More importantly, as Paul said in [31] “How is signing Damon for two years ignoring a long-term view?”

Precisely right. In fact, doing what I suggest, overpaying for 1 year, *is* taking a long term view. It let’s the Yanks do the thing no other club can: have our cake and eat it too.

Look, the reality is that there are few if any no brainer long term deals to be done for the Yanks right now, which is what makes this so much fun. It’s not like last year when CC, AJ and Tex were out there (and yes, I clamored for Tex throughout that offseason).

Other than a Halladay trade, or sneak-trade bombshell for King Felix, who’s out there? Matt Holliday? Jason Bay? Sure there are pros and cons for each, but I’m not sold on either for the long term – not with equal, better, or at least very intriguing options coming down the pike in the next year or two.

Which is exactly why we can and should have our cake and eat it too. Let’s spend the money we have for the short term (Damon and Matsui), develop kids for the long term (as players and trade chips), make the big trades and/or signings when it makes sense for the long term to do so.

The issue is NOT whether the Yanks can afford a payroll OVER $200m, it’s whether they WANT to have a payroll OVER $200m. And I don’t think they do. Even if not from a pure financial/profit point of view, I believe we want to start winning with a payroll at ieast ‘in sight’ of the next guy below us.

Anyone want to GUESS (no looking) what our 2000 payroll was?

[35] I say yes, due to my distaste for Bay’s defense and Holliday’s huge contract demands. Though if Holliday will sign a 5 year, $75M contract . . .

[33] You know that how?

Just saying . . .

I also think that any offseason plan to relies on a 35-year-old coming off an obvious career year to be hitting well at age 36, let alone age 37, is wrought with fail – especially when that “hitting well” is predicated on something we don’t know will last (i.e., his crazy SLG at YS2.0). His SLG for the year at home was .533, way above his career .439. But note too that his post-ASB SLG at home was only .458 (before the ASB, it was .592) – much closer to his career SLG. There is absolutely no guarantee that Damon will SLG .500+ at YS2.0 next year, or at any time thereafter. In fact the evidence suggests he won’t.

Short version – let Damon crater on someone else’s roster.

[29] Sorry, but the market is a powerful motivator and the market is flooded with weak fielding corner bats and DH’s. Damon won’t get more than $20 million over two years from any team.

[28] If they sign Damon for two and Matsui/Thome for one, Damon is the DH in 2011. There’s nothing scary about that. He can still hit, especially at home, and he’s very good hitting between Jeter and Tex.

[27] Yeah, cause, that makes sense.

[26] How is signing Damon for two years ignoring a long-term view?

[23] Just because they should keep the payroll under $200 million doesn’t mean they will or that they have to. Do the simple math. Even with a decrease in attendance this year, they still cleared $200 million in ticket sales alone.

If you’re right about Damon, offer him arbitration.

As for Damon, the Abreau contract is not a baseline for Damon because there is no way he is coming back for at a pay cut for two years. The Angels got anothert bargain with Abreu, but he isn’t represented by Boras.

These are very nice numbers for an average fielding CF.
They are not as great for a below average fielding, terrible throwing LFer.

I think we all like JD, and maybe we could count on these career average numbers? (or better?) for 2010. But 2011 scares me. Using the DH spot for a .800 OPS 4th OFer is not wise for a WS wannabe.

And while it souldn’t drive the boat….
In 2012, assuming Jeter and Cano are still on the field….
We have over $120m invested in 6 players.
Pettitte, Mo and Po (and their quality) have to be replaced.
Then there’s 16 other players to be had.

I hope Cashman relizes that you must always look for young-and-cheap to help balance our old-and-expensive. It can’t drive every decision, but it should always be a back-of-the-mind philosophy.

.

So your point is????

Damon, however, is not a lifelong Yankee like Po so he won’t get the same deference.

Damon is not 29 like Teix or CC (or as good) and the Yankees don’t need Damon like they needed a #2 starter in AJ.

Another thing has changed. They won the WS. So they are now in a position of strength in any negotiation and can afford to take more than the short term view.

And all this talk of paying Jeter $20 or $25M a season – for his decline phase – is ludicrous. Franchise icon or no – there’s no way they pay him that much money to play baseball. Now I could see a creative contract, that paid him (let’s say) what Posada was making in salary, and then he signs a personal services contract with the Steinbrenners to kick in once he retires, like (IIRC) Brett and Craig Biggio among others have done.

Not saying there’s not a long term plan – I definitely think there is one. And smart opportunities to lower or hold steady on payroll I’m sure are always being explored (see: The Bullpen).

My new plan: overpay both Damon and Matsui for 1 year. Offer each $13mm for 1 year, take it or leave it. NO ONE will offer them anything remotely close to that per year for 2 (or god forbid more) years.

Worst case? One or both break down and are gone after the season?

Best case? One or both continues to (out)perform, “forcing” us to again overpay for a single year.

[15] The Yanks care. They pay a fortune in luxury tax and revenue sharing monies, the economy sucks and isn’t showing any signs of getting better (hooray 10+% unemployment!), and their shiny new Stadium didn’t come close to selling out. A night at the park is fun, but with the way HDTV is, and how expensive a night at the park can be, more people might start saying “Screw it – I have more fun watching at home, and the picture is better”. There is no guarantee butts will keep filling the seats. It wasn’t in 1998 or 1999 or 2000 or 2001 or 2002 that they sold over 4 million ticketsI think, if they are smart, they will expect ticket sales to go down, even with the drop in prices, and budget accordingly.

We all say “Money is no object” to the Yanks, but from the Beltran miss to the obvious moves to drop the payroll, and keep it lowered, I think it is.

I think the Yankees want the payroll to start trending down. That is what Cash repeatedly says and I believe him. Remember, he only wanted to give Posada three years.