Ridiculous.. Contreras sent to minors The Yankees sent pitcher Jose Contreras to Triple-A Columbus on April 19 and recalled left-hander Randy Choate. Contreras, who signed a $32 million, four-year contract this winter after a stellar career in the Cuban League, was 1-0 with a 10.80 ERA in five appearances. The move will give him more chances to pitch. Former Yankee and current Expo Orlando Hernandez is confident Contreras will show he's worth all the money he is getting paid. "He will come back and demonstrate that he has the quality and that what he is being paid is well paid," said Hernandez. "He's worth that and much more." So, what was the point of signing this guy to such a huge contract ($8 million per year) if 1) You are not going to ever let him start in the rotation? 2) You give up on him in the bullpen to the point that you send him down to the minors? That is real nice, George. You sign a guy $8 million a year so he can play for the Columbus Clippers. Yet, from this same link, the Yankees are *supposedly* America's favorite team... I guess it is not surprising that is the case because us Americans do like to overspend and throw money away...why not root for the team that does that to a tee??
Haven't they learned their lesson yet? Those Cuban pitchers are so overrated. Outside of a few, the majority of them have been busts. Also, they list him at 28 when in reality he's probably about 35. I'll bet that Omar Linares wishes he was 15 years younger.
There is no room for him in the starting rotation. He is a starting pitcher, not a bullpen pitcher. Some guys are just not cut out to be bullpen pitchers, Jose is one of them. If you watched any Yankee games this season where Jose came out of the bullpen, you would have seen how uncomfortable he is. It is a great move to put him down in Columbus where he will start. Having him pitch lots of innings in the minors will keep him sharp in case an injury should happen to one of the current Yankee starters. Great move by the Yankees.
So, what was the point of signing this guy to such a huge contract ($8 million per year) if 1) You are not going to ever let him start in the rotation? 2) You give up on him in the bullpen to the point that you send him down to the minors? That is real nice, George. You sign a guy $8 million a year so he can play for the Columbus Clippers. Smart move by the Yankees. No point in starting him when their starters are something like 11-0, and if he's sucking in the bullpen, why not AAA him? He needs to keep playing to stay sharp and its not happening in NY right now. I wish the Astros would learn from this. You don't play guys just because they are making lots of money (Richard Hidalgo). If you have better options (Jason Lane), use them.
So, Bob and Major: What was the point of overspending for him when like I said before: There was no room for him in their rotation? I mean it is really comical to see a guy making 8 million a year playing in AAA. It also gives credence to the theory that Contreras was only signed by the "Evil Empire" (lmao) so other teams couldn't get him. I puked when I read that Contreras always wanted to be a Yankee. I guess he is fulfilling that dream, kinda..
So, Bob and Major: What was the point of overspending for him when like I said before: They took a chance. Maybe he'll turn into something down the road - their current pitching staff is pretty old, I believe. It also gives them depth should someone falter or get injured. Money is not an issue for the Yankees, so why not spend it? It sucks for all the other teams, but that's the current MLB financial structure.
Roger Clemens plans on retiring after this season. David Wells is also getting pretty old. That will open up two spots in the rotation. If you let the guy go pitch in AAA to get some seasoning, then you can plug him into the rotation next year with Mussina, Pettite, and Weaver. Then you only need to find 1 pitcher instead of two. I don't think anyone who roots for the Red Sox is in a position to criticize how the Yankees handle their pitching anyway.
Well, it is just another reason to root for someone like Kansas City to win it. I also find it funny that the Yankees are trying (or were) to avoid paying a luxury tax but yet added guys like Contreras and Matsui. But hey, me thinks I smell a Cuban Irabu in good old Jose. Yankees are doing good right now but their pitching can't sustain that incredible pace, no staff can.
No mention of the Matsui signing, was that ridiculous too? If you're gonna be an anti-Yankee homer at least be consistent. What did you expect them to do move Clemens or Wells to the bullpen to make room? They've already got Hitchcock available for spot starts. Rivera will be back soon, moving Acevedo to the setup along with Hammond and Osuna.
Why would I mention Godzilla?? He is doing well and doesn't deserve to be sent to AAA. I thought it was obvious that my disgust was overspending for someone who is now in the minors. What do I expect them to do?? How about showing some fiscal sanity or how about not going out and getting someone and overspending to boot when you don't need him?? That is what I expect them to do, nycrocket.
C'mon Manny. You're a known Yankee hater, so of course this is a horrible move from your perspective, but you have to look at the bigger picture.
You may not believe it, Pimp, but if the Red Sox did the same thing, I would criticize the move. I would just like to see baseball teams use some fiscal sanity, but I know that won't happen with the way the structure is now.
It's not that optioning him to Triple A is a bad move, it's that signing him in the first place was unecessary. Even if you have money, it is still bad to waste the money.
It's not that optioning him to Triple A is a bad move, it's that signing him in the first place was unecessary. Even if you have money, it is still bad to waste the money. Are you seriously judging a player's 4-year value based on 5 innings of baseball?
So, I take it from some of you, that you think that Contreras was signed this season for NEXT year. Now, that is what is messed up with baseball. There are probably no other teams that can afford to sign a guy to that much money with the intention of not having him play until the NEXT season. Maybe one day, a salary cap will arrive in MLB...
How many teams sign players based on what they will do in the last two years or last year of their contracts? All of your quick comebacks seem clever at first glance, but they don't make sense when looking at the entire picture. So if Kent wasn't producing this season and we went him to Triple-A because we already have Biggio and Lane at 2B and CF respectively, it would have still been a smart move to sign him because he could prove useful in the future? Obviously that comparison isnt flawless but you get the picture.
How many teams sign players based on what they will do in the last two years or last year of their contracts? All of your quick comebacks seem clever at first glance, but they don't make sense when looking at the entire picture. Ummm, players in sports are signed all the time based on potential. Look at all the high school players drafted into the NBA. Those teams aren't paying Kwame Brown or LeBron James for what they'll give them this season, but for what they'll develop into. In MLB, there are bonus babies and stuff like that in the minors (I think JD Drew got a multi-million dollar minor league contract). It doesn't happen much in baseball because most players go through the regular draft process which severely limits salary, but this guy didn't because of special circumstances. Players like Ichiro went through the same thing - you pay in the hopes of striking gold. If he turns into a superstar, this will be a great move for the Yankees and everyone will be wondering why they didn't offer more (as was the case with Ichiro). If he doesn't, the Yankees can throw away $8MM without thinking twice - no big deal for them. Why wouldn't they do it? So if Kent wasn't producing this season and we went him to Triple-A because we already have Biggio and Lane at 2B and CF respectively, it would have still been a smart move to sign him because he could prove useful in the future? If Kent was a younger super-prospect who was signed for his future potential, then yes it would have been a good move.
Is Contreras a young super-prospect? Was Contreras the best baseball player in Cuba's history? Your comparison to young phenom prospects and Contreras doesn't work. Neither does your comaprison of Contreras to Ichiro. Teams sign free agents like Contreras for immediate contribution. Especially if he is older, which Jose probably is. (Much older than 27, I would bet my life on it.)
The Contreras signing makes perfect sense, its a simple concept called hedging. Going into the spring training the Yankees starting rotation had alot of question marks. Clemens-Older than both Unit and Maddux, you see what they're doing. Petitte-no question mark. Mussina-no question mark. Wells-Overweight, argued with mgmt. over book. Weaver-Can he pitch in Yankee stadium? Hitchcock-Hasn't had a productive season as a starter since 99. So if 2 of their 4 question marks stumble, why not hedge with Contreras? I seem to remember that the RedSox were in negotiations until the very end, Epstein had his limit and felt that anything above that limit Fossum would be worth the risk. They could have not signed Mendoza and had the extra cash for Contreras. The Matsui comparison is as close a comparison as you can get, so you might as well try to justify that rather than comparing to Kent. Matsui was a veteran international player who didn't go through the draft process. At the time he was a hedge too, since they already had 3 starting OFs-Bernie, Mondesi, and Rondell White. Kent is an MVP caliber second baseman in the prime of his career who went through the draft process/minor league ball--proven commodity. Totally different situation. The contract point made is totally wrong too. Every team signs contracts based on production over the life of the contract-not for the first 5 innings or the last 2 years. This is the definition of a multi-year contract, if you're only concerned about the current year sign him to a 1-year. If the Yankees starters were 5-7 to this point rather than 12-0, this would be a non-issue.
