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Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:21 pm
by Faceman
That is something everyone should keep in mind, by the way.

Just because Olney or Rosenthal say that nobody else was bidding, that doesn't mean it's true. You can bet Boras knew where he was going if the STL talks broke down.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:26 pm
by TGantz
withAloe wrote:
Richie Allen wrote:Now we sign the #1 FA on the market and a fraction of the board seems to be in an uproar because we might not have done it too their liking.
I really don't know who it is that's in an uproar. I guess I'm not seeing what you're seeing.

I'm giddy about the signing, too. That doesn't prevent me from wondering what the next best offer on the table was, nor does it prevent me from questioning the idiot who thinks signing Holliday for 7/120 will go down as one of the worst signings ever.
I'm kind of with Richie on this one. Sure there are a lot of what ifs, but at this point I don't care if we could have gotten him for a few million less or maybe one less year. I'm just happy we got him. For all we know Holliday's problem with Baltimore is that they weren't willing to go a 7th year so that gave us the edge.

I think that if someone seriously believes that it is the worst contract in the history of baseball then they are either a Cubs fan or they only use 1.5% of their brain. Or is it both? Do all Cubs fans only use 1.5% of their brain?

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:27 pm
by Eephus Speed
Faceman,

Right. I'm not assuming we could have had Holliday for 5/85 or 6/100, but I'm also not assuming we had to offer 7/120. We don't know.

What I do know is that if my team was being run by an MLB exec. who thinks the Holliday contract is terrible and will go down as one of the worst ever, I'd be hoping that exec. is replaced ASAP.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:37 pm
by Richie Allen
withAloe wrote:Richie,

Do you think Teixeira would have gotten the contract he did from any team other than the Yankees? Do you think Holliday would have gotten 8/180 from any team other than the Yankees? If you do, then we'll agree to disagree. If you don't, then we agree. If we agree, then hopefully we can also agree that Boras saying he wants 8/180 for Holliday doesn't necessarily mean he expected Holliday to get 8/180.
Boston had offered Teixeira 8/168. The Orioles had bid 7/150 so I'm not sure why they should be brushed aside this year, especially after showing interest in Holliday. Did the Yankees "bid against themselves" by going $180? I know well enough that Boris' wanting 8/180 was posturing and that it didn't mean he was going to get it. But I also know it meant we weren't going to get Holliday for 5/75 or some nonsense like that just because there weren't as many official offers as Teixeira had. 7/120 seems like a pretty nice middle ground to me. 5/85 would have been fine too but, IMO, not worth sweating or complaining about. Not if it could have jeopardized the signing, which we'll never know.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:46 pm
by Eephus Speed
You see this as 5/75 on one extreme vs. 8/180 on the other extreme with us achieving the middle ground. I see it as 5/85 vs. 6/102 vs. 7/119 with us *possibly* going 1-2 years longer than necessary. But, like you, I don't know why this conversation has gone on as long as it has, except that I'm procrastinating. As I've tried to make clear, I'm fine with the contract and thrilled that we signed Holliday. And flabbergasted that anyone could think the Holliday signing is the worst of this offseason, much less one of the worst signings ever.

No more procrastinating. Time to go do some work. Ugh.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:47 pm
by Richie Allen
This is from a Buster Olney article back in '08
dickhead wrote: The New York Yankees, meanwhile, came into the offseason focused on upgrading their pitching, and have spent $243 million on CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. But they are not seriously engaged in the Teixeira talks at this point. According to a source close to the negotiations, the Yankees have not taken the step that the Red Sox, Angels, Nationals and Orioles have taken -- the Yankees have not even made an offer on the first baseman.

Although the Red Sox are considered among the front-runners for Teixeira, they won't offer him a 10-year deal, principal owner John Henry said, according to the Boston Herald.
I wonder how much complaining would have gone on if Boston had went ten years, upped their offer or did whatever they had to do to close the deal before the Yankees got involved.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 4:52 pm
by Richie Allen
withAloe wrote:You see this as 5/75 on one extreme vs. 8/180 on the other extreme with us achieving the middle ground. I see it as 5/85 vs. 6/102 vs. 7/119 with us *possibly* going 1-2 years longer than necessary.
We're different kinds of fans. 5/85-6/102-7/119 doesn't mean that much to me. I don't add up wins and worry about where every dollar is going. I tune in to watch the Cardinals and want to see great players on the field. Hollliday should be in left for at least the next 7 years. After enduring the 3-ring circus of candidates out there since '96, I'm thrilled.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 5:39 pm
by Eephus Speed
Richie Allen wrote:5/85-6/102-7/119 doesn't mean that much to me.
See, it doesn't mean that much to me either. You're using words like torturing, uproar and complaining as if there's some great GRB divide over the Holliday contract. I'm not seeing what you're seeing.

Re: Update: HOLLIDAY A CARD 7yr/120 million, p178

Posted: January 8 10, 5:58 pm
by JCShutout
I am PISSED at this contract. I KNOW the Cards could have gotten Holliday for 5/278 or 7/118.9345. Mo blew it.