Yankee Fans Unite

First 65 FAs filed today:

From the Yankees: Abreu, Moeller, Ponson and Pudge.

Should we try to keep any of them?

Other notable talents filing:

Freddy Garcia, Todd Jones, Mark Texeira, Manny Ramirez, Greg Maddux, Eric Gagne, Gabe Kapler, Ben Sheets, Ron Villone, Russ Springer...

Who should we be going after?

Keep:

1) Abreu, but only if it's on a 1 year contract with options. Jackson and others are probably not ready to step in to the majors right now, and I'm skeptical about Nady being able to keep up his production from last season.

2) Moeller, if the price is right. We need insurance at catcher; and while Moeller isn't a great choice, he is a decent catcher. If we have to DFA him at the end of Spring Training, so be it.

Go After:

1) Texeira. Duh!

2) If Texeira falls through, and there isn't a better option for 1B...Kevin Millar. But only if it's on a 1 year contract. Or maybe even take Giambi back on a 1 year contract if it's for much less than he's making now. But that's only if we can't get Teixera.

Abreu wants a three-year deal. We're offering arbitration; if he accepts, we get him for the one year at a salary set by an arbitrator [certain to be expensive, but the years are more expensive to us right now than the dollars]. Wonder what would happen if we offer him two?

I'd like to see Tex in stripes, but I've read some things to indicate that he might be another A-Rod [minus the Material Mom]. Thoughts?

Pudge is a class "B" FA, so we would get one draft pick by letting him go. We're going sink or swim with Posada. If he fails, we have Molina and Moeller, just like last year. At worst, then, we [1] trade for another catcher in ST, or [2] let CC Sabathia bat for himself and have the DH replace Molina at the plate

Ponson served us well as an emergency pickup. He has no current value - go get a nice contract, Sid, you earned it. If we get in a jam this year for pitching, the scrap heap will still be there. It'll be populated by new denizens, which is part of the fun.

I'd like to see Freddy Garcia and Ben Sheets given a look. Of course, they would want guaranteed years, and I would want them to do time, like Eric Milton or Victor Zambrano, and that would not fly.

Ron Villone? Is he still alive? I'm guess there's a spot for him in Chavez Ravine....

Manny. Good way to destroy a team. Now repeat after me: "The whole is greater than the sum of the parts...."

In order to get a draft pick for Pudge, the Yankees would need to offer him arbitration, and he would have to decline. That's if I understand the process correctly?

Offering Abreu arbitration would be a good situation. If he declines, we get draft picks. If he accepts, he comes back for 1 year, which is all we need him. If the Yankees decide they want him again after next season, they can offer arbitration again.

That's correct, Rob. I think we should offer Pudge arbitration; it's a win-win situation. We either get the draft pick, or we get an insurance policy if Posada cannot throw from behind the plate. Offering arb to Abreu is a fine idea, too: as a type "A" guy, we would get two picks

I agree with offering Abreu arbitration, and think therre isn't much to lose by offering Pudge arbitration (but I think he'll probably accept, while Bobby will decline).

I'm not as sure that Pudge would accept: I think HE thinks he is still A-#1.... sadly, he's a shell of the former great.

Funny. Looking back it seems that Cashman made the right decisions and read the coming market well. Abreu, Giambi both signed for much lower salaries, and both desired to stay in pinstripes.

Pudge still is without a job.

While Abreu might not have accepted arbitration, with the way so few moves were being made by most teams by the time that they had to accept, it is probably a good bet that Abreu would have read the market well enough (along with his agent) and accepted with the hopes for the next year.

I am still amazed that Veratek didn't accept arbitration given the decline he showed. He should have known he was taking a big pay cut.

The economy really put a big hit on some of these FA's... other than those that the Yankees signed. Though they all had other suitors.

Question: do you offer Pudge a contract now, albeit at a much lower rate than he made last season? He could be insurance in case Posada isn't quite ready to go come April. And, if Posada is ready to go, you can trade him to somebody else? Or even release him?

I don't think Pudge really fit in with the Yankees. I wouldn't really care either way, but judging from the way the pitchers didn't seem to want him catching them, I am not so sure that they would want him back.

Maybe Pudge didn't have enough time getting to know the staff, but it seemed there was some tension there that kept him from playing any great deal. Plus of course his bat went to sleep when he donned pinstripes.

Me, too: give 'em the "Dave Kingman Special"
[Free boat, tank of gas, map of Bermuda Triangle].