  2. Big Bob on August 2nd, 2009 4:44 pm

    YANKEES SUCK!!! I didn’t want their trash prospects anyway….And it would’ve been impossible to ever like Wash if he became a Yankee.

  3. coasty141 on August 2nd, 2009 4:51 pm

    Strong work DMZ

  4. MZ on August 2nd, 2009 4:53 pm

    Thank you. If only everybody that read those bunk stories could see this. Anyone following the rumors know that the Yankees said no to all top prospects, but said that Z can take his pick of the garbage in the dumpster. Sounds like complete arrogance to me.

  5. The Ancient Mariner on August 2nd, 2009 5:08 pm

    Actually, the rumors weren’t that harsh on the Yankees — though if they’re true, the top names they were willing to deal were Dellin Betances (presumably for a reason related to the fact that he’s on the DL) and Zach McAllister, whom I know interested some folks, but who (from what I could tell) doesn’t have the ceiling Zduriencik was looking for. More importantly, though, he seemed to really want to get back a pitcher he could plug into the Seattle rotation — which makes sense, given that the alternative would have been more starts from Garrett Olson — and it didn’t sound like the Yanks were willing to give up any of those.

  6. coasty141 on August 2nd, 2009 5:24 pm

    “he seemed to really want to get back a pitcher he could plug into the Seattle rotation — which makes sense, given that the alternative would have been more starts from Garrett Olson — and it didn’t sound like the Yanks were willing to give up any of those.”

    Not that it matters but… What is Ian Kennedy up to these days? I didn’t see him on any of the “unavailable lists” from the yanks. Is he still thought of as a prospect?

  7. Willmore2000 on August 2nd, 2009 5:52 pm

    I can’t wait for the Yanks to offer 5/100 🙂 You know they just might.

  8. Kazinski on August 2nd, 2009 5:59 pm

    So what if it’s true? I’d be fine with it if Jack decided he’d only trade with the Yankee’s if he got a lopsided advantage. If the Yankees are thowing 150m+ contracts out there, then they are setting the market for what they willing to pay established players.

  9. cdowley on August 2nd, 2009 6:54 pm

    DMZ speaks the truth. As I reported before the deadline, Jack had a deal more or less in place with the Yankees for a similar package to what they got from the Tigers, but it fell apart when the Yanks demanded additional prospects, supposedly including Adam Moore.

  10. Tuomas on August 2nd, 2009 6:56 pm

    Didn’t that particular rumor start with either Joel Sherman or Jon Heyman? Neither one of those are particularly trustworthy sources.

    Anyone following the rumors know that the Yankees said no to all top prospects, but said that Z can take his pick of the garbage in the dumpster. Sounds like complete arrogance to me.

    Or it sounds like Washburn was properly valued. Honestly, you don’t have to like the Yankees, but you could at least admit that Washburn isn’t worth anything more than the garbage in the dumpster for the remainder of the season.

  11. brian_sun on August 2nd, 2009 7:00 pm

    Sorry, Derek. I didn’t intend to post them, but I saw it from Larry Stone’s article in Seattle Times. I would never consider the NY Post a credible paper in a million years, and don’t usually read them. But Stone somehow picked up on it and ran with it. I found it funny that the Yankees FO critized Jack Z for this deal, and leaked it to NY Post. If Stone didn’t pick up on this, I would probably never read it in a million years. Sorry about posting that article.

  12. Mere Tantalisers on August 2nd, 2009 7:16 pm

    One other alternative to this, although it still involves misinformation. Ms spent a good deal of effort before the trade convincing the world that they prized Washburn like a childhood toy and wouldn’t part with him except for a very good package. Doug Melvin told reporters Z was making a run at the playoffs and demanding Alcides Escobar for Washburn, which I thought at the time must have been a favor for an old friend. So it’s not necessarily the Yankees lying to the media. Or, I don’t know, maybe they were in cahoots on this and the joke’s on Detroit.

  13. msb on August 2nd, 2009 8:50 pm

    Ian Kennedy had surgery in May 12 for an aneurysm under his armpit (think David Cone)

  14. Slurve on August 2nd, 2009 8:55 pm

    Helping the Yankees is like helping Hitler. You wouldn’t help Hitler would you?

    It’s usually what the Yankees want they get. It didn’t happen so you have to make us look like the bad guys.

  15. mln on August 2nd, 2009 9:01 pm

    I read on the Sons of Sam Horn site that the Yankees 2.0 (aka the Red Sox) inquired about King Felix.

  16. DMZ on August 2nd, 2009 9:07 pm

    Nice, yet still OT

  17. scott19 on August 2nd, 2009 11:04 pm

    This is why every Yankee prospect gets hyped to the skies until they’re traded and discovered to be players with all the baseball talent of an ox and the work ethic of Yuni.

    Oh, you mean first-ballot HOFer’s such as Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock…who Woody Woodward got duped into over-trading for?

    Thank goodness we have a GM these days in Zduriencik with a lot more acumen and savvy.

    And, yes, nice work Derek!

  18. terry on August 3rd, 2009 7:59 am

    This is why every Yankee prospect gets hyped to the skies until they’re traded and discovered to be players with all the baseball talent of an ox and the work ethic of Yuni.

    I want this as my ring tone…..

  19. Adam S on August 3rd, 2009 8:15 am

    What prospects have the Yankees traded recently that became impact players (not even stars) for other teams? In the last 10 years, what Yankee prospects have they brought through the system and contributed to the major league team.

    I’m sure there are some, but Cano is the only one who sticks out.

  20. BobbyAyalaFan4Life on August 3rd, 2009 8:28 am

    You’re just helping them. Don’t help the Yankees.

    I think this just became one of my favorite last sentences to any post on this site! An age-old adage that holds true today! That said, can’t wait til next week when we get to smoke ’em at home!

  21. et_blankenship on August 3rd, 2009 9:29 am

    In the last 10 years, what Yankee prospects have they brought through the system and contributed to the major league team.

    You missed the evolution. The Yankees currently feature more home-grown talent on the 25-man roster than just about every other team in baseball. In fact, most big-budget teams rank near the top while most of the small budget teams have gone in the opposite direction. As for the Mets . . . they are still hunting with sticks and rocks.

  22. Tuomas on August 3rd, 2009 12:29 pm

    Adam S:

    On this year’s team, Joba, Phil Hughes, Cano, Gardner before he broke his thumb, Alfredo Aceves, David Robertson, Melky Cabrera and Ramiro Pena have all seen time. Brian Bruney was signed as a minor league FA. Chien-Ming Wang was the team’s #2 starter before imploding with injuries. Over the last few years we’ve also had a bunch of homegrown RP and spot starters. In fairness, we haven’t produced many impact position players – just Cano so far.

  23. TestaverdeTD on August 4th, 2009 1:10 pm

    [off-topic]

  24. RollingWave on August 5th, 2009 12:27 am

    What prospects have the Yankees traded recently that became impact players (not even stars) for other teams? In the last 10 years, what Yankee prospects have they brought through the system and contributed to the major league team.

    I’m sure there are some, but Cano is the only one who sticks out.

    Aside from the guys on their roster. They traded away Mike Lowell, Juan Rivera, Alfonso Soriano (though he was already established by then), Nick Johnson (though he’s hurt a lot). Ramon Ramirez (for Shawn Chacon, he’s been a very good RP when healthy), Marcus Thames. Ted Lilly kinda started his career with the Yankees (but he debuted with the Expos) as did Damaso Marte.

    They havn’t traded away anyone who’s a likely hall of famer (unlike say… Jeff Bagwell and Curt Schilling) . but they have traded away some reasonablly solid players . it wasn’t as bad as the 80s when they traded Fred McGriff for a shitty RP, Kyle Drabek for a overrated SP 10 years older than him. or the epic Jay Buhner trade. and I’m sure there was a sour taste in their mouth watching Jose Rijo looking like a god in the 1990 WS . (though he did net Ricky Henderson. so it’s not like they blew him for crap)

    Most big market clubs overhype their prospects (well everyone does just that the big market amplifies that more) but you could discern with your own eyes on who is probably overhyped (say.. Andrew Brackman) and who is pretty legit (say.. Jesus Montero. with the bat anyway) and someone who’s inbetween (Austin Jackson..I’m not totally sold on him but there’s a reasonable chance that he’s solid)

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