Ken Williams Smokes Two Joints In The Morning...

... And Billy Beane smokes two joints at night.  That's really the only logical explanation I can come up with to explain the completely batshit insane trade requests these guys are making.  I'll be honest, I thought Williams' "Jesus and ManBan for John Danks" idea was cute.  I really did.  I mean, I'm sure Williams is still salty over Cash giving him the business on the Swisher trade.  It's understandable.  But this batch of nonsense from Billy is just awe-inspiringly stupid.  Jesus, ManBan or Betances, and Mason Williams.  I understand wanting to take a big reach on your first go round to see if the Yankees are serious, but THAT big a reach?

Come on now, guys.  Cut the malarkey.  And fire another one up.  My guess is, once you start feeling it and Cash calls back talking about throwing in some Beef Baja Chalupas and Jr. Bacon Cheeseburgers with D.J. Mitchell, you'll be singing a different tune.



P.S.- 4 years/$58 mil for Mark Buehrle?  Really?  Really???

A.J. Being Dangled? Will Anybody Bite? What Does It Mean?

(Could we be saying goodbye to A.J. Two Face?)

A story in The Post this morning discussed the Yankees' reportedly offering up A.J. Burnett to other teams and being willing to eat some of the money remaining on his contract.  There's no mention of any specific teams or trade proposals that were discussed, and no real indication that there is a market out there for A.J., so before you jump for joy realize that the odds of A.J. actually being dealt are slim to none.  But this does shed some more light on what the Yankees' plans could be to address the rotation this year.

First and foremost, I think this is a clear indication that the Yankees have given up on A.J.  The Yankees, with their constant "win now" mentality, are the type of team to take on contracts through trades if they feel it can help the team, not eat their own contracts and pay players to NOT play for them.  If the Yankees are openly stating that they are willing to pay money for A.J. to not be on their team next year, then it's a clear sign that they think they are better off without him than with him in the rotation.  That $8 million number they threw out almost certainly wouldn't be enough for other teams to take them up on the offer, but coming out and giving a number establishes a willingness on their part to talk, and that's a bad sign for A.J.

Secondly, I think this play by the Yankees shows that they are more serious about adding a pitcher through a trade this offseason than through free agency.  There is almost 0 talk right now relating to the C.J. Wilsons, Mark Buehrles, and Roy Oswalts of the world and any connection to the Yankees.  There is plenty of talk, however, regarding John Danks and Gio Gonzalez, and Cash listening to trade proposals in general.  And while the asking prices for both are incredibly steep right now, the Yankees must feel like they can negotiate a trade that is better for them and pursue that route to improve their rotation.  If they didn't, they wouldn't be looking to remove a piece from their current rotation, and eat money for that piece, to open up a spot..

Again, this will likely result in a lot of nothing.  But even from nothing can something be extracted, in this case some more clues as to what the Yanks might be looking to do to follow through on their efforts to bolster next year's rotation.

The Worst Part Of Hot Stove Season So Far

(Screen cap courtesy of ESPN.com)

I don't know why I was surprised to see this on my TV last night, but I damn near coughed water all over my screen when I picked my head up and saw Bobby V, unbuttoned tie-less white guy gangsta swag and all, chumming it up with Terry Francona as they talked about the stuff that comes with managing the Fraud Sawx.

Are they any lows that ESPN won't stoop to in order to keep their beloved Fraud Sawx at the forefront of their baseball coverage?  I mean, we haven't heard a peep about what the team's offseason plans are other than offering arbitration to Big Sloppi and then BOOM!  Fraud Sawx managerial ho-down right in your fucking grill.  It's pathetic.  The Marlins are trying to scoop up every big name player out there, Albert Pujols is weighing offers from them and the Cardinals, there's rumors surrounding the FA pitching group, Hanley Ramirez is pissed, the Yankees are laying in the weeds watching everything unfold, and yet ESPN decides the best thing to do is stick the current and most recent Fraud Sawx managers together to suck each other's dicks for five minutes.  Hot Stove coverage at its finest, folks!

I'll make it real simple.  Managing the Fraud Sawx is a shitty job because of all the prima donnas in the clubhouse, the upper management and ownership just waiting to cut your throat and smear you in the media, and the equally idiotic local media and fanbase.  Working for ESPN is a tits job because you can come on the air, say whatever you want without any knowledge base or support to back up your theories, be completely subjective when talking about any team, ignore statistics that tell the true story, and not be held accountable for anything.

P.S.- I was shocked they didn't have Buster Olney standing by to give updates on the discussion between Francona and Valentine and what it meant for the Fraud Sawx moving forward.