When the Giants Come to Town, It's Bye-Bye Baby

10.18.2007
Unkind Cut

Breaking news: The Yankees offered Joe Torre a one-year contract and he rejected it. New York will have a new manager in 2008. The contract offered $5 million — a pay cut — and incentives plus a 2009 option depending on how the Yankees finished in ‘08. A lot of weirdness right out the gate. Check out these two quotes:

"Under this offer, he would continue to be the highest-paid manager in major-league baseball," team president Randy Levine said. "We thought that we need to go to a performance-based model, having nothing to do with Joe Torre's character, integrity or ability. We just think it's important to motivate people."

That’s the worst spin I’ve seen in years. Then — who else — Scott Boras stuck his nose in it:

"It is difficult, near impossible, to accept a salary cut," Boras said. "Successful people can afford their principles. They understand if they accept the position, there is a great risk the message to all under him is dissatisfaction."

Translation: anyone who accepts a pay cut is a punk, and don’t expect any of my clients — nudge nudge wink wink guess who — to do it. What a lovely way to start the off-season.



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[October 19, 2007 12:15 PM]  |  link  |  reply
sfgfan said

I thought it was a terrible approach from the Yankees. They could have put it all on themselves, as they had plenty of reason to (i.e. not advancing further in playoffs with players that create that kind of a payroll). Instead, they wanted to divert some of the "decision" on Torre, and to me, try to make themselves look a little better.

Not that $5M isn't a lot of money, but a $2.5M paycut is 30+ percent, isn't it? Torre's been nothing but a very good manager all of these years, in and out of the dugout. There isn't really anyone I can think of that handles that kind of pressure (from media, fans AND ownership) as well as he has. I suppose we'll find out soon enough, though.

[October 20, 2007 12:48 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

When he has the highest salary for a manager STILL after a 30% cut, and he hasn't done what his boss has wanted for the past three seasons, I don't think that he has a lot to complain about. He benefits greatly from the large payroll fueling the talent on his team.

And he would have increased his salary if he met the performance incentices.

Basically, Barry Bonds took a paycut of a little over 20% last season, with incentives that would have brought his salary back about to what he made before.

Lets face it, at this point, Torre is reaching the end of the line, age-wise, and it should be accepted in sports that with age comes some decline at some point, even for managers, and at that point the salary starts going down.

About Boras, I think he's going to blow it for A-Rod if they opt out. They are not going to get such a huge salary from a team other than the Yankees, but the Yankees say they will not bid if he opts out. They (meaning King George) would have a huge egg on their face (particularly the family members who are now taking over the team for George) if they do an about face and bid for A-Rod anyway.

Once they opt out, who is going to pay $30M per year for 10 years? I think something similar to I-Rod will happen where no team will bid any contract much higher than the contract A-Rod has right now, so they will be forced to sign with a team for a similar term of 3 years but at, say, the same money they got before plus something extra (so that they don't lose face or money) but will have player options to opt each in both the 2nd and 3rd year, giving them the flexibility to jump back on the market if teams with cash look ready to spend.

But with the economy appearing to be heading (or already in perhaps) towards a recession, teams will not be having the huge record revenues they had in recent years and the pay raises will come to roost, so if they sign for big money now, they might even end up with less money in future years if they opt out again.

Again, I think the Giants will not win the A-Rod sweepstakes, but they have to be considered a dark horse because they probably would be willing to let him play SS, something other teams bidding on him might not be able to do so easily, plus they can reach his $30M demand as part of their rebuilding program for the long-term easily because most contracts are gone in the next two years.

[October 20, 2007 12:50 AM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

Oh, yeah, also wanted to note also that A-Rod (and hence Boras) accepted a pay cut in order to make a trade deal with Boston and Rangers work, but the players association killed that deal because of the precedence that would set. That's when A-Rod then ended up with NY.

[October 23, 2007 12:08 PM]  |  link  |  reply
obsessivegiantscompulsive said

Eh, the more I think about it, the more I think A-Rod is re-signing with they Yankees.

His salary is already so high, there's not that many teams who can handle the heft of that contract on their payroll, then not all those teams will necessarily bid on him, like the Mets. Boras is just trying to put the screws on the Yankees, and they will play "Happy Happy Joy Joy" when they announce this re-signing.