Tanaka-Latest Yankee Effort to Buy a Pennant

Question? Are they the ONLY franchise in baseball to do this? Just a yes or no.

And most franchises that go deep in the free agent market are guilty of trying to BUY a pennant as you say. Dodgers, Blue Jays, Red Sox, the list could go on. So what team is made up completely of homegrown talent?

The Astros!  Let's go for FOUR consecutive 100+ losses!  Oh the joy!  Thank you, Drayton McLane...

Absolute NFL-style income equality in some aspects is not necessarily desirable but somewhere there is a limit-no rational person thinks that if the 12 top MLB players, 8 position players and 4 pitchers, were free agents, the Yankees should be able to sign all 12 for a combined total of $1,600,000,000.00   So if you accept that would be a horrible thing and should not be allowed, then decide how far you slide back down  in the dollars or players...we've established it shouldn't be allowed, so where is the limit?     The Yankees have simply crossed where I would draw the line.

The difference between the Yankees and the rest of baseball is they can afford to eat their mistakes. They have an enormous TV/radio deal. If they have a bad signing they can just chase another player. It amazes me with all the huge, bad contracts they have they can still spend away. I would be curious to see an analysis of Brian Cashman's long term record of decision making on a transaction by transaction basis.

It's fortunate for the Red Sox they won a championship in a year they were losing the faith of the fans. Now they can sit back and let the young talent mature. Then they can fill in the blanks with one major free agent signing. The Sox are going to be flush with money in a couple of years.

The AL East is open for the taking this year. But its unlikely the Sox would have back to back miracle seasons and go all the way again. They're good. But they won't be favorites.

I am jealous, because my Braves are saddled by a horrible television contract...

RJM - I agree with everything you've stated.  In addition, do you recall about this time last year the Yankees would have us believe they were going to be fiscally responsible and try to go only with only short-term contracts?  Also, there was talk about trying to stay under the luxury tax threshold until some large contracts were expired.  They got some help with Cano, but I got to believe they are over the magic number $189M for 2014. According to COTS  they sit at $194M which isn't that far over it in the grand scheme of things.   Like you said, they got the TV contract as a financial cushion..  https://spreadsheets.google.com/pubkey=tpQLwiiQL4kzEzLhsUqVjLQ&output=html

I know the Dodgers may lap the field with their payroll, and the Red Sox are about 200K under it.  Just as I was beginning to believe the Yankees would do what they say they would do....wham...they grab Tanaka to nobodys surprise.  The Yankees had to do something to bolster their aging rotation.   They needed Tanaka far worse than he needed them hence the $155M/7yr contract.

Whether or not they can buy the AL East, we'll see.  But one thing is for sure, they are an old team but they also have some talent & experience.   Girardi has proven to me that he is an underrated manager.  He did an excellent job last year, and I don't think he got the credit he deserved.  So, we'll see if their latest gamble pays off..

I understand your frustration.

There is nothing that prevents a team from over spending on salary, unless they do someday put in place a yearly salary cap, I really have no issue for players getting the most they can, whenever they can.

Funny thing is that we see teams do it all the time, but it doesn't always work, and we all know you do not have to have the largest payroll to win a pennant or the WS, as it used to be.

There really is an art/skill to developing an effective farm team, I don't think that just any team can do it. The right combination of youth and veteran leadership and chemistry, coaching/management certainly can win games.

I will admit though,  that it can "you know what" for those in their  division.

Wait until / if Trout hits the market, Hank will unearth George and take his Jewelry to help pay for him.

While true, the Braves are owned by an extremely deep-pocketed media company and could easily spend more if they wanted to.  That they don't is a pretty good indication that even if they had a good TV deal they'd just spend what they're spending now anyway and pocket the additional profit.

In that vein, the Yankees (and to a similar extent the Red Sox, Dodgers and probably some others) have all that money for a reason, they invest in putting a winning a product on the field and built their brand and fan base.  There are teams that will never compete on equal footing with the Yankees financially for systemic reasons (the A's, Rays, Royals, etc), but there are plenty who could given some intelligence and a will to think long term.  The Dodgers and Red Sox, certainly, the Phillies, the Cubs and White Sox, likely the Giants and Angels.  The Braves could certainly be in that group if they really wanted to be.

Wow, I really have nothing to say. 

This signing of Tanaka by no means guarantees that the Yankees will win a spot in the playoffs, much less a divisional title. The Yankees have little at third base and very little at second base offensively...Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts and other guys who might have been useful players a few years ago but now are a stretch as starters on a championship club. How many teams win pennants with a 39 year old shortstop-40 in June, especially one coming off a catastrophic ankle injury. This could be about as weak a left side of the infield that the Yankees have run out there ever.

At first base, another guy Teixiera, who comes off a major injury who was already in decline somewhat. Who knows what he'll do as he turns 34 in April after missing a year.

Soriano and his perennial .290-.315 OBP as DH- 38 years old.

Sabathia with a disturbing loss in velocity and body starting to break down.

No more Mariano--no more Petitte.

Gardner is a nice player but hardly a guy that carries a club and Ellsbury is an excellent outfielder when he's on the field which is maybe half the time over the last several years. He is a decent but not great OBP guy as leadoff, but I will admit I would take him over many other centerfielders. Beltran is still a good offensive guy but probably only for about 120 games maximum in the outfield at 37 in April. Ichiro is a 40 year old backup who has lost a step and has to hit .320 to have any kind of OBP and I don't think he can do that any more.

The rest of the starters such as Nova and Kuroda are decent but Kuroda did fall off badly in the last two months last year and he is 39.

Most analysts say the Yankees have no position players and little pitching that is Major League ready down in the upper minors and there are no more free agents that will be of much help at this time. A team can't make trades when they have nothing ML ready to trade.

Having said all that I'm glad the old "Evil Empire" is stirring things up again. Baseball fans need someone to hate and the Yankees always seem to fit the bill...unless you're from New York that is! 

I know we have a poster with a son on the Yankees and I wish  him the best and a great personal season

Love this part, Three Bagger. "I hope Preston is amazing when he pitches and I hope everything else goes wrong for the team." Haha! 

They still have to go through the AL East. Not easy to do these days. Go Rays! It will be interesting to see how Tanaka does against AL East hitters and the MLB. IMO, let's play BALL!

Don't over-look the Orioles! 

      They are deeply invested in scouting nursing homes and assisted  living facilities, and word is they'll sign another over-the-hill prospect before spring training  starts.   They purportedly made an offer to Satchel Paige, but when they learned he was deceased, they pulled back from a multi-year offer and insisted they would only do a one year deal, and he'd have to pass their required physical-rumor has it you can only pass an Orioles physical with an autopsy so Ole Satch could be positioned to be our  opening day starter...

The difference is they are owned by a corporation that only cares about the bottom line.  If they were owned by an individual, they would probably spend more money, i.e. Ted Turner; someone who is invested emotionally.  It just sucks that they are owned by the media company.

Tanaka said he signed with the Yankees because they showed him the most appreciation. Is appreciation the Japanese word for money? 155M buys a lot of appreciation.

I guess it doesn't matter where you are from, it is all about the Benjamins!

Yankees trying to buy a pennant per usual of course, but more urgently trying to buy back some legitimacy. And not just on the national scene, but in their own backyard. New stadium is a monster that must be fed and attendance was down significantly in 2013... has never been strong in the new building. Also a unique situation with the team owning major stake in broadcast rights. Ratings down big last year. Looks bad for baseball with so many seats open watching games from new Yankee stadium. Bad for team's bottom line too.  Somewhere even in yankeeland there must be bottom line?  Dodger's model of simply getting a check from broadcast rights holder, who can do a better job packaging and maximizing broadcast real estate, is better deal. Personally feel the Yankees sort of jumped the shark with the new stadium... Tore down the house that Ruth built!? Might have looked good on paper I guess, but you're letting go of something core to your brand, fan base, history.  Bad call.

We'll see where his appreciation lies after year 4.  Initially, it wasn't disclosed he had an opt-out after year 4.  That info just started coming last night.  So, basically the Yankees bought 4 years @ about $22M per.  The deal can become another albatross around their neck if Tanaka doesn't deliver and wants to stay.  Interesting deal.  Seems very one sided.

When I read the deal I was thinking maybe it's the Yankees who should have the opt out on an unproven MLB player. But I enjoy watching the Yankees hang themselves. Tanaka has averaged 200 innings per season on his arm since age eighteen. 

I do think this has Jon Lester lining up for his 22M per year contract. I hope the Sox are willing to pay him. But not for seven years. Give him five years and 110M. Hamel's got 6/144 two years ago.

I love Yankee-Haters/Cry-Babies... They're the best!!!

LOL!

Wonder how poor Yu Darvish feels about all this? The better prospect who has proven that he can become a super star in the MLs but is making a fraction of the money because he was limited to negotiating with Texas only! Just bad timing on his part I guess! 

Watching a little of Tanaka's pitching, it seems he uses a lot of elbow action.  Not sure he will last without some elbow issues

This summer when up in NYC I asked my brother to get us tics to a yankee game, at 300 per seat, Mets game more reasonable and affordable, but I declined both opportunities.

The Yankees make so much money in so many ways I don't think they really care if there are empty seats or not. They are 4th in seat attendance in 2013 which was down for theme from 2012, total attendance for all teams down last season.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

http://www.baseball-reference....ent_attendance.shtml