I count $75 million coming off the boards, and that's not including Tanaka's $22 mill, if he opts out for the free agent debutante's ball (as he should; he'll get more.) If Tanaka walks, that's a $97 million kidney stone removed from last years's $196 million budget, making Prince Hal the luckiest billionaire on the face of the earth. Time for a bigger yacht! Is West Virginia for sale? (Its politicians are!)
Of course, making money is never easy. We'd love CC at a discount and Tanaka for three more. There will be arbitration spikes for Didi, Dellin, Hicks, Bird, et al. Still, no matter what happens, Hal's Evil Empire will see massive chunks of payroll replaced by minimum wage workers, such as Glyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Clint Frazier, Chance Adams and Justus Sheffield. This is the year Hal should fall comfortably below the luxury tax red line, like 95 percent of the other billionaire owners. Imagine this: It should be the last winter in our lifetimes that Hal whines about money.
Or will it? A critical situation remains. Right now, here's where the all-important rotation stands:
Severino.
CC (if he returns)
Tanaka (if he returns)
Gray
Montgomery
After that, things get murky. Here are solutions:
The Japanese Babe Ruth guy: Ohtani?
Sign a free agent: Yu Darvish? Jake Arrieta? Alex Cobb? Lance Lynn?
Convert from the bullpen: Chad Green? Luis Cessa ? Bryan Mitchell ? Adam Warren? Maybe even Dellin -gulp - Betances?
Go with a rookie: Chance Adams? Justus Sheffield? Domingo German? Cast of Knots Landing: Scranton Edition.
My personal hope: We re-sign CC for one year; Tanaka signs with Seattle for the next millennium; Sonny Gray figures out NYC or gets dealt for James Kaprielian straight up; Montgomery avoids sophomore slump; Chad Green returns to starting (a la Severino), and either Chance Adams or Justus Sheffield turns out to be the real deal. If so, all will be hunky dory.
What are the chances? Forget about it. These never work out the way you want. Something tells me the August 1, 2018, Evil Emp will barely resemble last summer's team, with one exception: The center of the lineup: Judge, Bird, Sanchez, Didi. After that, who knows? But I'll take it, knowing that Hal won't go hungry anymore.
You. Neglected to mention that Girardi’s $4 million comes off, likely a net savings of another $ 3 million. A new golf club membership for one of the grandchildren.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteIf the Yankees sign Yu Darvish, I'm going to make a face like this while watching the games:
> <
|
\_/
Suspend me now, not next April.
ReplyDeleteOk, now that I got that out of my system, here's a serious point:
If you were a baseball GM, would you sign Jacoby Ellsbury to a 3-year contract at $10 million per year and pay him $5MM for a 4th year? How about $8MM per year? I think you might.
If you were a baseball GM, would you sign Chase Headley to a 1-year, $5MM contract if you could? I think you might.
If the Yankees got rid of both of those guys on those terms, they would 1) arguably improve the team they put on the field, and 2) lower their payroll by another $15MM for 2018.
As we get near the end of Spring training next year, other teams, due to injuries, unexpected bad performances, etc., could well find themselves in need of a reasonably priced center fielder and a reasonably priced 3rd baseman. We can certainly hope (if not expect) these kind of moves happen.
Well I guess Otani won't be signing with the Astros so that's one less team to worry about.
ReplyDeleteDoug K.
One can only hope LBJ...
ReplyDeleteWe have a logjam in SWB and something has to give...and it can't be trading the farm.
BTW Hal's grandchild...Girardi's contract doesn't go against the salary cap.
The Yanks need to get under the luxury tax this year so they can get reset. Once that happens, they can go after anyone they want...hopefully it's not Harper or Machado. We have enough power in the lineup...we need arms.
The manager's salary does not count toward the luxury tax.
ReplyDeleteWhile we're at it can we get a new pricing coach to...... DAVID WELLS OR MOOSE OR CONE OR ANYONE BESIDES SLOTHSCHILD
ReplyDeleteFANTASTIC POINTS BY LBJ.
ReplyDeleteCASHMAN NEEDS TO DO HIS PART TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
THAT HEADLEY SALARY JUST STICKS IN MY CRAW.....
ELLSBURY'S TOO.....
COOPERSTOWN CASHMAN BROUGHT BOTH OF THEM IN.....
WITH NO ACCOUNTABILITY.....
Dear Whomever,
ReplyDeleteI am not concerned about the salary cap. Just expenditures. Less overall spending, however you wish to account for it, means more for me.
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