Arghh.......My Yanks have been screwed........by a team from Texas! - Dallas-Mavs.com Forums

NYCdog · 12-10-2003, 07:47 PM

As I have repeatedly said before................I thought the Yanks were going to make a huge mistake thiss off-season that would bring us playoff MISERY in the Bronx for a long while.

And now they are going to make that mistake............and let Andy Pettite, the BEST big money, big game pitcher and SECOND best LEFTY in all of baseball, go...... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

Dec. 10, 2003, 4:49PM

Report: Free agent Pettitte on verge of deal with Astros
By RICHARD JUSTICE
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle

Free agent lefthander Andy Pettitte, one of baseball’s winningest pitchers, is on the verge of an agreement with the Astros, industry sources said today.

The sources cautioned that some details remained to be worked out and that the deal still could fall apart if the New York Yankees made a last-ditch effort to re-sign Pettitte.

Pettitte has already taken a physical, and Astros owner Drayton McLane and agents Randy and Alan Hendricks are attempting to complete the deal within 24 hours, sources said.

Barring a snag, Pettitte would give the Astros the kind of bona fide No. 1 starting pitcher they haven’t had in several years. His departure would be a blow for the Yankees, who had said re-signing him was their No. 1 off season priority.

Pettitte, 31, would join Roy Oswalt and Wade Miller to make the front three of the Astros’ starting rotation as strong as any in baseball. During nine seasons with the Yankees, he has won 149 games and is coming off a season in which he went 21-8 with a 4.02 ERA. The Yankees were 23-10 in his 33 starts.

He won 17 of his last 20 decisions.

He’s the first pitcher in the post-expansion era to win at least 12 games in each of his first nine seasons. He 13-8 in 30 postseason starts. The Astros were considered longshots when Pettitte became a free agent. He’d said his preference was to remain with the Yankees.

With 149 victories, he’s ninth on the Yankees’ all-time victory list and appeared on his way to being remembered as one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

However, it appears the club never budged much from its original offer of around $30 million over three years. Pettitte’s father, Tom, told the New York Times on Tuesday that the family was frustrated by the Yankees’ seeming disinterest in signing Pettitte.

Meanwhile, the Astros began courting him almost from the moment he became a free agent and quickly laid out the parameters of their offer. Ironically, the signing of Pettitte comes a few weeks after the Astros traded closer Billy Wagner. At the time of that deal, they said they could no longer afford his $8 million salary.

Now, they’re poised to add a player expected to make even more than that next season.

If this does indeed happen, then you can expect two things out of this.........

1.........The Red Sox might finally whoop our ass! With there Pedro, Schill, Lowe rotation versus our Moose, Vazquez and ugh..........David Wells [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img] we all know who has the better rotation. And even if we add Sheff and Vlad, if the Sox add A-ROD, which I feel will happen, then the Sox might have the better offense too. Which could spell disaster for us in the Bronx for a long time.

2.........You playoff-long-starved baseball fans in Texas can finally start storing the bottles of "bubbly" in the fridge in preparation for October. Cause the Astros WILL go to the World Series. They will sport one of the best rotations in the NL next season with Pettite/Oswalt/Miller, each of which has the ability to easily win 20+ games..........if they stay healthy. Not even the loveable Cubs one-two of Wood/Prior could top this. And flame-baller Octavio Dotel will make fans forget about Wagner with his play. And with the offenseive production being solid as a rock............this all could add up to next season being the Astros year to win it all.

Thus next season I predict..............it will be an Astros vs. Red Sox fall classic.....

bogey · 12-11-2003, 01:09 AM

Take it all bitch. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

(bitch = steinbrenner)

Blonde Bomber · 12-11-2003, 10:04 AM

Yeah, I heard this morning that Steinbrenner made a last ditch effort to bring Pettite back but failed to do so.
I give Andy credit for wanting to move back home and still play for a winner in the Astros.

I this it's funny to see Steinbrenner take it up the A$$ for a change. And your right, the Bo-Sox have most definately passed the Yankees as the best pitching staff, and who could say that for the last decade.

Big Boy Laroux · 12-11-2003, 05:07 PM

well, steinbrenner turned right around and got kevin brown. we'll see how that works out.

bogey · 12-11-2003, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: Big Boy Laroux
well, steinbrenner turned right around and got kevin brown. we'll see how that works out.

I hope he spends the majority of that contract on the IL. I hate Steinbrenner.

NYCdog · 12-12-2003, 01:08 AM

Bad trade off in my opinion.............

We let a young, big game clutch preformer in Andy Pettite just walk so........

we could replace him with the ageless wonder......and wounded Kevin Brown.

Woohoo!!!!!!!

I'm not attendin' not one stinkin' Yankee game this season.

NYCdog · 12-12-2003, 01:11 AM

Oh BTW, it appears now were gonna lose Vlad too..............according to a reliable Indians fan site and their team sources.

December 11, 2003
CIR UPDATE: INDIANS TO SIGN GUERRERO!

Just one day before the start of baseball's winter meetings in New Orleans, the CIR (cir.blogspot.com) has learned that Mark Shapiro and the Cleveland Indians are poised to drop one of the biggest bombshells in recent winter meetings history as the Indians are close to an agreement with Expos superstar outfielder Vladimir Guerrero on a multi-year contract.

Unusual circumstances have brought Guerrero and the Tribe together as a soft free-agent market and big market teams filling their needs (or soon to fill them) through trade left a rapidly shrinking market for the 27-year old who hit .330/.426/.586/1.012 with 25 homeruns while plagued by back problems last season.

Sources close to Guerrero indicated that only one other team had shown serious interest and that expected offers from the big market clubs never materialized. Additionally, the Guerrero camp was informed over the weekend not to expect bids from the Angels and Braves as they were going to allocate their dollars towards other needs. This unexpected turn of events forced Guerrero's agent to solicit interest from other teams via a series of letters and e-mails. A source close to the Indians says that it was the first letter which indicated whether or not Guerrero was serious about playing in Cleveland.

Terms of the contract are still being held close by both sides but the source confirmed that it will be a four-year contract worth $60 million and that the Tribe will hold two club options for 2008 and 2009 that Guerrero can vest automatically based on performance. Other escalators and incentives can push the total value of the contract even higher. Although the dollars may differ, structurally, the deal is very similar to what we offered Jim Thome last season claims the source.

Key to this deal is the Indians ability to shed enough payroll to add a contract of this magnitude.

It's expected that Omar Vizquel will be traded to the Seattle Mariners and that deal could be announced as soon as tomorrow. The Mariners are expected to absorb all of Vizquel's 2004 salary now that they have been informed by Miguel Tejada's camp that the three-year, $24 million offer they made for the former AL MVP is short on both money and years. A trade with the Red Sox or Athletics involving Bob Wickman will follow depending on the outcome of the Keith Foulke sweepstakes. That deal is currently being reviewed by major league baseball as a complicated set of performance triggers will be used to determine how much of Wickman's 2004 salary the Indians will ultimately have to cover. Josh Bard may also be included in the deal with Oakland in exchange for the A's absorbing more of Wickman's 2004 salary.

Dealing Vizquel ($7 million) and Wickman ($5 million) will (potentially) save the Indians $12 million in 2004. Non-tendering Danys Baez and Jake Westbrook will save an additional $2-3 million which closely adds up to the $15 million that Guerrero will earn next season.

Depth in the outfield, with a projected starting threesome of Guerrero, Milton Bradley, and Jody Gerut, will now likely allow the Indians to consider moving Ryan Ludwick, Alex Escobar, and/or Alex Escobar for pitching and infield help. A small increase in payroll (originally projected at $43 million for 2004) will likely follow and our source reports that Indians are currently running revenue projection models to estimate the impact this signing will have on ticket sales and sponsorships.

It's expected that Guerrero will be in Cleveland tomorrow or Saturday for a physical and an official announcement could follow as soon as Monday.

Neither the Indians or Guerrero's agents returned calls this evening.

http://cir.blogspot.com/

madape · 12-12-2003, 12:06 PM

It sure would have been nice to see Pettit in a Rangers uniform.

But at least we signed Brad Fullmer!

Big Boy Laroux · 12-12-2003, 07:32 PM

vlad to cleveland? i had heard baltimore had him all but locked up.

SaltwaterChaffy · 12-12-2003, 07:38 PM

the vlad to cleveland article is false. check the link provided and scroll down, the guy says the story was incorrect.

Murphy3 · 12-13-2003, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by: madape
It sure would have been nice to see Pettit in a Rangers uniform.

But at least we signed Brad Fullmer!

Rusty Greer was much to valuable
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]