The New York Yankees announced yesterday that they signed seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens to a contract for the rest of the 2007 season. The nominal value of the contract is $28 million giving the Yankees the $28 and the $25 million dollar men - baseball’s two highest paid players by far - in Clemens and Alex Rodriguez.
The reasons for the Rocket’s signing are obvious - 1) The Yankees are desperate for pitching. With already 10 different starters this season and the fifth-worst team ERA in baseball, the Yankee pitching staff, especially the starters, is struggling; 2) Roger won before in New York - he was a World Series Champion in 1999 and 2000, pitched well in the 2001 playoffs, and won the Cy Young award as a Yankee in 2001. The Yankees have previously brought in highly-touted pitchers only to see many of them perform poorly in NY - most recently Randy Johnson, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez; 3) Roger adds a sense of confidence to the staff and the team - just look at the lift the team got yesterday from the announcement; 4) George Steinbrenner can afford to overpay Clemens to keep him away from the Red Sox; 5) It’s only money. The Yankees did not have to part with any prospects to get Clemens back in the Bronx.
So the Roger Clemens signing was a no-brainer, right?
Wrong. Signing Clemens was the wrong move for the Yankees and for baseball. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and probably still has gas left in the tank but his signing comes at a price. First, by giving Roger $28 million, several million more per year than any other big-leaguer, the Yankees are saying that at 44 he is the best pitcher (and player) in the game, let alone on his own team. By this pay scale, what are Johan Santana, Roy Halladay or Chris Carpenter worth? Second, allowing Roger to essentially come and go as he pleases sets a bad example for baseball and team sports in general. The precedent the Houston Astros started with Clemens and the Yankees are continuing is ridiculous. What message is being sent to young players when Clemens is being given Hollywood prima-dona status?
Finally, the notion of a rental or part-time player is negative for baseball and all professional sports. There are plenty of good players that could extend their careers by playing part time and skipping some of the team’s games and road trips. Enduring the grueling 162-game season is part of baseball and creates camaraderie (and an occasional clubhouse scuffle). What happens when more aging starts offer their services for the stretch run? Will teams have a different roster pre-All-Star Game and post-All-Star game? If you can no longer withstand the rigor of the regular season then you should retire.
The reasons for the Rocket’s signing are obvious - 1) The Yankees are desperate for pitching. With already 10 different starters this season and the fifth-worst team ERA in baseball, the Yankee pitching staff, especially the starters, is struggling; 2) Roger won before in New York - he was a World Series Champion in 1999 and 2000, pitched well in the 2001 playoffs, and won the Cy Young award as a Yankee in 2001. The Yankees have previously brought in highly-touted pitchers only to see many of them perform poorly in NY - most recently Randy Johnson, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez; 3) Roger adds a sense of confidence to the staff and the team - just look at the lift the team got yesterday from the announcement; 4) George Steinbrenner can afford to overpay Clemens to keep him away from the Red Sox; 5) It’s only money. The Yankees did not have to part with any prospects to get Clemens back in the Bronx.
So the Roger Clemens signing was a no-brainer, right?
Wrong. Signing Clemens was the wrong move for the Yankees and for baseball. He is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and probably still has gas left in the tank but his signing comes at a price. First, by giving Roger $28 million, several million more per year than any other big-leaguer, the Yankees are saying that at 44 he is the best pitcher (and player) in the game, let alone on his own team. By this pay scale, what are Johan Santana, Roy Halladay or Chris Carpenter worth? Second, allowing Roger to essentially come and go as he pleases sets a bad example for baseball and team sports in general. The precedent the Houston Astros started with Clemens and the Yankees are continuing is ridiculous. What message is being sent to young players when Clemens is being given Hollywood prima-dona status?
Finally, the notion of a rental or part-time player is negative for baseball and all professional sports. There are plenty of good players that could extend their careers by playing part time and skipping some of the team’s games and road trips. Enduring the grueling 162-game season is part of baseball and creates camaraderie (and an occasional clubhouse scuffle). What happens when more aging starts offer their services for the stretch run? Will teams have a different roster pre-All-Star Game and post-All-Star game? If you can no longer withstand the rigor of the regular season then you should retire.
While the Yankees are off to a disappointing 14-15 start, due largely to poor pitching, some questionable off-field moves, and a few unlucky injuries, they can do what few teams in the league can afford to do - rent Roger Clemens for the season in the hopes of bringing a championship back to New York.
8 comments:
You absolutely right - I agree with you. Steinbrenner is selling out to the fans, who could care less about how much he is being paid. Yankees fans just want to win at all costs and their owner will do his part to put a championship product on the field. Until the fans get upset about the high payroll, or team chemistry, then maybe he'll change is ways. Now all the players have to do is execute.
The owner already has.
- Hank
Like Al Davis said - Just Win Baby!
I totally agree with you -- but this is how the Yankees run their team. It's so narrow-minded. This team was so suucessful in the mid-to-late 1990s because of young, home grown talent. Once they started spending money (RJ, A-Rod, Pavano), they have not won. I personally don't think Roger will be the savior -- he'll make them competitive, but I don't think they will win the East.
Go white sox! Chi-town baby. We play in a real division.
"The Yankees have previously brought in highly-touted pitchers only to see many of them perform poorly in NY - most recently Randy Johnson, Jose Contreras and Javier Vazquez"
Randy Johnson's numbers in NYC were not that bad. In 2005, he was 17-8, with an ERA of 3.79. Last year, he was 17-11, but his ERA shot up to 5.00.
Javy Vazquez also did reasonably well in his one and only year in pinstripes. His record was 14-10, and his ERA was 4.91.
But more importantly, these two pitchers offered something quite rare these days - consistency. In their three combined seasons in New York, they pitched at least 198 innings. That's something that the Yankee rotation and bullpen sorely need.
With the Astros last year, Clemens started 19 games and pitched a total of 113 innings, almost exactly six innings per start. That should suit Torre and Guidry just fine.
Claude - your point about the Yankees needing consistency and innings is a good one. At this point in his career Clemens is not an innings guy, though he should provide confidence every fifth day.
Randy Johnson's numbers as a Yankee were not that bad but he was brought in as a #1 starter, which brings with it high expectations (and a high salary). His 5.00 ERA last year was terrible, and with all the run support he received he should have won more than the 17 games he did.
As for Vazquez, he had an excellent first half of the season, and even mode the all-star team. His complete second-half collapse drove him out of town. I still think the Yankees should have tried to keep the 28-year-old with good stuff (Vazquez) rather than trade him for the 41-year-old with chronic back problems (Johnson).
Will he have any impact if they are 12 games out when he returns with only 7-9 more games left with the Sox?
I could not agree with you more regarding Roger. Two pitchers you left off the list of notorious failures are Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright or maybe I missed their mentions. The one thing I slightly disagree with you about is how the perquisites Roger is receiving are bad for baseball. Everyone knows that he received these accommodations in Houston and any team that wanted to sign had to take it into consideration. I think Roger is a special case only in sense that he is so outstanding. If Houston did not set the precedent than I can understand any concern. That being said, he is old and I don't think he can pitch into the sixth and seventh innings which is what the Yankees really need. Our bullpen is already worn down and we haven't gotten through a quarter of the season.
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