Tag Archives: World Series

Yankees get Mariners’ Pineda for Montero (AP)

January 14, 2012 6:26 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

SEATTLE (AP)—The Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees pulled off a good
old power play.

Power pitcher for power hitter.

The Mariners agreed to trade right-hander Michael Pineda to the New York
Yankees for catcher Jesus Montero on Friday, a swap involving two young stars
under the age of 23.

A person familiar with the deal confirmed the trade to The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity because no one was authorized to
discuss the trade that will be completed pending physicals.

776e7 michael pineda ap Yankees get Mariners Pineda for Montero (AP)

As part of the trade, the Yankees also sent 24-year-old pitcher Hector Noesi
to Seattle for 19-year-old righty Jose Campos.

The deal addresses needs for both sides. The Yankees were looking for
another starter, preferably young, to add to their rotation, while the Mariners
were desperate for a slugger to add to an offense that was among the worst
historically the last few seasons.

In addition, another person familiar with the agreement told the AP the
Yankees had reached a deal with free agent pitcher Hiroki Kuroda on a $10
million contract for one season. The 36-year-old righty was 13-16 with a 3.07
ERA for the Dodgers last season. Kuroda’s contract is pending a physical.

After losing in the first round of the playoffs, the Yankees kept looking
for pitching this winter after they passed on bidding for the top free agents in
what was a weak year for starters.

They could part with the 22-year-old Montero because they have several
catchers in their system who are considered far better defensively. They have
Austin Romine at Triple-A, plus Russell Martin earned an All-Star appearance in
his first year with New York and was praised for his work with the Yankees’
pitching staff.

In just 69 plate appearances, Montero hit four homers, drove in 12 runs and
batted .328 for New York in a September call-up that earned him a spot on their
playoff roster. He showed patience at the plate and an ability to hit with power
to the opposite field.

Montero hit .288 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs at Triple-A
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year. Montero nearly came to Seattle back in 2010 as
part of a deal for Cliff Lee that fell apart at the last minute. Lee was later
traded to Texas for a bounty that included prospective Seattle starting first
baseman Justin Smoak and right-hander Blake Beavan .

Pineda, who turns 23 later this month, earned his way into the Mariners’
rotation with his performance last spring. By the end of the season, he was in
place as Seattle’s No. 2 starter for the future behind ace Felix Hernandez .

[Passan: One night of moves makes World Series faves out of Yankees]

But no matter who Seattle had throwing, they couldn’t make up for an offense
that hit just .233 as a team, scored 556 runs—worst in all of baseball—and
hit only 109 homers.

Most Seattle fans have pined for Prince Fielder to be the offensive
solution. For now, they’ll have to settle for Montero’s potential.

Pineda went 9-10 with a 3.74 ERA in his rookie season that started fast,
then endured typical rookie struggles as the season progressed. One of Pineda’s
high points was starting at home against the Yankees on May 27 when he was
already 6-2. Pineda threw five innings that night of a 4-3 Seattle victory.

But Pineda’s rookie problems started soon after. Over his final 17 starts,
Pineda was 3-8 and his ERA ballooned to 4.74. Still, Pineda managed to league
all of baseball holding right-handed batters to just a .184 average against and
struck out 173 in 171 innings.

Pineda was expendable because of Seattle’s rich depth of starters. The
Mariners have Hernandez at the top of their rotation and just signed Japanese
pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma . Those two, combined with lefty Jason Vargas and young
prospects Charlie Furbush and Beavan, will likely make up Seattle rotation to
begin the season.

In the minors, three of Seattle’s top prospects all project as starting
pitchers: right-hander Taijuan Walker, lefty Danny Hultzen—the No. 2 pick in
last year’s amateur draft—and righty James Paxton.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: New York, Passan One, Prince Fielder, World Series

Larkin elected to Hall of Fame (AP)

January 10, 2012 6:19 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AP)—Barry Larkin joined with Cal Ripken Jr. in transforming
shortstop into a position for powerful bats, not just great gloves. Now he’s
following Ripken into the Hall of Fame.

The former Cincinnati Reds shortstop was chosen on 495 of 573 ballots (86
percent) in voting announced Monday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of
America, well above the necessary 75 percent.

“When I think of Barry, I think of a steady, smart and terrific all-around
player both at shortstop and at the plate,” Ripken said. “I wish we had played
in the same league, but we were in 11 All-Star Games together and I always
enjoyed being around him and talking baseball.”

94c45 barrylarkin g inline Larkin elected to Hall of Fame (AP)

Larkin will be inducted July 22 in Cooperstown along with the late Ron
Santo, elected last month by the Veterans Committee.

“I’m just incredibly, incredibly moved by this whole experience and so
humbled by the experience and so excited about being the newest member of the
Hall of Fame,” he said on a conference call.

His election came in the final year before the Steroids Era becomes the main
focus in balloting.

Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Mike Piazza, Craig Biggio and Curt
Schilling are eligible for the first time next year.

Jack Morris followed Larkin with 382 votes (67 percent), missing by 48 votes
on his 13th try but up sharply from 54 percent last year. Morris, the ace of
three World Series winners, finished with 254 victories and was the winningest
pitcher of the 1980s. His 3.90 ERA, however, is higher than that of any Hall of
Famer.

He has two chances left on the BBWAA ballot. Gil Hodges (63.4 percent in
1983) has the highest percentage among players who never gained election.

Playing from 1986-04—all with his hometown Reds—Larkin hit .295 with 198
home runs, 960 RBIs, 2,340 hits and 379 stolen bases. A 12-time All-Star, he won
the 1995 NL MVP award, nine Silver Slugger trophies and three Gold Gloves. He
helped the Reds win the 1990 World Series and in 1996 became the first shortstop
to have 30 homers and 30 steals in a season.

“Barry distinguished himself as a tremendous leader and a dominating
player,” Reds great Johnny Bench said. “Winning a World Series and an MVP plus
Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards puts him among the elite players in Reds
history.”

Larkin received 52 percent when he appeared on the ballot for the first time
in 2010, then got 62 percent last year when he fell 75 votes short. This year,
he received the largest single-year percentage increase to gain election since
1948, when pitcher Herb Pennock was elected with 77.7 percent, a year after
finishing with 53.4 percent.

Larkin is the 48th Hall of Famer who spent his entire career with one major
league team and the third from the Reds, joining Bench and Bid McPhee. He
credits Hall of Famer Tony Perez and Dave Concepcion for helping influence his
career, and recalled fondly how he learned Spanish to better communicate with
his teammates.

“Now he’s with us, another guy in the family,” Perez said.

With no big contenders among those in their first year of eligibility,
several holdovers saw increases from last year: Jeff Bagwell (42 percent to 56
percent), Lee Smith (45 to 51), Tim Raines (38 to 49), Alan Trammell (24 to 37)
and Edgar Martinez (33 to 37).

Bernie Williams received the most votes (55) among players who were eligible
for the first time. Bill Mueller got just four votes and will be dropped in
future years, along with Juan Gonzalez (23) and Vinny Castilla (six). Nine
voters submitted blank ballots.

Mark McGwire, 10th on the career home run list with 583, received 19.5
percent in his sixth try, down from 19.8 percent last year and 23.7 percent in
2010—a vote before he admitted using steroids and human growth hormone.

Rafael Palmeiro, among just four players with 500 homers and 3,000 hits
along with Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Eddie Murray, got 72 votes and his
percentage increased to 12.6 from 11 last year in his first appearance. Palmeiro
received a 10-day suspension in 2005 for a positive test for
performance-enhancing drugs, claiming it was due to a vitamin vial given to him
by teammate Miguel Tejada .

Gonzalez, a two-time AL MVP implicated by Jose Canseco in steroids use,
received 30 votes last year, just above the 5 percent threshold for remaining on
the ballot.

In 2014, the focus will turn to elite pitchers when Greg Maddux (355 wins)
and Tom Glavine (305) become eligible. Among pitchers eligible for the Hall, all
20 of the 300-game winners are in.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Alan Trammell, Edgar Martinez, Silver Slugger, World Series

Longtime Yankees C Posada set to retire (AP)

January 8, 2012 6:16 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AP)—Catcher Jorge Posada is planning to retire after 17 seasons with
the New York Yankee rather than pursue opportunities with other teams.

A person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Saturday
that the five-time All-Star catcher will announce his retirement this month.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the decision has not yet
been made public. Posada’s plans were first reported by sports radio station
WFAN.

The 40-year-old Posada won five World Series titles with the team that
drafted him in the 24th round of the 1990 draft. He became a free agent after a
trying season in New York, the final year of a four-year, $52 million contract.

Earlier this offseason, Posada acknowledged that his career with the Yankees
was over, but said he had offers from several other teams.

Posada’s retirement leaves shortstop Derek Jeter and closer Mariano Rivera
as the two remaining players from the core group that led the Yankees to four
World Series championships from 1996-2000 and one more in `09. Andy Pettitte
retired after the 2010 season.

Only Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra have caught more games in pinstripes than
Posada (1,574).

But Posada lost his catching job before the start of last season and
struggled early in his new role as the designated hitter. The switch-hitter was
batting .165 against left-handers on May 14 when he was dropped to No. 9 in the
batting order and asked to be left out of the game against Boston.

He finished batting a career-low .235 with 14 homers and 44 RBIs in 115
games, playing sporadically in September after top prospect Jesus Montero was
called up. Posada did have the winning hit against Tampa Bay on Sept. 21,
clinching the American League East division for New York.

Posada then hit .429 in the five-game division series loss against Detroit,
receiving several long ovations.

For his career Posada hit .273 with 275 home runs and 1,065 RBIs, winning
the Silver Slugger Award five times as best hitting catcher in the American
League.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Andy Pettitte, Jesus Montero, New York, World Series

Cardinals’ Duncan takes leave of absence (AP)

January 7, 2012 6:16 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

ST. LOUIS (AP)—Derek Lilliquist will be making the calls from the St.
Louis Cardinals dugout instead of receiving them next season.

The Cardinals retooled their coaching staff Friday while Dave Duncan takes
an open-ended leave of absence, elevating Lilliquist from bullpen coach to
pitching coach and replacing him in the pen with Dyar Miller.

General manager John Mozeliak said in a telephone interview with The
Associated Press that he didn’t know whether Duncan planned on returning for a
17th season. Mozeliak said reports that Duncan will retire were speculation at
this point.

“Honestly, I don’t know that answer,” Mozeliak said. “The one thing I
wanted to make clear, I did want Lilly and Dyar to know they’d be with the team.
I want clarity going into 2012.”

If Duncan does not return, the Cardinals will be defending their World
Series title without three of their biggest figures. Tony La Russa retired as
the third-winningest manager in major history the day after the World Series
parade. Three-time NL MVP Albert Pujols , who anchored the No. 3 spot in the
lineup for 11 seasons, agreed to a $240 million, 10-year contract with the Los
Angeles Angels.

The 45-year-old Lilliquist filled in as pitching coach when the 66-year-old
Duncan took a leave of absence last August to be with his wife, Jeanine,
following surgery to remove a brain tumor. Duncan returned to the team in time
for its run to a World Series championship but the Cardinals announced Thursday
he was taking another leave related to his wife’s recovery.

During Lilliquist’s time as the fill-in pitching coach, the Cardinals
charged from 10 1/2 games back in the NL wild card standings. They clinched a
playoff spot on the final day of the season, then upset the Phillies, Brewers
and Rangers to take the title.

“I think he has the confidence of our pitchers and obviously has had the
time to learn under Dave,” Mozeliak said of Lilliquist. “He was always
somebody that I believed had a bright future.”

Duncan returned in time for the regular season finale at the request of La
Russa, who had decided a month earlier that he would be retiring, and wanted
Duncan at his side when his managing career concluded.

Duncan coached alongside La Russa for 33 seasons with the Chicago White Sox
(1979-86), Oakland Athletics (1986-95) and Cardinals. He’s coached several Cy
Young winners, including LaMarr Hoyt, Dennis Eckersley and Chris Carpenter, and
has been credited with resurrecting the careers of countless pitchers including
Woody Williams and Jeff Suppan , who played major roles on Cardinals postseason
runs.

Lilliquist was bullpen coach last year and had been retained in that spot
under new manager Mike Matheny. The 65-year-old Miller, who pitched for seven
major league seasons, has been with the organization since 1985.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: During Lilliquist, World Series

Pujols deal complete: 10 years, $240M (AP)

January 5, 2012 6:15 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AP) —

Albert Pujols officially joined the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday when
Major League Baseball and the players’ association confirmed the terms of the
first baseman’s 10-year contract and agreed its guaranteed value is $240
million.

The deal was reached four weeks earlier on the final day of the winter
meetings and took nearly a month to complete. There are three separate
agreements.

The team and Pujols will enter a 10-year, personal-services agreement
following the playing contract’s expiration or Pujols’ retirement, whichever is
later, a deal that will pay $1 million annually. But because it is contingent on
Pujols actually working for the team, it is not considered guaranteed money for
the purposes of baseball’s luxury tax.

High-payroll teams such as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are
likely to examine that structure closely and may emulate it in future
agreements.

There also is a marketing agreement that will pay Pujols for milestone
accomplishments. The player will receive $3 million for 3,000 hits and $7
million for a record 763rd home run. He currently has 2,073 hits and 763 home
runs.

Including all three agreements, Pujols could make up to $265.75 million over
20 years. That includes $875,000 in possible award bonuses each year for
accomplishments such as Most Valuable Player, World Series and league
championship series MVP, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger, and making the All-Star
team.

Like C.J. Wilson’s $77.5 million, five-year contract, which also was agreed
to Dec. 8, Pujols’ deal is heavily backloaded. His 2012 salary will be $12
million, down from the $16 million he made last year in the option year of his
contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Pujols salary increases to $16 million in 2013 and $23 million in 2014, then
rises $1 million annually until he makes $30 million in 2021, when he will be
41.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Gold Glove, Louis Cardinals, Major League Baseball, World Series

Torre joins group looking to buy Dodgers (AP)

January 4, 2012 6:15 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AP)—Joe Torre resigned Wednesday as Major League Baseball’s
executive vice president for baseball operations to join a group trying to buy
the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Torre managed the Dodgers from 2008-10, then retired and joined MLB last
February as a top aide to Commissioner Bud Selig. He is part of a group headed
by real estate developer Rick Caruso.

“In Rick I found a partner who understands consumers and fully appreciates
that the Dodgers are a treasured LA institution,” Torre said in a statement.
“Since moving to Los Angeles, I have seen firsthand Rick’s dedication to
business and the people of Los Angeles.’

The Dodgers were put up for sale by owner Frank McCourt in November, five
months after the team filed for bankruptcy. Following months of bickering and
accusations of mismanagement, an agreement between McCourt and MLB said the team
is to be sold by April 30, which coincides with the deadline for McCourt to pay
former wife Jamie a $131 million divorce settlement.

Initial bids for the team are due by Jan. 23 with the Blackstone Group,
Frank McCourt’s investment banker. The price likely will break the record for a
baseball franchise, topping the $845 million paid by the Ricketts family for the
Chicago Cubs in 2009.

“Joe has a proven track record of fielding winning teams and I am looking
forward to our group benefiting from his unique experience,” Caruso said in a
statement. “I am a lifelong Angeleno; I love this city and have dedicated my
career to creating world-class destinations that support this community and
foster great customer experiences. Joe and I believe in the Dodgers and Dodger
fans and know that together we will foster a winning culture.”

He is president of Caruso Affiliated, which developed The Grove, a 20-acre
retail, dining and entertainment site adjacent to the Farmers Market in Los
Angeles.

Torre, the 1971 National League MVP, was a nine-time All-Star during a
playing career from 1960-77, then managed the New York Mets, Atlanta Braves and
St. Louis Cardinals. After working as a broadcaster for the Angels, he managed
the New York Yankees from 1996-07 and led them to four World Series titles.

With MLB, the 71-year-old Torre delegated much of the day-to-day work to
three senior vice presidents he appointed in March: former Arizona GM Joe
Garagiola Jr., former Dodgers assistant GM Kim Ng and former Arizona assistant
GM Peter Woodfork.

“Joe has been an invaluable resource for me and all of us at Major League
Baseball this year,” Selig said in a statement. “I understand his desire to
pursue an opportunity in Los Angeles. Joe has been a lifelong friend and I know
that will continue in the future.”

Other potential bidders for the team include:

— Steven Cohen of the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors.

— a group that includes former Los Angeles Lakers star Magic Johnson, former
Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals president Stan Kasten and Guggenheim
Partners chief executive officer Mark Walter.

— a group that includes former agent and current Chicago White Sox special
assistant Dennis Gilbert, talk show host Larry King and Jason Reese of Imperial
Capital.

— a group that includes former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire, former
Oakland Athletics president Andy Dolich and former Dodgers batboy Ben Hwang, who
brought in the financial backers

— former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley.

— a group that includes former Dodgers stars Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey,
and Joey Herrick of Natural Balance Pet Foods.

— Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Winners of six World Series titles but none since 1988, the Dodgers have
been in turmoil since October 2009, when the McCourts separated and Frank fired
Jamie as the team’s chief executive officer.

Selig installed former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer as the Dodgers’
financial monitor in April, ruling he must approve any expense of $5,000 or
more.

The Dodgers finished third in the NL West at 82-79, had just three sellouts
and fell short of 3 million in home attendance in a full season for the first
time since 1992.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles, MLB, World Series

Torre joins group looking to buy Dodgers (AP)

January 4, 2012 6:15 pm Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

NEW YORK (AP)—Joe Torre resigned Wednesday as Major League Baseball’s
executive vice president for baseball operations to join a group trying to buy
the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Torre managed the Dodgers from 2008-10, then retired and joined MLB last
February as a top aide to Commissioner Bud Selig. He is part of a group headed
by real estate developer Rick Caruso.

He is president of Caruso Affiliated, which developed The Grove, a 20-acre
retail, dining and entertainment site adjacent to the Farmers Market in Los
Angeles.

Other potential bidders for the team include:

— Steven Cohen of the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors.

— a group that includes former agent and current Chicago White Sox special
assistant Dennis Gilbert, talk show host Larry King and Jason Reese of Imperial
Capital.

— a group that includes former Dodgers general manager Fred Claire, former
Oakland Athletics president Andy Dolich and former Dodgers batboy Ben Hwang, who
brought in the financial backers

— former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley.

— a group that includes former Dodgers stars Orel Hershiser and Steve Garvey,
and Joey Herrick of Natural Balance Pet Foods.

— Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.

Winners of six World Series titles but none since 1988, the Dodgers have
been in turmoil since October 2009, when the McCourts separated and Frank fired
Jamie as the team’s chief executive officer.

Selig installed former Texas Rangers president Tom Schieffer as the Dodgers’
financial monitor in April, ruling he must approve any expense of $5,000 or
more.

The Dodgers finished third in the NL West at 82-79, had just three sellouts
and fell short of 3 million in home attendance in a full season for the first
time since 1992.

Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles, MLB, World Series

Yanks’ $13.9M luxury tax a low since ’03 (AP)

December 26, 2011 6:05 am Cheap Tickets Leave a Comment

The New York Yankees were hit with a $13.9 million luxury tax bill Thursday,
their lowest since 2003.

The fee, assessed by Major League Baseball under its labor contract, is down
from $18 million last year and $25.7 million in 2009, when the Yankees won the
World Series.

Boston, which missed the playoffs for the second straight season, is the
only other team that will have to pay a tax. The Red Sox received a bill for
$3.4 million, up from last year’s $1.5 million.

Season-ending payroll information and the tax was sent to teams and obtained
by The Associated Press.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, checks to pay the tax must
be sent to the commissioner’s office by Jan. 31.

New York has paid the tax in all nine years since it began, $206 million of
the $227 million raised under the penalty for high payrolls. The only other
teams to pay have been the Red Sox (a total of $18.8 million), Detroit ($1.3
million) and the Los Angeles Angels ($927,000).

The Yankees pay at a 40 percent rate on the amount of their payroll over
$178 million, a figure that includes the average annual values of contracts plus
benefits. Boston, which exceeded the threshold for the second straight year,
pays at a 30 percent rate. For purposes of the tax, New York’s final payroll was
$212.7 million and Boston’s was $189.4 million.

Under the new labor contract, the Yankees’ rate would increase to 42.5
percent next year and 50 percent in 2013 if they continue to exceed the
threshold, and Boston’s rate would go up to 40 percent next season.

But if in any year a team goes under the threshold, its rate decreases to
17.5 percent the next time it pays the tax.

As an added incentive for the high-spenders to decrease payroll, if they get
under the threshold they will become eligible to get back some of the money they
contribute in revenue sharing. The tax threshold stays at $178 million through
2013, then goes to $189 million in each of the following three years.

New York’s payroll under the conventional method of calculation—salaries
and prorated shares of signing bonuses—increased from $215 million to $216
million, still below its high of $222.5 million in 2008.

Boston remained second and finished at $174 million, an increase of $3
million. Philadelphia stayed third at $165 million, a rise of nearly $20
million.

Even before adding Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson , the Angels were fourth at
$143 million, followed by the financially troubled New York Mets at $142
million, an increase of $14 million and a figure that likely will drop by $30
million or more next season. They were followed by the Chicago teams, who both
missed the playoffs, with the Cubs at $141 million and the White Sox at $126
million.

World Series champion St. Louis was 11th at $113 million, and AL champion
Texas was 13th at $104 million. Milwaukee (16th at $93 million), Arizona (24th
at $66 million) and Tampa Bay (29th at $45 million) made the playoffs from the
bottom half of payrolls, while the 2010 champion San Francisco Giants ($125
million) and Minnesota ($115 million) were among the high-spending teams to miss
the postseason.

The Marlins, who have added free agents Jose Reyes , Mark Buehrle and Heath
Bell as they prepare to open their new ballpark, were 25th at $62 million. The
Los Angeles Dodgers kept their payroll steady at $110 million as owners Frank
and Jamie McCourt argued in divorce proceedings that helped cause the team to
file for bankruptcy. The Dodgers’ payroll had been $132 million in 2009.

Kansas City dropped from $77 million to last at $45 million. Houston, sold
during the season, fell to $81 million from $90 million last year and $108
million in 2009.

Overall payroll was $43,000 shy of the $3 billion mark, up from $2.91
billion last year.

Payroll figures are for 40-man rosters and include salaries and prorated
shares of signing bonuses, earned incentive bonuses, non-cash compensation,
buyouts of unexercised options and cash transactions, such as money included in
trades. In some cases, parts of salaries that are deferred are discounted to
reflect present-day values.

The commissioner’s office computed the average salary at a record
$3,039,161, up 3.6 percent from last year’s $2,932,162. The players’
association, which uses a slightly different method, pegged the average at
$3,095,183 earlier this month, up 2.7 percent from $3,014,572.

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: Albert Pujols, New York, New York Mets, World Series

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