Heyman: Ellsbury to sign seven-year deal with Yankees

[86spike]

I suppose I am still gliding on the post-championship sugar high, but this doesn't bother me at all. I did not expect to see him resigning here and I can't muster too much angst over the Bronx right now. I enjoyed having Ells as a homegrown guy and hope to enjoy JBJ the same way.

Good for Jacoby for getting his huge payday. Good for Ben for sticking to his valuation and trusting in our farm. Good for the MFYs for at least the first half of this deal, but possibly awful for them after that.

I'll also echo the sentiments that I'd rather this than have him in TB or Baltimore. NY could certainly be a threat again right away, but I need to see it to believe it.

 

[Dogman]

 
I couldn't even get the first part of his name right.

 
 
I'm right there with you.

 

[JimBoSox9]

 
This is also really reactive thinking. "The Yankees took our guy, so let's take their guy." If signing Robinson Cano wasn't a good idea for the Sox three hours ago, then it still isn't.

 
It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value.  I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value.  It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc.  Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy".  WTF is that?

 

[nattysez]

 
It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value.  I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value.  It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc.  Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy".  WTF is that?

 
The MFY can still sign Cano and stay under $189.  Why this is so difficult for people to grasp is beyond me.

 

[turnthe2]

It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value. I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value. It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc. Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy". WTF is that?


It's not like the Sox haven't ever in the past 15 years considered (or atleast rumored to) signing a Yankee player…Andy, Jeter, Bernie, Mo…

Let's think about it…Cano seems tight with Papi (based off interactions observed at events such as All-Star games). And they would be a good middle of the lineup punch together. Papi doesn't have many years left and his bat will need to be replaced long term. That means trading top prospects most likely since it doesn't seem there are many free agent options coming up in the next year or two. Cano has also been the epitome of consistency with his offense. His #s from 2009-present are:

Year BA/OBP/SLG/OPS HR RBI
2013 .314/.383/.516/.899 27 107
2012 .313/.379/.550/.929 33 94
2011 .302/.349/.533/.822 28 118
2010 .319/.381/.534/.915 29 109
2009 .320/.352/.520/.872 25 85

Without other moves being made they are looking at 3 somewhat newbies batting in JBJ, WMB and X. They are going to need the slack picked up somewhere in offensive production. If all 3 flounder, who else is going to step in and take their places?

Defensively, one thought is to have Cano play 1st. He would probably flourish as he would stay on the right side of the field. Him along with Pedroia's defense would make a great right side…he's not taking 2nd away from Pedroia…or have him move to 3rd and WMB to 1st. The only issue is having 2 players learn a new position than one. I don't know if Cano would consider the move but he may since it would be a team coming off a World Series win.

Yes the Sox lose out on a draft pick but have them coming with the QOs given out. Financially Papi, Gomes and Dempster have one year left on their contracts and Vic a year more. Peavy and Lackey both have one year along with an option year. Pedroia is the only long term contract that is on the books.

And to clarify I am in no way backing Cano getting the outrageous 10/310 he has been long rumored to have been requesting. If he can be had at a decent price I say go for it.

 

[Dogman]

I swallowed a bug.

 

[beta1296]

 
It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value.  I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value.  It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc.  Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy".  WTF is that?

Okay. What would be a good number to put to Cano to become our 3b, moving Middlebrooks to 1B and in the future Cecchini to left?

 

[Sampo Gida]

 
See, here's the thing.  We know that in 2013 the Yankees had revenues of $400mm.   They probably will have even more next season with renewed buzz around the team.   This means that, even with ARod's salary coming back on the books, that they can conceivably spend closer to $250mm and still make some money.    So they won't really regret any of their current contracts save for maybe ARod.
 
And if things don't work out in the later years, the Yankees can afford to sweep the contract under the rug via a subsidized trade to whomever sucks at the time.     In other words, aside from the ARod extension they don't ever deal in regret.  And I am not even sure that their regret on that deal is the same pain that other teams feel when they sign long-dated, horrible deals.
 
Ellsbury, McCann, Cano and another arm make the Yankees a lot more formidable for sure.  Great move for them all things considered.

 
Actually, I think you may be understating their revenues. Bloomberg has them at 570 million, not sure if that includes the 100 million in revenue sharing or not, but it does not include YES revenues ( YES et all is about 1/3 of the teams 3.3 billion value and is probably another 200 million or more).
 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/yankees-among-10-mlb-teams-valued-at-more-than-1-billion.html
 
Your point is correct and is what I have been harping on for months, even at a payroll + tax of 250 million the Yankees payroll per revenues  is no higher than the average MLB team which is around 50%.
 
The Yankees can spend more and do because they can, not because they are fiscally irresponsible.  To compare what they do with teams having revenues only 1/2  of what they have makes no sense.  For them to spend like the average MLB team, at the cost of significant revenues (6 -7 million a win is the mlb avg, for the Yankees its probably closer to 10 million per W) - by not fielding a competitive team to save 30-35 million on tax and rebates (and another 30-40 million on payroll) - is what makes no sense.
 
So I expect the Yankees to sign Cano at around 8/200, and fill in some of the other holes with lesser free agents, including Tanaka, and maybe Beltran or Drew.  Their crying poor mouth has probably served them well in negotiations and allowed them to get Ellsbury and McCann without a significant overpay, and the same will hold true with Cano.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

 
Actually, I think you may be understating their revenues. Bloomberg has them at 570 million, not sure if that includes the 100 million in revenue sharing or not, but it does not include YES revenues ( YES et all is about 1/3 of the teams 3.3 billion value and is probably another 200 million or more).
 
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-10-23/yankees-among-10-mlb-teams-valued-at-more-than-1-billion.html
 
Your point is correct and is what I have been harping on for months, even at a payroll + tax of 250 million the Yankees payroll per revenues  is no higher than the average MLB team which is around 50%.
 
The Yankees can spend more and do because they can, not because they are fiscally irresponsible.  To compare what they do with teams having revenues only 1/2  of what they have makes no sense.  For them to spend like the average MLB team, at the cost of significant revenues (6 -7 million a win is the mlb avg, for the Yankees its probably closer to 10 million per W) - by not fielding a competitive team to save 30-35 million on tax and rebates (and another 30-40 million on payroll) - is what makes no sense.
 
So I expect the Yankees to sign Cano at around 8/200, and fill in some of the other holes with lesser free agents, including Tanaka, and maybe Beltran or Drew.  Their crying poor mouth has probably served them well in negotiations and allowed them to get Ellsbury and McCann without a significant overpay, and the same will hold true with Cano.

 
I agree that my numbers are likely significantly below the Forbes estimates.  That said, as a Sox fan, I have no right nor inclination to complain that the Yankees can spend more than everyone else.  That is the reality of the MLB and spending way more than everyone doesn't guarantee that you will win it all.  It simply gives you more certainty about the number of wins you are paying for over the course of a season.

 

[quint]

 
It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value.  I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value.  It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc.  Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy".  WTF is that?

 
Holy fuck.
 
Edit this so it it approaches something resembling coherent thought, or burn it down.

 

[ArgentinaSOXfan]

If the Red Sox were far apart from what Ellsbury got from NYY, how do you expect them to get anywhere close to what Cano's camp is asking for (years/money)?

 

[xjack]

 
The MFY can still sign Cano and stay under $189.  Why this is so difficult for people to grasp is beyond me.

 
This kind of analysis assumes ARod's contract would count $0 towards the luxury tax threshold if he's suspended for the year. I'm fairly certain his contract would still count towards 2014, but at a lower AAV (one with his lost 2014 salary subtracted from the average annual amount).

 

[Dogman]

 
It's a lack of thinking to dismiss the possibility that the loss of his most obvious and richest suitor changes the variables in the equation that produces a good idea/bad idea value.  I don't know if I think the positional consideration is as strong as you think it is (3B production isn't good right now overall, and I can even entertain the possibility of Cano handling SS despite his age), but where you project him definitely changes his relative value.  It's entirely possible he still can't be had at a contract I can live with regardless of position (although I think there's a chance he'd take a discount to not have to go to a place like Seattle), nothing happens without his or Pedroia's buy-in, etc etc.  Definitely unknowns and obstacles, but it ain't reactive thinking and it sure has nothing at all to do with "they took our guy".  WTF is that?

 
Ummm…what?

 

[AbbyNoho]

The chance of Cano signing with the Red Sox might be a non-zero number, but it's pretty close. 

 

[hbk72777]

 
How?  I mean, they still have no pitching.  Tanaka is not a strikeout pitcher.  He is a control specialist who pitches to contact.  Ever pitcher that has come over from Japan has had their walk rate go up significantly as well as their BABIP.  Tanaka is probably going to be mid rotation starter to begin with.
 
Sabathia was awful last year.  Not just in his stats he was decidedly awful.  
 
Kuroda, Sabathia, Tanaka, Nova, ???? is not a major league rotation right now.  Let alone to complete lack of depth behind that.

 
 
Pineda should be in the mix as well.
 
Whether that's a good or bad thing remains to be seen

 

[Van Everyman]

For a superstar, Jacoby Ellsbury has no real personality to speak of. He is pretty much all business – singularly focused on his career. Being a leader in the clubhouse has never been a real priority for him.

In other words, I believe he will fit right in with the Yankees.

 

[jon abbey]

 
This is it.  They never had plans to get below the cap.  

 
I definitely don't agree with this, the question is when did they abandon that plan and honestly if they even have (I think they are still aiming to be under, although I didn't expect McCann or the Turncoat Dreamboat to happen, so WTF).
 
But as is stated above, "So subtract Cano and Kuroda and the money from other teams (Wells, Soriano) and they have 
~$47,000,000 for third base, second base and two (I think three) starting pitchers plus some relief depth."

For the rotation, I think they could get away with one top 3 starter type and one 7th or 8th starter type that they could stash in AAA. The current rotation is CC, Nova, Phelps, Warren, Pineda, and Nuno. 
 

 

[jon abbey]

Also, keep in mind that I still don't believe NY's primary goal is to win games this year, I think the priority list still goes something like this:
 
1) Stay under $189M.
2) Sell as many tickets as possible.
3) Win games.
 
This is what explains the Ichiro multiyear signing last winter, and this has to be at least a bit of what Boras sold NY on with Ellsbury. 'He is so dreamy, who cares that he needs a cutoff guy to get the ball to second on the fly?'

 

[koufax37]

Also, I'm sick of people saying "Well, you can't blame the player, they went where the most money was." I call bullshit. What about loyalty and integrity? If I worked for Costco or something, and I made $60,000 a year as a department manager or whatever and I had good benefits and the culture was good yada yada yada and Sam's Club offered me 65 or 70 grand I wouldn't take it. There's some stuff you can't put a price on.

 
Sure, but if you are working at Costco, who offers you $45K because they have a new manager named Jackie and their last manager named Carl made $80 but ruined the TV and produce departments, and your choices are for a non-competitive Wal-Mart WAY out in the suburbs at $72K, and a not really nice Sam's Club in a really cool neighborhood who offers you $130K plus profit sharing, you get sized for a Sam's Club manager's vest, and hug your Costco friends goodbye.
 
I tend to agree that spending the 100th million is really not as enjoyable as playing for a team you really enjoy, so taking the highest offer is often not necessarily the highest life enjoyment so not the right decision, but here I think the deal he got is a hard one to turn down, nothing close to it would be available in Boston, and I don't begrudge him taking it, and I won't boo him.
 
I will enjoy while he hits .290 with 16HR and an inevitable hamstring injury limits him to 25SB and 135 games early in the career, and the contract's back end is silly.  I liked 5/90, I had talked myself in to 6/120, but even that was pushing it.  I want no part of this contract, and think we can be a better team if we allocate our resources better.  I had hoped for him to land in Seattle where we could root for him in his irrelevance, but I think this signing plays out in favorable to the Red Sox even before years six and seven.
 
I would really like Choo or Beltran, but I think our on roster outfielders are fine if we can buy more wins at an infield corner position or on the mound, especially via trade where we take on some contract.
 
And lastly, I never have really bought or understood the under the $189M cap idea.  I don't understand why it isn't in the interest of their team to spend 250-300 and take the consequences and still be super profitable.

 

[Wingack]

I love the name Turncoat Dreamboat. Who came up with that?

 

[E5 Yaz]

The chance of Cano signing with the Red Sox might be a non-zero number, but it's pretty close. 

 
There are an infinite number of non-zero numbers

 

[Dan to Theo to Ben]

Man this stings.
 
Although I had accepted that there was a good chance he would leave, I had assumed it would be to a team like Seattle where it would be very very easy to still root for him.
He was always one of favorite players, especially since he was home grown.  I dont want to see him play against us 19-26 times a year.
 
I don't think the Yankees are overpaying, at least in the first 4-5 years. It make them a much better team the next couple of years. And that infuriates me. It is the one team that cannot be hamstrung by a large contract too, and the park, as mentioned, is tailored for him. It's gonna be annoying seeing those 70 SB's and possibly 5 tools on the other side.
 
From my perspective, I don't mind overpaying for stars when there are spots on the team taken by low salary productive guys like Nava and Doubront (and obviously Xander). It's the 5-10 million guys like Hanrahan, AJP, and even Gomes that are the true overpays. And as much as I love Drew's glove, I'd rather pay jacoby 22 than him 10.
 
Mid-April is gonna hurt a little next year. Thank goodness for OD though!
 
Thanks, Jacoby for the memories.  Hoping that JBJ eventually provides a similar performance, but I doubt it.
 
I don't blame ellsbury one bit, the MFY's outspent the competition.
 

 

 

[quint]

 
There are an infinite number of non-zero numbers

 
You're only going to confuse him.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

When the fuck aren't you depressed or whining about the Sox payroll? Your world must be a dark place.

 
There is no greater truth in this thread.  
 
How is this news shocking to anyone who follows the Red Sox and understands MLB?  Ellsbury was never coming back to Boston and only a few teams had the need and money to pay him Boras money.  Instead of crying about this news, make peace with it and thank him for helping them to two world titles.

 

[koufax37]

If the Red Sox were far apart from what Ellsbury got from NYY, how do you expect them to get anywhere close to what Cano's camp is asking for (years/money)?

 
The reasons are that without NYY, his market might come down a little bit, and he is probably a better value over a crazy seven year deal.  Plus, I would love to see Pedroia say "hell yes" when asked to move to shortstop.  Like Eckstein, but good!
 
However it isn't going to happen or even have Jay-Z buy anybody dinner, and it isn't the best way for us to buy wins with our good but limited resources.

 

[terrisus]

Shock.
Surprise.
 
Not really though, pretty much expected honestly. 
 
Well, they signed Damon from our 2004 team.
Now they signed Ellsbury from our 2007/2013 team.
I guess the Yankees really like picking up after the Red Sox.

 

[ArgentinaSOXfan]

Sorry for a little OT:
 
#Yankees close to signing Kelly Johnson to a 1-yr about $2.75-3M. Plan is to play a lot around diamond, potential 2b option if Cano leaves (Sherman)

 

[jimbobim]

What if the Sox liked Cano's bat enough to give him 7 years 180 and basically pulled a Cashman on the Yankees trying to force Cano to take a reasonable deal (Red Sox had all sorts of negotiations with Texiera and he turned around went to the Yanks and got an increase on that. ) He can choose left field third base and DH if he has to in the last couple of years. 

 

[CaskNFappin]

Is anyone else as perplexed as I am that the Yankees have so many albatross contracts (Jeter, Tex, CC, Jacoby, McCann), yet so much wiggle room under 189m -even sans A-ROD- that they can still consider resigning Cano and filling in other roster holes (SP, SP, 3B, DH)?  At the same time we're loaded with team friendly contracts, but seem cornered into bargain hunting.    
 
Certainly seems to me that they intend on blowing right through the cap, or that any speculation that they're still in on Cano is unrealistic.  I fear that they're gonna go with a Dodgers approach….blatant disregard for the threshold…..and all our optimism about their organization being handcuffed financially will never come to fruition.  Kershaw, Stanton, Miggy, Straus, Harper, Trout…..all somehow, someway wearing pinstripes in the next decade.  Sounds like crazy talk, but going into this offseason, I'm sure many would have argued that adding McCann and Ells at those numbers would have precluded them from making any other significant moves.

 

[HriniakPosterChild]

Haha...similar situation

 
I can't wait to hear how his dream was always to play for Detroit...

 

[nattysez]

 
This kind of analysis assumes ARod's contract would count $0 towards the luxury tax threshold if he's suspended for the year. I'm fairly certain his contract would still count towards 2014, but at a lower AAV (one with his lost 2014 salary subtracted from the average annual amount).

 
That's contrary to every analysis I've seen.  
 

It does, however, say in the Collective Bargaining Agreement exactly that: The portion of a player’s salary that he does not collect while suspended also does not count toward his team’s payroll and the luxury tax threshold according to the CBA.
 

 http://www.pickinsplinters.com/2013/08/01/a-rod-suspension-actually-helps-yankees
 

 Suspended players don’t count against the luxury tax, which would be huge for the Yankees given their plan to get under the $189M luxury tax threshold next year. 
 

http://riveraveblues.com/2013/08/espn-mlb-will-likely-suspend-a-rod-through-2014-on-monday-92068/

According to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the portion of a player’s salary that he does not collect while suspended also does not count toward his team’s payroll and the luxury tax threshold.
 

http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2013/08/01/showalter-yankees-are-catching-a-break/

 

[jhogan88]

We knew Ellsbury was going to be overpaid. He is 30 with some durability concerns and will make more for the years he regresses then during the years he contributed to rings in Boston.

It sucks he went to the Yankees. I have Damon, Youk, Lowe and the like to remind me that baseball is a business. He is a terrific player and cashed in/out.

Pay Napoli. Give Carp more playing time. Let JBJ hit his prime as a cost-controlled future All Star. Sign some infield depth for the left side. The real hole is 3B. All is going according to plan.

 

[nattysez]

And lastly, I never have really bought or understood the under the $189M cap idea.  I don't understand why it isn't in the interest of their team to spend 250-300 and take the consequences and still be super profitable.

 
Because if they can get under $189 for one year, they avoid a 50% tax when they exceed the salary cap in the future, allowing them to go from super profitable to super duper profitable.  And, by the way, as long as Slappy is suspended, they will still field a competitive team this year.   

 

[wade boggs chicken dinner]

 
The MFY can still sign Cano and stay under $189.  Why this is so difficult for people to grasp is beyond me.

 
even by these numbers, the MFYs have about $6M to spend for a starting pitcher, 3B, and reliever.  Not including the fact that they have no real closer and it only takes into account 25 players, which means that they better not have any significant injuries or they will be over the threshold.
Plus, if ARod isn't suspended for the entire season, they are in trouble.
 
Truthfully speaking, I am glad the MFYs made this signing because in some alternate universe, there is a MFY GM that understands how to use a $400M revenue stream and has built (or is building) a team and far, system that recreates the dynasty years.  Let them give up first round draft picks for the right to overpay free agents; the only way the Red Sox (and the rest of baseball) will be able to compete with them is if the MFYs squander their financial advantage on dead money to useless aging players.

 

[amfox1]

 
This kind of analysis assumes ARod's contract would count $0 towards the luxury tax threshold if he's suspended for the year. I'm fairly certain his contract would still count towards 2014, but at a lower AAV (one with his lost 2014 salary subtracted from the average annual amount).

 
That's not my understanding, based on what i've read.  The MLB rules say that contracts count against teams even if the player is suspended, but i have not seen any legitimate source state this publicly in the Rodriguez matter.  In fact, I have seen it the other way (read Buck Showalter's comments, for instance).

 

[jon abbey]

Me. 

 

[billy ashley]

The reactions in this thread are kind of puzzling to me. People bitching about fringe to non-prospects like Hassan and Castellanos; complains about ownership's involvement with Liverpool....
 
Seeing these reactions, you'd think that the Yankees won the World Series last year.
 
The 2013 Boston Red Sox were a very good team. A very good team that played in a stacked division, they were fortunate to both remain relatively healthy and get hot at the right time; the result was fucking duck boats. It was awesome. 

Jacoby Ellsbury was a big part of that success. However, the odds that he remains a 5 win player over the length of this contract are relatively small. I don't expect him to collapse (others have already pointed out the fact that speedsters tend to age well), but chances are he's nearing the end of his peak. The Yankees are taking on a good bit of risk signing the guy; had Boston re-signed him at this price, I suspect the reactions would be equally negative.

Jackie Bradley Jr. is not Alex Hassan. Jackie Bradley Jr. is a top 50 prospect, who has a relatively high floor (though not the most exciting ceiling, either). Alex Hassan is a guy with a great approach, limited defensive ability and not much in the way of power. He may end up being a good role player/ 2nd division starter, but to compare him to a guy like Bradley is idiotic.

The team we root for just won the God damn world series. They have a farm system that probably ranks between 4-7 in the major. Unlike the Yankees, Boston also has 6 guys who profile to be at least average major league starters (and that excludes guys like Webster, De La Rosa,  Barnes, Ranaudo, and Workman). Unlike the Yankees they also currently have a bullpen that extends beyond 1 guy.

It's entirely possible they finish 4rth next season, as they play in a division with 4 other, really good teams. But it's entirely possible they win the division, again.

Cheer up.

 

[billy ashley]

 
That's not my understanding, based on what i've read.  The MLB rules say that contracts count against teams even if the player is suspended, but i have not seen any legitimate source state this publicly in the Rodriguez matter.  In fact, I have seen it the other way (read Buck Showalter's comments, for instance).

 
They still need at least 2 starters and between 2-3 relievers. Additionally, they may want to upgrade something over the course of the season, if someone gets hurt or is ineffective.

I think they blow past the number, regardless of A-Rod's situation.

 

[judyb]

Is anyone else as perplexed as I am that the Yankees have so many albatross contracts (Jeter, Tex, CC, Jacoby, McCann), yet so much wiggle room under 189m -even sans A-ROD- that they can still consider resigning Cano and filling in other roster holes (SP, SP, 3B, DH)?  At the same time we're loaded with team friendly contracts, but seem cornered into bargain hunting.    
 
Certainly seems to me that they intend on blowing right through the cap, or that any speculation that they're still in on Cano is unrealistic.  I fear that they're gonna go with a Dodgers approach….blatant disregard for the threshold…..and all our optimism about their organization being handcuffed financially will never come to fruition.  Kershaw, Stanton, Miggy, Straus, Harper, Trout…..all somehow, someway wearing pinstripes in the next decade.  Sounds like crazy talk, but going into this offseason, I'm sure many would have argued that adding McCann and Ells at those numbers would have precluded them from making any other significant moves.

I think the Red Sox have around $65 million worth of starting pitchers on their payroll for 2014 while the Yankees have Sabathia's $24 million and Nova's 1st arbitration year salary and nothing.

 

[DeJesus Built My Hotrod]

Just because I like to share, here are some links for you guys to chew on.  The $189mm cap might be a nice target for the Yankees but assuming they go over, they can go to something like $250mm after the luxury tax and as Sampo Gida points out, their payroll per revenue is around the same as the rest of MLB.
 
Here are some other links - as per the Yankee forum thread on this very topic (more objective, less hate), it shows that the Yankees and Red Sox each have their own orbit in terms of revenues.    And if you want some more numbers, take a look here.  Opulence, they has it!

 

[CaskNFappin]

I think the Red Sox have around $65 million worth of starting pitchers on their payroll for 2014 while the Yankees have Sabathia's $24 million and Nova's 1st arbitration year salary and nothing.

 
Right, but you have to assume they're gonna add at least 2 guys in the 10-15m range.  Why go balls-to-the-wall on McCann and Ells and trot out a bunch of scrubs in your rotation…..especially when its plausible to believe your 24mil "ace" is falling from grace?

 

[wibi]

Man this stings.
 
Although I had accepted that there was a good chance he would leave, I had assumed it would be to a team like Seattle where it would be very very easy to still root for him.
He was always one of favorite players, especially since he was home grown.  I dont want to see him play against us 19-26 times a year.
 
I don't think the Yankees are overpaying, at least in the first 4-5 years. It make them a much better team the next couple of years. And that infuriates me. It is the one team that cannot be hamstrung by a large contract too, and the park, as mentioned, is tailored for him. It's gonna be annoying seeing those 70 SB's and possibly 5 tools on the other side.
 
From my perspective, I don't mind overpaying for stars when there are spots on the team taken by low salary productive guys like Nava and Doubront (and obviously Xander). It's the 5-10 million guys like Hanrahan, AJP, and even Gomes that are the true overpays. And as much as I love Drew's glove, I'd rather pay jacoby 22 than him 10.

 
Unless they have some out after 4-5 years you need to account for the whole 7 years of the contract ...

 

[E5 Yaz]

The chances Ellsbury stays healthy the first 4-5 years of this contract are ...

 

[Corsi]

The chances Ellsbury stays healthy the first 4-5 years of this contract are ...

 

[Devizier]

A 5.8 WAR player leaves town and we're all glad to see him go?

As Fangraphs noted recently, guys with Ellsbury's profile tend to age pretty gracefully. This makes the Yankees a much better team in the immediate future. If they win a WS, nobody here (or there) is going to be bitching about his salary in 2020.

This about sums my reaction. I wish the Sox had kept Ellsbury - after all, he was arguably their best player this year - but I recognize that they operate under certain salary constraints, etc. But here's the thing: in what world is it a good thing that the Yankees, of all teams, signed Ellsbury? Wouldn't it have been better if the Mariners had signed him, at least? It's not like his value evaporates by the transitive property of being signed to a large contract. He may even, god forbid, earn that contract.

Anyways, onwards.

 

[NJ Fan]

I admittedly haven't read every post in this thread, so forgive me if this is old news.
 
If you want to get a sense of how quickly rosters turn over, a quick glance at the current 40-man looks like there are only 4 players left from the '07 team.  If that's accurate, that's amazing.
 
Buchholz
Lester
Pedroia
Ortiz

 

[MakMan44]

Is anyone else as perplexed as I am that the Yankees have so many albatross contracts (Jeter, Tex, CC, Jacoby, McCann), yet so much wiggle room under 189m -even sans A-ROD- that they can still consider resigning Cano and filling in other roster holes (SP, SP, 3B, DH)?  At the same time we're loaded with team friendly contracts, but seem cornered into bargain hunting.    

It's the beginning of December, the winter meetings haven't even started yet. You have no damn idea what the Sox are going to do the rest of the offseason. 
 
On topic, it sucks that it was the Yankees but I'm happy that Ellsbury got paid. Thanks for the 2 WS, hope you never get another one. 

 

[Jnai]

A 5.8 WAR player leaves town and we're all glad to see him go?

As Fangraphs noted recently, guys with Ellsbury's profile tend to age pretty gracefully. This makes the Yankees a much better team in the immediate future. If they win a WS, nobody here (or there) is going to be bitching about his salary in 2020.

 
Kind of like how no one is talking about A-Rod's contract because they won a World Series when he was there?

 

[AbbyNoho]

 
There are an infinite number of non-zero numbers

 
...to being zero.
 
My sentence sounded a lot better in my head.
 

I admittedly haven't read every post in this thread, so forgive me if this is old news.
 
If you want to get a sense of how quickly rosters turn over, a quick glance at the current 40-man looks like there are only 4 players left from the '07 team.  If that's accurate, that's amazing.
 
Buchholz
Lester
Pedroia
Ortiz

 

 
This roster will be 7 season later. That seems like an appropriate amount of turn-over for that length of time. 

 

[chrisfont9]

NVM, others said it first.