Yankees have acquired Blue Jays outfielder Raul Mondesi

ESPN ^ | July 1, 2002 | ESPN

[jern]

George Steinbrenner wanted outfield help, and he got it Monday. The first-place Yankees have acquired Blue Jays outfielder Raul Mondesi, the team announced. The Yankees have also planned an anouncement for 7 p.m. ET.

[Dales]

I am just curious as to why everyone says baseball is broken now, when they weren't saying this 25 years ago. Or 50 years ago. Or 75 years ago.

Because the Yankees have always been the Yankees. And they have always had more resources.

If the nation fell in love with baseball during that time, why would we think it is broken now?

But clearly people do think that it is. And I have not quite understood why.

[RabidBartender]

The NBA has a salary cap, therefore, there is more equity amongst the teams.

Baseball does not have a salary cap (and if the Player's Union has their way, it never will), so teams can spend enormous amounts of cash to buy championships.

Wayne Huizenga did it in '97 with the Marlins, then sold off all of his players. Steinbrenner did it the next three years, but (to my joy) it didn't work in '01.

[big'ol_freeper]

Can anyone ever explain the Red Sox?

[hole_n_one]

The NBA has a salary cap, therefore, there is more equity amongst the teams.

There's the Lakers, then far below them, the N.B.A.

[Iowegian]

Oh yes I'm right. Green for Mondesi is one of the best trades in Dodger history. If you know anything about him you know he's in love with himself and he has no work ethic.
He's a good player, but not a team player.

Signed,
A Dodger fan

[rohry]

"Can anyone explain why Boston's under .500 at home?"

Partly because Manny has been out during the last three (?) homestands.

[Huck]

So what should the self-imposed salary cap be?

[Johnny Shear]

All you whining Yankee Haters are simply envious. The problem is, none of you seem to have a memory past 1996...The year of the Yankees first World Series Championship in this current run.

The Yankees SUCKED for a LOT of years with George Steinbrenner at the helm. They SUCKED for a LOT of years while trying to "Buy" a Championship as some of you on this thread mistakingly state they have done.

How do you explain that???

I'll tell you how...They NOW have the best organization in baseball...PERIOD! They excell at EVERYTHING...Including MAKING MONEY!!! GASP! They don't "Buy" players, they "Develop" them, for the most part...Or, they use that wealth of minor league talent to trade for them.

On this current roster I can think of, off the top of my head, TWO players they have "Purchased". I'll bet you clowns didn't know that, did you? Those two? GREAT players, no doubt...Jason Giambi and Mike Musina.

The rest???

Bernie Williams...Farm System
Derek Jeter...Farm System
Soriano...Farm System
Jorge Posada...Farm System
Andy Pettitt...Farm System
Mariano Rivera...Farm System

Roger Clemens...Trade


So face it..The Yankees are simply GOOD! Stop your whining! This is Free Republic for God's Sake!!!


Signed...A Lifetime Yankee Fan stuck in Indiana!

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

But in the NBA, even with the salary cap, the Lakers have won 3 in a row with an overall payroll of ~$45 million, while the Knicks and Trailblazers went nowhere with $80+ million payrolls. The cap didn't stop them from trying.

[Senator Pardek]

For those of you who believe the Yanks "buy" teams, consider the origins of the following:

Rivera, Mariano
Hernandez, Orlando
Lilly, Ted
Pettitte, Andy
Mendoza, Ramiro
Posada, Jorge
Jeter, Derek
Soriano, Alfonso
Williams, Bernie

Do any of those names ring a bell?

[Senator Pardek]

Damn it, you beat me to it! The biggest myth in contemporary pro baseball...

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

Yet the Lakers did it with league-average payrolls...what does that tell you? The difference in payroll between the Lakers and the Trailblazers, for instance, is about ~$35-$40 million. That's enough of a difference to add guys to the Lakers like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Jason Kidd, and still not be #1 in payroll. Think about it.

[Mike Fieschko]

I am not sure that this move actually helps the Yankees any on the field.

I think his defense is better than Spencer or Vander Wal, his arm and the ground he covers.

Williams in center has been getting bad jumps on balls lately [ :-^) ], and maybe Modesi can help him out in center.

They sure don't need Mondesi to boost their power.

The Boston radio announcers said that the Yanks were the only team to ask Toronto about Mondesi, and looking at his stats, that isn't a surprise.

[hole_n_one]

Owners should put the best team on the hardwood, gridiron, ice or between the lines that one canwithout violating the governing rules for that particular sport........if there's no salary cap, then, there's no salary cap.

The franchise still needs to be a money making enterprise, and if one can consistently dominate and win in the process, more power to them.

[Mike Fieschko]

TWO players they have "Purchased".

There's Ventura also, but his history is to flop in the second half.

[Dales]

Yeah I know, but just how big of an impact can a RF's defense actually be? Can it be worth about 100 OPS points? I doubt it. And I bet they could coax an OPS out of the guys they have, or from someone in the minors or available for a heck of a lot less, that would be about 100 points higher than Mondesi.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

How the hell should I know, that wasn't my point. How far above the league average payroll should a team be allowed to spend without being considered as 'trying to buy the title'? The Dodgers took a lot a heat for building up a mediocre $100 million team but the Yankees have now gone well beyond that, and now have added an $11 million mediocre player to their roster. Oddly enough, both teams have identical records right now, so the extra money the Yankees have spent hasn't paid any dividends.

[Mike Fieschko]

Yeah I know, but just how big of an impact can a RF's defense actually be?

I'm partial to right fielders with an arm that keeps someone going from first to third or second to home, or from third to home on a fly.

It boggles my mind, BTW, that the Red Sox have given up 20 fewer runs than anyone else in the league, and 45 fewer than New York.

[Citizen of the Savage Nation]

For those of you who believe the Yanks "buy" teams, consider the origins of the following:

They don't 'buy' teams, but the number of other MLB teams who can afford to go on spending sprees of the likes of the Yankees is a number that happens to be lower than 1. Its not hard for a team to look good if they have $130 million to spend.

[Mike Fieschko]

They don't 'buy' teams, but the number of other MLB teams who can afford to go on spending sprees of the likes of the Yankees is a number that happens to be lower than 1.

Yeah ... Arizona's got a great farm system.