Survival Mode

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 3:41 PM EST in News Comment 24 comments

Its a miserable day here in Iowa, with freezing rain/sleet/snow blanketing most of the state. Its been coming down hard for awhile now, and the roads are horrible, to say nothing of the condition of my car and my apartment's parking complex. Ugh. Earlier today I spent thirty minutes attempting to make my truck driveable, enough time to produce half of one clear window.

I actually think I'm going to embark on a .82 (thanks map my run.com) mile ice hike to the nearest Casey's to load up on provisions. Why? My current offerings are two cans of soup and a bottle of scotch -- hey, its my last year of bachelordom, why not live meal-to-meal in horrible fashion? -- which might technically cut it, but seems too Shackleton Expedition to me.

Anyway, if anyone is still reading. Does the rumored offer of Melky and Hughes for Santana seem insane for the Yankees? I'm the biggest Santana believer around, but its only one-year of his time, and couldn't they just sign him in 2009? Its a fascinating offer if its legit, and the kind of ballsy, win-now, mega-trade that honestly we haven't seen much of in the last decade.

Thoughts?

Update [2007-12-1 17:58:23 by royalsreview]:

I made the ICE WALK to Casey's, after realizing I didn't have enough cash on hand to tip the pizza guy -- after paying online, in theory. Fun fun walk. Being cold rules, as does being wet.

Why do I live in Iowa again?

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What the Yankees would get

It is possible that any Santana trade deal might include a 72-hour window for the trading club to negotiate a contract extension. Even if that isn't part of the trade, when you acquire a player (even if for only one year), you get exclusive rights to negotiate a contract extension with that player until his contract is up. And if you are a team that essentially operates with payroll limitations, then you can find out what the player wants, try to negotiate him down a little and finally give in, wrapping him up before he gets to the open market and into a bidding war. In this way, the Yankees (or whichever team gets him) gets a bit more than just one year's service from Santana; they get a much better chance of locking him up long-term.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on Dec 1, 2007 3:56 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

It makes sense to me.

It's almost a defensive move for the yanks. If they don't trade for him, then the sawx will and then they'll have exclusive negotiating leverage with him for a season, not to mention the fact that with santana, boston becomes nearly unbeatable in a short series. also, (and this may be controversial) it seems to me that the pendulum has swung the other way now and that prospects are overvalued on the market. Teams seem to be forgetting that the vast majority of prospects fail (especially pitchers). and it's virtually impossible that any of the players being talked about in these rumors will be even close to as valuable as santana.

by Billex Gordler on Dec 1, 2007 3:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

that may be the case... that prospects have gotten

too valuable

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 5:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Not for one year service

Santana had made it clear, teams have to also present him the extension package before he would waive the non trade clause. So whoever is trying to trade for him is not buying for one year service. It really is crazy. You have to give up players for the trade and then pay him big bucks for who knows how many years after that. No matter how good Santana is, he is still going to pitch every five days only. I don't know who can come out a winner of this except Santana.

by andrewt on Dec 1, 2007 4:04 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

New offer report

The Minneapolis Star Tribune is now reporting that the Yankees are offering Hughes, Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy. That would be a monster haul for them, bringing in two guys with ace ceilings, and it would give them such huge pitching depth that over the next year or two or three, they could trade some of them for more hitting.

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on Dec 1, 2007 4:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

wow

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 5:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If that's true,

then I'm rooting for this to go through.

"True friends stab you in the front."-Oscar Wilde.

by NHZ on Dec 1, 2007 9:56 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i cant wait to hear about Santana...

not being a "true Yankee" after he loses his first start 3-2

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 9:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

that's just your BoSox allegiance showing

I, on the other hand, fear that sort of bounty going to a division rival.

Couldn't the Yankees make the same offer for Zito or somebody? Then everyone would be happy.

by marbotty on Dec 2, 2007 2:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Looks like Melky/Hughes/Kennedy

Was premature. Interestingly though, apparently the Red Sox are relenting on Ellsbury with the provision that the Twins can't have both him and Lester. Perhaps the Yankees will blink and offer that package. Even for Santana and a guarantee that you'd sign him , I think it's crazy to give Hughes, Melky and Kennedy up in the long-term.

"I'm tired of all these stupid a$$ questions every day. Why the f**k would I hit Brett for Miller?" The rest is history.

by DC Royal on Dec 2, 2007 7:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not to be crude...

but it seems like steinbrenner's ill health might be driving this

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 5:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

How so?

The word is that Big Stein has been out of the loop for a while now. Hank is running the show now. Are you saying that this is a "win now" move to win before Big Stein passes away, or before his mind is so gone that he can't appreciate it?

I probably disagree with you.

by NYRoyal on Dec 1, 2007 5:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yea, something like that

the ultimate WIN NOW

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 5:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RR, You live in Iowa because

that is where the U of I is located. And, because you love...come on...admit it... you love it here.

I too slid to the P.O. and then to Casey's. After watching the Blue Hens and QB Clack beat UNI... I needed some ice cream. It is ugly and now comes the snow. Marbotty and Quatar are sounding better and better all the time.

I was figuring the Twins for fourth place next season but if they pull off this trade they have a shot to win the division.

by grudz69 on Dec 1, 2007 6:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

indeed, indeed

I really should have bought groceries last night...

by royalsreview on Dec 1, 2007 6:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Now a true Iowan would have rushed to

the store and stocked up when the first hint of Winter Storm Watch was mentioned. The wind is now back and we are getting something like a snow/ice/rain mix. Can Spring Training come soon enough... only 74 days until pitchers and catchers report... I hope Zacky is mowing his yard.

by grudz69 on Dec 1, 2007 10:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You might consider doing what I did.

I hunkered down today at the movies.

Angelina Jolie, ugly monsters with Crispin Glover's voice, golden dragons, 3D, IMAX screen. Jolie is kinda pretty.

Beowulf, big dumb fun.

I think I'll go see No Country for Old Men tomorrow if I make good progress on my grading in the morning.

You never feel the freezing rain in a movie theater.

Rock Chalk Talk for pretty good KU College Baseball Coverage

by James Quinn on Dec 1, 2007 10:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I REALLY want to see

No Country For Old Men, but of course the cruddy local theater doesn't have it. I thoroughly enjoyed Beowulf despite its silliness.

"True friends stab you in the front."-Oscar Wilde.

by NHZ on Dec 1, 2007 11:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It is another great read by Cormac...

It has to be in my top five of his books. I love how the guy writes.

by grudz69 on Dec 2, 2007 12:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

McCarthy's Blood Meridian

Is the most brutally violent novel I've ever read, but the prose is beautiful. uncanny genius of a novelist.

"I'm tired of all these stupid a$$ questions every day. Why the f**k would I hit Brett for Miller?" The rest is history.

by DC Royal on Dec 2, 2007 7:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

don't even want to hear about it

The high today is about 15 here, and there are no signs of its getting any warmer. I'm sure Phil is laughing at us both, though.

Actually, I take it back -- as bad as cold is, especially when you have to stay outside in it, freezing rain is worse.

by Moose Tacos on Dec 2, 2007 7:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not Exactly Laughing

But we are still virtually snowless up here. That makes it really dark, and we're in the dark months now. We're about the same latitude as Oslo, so we're not real extreme, but sunlight is scarce until around Super Bowl time. We make it up in the summer, though.

Being a fan is irrational, but what is the alternative?

by philofthenorth on Dec 2, 2007 11:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

tipping

Not sure where you ordered from but I think most places bring you the receipt to sign, to which you can add a tip. But there's probably not enough money in Iowa to compensate a delivery driver for coming out in that weather...

by sfeldkamp on Dec 2, 2007 9:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs