Yesterday, them damn fools traded Blake Snell for nothing, an empty pile of no-name, no-account nobodies! - as they did with David Price (Drew Smyly & Willy Adames.) And Aubrey Huff (Ben Zobrist.) And Victor Zambrono (Scott Kazmir.) And James Shields (Wil Meyers & Jake Ororizzi.) And Delmon Young (Matt Garza & Jason Bartlett). And Matt Garza (Chris Archer.) And Chris Archer (Austin Meadows & Tyler Glasnow.)
Don't they never learn nothing?
Worst part: It ain't fair - them always trading the past for the future. There oughta be a law, especially considering how the Gammonites always fawn over the other team, saying how they won the trade. And then, sure as hell, the Rays shoot right past the Yankees - we're a fully functional Death Star, haven't you heard? - en route to the world series. Sheeeeee-it. Last year, the Rays team payroll ($29 million) came in below what Giancarlo "The Wheelchair" Stanton banks in a normal moon.
So, yesterday Tampa traded Blake Snell. Says some Gammonite-wannabee on Bleacher Report, "In the American League East, the Rays' rivals ought to be smelling blood in the water."
Yeah, right. If the Yankee pool water has a scent, I know what it is: Urine. The franchise front office cannot its pee. It doesn't have the discipline to do what Tampa does almost every winter: Trade yesterday for tomorrow.
To recap the trade, which is being widely characterized as a steal by San Diego - a ridiculous notion, considering the Rays track record - Blake Snell goes to the Padres. In side deals, they also yesterday signed a Korean SS and 34-year-old Yu Darvish, who no team wants to be holding when the music stops. This has brought comparisons to none other than George Steinbrenner - the George of the 1980s ("worst team money can buy") rather than the owner of the Jeter/Mariano era. But where was I? Oh, yeah, the trade...
Snell goes to San Diego. He is 28, two years away from 2018, his Cy Young season, when he went 21-5 with a 1.89 ERA. That year, he threw 180 innings. He's never been the same. In fact, over the last two years, he's thrown 160 innings combined. This year, the short season, he threw 50 with a ERA of 3.24. The Rays are trading him at peak of his remaining value.
They receive four prospects, most notably 21-year-old Luis Patino, the No. 23rd ranked prospect in the game by MLB.com. Also, a 25-year-old catcher - a former top 100 prospect - and a 21-year-old pitcher (No. 7 in San Diego's strong farm system) and a 22-year-old catcher (No. 14 in their system.) If this were the Yankees, they would gotten Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and probably that kid we call "The Martian."
Every year, the Rays put on display what the Yankee front office does not have: The balls to trade a big name.
For three years now, the Yankees have diddled around with Gary Sanchez. His game has deteriorated to the point where, right now, they couldn't trade him for Ethel Merman's pool boy. But in 2018 and 2019, he might have brought us a couple young players.
We're almost in the same boat with Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Aaron Hicks and - of course - Stanton. We are not prospect-huggers. We are worse: Contract-huggers. The Yankees seem to value players by how much they are paid, rather than what they'll do next year. We are always trading for other teams' pasts. Damn. There oughta be a law.
ReplyDeleteAnd nobody will still show up at the Trop. The Rays continue to build while we, as you so magnificently put it, "hug contracts."
The bottom line is the bottom line: Yankees hug big names and remain "competitive" raking in millions while down in Tampa, the Rays rise to the surface in front of thousands of empty seats and make damn near nothing. The reason they have a payroll of 29MM has everything to do with the hordes they can't attract. People will still prefer the beach or the dogs or just lying around by the pool than spend any time in that toilet bowl of a stadium.
So, yeah, the Tampax Rays are creative because they have to be. The Yankees make bank on big names that don't deliver. That is the bottom line in New York.
We Yankees fans are rooting for a greater ROI not a shot at a ring. Harold and Brian are simply corporate stooges playing a different game than the guys in Tampa. The Rays want to win while the Yankees just want to be profitable.
On the other hand, I'm going to be spending a lot of time on the 405 heading south to Petco Park this summer. If we have a season, the action is going to be in Southern California where a change of the guard is on the horizon.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Rays didn't get a penny in revenue sharing this year for obvious reasons, thereby setting in motion the Snell trade.
We can trade Jacoby Ellsbury!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Korean SS is the one I've been advocating. I think they got him for five years at 7 Mil per.
ReplyDeleteImagine if we added Snell and Seong for 17M a year for both! (Snell makes 10). An ace and a DJ like player who hits for power and contact and can play multiple IF positions.
So not only is SD aggressive but they are smart where they need to be as well.
Doug K.
Who wants to be the Rays. Dumb post.
ReplyDeleteWho wants to be the Rays? This is dumb!
ReplyDeleteTampa Bay, despite low attendance, undoubtedly makes a great profit for their owners. Between huge baseball broadcast rights contracts, local/regional tv network income, marketing, advertising and other revenue streams I haven't included, I don't think anyone should feel obliged to throw a pot luck dinner to keep the team afloat. Sports teams use the tax laws to their advantage and while they might show a paper loss t's just an accounting mirage.
ReplyDeleteIt's the reason why MLB whines and cries about "unprofitable years" Yet will never, ever open up their books to the players association. Even the supposed most unprofitable team, the Marlins sold at a profit. No MLB team depreciates in value or sells at a loss. If these teams were such big money pits there wouldn't ne lines a mile deep to buy them.
That said, the Yankees differ in approach like the US military approaches weapon planning. Because we spend more than the next 20 countries combined, we can afford to buy 5 different jet systems at a trillion per and hope that one or two wont blow up in the sky at a 50% test rate and actually work properly. Ditto sophisticated missile systems, tanks, etc.
Tampa is like the Ukraine or another NATO partner. They have a limited budget and so have to actually plan for their success. They have to hire competent executives to achieve this goal. They cant pull a Brian Cashman and just throw money at big names. And hope that a few live up to their contracts. And if they see their approach isn't working, Tampa is nimble enough to change course and re-tool on the fly. The Yankee Bloated Front Office are just too old and too fat to do that.
Great analyses, guys. And I remember you spotting that SS, Doug. That would/should have been an easy get.
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