Because of the Internet, fans don’t have to wait for the evening news or the morning papers to catch the latest sport updates. That’s especially helpful now with the winter meetings underway and fans from coast to coast all gibbed up like Bevis on a sugar fix. Buster Olney’s blog will be essential reading for those of you who subscribe to ESPN’s Insider, while Ken Rosenthal and Tom Verducci will keep us up-to-date. I’m sure Joe Sheehan and Will Carroll will have the dish for Baseball Prospectus as well. Regionally, make sure to tune in to WFAN to catch Sweeny Murti’s reports, and head on over here for the Journal News’ Pete Abraham’s daily log.

The Mets made another trade with the Flordia Marlins over the weekend, acquiring catcher Paul LaDuca. While the Yankees weren’t up to much–the most notable news involved a Daily News report detailing how the organization lost money in 2005–they figure to be one of the many teams involved in the flurry of activity this week at the winter meetings in Dallas. Will Manny get his Christmas present and wind up in California? Will Barry Zito leave Oakland? Will the Yankees trade for Juan Pierre? Let the rumors begin!

Earlier this year, Steven Goldman, and my co-host here at Bronx Banter, Cliff Corcoran characterized last off-season as “the worst in Yankee history.” When I later pressed them on their methodology they confessed that they hadn’t actually done a thorough comparison. Now, educated guesses coming from the likes of these two sure ain’t nothing to sneeze at. And while I don’t necessarily doubt that last year could have been the worst Yankee off-season, I want to know exactly how much worse it was than say, the 1981-82 off season, or the ’82-83 debacle, and why. Goldman plans to take up the conversation this winter over at the Pinstriped Bible. (To be reasonable, I think it’s better to ask what has been the worst off-seasons since George Steinbrenner has owned the team; as Goldman has already mentioned, we should not count the Collusion winters of the mid-eighties.)

While I’m not attempting to answer the question myself in this space, perhaps you guys have some suggestions of your own; feel free to leave ’em in the comments section below. More to the point, this topic brings to mind some of the worst free agent signings in team history. Certainly, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright and Tony Womack are among the most dubious dealsthe team has ever made–particularly because they prevented the Bombers from inking Carlos Beltran, a move that continues to haunt the organization this winter. (Should Pavano, and Womack go in the “Bad” category, or the flat-out “Ugly” one?)

Anyhow, I thought it might be fun to look back at some of the best and worst Yankee free agent signings. This is an informal list–and I’m going to skip over those free agents like Bernie Williams who were re-signed by the team (as well as all amateur free agent signings). Tell me what you think, and feel free to add to the list. I tried to get all of the contract information right, but if I’ve made any mistakes, please, I’m here to be corrected.

The Best

Catfish Hunter (December, 1974: five-years, $3.35 million)

Hunter’s best season for New York came in 1975, which shouldn’t come as a huge surprise because that was the team’s second (and final) year playing home games at Shea Stadium. Man, talk about the Yankeeography we’ll never see. I was too young to remember those years, but heck, I’ve rarely even seen still photographs from that time. If there was enough material, “The Yankees in Queens” would make a good documentary or book, or even just article.

Reggie Jackson (December, 1976: five-years, $3.5 million)

It was sometimes difficult for us to comprehend “the magnitude of me,” that was Reginald Martinez Jackson. Or just vexing. The man whose sole pal on the ’77 team was reserve, reserve catcher Fran Healy, wasn’t ever going to win any popularity contests in the Yankee locker room, but while in New York, he produced. His best season came in 1980.

Dave Winfield (December, 1980: ten-years, $23 million)

Winfield was unfairly dubbed “Mr. May” by George Steinbrenner in 1985. But Winfield was a tremendous player in New York and had the numbers to show for it. He was also just a marvel to watch–those long arms and legs. I remember him making a habit of robbing home runs that were sure to go over the left field fence. It was like he was sitting under the basket waiting to gold tend. His arm wasn’t half bad neither, and man could he ever pick up speed as he rounded first base. Hit more hard line drives than any Yankee right-hander until Gary Sheffield.

Goose Gossage (November, 1977: six-years, $2.75 million)

One of the handful of great relief pitchers of ’em all, Gossage was a force to be reckoned with during his years in New York. Possibly the best relief pitcher signing in history. Somehow is not a Hall of Famer…yet.

Tommy John (November, 1978: four-years, $1.42 million)

Next to Guidry, my favorite Yankee starting pitcher as a kid. I was right-handed but tried to immitate his laconic delivery all the time during whiffle ball. Won 43 games in his first two seasons in New York (’79, ’80). Sinker, sinker, sinker: slow, slower, slowest.

Don Baylor (December, 1982, four-years, $3.37 million)

The veteran slugger was steady and productive during his years in New York. Loved his imposing stance at the plate. Short, compact swing for a big guy.

Phil Niekro (January, 1984: two-years, $1.1 million)

Won 16 games twice for the Bombers, when he was 45 and 46-years young. (Actually, I was told by an older guy recently that that term is endlessly annoying. “There are three stages in a man’s life,” he told me. “Youth, middle age, and ‘Gee, you look terrific.'”) Niekro won his 300th game on the last day of the 1985 season against the Blue Jays in Toronto. It would be his final game for the Yanks.

El Duque Hernandez (March, 1998: four-years, $6.6 million)

Just as 1998 didn’t seem like it could get any better for the Yanks, in swooped the modern baseball version of Yul Brenner, the Bombers’ International Man of Mystery. Hernandez distinguished himself as a playoff performer, and his Game 4 performance against the Indians in ’98 may well have been the most crucial game of the year for the Yanks.

Mike Stanley (January, 1992: four-years, $2.3 million)

I suppose Joe Girardi, the man who would replace Stanley, could fit nicely here too. Stanley was the superior offensive player, and had some fine seasons in New York, where he was a great fan favorite.

Jimmy Key (December, 1992: four-years, $16.8 million)

A key aquisition–along with trading Roberto Kelly for Paul O’Neill, and signing Wade Boggs–in rebuilding the Yankees. Key had stellar seasons in 1993 (18-6, 3.00 ERA in 236 innings) and ’94 (17-4, 3.27 ERA in 168 innings). Pitched for the World Championshiop team in ’96. Was not re-signed after that, and moved to Baltimore, whose free agent southpaw, David Wells, inked with the Yanks.

Mike Stanton (December, 1996: four-years, $5.5 million)

Solid southpaw out of the bullpen for the Yankees, Stanton had an especially good post-seaason career, with a 2.10 ERA in 55.7 innings (21 walks, 47 Ks).

David Wells (December, 1996: three-years, $13.5 million)

The man who loved the Yankees so much that he actually wore one of Babe Ruth’s old caps (which he had won in an auction) during a live game (at least for an inning or so before a not-so-pleased Joe Torre told him to remove it). Wells loved playing in New York, and the fans loved him back. Pitched very well in 1997 and 1998, especially ’98.

Hideki Matsui (December, 2002: three-years, $21 million)

The most famous athlete in Japan didn’t have too much difficulty adapting to the Major Leagues. While he’s no superstar in the states, he’s been a reliable player in every sense of the word. He’s not spectacular, but he’s durable and solid. His good fundamentals help cover his inadequacies as a fielder. Curiously though, he has the ability to look like a Little Leaguer out there too.

The Bad

Don Gullett (November, 1976: six-years, $2 million)

Injuries were the key in making Gullett an expensive flop in New York.

Rawly Eastwick (December, 1977: five-years, $1.1 million)

Ah, we hardly knew ye. Lasted less than three months in the Bronx.

Dave Collins (December, 1981: 3-years, $2.475 million) The point man in George’s doomed speed experiment, Collins was lost in New York. According to “Damn Yankees, ” Collins asked reporter Moss Klein, “Why do they want me hear?” There’s no role for me here. This is the craziest team I’ve ever seen.”

Collins urged Klein to ask manager Bob Lemon about what was going on.

“I guess he’s gonna play somewhere,” Lemon said. “Will he be traded? You got me, Meat. They don’t tell me what’s going on here. I’m just the manager.”

Collins was traded in the off-season. Steinbrenner, in his haste to dump him, also included minor league prospect Fred McGriff in the deal. Ouch.

Steve Kemp (December, 1982: five-years, $5.5 million)

An overachieving, huslting kind of ball player, you would have thought Bill Martin would have loved him. But the Yankees had a logjam of talent to play in the outfield in ’83, and when Kemp tried to play through injuries, his performance suffered. He was KO’d by a freak batting practice accident late in the season. 1984 was even worse and he was shipped to the Pirates that winter. He played in only 92 games in ’85, and then a handful more in 86 and then a couple in ’88 for the Rangers before calling it quits.

Kenny Rogers (December, 1995: 4-years, $20 million)

Rogers pitched like a head case in New York, and lost the faith of manager Joe Torre. By the time the team won the World Series in ’96, Rogers had been buried. I’ll never forget watching the victory parade and seeing Rogers on top of one of the floats, waving his cowboy hat like Slim Pickens about to ride the Bomb into oblivion. That cracked me up. I thought that it was cool that he was enjoying himself so thoroughly considering how little he had contributed.

Hideki Irabu (May, 1997: four-years, $12.8 million, plus $8.5 million signing bonus–not to mention the $3 million they paid the Padres for the rights to negotiate with Irabu in the first place)

One of my favorite Yankee misfits of ’em all. The Golden Boy team of the Joe Torre era needed at least one screwjob and “Boo Boo” Irabu fit the bill. He looked like a combination of Jackie Gleason and a Japanese Elvis impersonator. Had a horrible disposition on the mound. If he would miss with his pitches in the first inning or so, he’d get so upset with the umpires, that he’d act like a spoiled kid and say, “Fine, if that’s how you are going to call them, I’m going to keep pitching just off the plate.” Best Yankee moment came against the Blue Jays at the stadium. After a Yankee batter had been plunked, Irabu retaliated and hit a Toronto batter. When the hitter didn’t make a move to the mound, Irabu charged the plate, and the benches cleared. All I can remember is Mike Stanton holding Irabu back around home plate. Stanton couldn’t help but smile.

Jose Contreras (December, 2002: four-years, $32 million)

Pitched unevenly for a year-and-a-half in New York. Would vary between unhittable and unbearable. The Red Sox just feasted on him during this period. Traded for a half a season of Esteban Loiza. Of course, Contreras finally got his act together in the second half of this season, and was the ace pitcher for the World Champion Chicago White Sox. He pitched brilliantly in the post-season.

Jack Clark (January, 1988: 3-years, $5.5 million)

Ding-Dong, Collusion’s Dead, says George. Clark, a big lug if there ever was one, thought he’d have a better time of it in the Bronx than in St. Louis. He didn’t. Probably a huge mistake to leave Whitey Herog so soon. Clark did hit 27 dingers for the Bombers in ’88 but was traded in the fall to the Padres.

Ed Whitson (Fall, 1984: 5-years, $4.4 million)

Famous for hating pitching in New York. Actually, really famous for getting into a brawl (which was really two seperate fights) with manager Billy Martin. Whitson was declared the winner by TKO.

Steve Karsay (Fall, 2001: four-years, $22.25 milion)

A high-priced set-up man, Karsay had a good season for New York in 2002. After that, the Queens-native was ravaged by injuries and amounted to an expensive bust.

Pascual Perez (November, 1989: 3-years, $5.7 million)

A fitting symbol of the Yankees’ bottoming-out in the late eighties, early nineties. Perez, who came with a big mouth and lots of controversy, wound up pitching less than 90 innings over two years before it was all over for him.

Danny Tartabull (January, 1992: five-years, $25.5 million)

A relatively erodite player who enjoyed Broadway shows, it might be unfair to categorize Tartabull as a disaster. His numbers were decent for the Yanks, but they weren’t superstar stats. He was the last of the Jesse Barfield/Mel Hall era, as the Yankees moved into the Buck Showalter/Stick Michael/Joe Torre era.

Of course there are other notable signings that didn’t make the cut, but maybe you’d have ’em up there. I didn’t include Mike Mussina or Jason Giambi. Perhaps that is unfair to Mussina who has been excellent if expensive for New York. When healthy, Giambi has been pretty good too. But oh, you remember some of these other cats: Mike Gallego, Joe Girardi, Steve Sax, Rudy May, Luis Tiant, John Candelaria, Tony Fernandez, Bob Shirley, Ken Griffey Sr., Wade Boggs, Steve Farr, Gary Ward, Mariano Duncan, Steve Howe, Jon Lieber, Rondell White, Dave LaRoche, and Al Holland.

In my first effort for SI.com (which appeared yesterday afternoon), I detail ten landmark free agent signings. It was a chore widdling the choices down to ten, but with a little help from pals like Maury Brown, Rich Lederer and Steve Treder, I felt like I was able to put together a representative list.

I’m sure we all can all throw out some memorable free agent deals over the years, both good and bad. How about Larry Hisle, Bruce Sutter, Bill Campbell, Mo Vaughn, Bobby Bonilla, Darren Dreifort, Chan Ho Park, and Manny Ramirez for starters? Oh, there are too many juicy ones to count. However, in trying to keep the piece as succinct and punchy as possible, there was naturally a lot of good stuff that didn’t get mentioned. For instance, Reggie Jackson may be the most celebrated deal that helped put a good team over the top, but Pete Rose’s four-year, $3.2 million deal (which, at the tender old age of 37 made him the highest-paid player in the game) in 1978, and Kirk Gibson’s three-year, $4.5 million contract with the Dodgers in 1988, also fit nicely into that category.

George Steinbrenner and Angels’ owner Gene Autry were two owners who embraced free agency with open arms. Remember those Angels teams of the late seventies and early eighties? One of the more interesting developments occured when Lyman Bostock, a promising young center fielder, was lured away from the Twins by Autry to play in California. Bostock hit .150 in April of ’78 with the Angels and was so distraught that he went to Autry and offered to give back his salary for the month. Autry wouldn’t hear of it.

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The Yankees came to terms yesterday with free agent relief pitcher Kyle Farnsworth to a three-year deal worth $17 million. Farnsworth is much younger than Flash Gordon, but, as Tyler Kepner reports in the New York Times, there are questions about the young gun’s mental and emotional make-up:

In his conference call with reporters yesterday, Farnsworth was asked how he knew he would be able to adapt to the intense environment of New York. He answered candidly.

“I really don’t know,” Farnsworth said. “That’s another reason why I wanted to come to New York and really test how good I really am. I think I did good enough last year to be able to pitch anywhere.”

SG, up at The Replacement Level Yankees Weblog details why he likes the signing.

The Yankees have stated that Bubba Crosby will be the starting center fielder in 2006, but quite frankly, that’s just hard to believe. Steve Lombardi takes a look at the possibilities. Perhaps there will be some movement this coming week in Dallas at the Winter Meetings.

It should come as no surprise that our pal Steven Goldman is wary of Florida’s diminutive center fielder, Juan Pierre. Over at the Pinstriped Blog, Goldman opines:

Pierre is not a great player. Last season he was not even a good player. He has no power. Neifi Perez has a higher career slugging percentage. Luis Rivas has a higher career slugging percentage. Deivi Cruz. Scott Bloody Podsednik. He is, EMPHATICALLY, not a better leadoff man than Derek Jeter. Yes, he steals more bases. He also gets caught quite frequently, and doesn’t get on base very often. Thought a .305 career hitter, he doesn’t walk. He ranks 89th among active players in OBP (Jeter is 21st). He is also not a good outfielder. Baseball Prospectus has him as six runs below average in 2005, 11 runs below average in 2004, 14 runs below average in 2003.

The Yankees got nothing from their center fielders last year. As such, almost anyone would be an improvement. Unless Pierre hits .330, which he has never done, not even in Colorado, he will not help the situation dramatically. If the Yankees make him their leadoff hitter and give him over 700 plate appearances, he will actually hurt the team.

There is no logical reason, no matter how fast a player is, to give him over 10 percent of the team’s offensive playing time when he will never hit a home run and get on base at, at best, an average rate. Further, let us throw down this gauntlet: any sportswriter — reporter or columnist — who writes that the acquisition of Pierre would give the Yankees the “pure leadoff hitter” they have been missing is guilty of dereliction of duty and of disseminating misinformation to the public.

So put that in your pipe and smoke it.

As expected, Flash Gordon is leaving New York so that he can be a closer once again. Reports have it that Gordon has agreed to a 3-year, $18 million deal with the Phillies. The Yankees would have liked to sign both Gordon and Kyle Farnsworth. They still haven’t finalized a contract with Farnsworth, and now appear to have some healthy competition for his services from the Texas Rangers.

Meanwhile, according to the New York Post, the Marlins have asked the Yankees for Sean Henn and Scott Proctor in return for center fielder Juan Pierre.

“We offered a three-year deal and were prepared to stay engaged in the negotiations, but we were told that he had decided to go to New York as a setup guy.”

Braves general manager John Schuerholz on Kyle Farnsworth

Still no definitive word on the Farnsworth deal, though it appears that it is simply a matter of time now. Steve Lombardi points out that while Farnsworth may not be great, he won’t be horrendous either. The Bombers are still interested in Flash Gordon too. Gordon’s agent says that he’s likely to make a decision in the coming days.

As for center field, it looks as if the Yankees are sticking with their Bubba for now. According to Tyler Kepner in the Times:

“Center field is not easy to fill,” Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, said yesterday. “That’s why I continue to say that Bubba Crosby could very well be that guy. I know he’s sitting at home somewhere saying, ‘I hope they don’t do anything.'”

Bubba must be pleased to hear that Brian Giles has reportedly come to terms with the Padres.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are close to signing Kyle Farnsworth to a three-year deal worth more than $17 million. Last season Cliff and I agreed that “Meat” was a fitting nickname for Carl Pavano, but if the Yanks ink Farnsworth, Pavano will face some stiff competition for the moniker. They have different builds–Farnsworth is sculpted and looks as if he just stepped out of a comic book, and I’m willing to bet that ol’ Kyle is a good deal dimmer than Carl. At least we know he’s effective in a brawl. Farnsworth is the proto-typical “million dollar arm, ten cent head” Nuke Laloosh hurler. Perhaps he’s better than I give him credit for, and maybe he’ll be as good if not better than Flash Gordon, but I’m still cautious. He does throw gas, and has a nasty breaking ball, but there is something about the guy I just don’t trust. This might not be fair, but the sports radio caller in me is thinking Benitez-lite (and Armando is good, just dubious in big spots). Oh, well. I don’t have to like the guy. Hopefully, I’m wrong and he’ll be a success if he comes to town.

When Vic Power went into a restaurant in Little Rock, Arkansas in the early 1950s, a waitress promptly told him, “We don’t serve Negroes.”

“That’s okay,” Power answered, “I don’t eat Negroes. I want rice and beans.”

On this date in 1952, Jackie Robinson appeared on the TV program “Youth Wants to Know” and was asked if the New York Yankees were bigoted toward black ballplayers. According to Jules Tygiel’s seminal book “Baseball’s Great Experiment: Jackie Robinson and his Legacy,” Robinson replied, “I think the Yankee management is prejudiced. There isn’t a single Negro on the team now and very few in the entire Yankee farm system.” The two most notable black prospects in the organization were Vic Pellot Power and Elston Howard. Power, who passed away yesterday after a lengthy battle with cancer, remembered years later, “I think they were waiting for my skin to turn white.”

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As the Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez-to-center field story gained steam yesterday, it was refuted by both Brian Cashman and Joe Torre. That didn’t stop Steven Goldman, Mike Lupica, and Murray Chass from weighing in on the matter though. Even if the story is just that, a story, it managed to capture the back page of both the Daily News and Newsday on a day when Billy Wagner and the Mets were celebrating their new union.

In other news, the team is reportedly interested in signing relievers Flash Gordon, Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Myers. They also came to a one-year deal worth $650,000 with Kelly Stinnett to replace John Flaherty as Jorge Posada’s back-up.

There are some Met fans who’ve loved to chide the Yankees as the best team money can buy over the years. Welp, that diss goes out the window now that Omar Minaya and the Mets are doing their best impression of the big, bad Bombers. (I’m actually excited for the Shea faithful and hope their team wins the NL East next year.) Meanwhile, the Yankees are reportedly interested in Kyle Farnsworth and Mike Myers for their bullpen, while the Phillies are hot after Flash Gordon. Johnny Damon is still (fortunately) a pipe dream to play center field in New York next year, and many inside the Yankee organization feel that Brian Giles will likely remain on the west coast (or land in Toronto perhaps).

So how about this for a development? Joe Torre told Reuters yesterday that the team has been thinking about the possibility of moving either Derk Jeter or Alex Rodriguez to center:

“We’ve thought about it,” Torre told the international wire service. “We just haven’t made a commitment to that. We haven’t broached it with the shortstops.”

…”That’s happened before, hasn’t it?” Torre told Reuters. “Bobby Murcer, Mickey Mantle. Hank Aaron came up as a second baseman. Robin Yount went to center field. It certainly is a consideration.”

As Sam Borden notes in the Daily News:

Speculation about Jeter making a move to the outfield isn’t new and, if one of the players were to move he’d be the more likely candidate. Even before A-Rod arrived in New York there had always been a small segment of the Yankee population proposing that the captain’s ability to read the ball off the bat and his uncanny ability to go back and catch fly balls over his shoulder made him a natural candidate to finish his career as an outfielder.

Typically, however, that sentiment has been dismissed as totally far-fetched.

…”Jeter would do anything, and so would A-Rod for that matter, to help this ball club win,” Torre told Reuters.

Count me as one of the small segment of Yankee fans who’ve believed that Jeter would make a decent center fielder. Yeah, Robin Yount was always the comp that came to mind too. But while I still believe that Jeter would be a better gamble in center than Rodriguez, Yount was 29 when he made the transition back in 1985, whereas Jeter turns 32 next May (Murcer, Mantle and Aaron were all far younger than that when they moved). Those couple of years could make a big difference in how effective Jeter could be. I would be surprised if the Yankees actually went ahead with such a radical experiment, still, it’s interesting that Torre even mentioned it. What if Jeter moved to center, Rodriguez went back to short and the Bombers inked Nomar to play third?

With the winter meetings drawing near, Ken Rosenthal has been extra busy these days. In his latest column, Rosenthal reports that the Dodgers are very interested in Brian Giles. Considering Giles’ reported desire to remain on the west coast, it isn’t crazy to think that the Dodgers are the favorites now. Meanwhile, the Phillies are suddenly making a strong push for Flash Gordon. With B.J. Ryan off the market, and Billy Wagner likely to remain in the National League, the selection of established quality relievers are dwindling quickly. Regardless, they all seem in line to make a pretty penny before reporting to camp. According to Anthony McCarron in the Daily News:

As one agent who represents a free agent reliever this winter put it: “Were we happy about the Ryan contract? Oh, yes.”

So, what are the Yankees going to do?

Rich Lederer thinks that the Padres are making a huge error letting Brian Giles get away:

I’ll take an All-Star and a replacement player over two middle-of-the-road types. In other words, I would have no problem paying a “difference maker” $10 million per season even if it limited me to giving another guy the minimum ($316,000 in 2005). I believe using one’s resources in this manner will generally beat the alternative of paying two average players $5 million each, especially when it involves free agents.

Let me be a bit more specific. I think the San Diego Padres are making a big mistake not signing free agent outfielder Brian Giles. The team had reportedly offered him a three-year deal worth $25.5 million earlier this month, then rejected a proposal from his agent for three years at an estimated $30 million.

…Aware that Giles’ power totals have receded the past few years, we also drilled down and noticed that his road stats ranked 7th in AVG (.333), 1st in OBP (.463), and 20th in SLG (.545), “while placing 6th in OPS behind only Derrek Lee, Jason Bay, Travis Hafner, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera. Put another way, Brian outproduced Carlos Delgado, David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, Vladimir Guerrero, Andruw Jones, and Manny Ramirez on the road.” I forgot to mention last time around that these six players are averaging about $15M per year and $12M even if you exclude A-Rod. This information seems appropro now.

Some think that Giles will eventually wind up in St. Louis. I still hope the Bombers nab him. I think he’d be a fine Yankee.

While Bill Madden explores why New York may be losing its appeal for free agents around the league, the Yankees still find themselves in the race to land Brian Giles:

Giles’ agent, Joe Bick, said yesterday he had told the Padres that Giles would be “moving on” after San Diego rejected a recent contract counter-proposal. Asked if the Padres no longer were an avenue for Giles, Bick said, “Correct.”

…It’s unclear what this means for the Yankees. Several team executives felt that Giles hadn’t shown enough interest in New York, though they had let it be known Giles could have a contract with the parameters of three years, $30 million-$33 million. The Padres reportedly offered Giles $25.5 million before Bick’s counter-offer.

Bick said he was convinced the Yankees still were interested. “I have no reason to believe otherwise,” Bick said. “Brian (Cashman, the Yanks’ GM) has been forthright about exploring other possibilities and I would expect him to do that.”
(N.Y. Daily News)

Meanwhile, according to News reporter Anthony McCarron:

The Yankees have been getting calls from opposing teams wanting to trade for Carl Pavano, who endured a forgettable 2005 season marred by ineffectiveness and injury. But even in a winter in which they perhaps have been hamstrung by a lack of attractive trading chips and a reluctance to deal young players such as Robinson Cano and Chien-Ming Wang, the Yankees say they are not shopping Pavano.

“We think he’ll help stabilize our staff instead of taking away from it,” GM Brian Cashman said. “Everybody’s available for the right price and if there were something we thought made sense, we’d listen. But we look at Carl as a guy who will be a big contributor. That’s why people are asking about him.

Lastly, Ben Shipgel takes a look at the market for relief pitchers, while Ken Rosenthal blasts Toronto for the enormous contract they just gave to B.J. Ryan:

Several major-league executives were in disbelief when they heard the reported terms. Their shock will turn to anger if the deal is completed and they are forced to bid for free agents in a grossly inflated market. Major League Baseball officials would be equally outraged, knowing their pleas for fiscal responsibility are again being ignored.

“It’s so shocking, it’s almost laughable,” one executive said of the Ryan deal.

…Three years, $27 million would be a more sensible price for Ryan, and frankly, even that sounds high — all but the best relievers fluctuate in performance from year-to-year. Then again, Ryan wouldn’t be the last free agent who gets ridiculously overpaid this off-season. The industry is awash in revenue, and the owners are following their historical pattern, spending as mindlessly as Paris Hilton and making players wealthy enough to date her.

It’s a good season to be a relief pitcher. Sounds like everyone is going to get paaaaaaid.

I remember playing stickball out in Brooklyn four or five summers back. On one particular afternoon I was pitching and getting pounded. I wasn’t fooling the batters with anything. If I tried to be cute, I wasn’t coming anywhere near the box on the wall. When I tried my best David Wells and simply put the ball over the plate, they murdered me.

So there I was, getting pounded, aiming the ball, with no confidence that I could throw strikes or record an out. Now, this was a friendly game of stickball, played with a group of semi-competent/semi-serious jocks. At one point, when I looked exasperated, my brother, who was on my team that day, walked over to me. I took off my cap and mopped my brow with the top of the hat and exhaled. Man, was it hot. I was red-faced and sweating and feeling all alone. And guilty. Here I am costing my team runs and my two fielders are standing around with their hands in their pants waiting for you to stop stinkin up the jernt.

“You okay?” He asked and touched my arm. He knew I was starting to implode and also knew there was nothing he could do to make it any better. But he’d been in the same spot before, just as I had been in the position of ptiching well, retiring hitters with relative ease. “Hey, this is supposed to be fun, remember?”

Oh yeah, funny how it’s hard to lose sight of that when you can’t throw a strike and everything else you toss up there is getting whacked around the vicinity. Mind you, this was just a knock around game of stickball played by some baseball nerds in Brooklyn on a Saturday morning.

But at the very least, it was a simulation of the same situations pitchers encounter all the time. This came to mind this evening when I stumbled across “Pitchers Do Get Lonely,” a column that Ira Berkow published in the New York Times back on July 22, 1987. The lead went as follows:

With the Yankees losing 18-3, in the bottom of the eighth in Texas–even after a few days, the score still reads like a typographical error—Lou Piniella did the unusual, though not the unreasonable. Rather than waste one of his regular relief pitchers in that forlorn enterprise, he saved his sirloin and served the Rangers chopped liver.

The chopped liver was Rick Cerone, normally a catcher.

Cerone was fetched because he sometimes throws batting practice, and gets the ball over the plate. Cerone admitted later that he was excited about pitching in a game. “It’s something you always dream about,” he said.

He arrived with the bases loaded and none out and, though he balked once and allowed two runners to score, he retired the Rangers on three straight batters, which included a near-grand slam by Ruben Sierra and a near-home run by Bobby Witt.

How did he feel on the mound?

“Scary,” said Cerone. “It’s lonely out there.”

Amen to that, dude. It sure can be.

How do you spell Relief?

Mike Piazza’s old spring training Tango partner Guillermo Mota, a talented right-handed set-up reliever who had a down year in 2005 after two fine seasons in 03-04, was included in the Josh Beckett trade at the last moment. According to The Boston Globe:

The Sox, according to a major league source with direct knowledge of the negotiations, threatened to call off the deal because of health concerns over Beckett unless the Marlins included Mota. And so, on the busiest shopping day of the year, the Sox can sit back today pleased with not only a full cart of goods but what appears to be at bargain prices.

In adding the 32-year-old Mota to the deal, the Sox had to sweeten the deal only with Harvey Garcia, a 21-year-old righthander who in 32 games with Single A Greenville last season went 3-5 with a 2.01 ERA in 44 2/3 innings.

Meanwhile, the Daily News reports that B.J. Ryan, the hard throwing southpaw coveted by the Yankees and a host of other teams around the league, is close to signing a five-year, $47 million deal to become the closer of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Jays are also rumored to be hot after starting pitcher A.J. Burnett, and may even trade their erstwhile closer Miguel Batista to the Rangers for Kevin Mench, the only outfielder in the majors with a larger noggin than Godzilla Matui.

Beckett, Mota, Ryan–who’d be moving from Baltimore to Toronto, the chance of Burnett joining him: the AL East is adding some arms. With Billy Wagner set to to ink a big deal either with the Mets or back in Philly, Trevor Hoffman remains as the best high-profile reliver left on the market. I doubt that there is any chance that he’d want to become an eighth inning guy at this stage in his career, what with so many saves already to his name, but he’d be a swell cherce to set-up Rivera. Again, I don’t think Hoffman’s ego could handle it (understandably so too), but with Ryan gone, it’s a nice little fantasy.

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Carlos Delgado, who I’ve always found to be one of the more likable players in the game (he sure has a million-dollar smile), is headed for Flushing, and last night the Phillies sent Jim Thome to the White Sox in exchange for Aaron Rowand and other things. The Yankees had been interested in Chicago’s center fielder, and according to Newsday and the Daily News, may now try and work a deal out with the Phillies for their 29-year old part-time center fielder, Jason Michaels.

Brian Giles remains a possibility as well. It appears that he will not be able to work something out with the Padres after all. The San Diego Union-Tribune reports:

The likelihood of Brian Giles returning to the Padres next season took a severe hit yesterday when the club rejected a three-year proposal that the right fielder’s agent said was “significantly less” than what Giles can get elsewhere.

“We’re going to go forward with the assumption that the Padres and Brian are not able to make a deal,” agent Joe Bick said. “We’ve been holding off moving in a different direction in hopes of getting something done with the Padres, but there’s no reason to believe that’s going to happen.”

…”We felt that if we had made this sort of financial commitment to Giles, it would really not allow us to do much else,” [GM, Kevin] Towers said. “We have several areas we need to address. I understand their position, but I do not see us ever meeting that offer. We don’t want to put all of our eggs in one basket.

“I don’t want to say Giles is a goner. Right now, we’re going to look at other places. I’m sure they will as well. But at the dollars right now, I don’t see us going there.”

The Yankees, Cardinals and Cubs are just three teams that are likely to go there.

Regardless, or irregardless as they sometimes like to say in the Bronx, best wishes to all for a safe, satiating and soporific Holidaze afternoon.

With the Red Sox and Mets grabbing the local headlines this week, and the Yankees chillin on the back burner, I’ve been thinking about books devoted to the Bronx Zoo Era for the past two days. One of the better, yet lesser known ones is, “Pinstripe Pandemonium” a slim record of the 1983 season written by Village Voice reporter Geoffrey Stokes. That season had plenty of infamous Yankee turmoil, but Stokes’ book stands out for it’s thoughtful passages on Don Baylor, Steve Kemp, and Goose Gossage. Here is the Goose talking about the nature of his job:

“Sometimes, after a bad loss, I’m amazed that I can go out there the next day and do anything at all. But fortunately,” he grinened, “there’s this gorilla in me that just takes over.

“Of course,” he added, returning to the subject of rhythm, “when it does, somebody’s gotta keep it on a leash. I don’t care how fast you throw; if you throw nothing but fastballs, there are hitters in this league that are gonna catch up to you. Somone’s gotta slow me down.

“But that’s hard for a cather to do. If I’m gonna get beat, I want to get beat on my best pitch, not on some off-speed thing that’s just supposed to set the fastball up. But what happens is, I get out there, and I throw a ball at ninety-five miles an hour easy, so I just gather up my strength and try humming the sombitch at a hundred. I’m out there, and I feel that with just a little more effort, I could throw the sucker right through the catcher–and maybe halfway through the umpire, too.

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”Everybody in the game would love to have him,” said a major league executive, who added that most teams stayed away from Beckett because they were unwilling to take on Lowell’s salary. “He’s got a plus fastball, a plus breaking ball, and a plus changeup, and he comes right at you. He’s a horse.”

…”I’ll bet you that Lowell has a hell of a year,” said a major league scout who has tracked both Lowell and Beckett since they broke into the big leagues. ”He got down on himself last year, but he’s a great young man. In that park, he’s going to hit a lot of balls off that Wall and over that Wall.”
(Boston Globe)

As the Yankees find themselves coming up short in the free agent market, the Mets rolled out the red carpet for Billy Wagner yesterday and the Red Sox and Marlins were on the verge of closing a deal that would send erstwhile Yankee Mike Lowell, and power-pitcher Josh Beckett to Boston for three minor league players, including Hanley Ramirez and Anibal Sanchez. Lowell makes a lot of money and had a terrible season last year, but he’s also solid defender and maybe, just maybe, he will rebound hitting at Fenway Park. I’ve always been fond of the guy because of his Yankee roots and his steady demeanor. I saw him walk into Shea Stadium a few years ago, and in person, he’s got the George Clooney vibe down pat.

Beckett still has two years before he becomes a free agent and is nothing short of a stud. He has shown flashes of greatness–as we Yankee fans remember all too well–but seven trips to the DL in the past four years has prevented him from staying on the field never mind becoming an elite pitcher. The potential is clearly there: I can easily see Beckett emerge as one the American League’s best starters. His health has to be a concern, but he’s not making an obscene amount of money and when he’s right, Beckett will be handful for the rest of the league to deal with.

David Pinto opines:

So Boston has a new ace. I also take it that Bill Mueller is out of the picture. At this point I’d much rather have Mueller than Lowell. Mike’s career took a big plunge in 2005, and I don’t believe it’s a fluke. Lowell came into 2005 a .277 career hitter. Given his 500 at bats, the 95% confidence interval for Mike’s expected hits was 119 to 158. Mike banged out just 118 hits in 2005. Rather than just being bad luck, it looks like Lowell decline was real.

…Long term, this is a good deal for the Marlins. Beckett helps the Red Sox for the next few years (barring injury), but I’m afraid Lowell is going to prove to be useless. The Red Sox seem to be taking the path of winning now rather than rebuilding from within. Maybe that was the heart of the difference between Theo and Lucchino.

Rich Lederer adds:

I asked Jim Callis of Baseball America last night for his perspective on the trade. Jim follows the Red Sox closely and is an expert when it comes to evaluating young players. “Ramirez and Sanchez are two of Boston’s four best prospects, along with Jon Papelbon and Jon Lester. There probably wasn’t another team out there willing to give up a shortstop prospect and a starting pitching prospect combo as good as Ramirez and Sanchez.”

…Despite parting with two of its best prospects, Jim thinks the trade is a good one for Boston. He has heard that Jesus Delgado might be the third minor leaguer in the deal. “Delgado is an interesting guy. He had Tommy John surgery and missed 2002-03. Works at 95 and hit 97-98 last year out of the ‘pen in low-A. Good curve at times, not much of a changeup yet. Promising arm but far away. Not a bad third player if he’s the guy.”

…I believe more teams should be making these types of trades. Every team can’t make a legitimate run at the World Series. Some need to retool for the future. If nothing else, transactions like this allow for lots of discussion and analysis. As for me, I think the Red Sox-Marlins trade can be summarized as follows: a Beckett and Lowell in hand beats three players in the bushes.

It is cold and rainy in New York, but there’s a blister in the sun up in Boston. It’s been a strange off-season thus far for Red Sox fans, but perhaps this will give them something to be thankful for come Turkey Day.

According to the Associated Press, right-handed relief pitcher Jose Veras says that he has signed a one-year deal with the Yankees.

Steve Lombardi takes a closer look at the bullpen over at Was Watching.

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