Interesting contract structure. Base $8mm. Weight incentives $2mm. Pitching performance incentives $3mm. IMO it's a good move for both sides. Schilling finishes his career with a solid identity as a major contributor to two Red Sox WS championships (and one with the D-backs) instead of a guy who chased the buck on the downside of his career. The Red Sox limit their risk in the event that he cannot give them the quality innings they and he are hoping for, and they pay him the same as '07 if he meets certain mutually agreed-upon performance and weight benchmarks.
I think what Sid is trying to say that Schilling's deal is identical in structure as the deal the Yankees offered Joe Torre. The only difference is that, in this case, both the Red Sox and the Schilling are honorable and visionary whereas in the other instance, the Yankees were "embarrassing" Torre with incentives and Torre was a victim. Now I'm laughing my ass off :lol: :lol: :lol: Good for you, Boston.
George, there is no similarity whatsoever to the two deals, but if that's how you want to look at it to justify your defense of Yankee management, so be it.
C'mon Sid! The deals are identical. Schilling made $13 mil last year. The Sox offered him one year at $8 mil + weight incentives at $2Mil + performance incentives at $3 mil + $13 mil. Now follow me here ..... Torre made $7 mil last year. The Yanks offered him one year at $5 mil + Playoff incentive at $1 mil + LCS incentive at $1 mil + WS Champ at $1 mil + $8 mil. Wait! You're right! They are different!. The Yankee deal was MORE lucrative. But the structure is identical. Did you notice how fast that Dodger deal went down for Joe? That was signed, sealed and delivered at warp speed. Joe's favorite place is his home in Honolulu. By taking this deal he just shaved 5 hrs off the commute each way. I think Joe is exactly where he wanted to be all along. That little charade in Tampa was nothing more than window dressing. Anyhow, everybody is OK with it out here. Time to move on. But you gotta laugh... image is everything :lol:
George, I understand your reasoning, but the flaw is that in your mind you are comparing apples and apples. Schilling is an active player whose value is based on his physical tools. Those tools have eroded from their former levels, and at 41 years old he is just about at the end of the line. His value to his team as an active player has become visibly less over time. Because of his vulnerabilties based on age, weight, arm speed, etc., there is a clear and present risk to his team if 100% of his salary is guaranteed. On the other hand, there is no "aging physical tools" aspect to evaluating Torre's management skills. They certainly have not eroded, and in fact Torre may have had one of his most successful seasons managing the Yankees, yet management chose to be in a state of denial, focusing on the lack of playoff success when they should have been thanking their lucky stars that they even made it to the playoffs. Let me explain. The Yankees led all of MLB in hitting. HOWEVER, they were 8th in the AL and 17th in MLB in ERA; 9th in AL and 17th in MLB in hits given up; 12th in AL and 26th in MLB in saves, and on and on. Are those the stats you'd expect for a playoff team? Get the picture? Torre didn't sign Carl Pavano. Torre did not choose to pay Roger Clemens over $3 million per win. Torre did not sign Mike Mussina. Heck, go back to past years to see the mistakes they've made in pitcher signings. Yet Torre gets thrown under the bus, not because the Yankees were fortunate to make the playoffs with mediocre pitching, but because they did not get out of the first round. To me as an outside observer, the Steibrenners stepped on their crank, plain and simple, while Brian Cashman got a free pass. Your loyalty to Yankee management is admirable. That's all I'll say.
Every year the Yankees have the tools to make the playoffs. That's a given. I see no diffrerence between these two deals whatsoever. They don't count the time between WS rings in New York by decades or milleniums, they count by years. Torre had grown too close and comfortable with his players. It was time. The incentive deal was his chance to regain the fire. He opted out and immediately signed with the Dodgers which I feel strongly has been in the works for some time. I'm thrilled with Girardi as manager and feel the ownership did what was necessary. And that's all I have to say about that. No idea about Posada and Girardi's relationship.
NEW YORK -- Jorge Posada authorized his agents to release a statement on Friday lauding new Yankees manager Joe Girardi, batting away speculation that the former teammates had a rift in their relationship. Several published reports had intimated that Posada, currently a free agent, might have trouble returning to play for Girardi. The two shared catching duties for the Yankees on three World Series clubs, playing together from 1996 through 1999. "Girardi was my mentor and he always taught me the value of having a great work ethic and how it was most important to maintain the position year after year," Posada said in the statement, released by his agents, Sam and Seth Levinson. Posada, 36, was one of five Yankees to officially file for free agency on Monday, the first day eligible players could do so. A career Yankee, Posada batted a career-high .338 in 2007, ranking fourth in the American League, and established career highs in hits (171) and doubles (42). Playing in 144 games -- including 125 starts behind the plate -- Posada hit 20 home runs and drove in 90 runs. He became the only player in Major League history to bat at least .330 with 40 doubles, 20 home runs and 90 RBIs in a season when he caught at least half of his games played, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Speaking at Yankee Stadium on Thursday, shortly after being introduced as the club's 32nd manager, Girardi also rejected the idea of any difficulty dealing with Posada. "It's always been great," Girardi said. "My relationship as a player with Posada was that we challenged each other to be better. I will challenge Jorge to be the best player he can be on an everyday basis." Posada expressed interest before the season in a contract extension with the Yankees, but like with closer Mariano Rivera -- also a free agent -- the club elected to wait on that issue. Posada's last deal with the Yankees was a five-year, $51 million pact signed before the 2002 season that included a $12 million option for 2007 that was exercised automatically. He is believed to be interested in another multi-year contract, and reports have indicated the Yankees could be prepared to open negotiations with a three-year, $40 million figure. In the statement, Posada said he was allowing the process time to play out. "The 2007 season was difficult and bittersweet and all I'm doing right now is evaluating everything," Posada said