Buster Olney: “The Red Sox Crushed the Angels”

A telling quote from ESPN’s Buster Olney, (whose daily blog is worth the cost of ESPN insider all on its own, by the way):

In the end, the Red Sox crushed the Angels in the bidding for Carl Crawford. Sources say the Angels’ last fully guaranteed offer was six years and $108 million, far below Boston’s seven-year, $142 million deal.

This is not meant to stoke the “ESPN IS BIASED TOWARDS TEH RED SOX!!1!” flames–in fact, I’ll go on record saying that they tend to give the Yankees as much billing as the Sox on a regular basis. But it’s worth wondering what the line would have been, had the Yankees paid what Boston did. I imagine something like:

“The Yankees outbid the next closest suitor by a whopping $34 million, paying more than 30% above the next best offer. But then again, they’re the Yankees, and they can afford the opulence.”

Anyone else wonder if John Henry is pissed off about spending $33,000,000 more than he had to?

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The changing of the guard is upon us; the Buster Posey Effect in effect

Maybe Jeter can learn a thing from his long-time buddy. The position you play doesn’t have to define you; let your play define your position. Do what the team needs you to do in order to best help the team win.?That Posada is handling it this fairly well might be a small surprise, but I’m proud of him and I know that sounds funny, odd.? The thing about Jeter that’s helped?made him so good for so long is his hyper-competitiveness and supreme confidence. That necessary ego is making this next step for Jeter that much more difficult.? If he took an angle not dissimilar to Posada, a bit of humility and rationality about his own shortcomings and ultimately succumbing to?Father Time, the amount of drama would be far less.??Jeter would be revered more for his selflessness than chided for his selfishness (for demanding to play SS and only SS).?

While the Yanks have no obvious heir to the shortstop position (Nunez, perhaps?), the Yanks are in a fine position to lean on their own farm system.? Call it the Buster Posey Effect:

“The Giants did it with Buster Posey,” a Yankees source said of San Francisco’s decision to go with an untested catcher with suspect defensive tools but a big bat. “This guy’s bat is too good not to try it.”

Sounds like we’re going to find out soon enough.? Is Jesus Montero ready? What about Austin Romine?? I can do without major playing time for Cervelli, though.

The upside in this plan is obvious; the farm system delivers their latest full time regular to the Yanks veteran club, adding to the recent ascentions of Brett Gardner and Robinson Cano. Yankee haters will forever bash the team for buying titles, but if Montero sticks, the entire 2011 field, except for first base/pitching, will be either home grown or as a result of trades of home grown talent. Chew on that.

• C: Montero (farm system)
• 1B: Teixeira (free agent)
• 2B: Cano (farm system)
• 3B: ARod (trade: Soriano/farm system)
• SS: Jeter (farm system)
• LF: Gardner (farm system)
• CF: Granderson (trade: A.Jackson, P.Coke, I.Kennedy/farm system)
• RF: Swisher (trade: J.Marquez/farm system)

Meh, perhaps I’m just trying too hard to defend the Yanks. The haters will hate and that’s OK. We’d have it no other way.

Father Time sucks, by the way.

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