What are pony deals?

santana w/ a negotiation window for an extension

Page 3 of 2 pages

That's thinking outside the box. Or something is wrong here.

santana w/ a negotiation window for an extension

Correction: Santana with a negotiation window for an extension, in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights with Erik Hinske for nine days.

now THATS a helluva pony

Page 3 of 2 pages

That's thinking outside the box. Or something is wrong here.

That seems to happen whenever a BTF thread hits a comment century mark - the next page opens up, but it's blank, so it shows up in the page count.

You know what they say: if wishes were horses, we'd all be eatin' steak.

if wishes were laxatives, we'd all run out of toilet paper

So who wants to be the one to break it to Wok that steaks don't come from horses?

Waiting for Wok to make the joke...

i know I know, steaks come from dogs.

Lowell can get $ offers now. The latest I heard was the Red Sox offered 3/36. I think the Yankee would have no problem going to 4/50+.

This may be a reasonable stance. Perhaps the Red Sox feel that 3/36 is the fair going rate. If the Yankees pay more, it's fine by them, because that then takes the Yankees out of the market for the other 3B, eliminating Boston's main competition.

Can I suggest that we are on the verge of a huge game of chicken?

We need the Yankees to sign Lowell, because PR wise, it's a huge hit if we sign A-Rod when Lowell is still on the market (and I do think the Sox crave some Rod).

But the Yankees desperately want us to sign Lowell, so A-Rod is kept out of the hands of their biggest rivals.

Who will blink first?

If I were the Yanks, I'd feel the opposite way. I would want to sign Lowell because he is the only guy of his caliber on the FA market that I haven't alienated. If I'm them, I sign him ASAP and then leave the Red Sox with a 1 in X chance of getting ARod. If the Red Sox sign Lowell, the Yanks are stuck having to pay through the nose for a 3B.

Hey, this may completely go against my last post. Oh well, I'm confused I guess.

Where's that thread where we were discussing next year's rotation?

I think Temple is right only on the second of his statements. That is, the Red Sox can only really go after A-Rod if the Yankees sign Lowell. However, I don't think it's a big game of chicken. I think the Red Sox would genuinely prefer to sign Lowell. The difference in press is huge. He'll sign a shorter contract, for less money, than A-Rod. Of course he's not as good as A-Rod, but I'm not sure they care.

Darren, I also think it's more dynamic than you give it credit for. If the Yankees sign Lowell, the Red Sox either a) sign A-Rod, b) trade for Cabrera c) put Lowrie there? or d) move Youkilis back and find a 1b. Somehow, I think that A jumps out as the correct option, esp. given that Cabrera would require giving up cheap cost-controlled talent.

It is a time like this, however, where I wish Ortiz's knees were better. Put him at 1st, move Youks to 3rd, put Manny at DH, and then go with Crisp, Ellsbury, and Drew in the outfield. Can they ask Manny to try 1st? Would he even be bad there? Am I just going to keep putting questions on this page?

The reason why I ask in #214 is because in that thread, I advocated a 6 man rotation next year, with Beckett opitching every 5 days and everyone else pitching every 6 or so, and in today's Globe, Farrell talks about going with a 6 man rotation.

I think they ought to maybe go with a "five days rest rotation", rather than a strict 6 man rotation. That might be smarter.

Would he even be bad there?

yes. imagine him trying to corral a big-bouncing grounder headed towards him

I would want to sign Lowell because he is the only guy of his caliber on the FA market that I haven't alienated.

Well, the Yankees did trade him away for Ed Yarnall nine years ago. But I'm sure he's over that now.

another thought to kick the tires on ... from the Foxsports article about the a-rod "news"

Another indication that the Yankees haven't ruled out Rodriguez: They are talking to free agent Mike Lowell not just about replacing Rodriguez at third base, but also about playing first, major-league sources tell Rosenthal.

Lowell, 33, has been unable to reach an agreement with the Red Sox, who offered him a three-year deal believed to be in the range of $38 million to $40 million. After Lowell became a free agent, a source said the Yankees were "all over" Lowell. The Red Sox would lose two options at third if the Yankees signed Lowell to play first and kept Rodriguez, perhaps leading them to increase their pursuit of the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera in a trade.

Lowell at first base? Why? Is Russ Gload not available? Much of Lowell's value is in his defense, especially if you believe BP's metrics. In two years time, at first base, I can't see him having much value at all.

So, this was posted above by Darren once the exclusive negotiating period had ended:

Lowell can get $ offers now. The latest I heard was the Red Sox offered 3/36.

As of today, we have this: 3/37.5, nearly a done deal. This suggests to me a few possibilities:

1) Lowell didn't want to leave, and he held out for full free agency just to see how much he could get the Boston offer to move northward.

2) Lowell wanted to leave, but other than NY and Boston no team was actively seeking a 3B - and NY is no longer in the market, either.

3) The media has no idea what they're talking about.

While you can't go wrong betting on 3), I'm guessing 1). Lowell's agent, when asked a while ago about the rumors of the Yankees putting an offer on the table, said something like "All I can say is that the Yankees have contacted us." That's a classic bluff - the Yankees could have contacted him about any number of players besides Lowell, or even non-contractual matters. The Yankees have since come out and denied the rumored offer, leaving pretty much nobody negotiating with Lowell.

#1 and #3 are probably both right. The Channel 7 report is so obviously bogus that it's embarrassing to the media.

3/37.5 is just so much better than I had hoped for!