Rocket Returns
May 6th, 2007 by Tank
Roger Clemens announced during today’s thrashing of Seattle that he will return to the Yankees, likely by the beginning of June. He will reportedly earn $28 million for four months’ work (five months if they make it to the WS), or more than $1 million per start. Not bad for a guy who will turn 45 during the season. Given the strength of the Yanks’ lineup and the shambolic state of their pitching staff, though, I don’t think its an unreasonable contract. The marginal effect of a durable ace on New York’s post-season prospects is huge. And had he returned to Boston, the marginal effect on the Yanks’ chances would have been nearly as huge. So I must say, pricey as it is, I like this deal.
May 6th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
you have to commend Clemens for not just picking the first place team. I am sure the reason the Brewers didn’t offer him a contract was due to the fact that he is no longer good enough to make their staff. Luckily the Yankees don’t have that problem….so good choice
May 7th, 2007 at 6:26 am
It’s fairly obvious that of the four choices: (1) retirement, (2) Yankees, (3) Red Sox, or (4) Astros, he’d choose the Yankees - and the Yankees would ensure they got him.
For Clemens, (a) he likes money (who doesn’t), and the Yankees were clearly going to offer the most - indeed reports have it they offered $10 million more (prorated) than the Red Sox did, (b) he can be a hero, and little chance he’ll be a goat - if he pitches anywhere from average to great and the Yankees get to postseason, it’ll be cuz of Roger’s influence on and off the field… if they don’t, then it’s not on him (with the sole exception being that he pitches horribly *and* they miss the playoffs by only a couple games where an “average” pitcher would’ve arguably made the difference), and (c) kinda a combination of the two, this is where he’s clearly needed the most - and Roger needs to be needed.
For Yankees, (a) they need a fifth starter, no news there, (b) they have the money to burn (despite a recent Forbes article that actually showed them with an operating loss in 2006… humorous), (c) they didn’t have to give up any talent to get him, (d) what better option, talent-wise, would’ve been realistically available to them - especially by Memorial Day?
A no-brainer really. If he’d somehow joined the Sox, I’d be ecstatic - so I suspect every Yankee fan is besides themselves right now.
Now, I’m very interested to see what he’s gonna do. Nothing would surprise me with this guy anymore - as he’s no worse than the 2nd-best pitcher in ML history, and maybe an argument could be made that he’ll finish even ahead of Walter Johnson. I could see him coming in around a 3.00 ERA, winning a healthy amount of games, while the Yankees get healthy in the rest of the rotation and get to the postseason. I could also see this 45-year-old finally decline a bit, especially playing in the vastly superior AL, and on those occasions that he does hand his bullpen a lead, they blow it as often as his Astro ‘mates did in the past. I just don’t know - and I’ll truly be curious to see.
And for those of you keeping score at home, the Sox come back to NY May 21-23… probably too early to see Clemens. However, the Yankees come to Fenway June 1-3… just about the time that his minor league build-up stints should be over…. hmmm….
Just another added piece of excitement and intrigue to what is already that Greatest Rivalry in Sports.
P.S. Regarding the Rocket’s four choices, think of him as J. Lo who’s deciding where she’s gonna park her booty next year - and his four choices as the four guys she’s been married/engaged to. The “retirement” is like the first guy (a nobody) she was briefly married to, not even close to being an option. The Astros are Chris Judd - yeah, a nice option in the past, but really… not a viable option at this point. The Red Sox are Ben Affleck - still some attraction there, still the star power to be commanded, but his leaving the Sox and Dan Duquette is like “Gigli”… something that simply cannot be forgotten, or revisited. And Marc Anthony is the Yankees - the sexy choice that has everything that is needed. Clemens and J. Lo chose the Yankees and Marc Anthony for 2007… but don’t pretend that means anything going into 2008… things change.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Evidently the $28mm figure is annualized; he will actually be paid a pro rata share of that figure, or around $18 million. Still probably around $1 million per start (not counting the 40% luxury tax the Yanks must pay on his salary to help insulate the Royals from their own idiocy). I liked the deal at $28 million; I love it at $18 million.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
Really? You would still like at $28 million? Coupled with the luxury tax, that would be around $39 million for one player - wow!
May 7th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
In light of how much incremental money there is to be earned by going deep into the post season, and how tenuous the Yanks’ post-season chances are ex-Clemens, yeah, I like it.
The magnitude of the Yanks’ subsidization of basket cases like KC does raise an interesting question though: wouldn’t the Yankees be better of financially buying the Royals and just relegating the team to the International League? Would anyone actually miss watching their team play KC?
May 7th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
You pose an interesting question - I would venture to say the answer is no; other than a few thousand die hard fans no one would probably care all that much.
But wouldn’t the Yankees miss the 6 wins each year? Unless of course they were to, oh don’t know, get SWEPT AT HOME by the pathetic Royals. I mean - what are the odds THAT would ever happen???
May 7th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Well baseball being baseball, crap teams sweep top-tier teams with some regularity. Even a team with a management of such colossal mental defects as KC can expect to win a third of their games. So good teams would potentially forego, say, 2 net wins if the slots KC takes up on the schedule were instead filled with major league-caliber competition. Personally, I’d be much more likely to pay to see New York play the Bridgeport Bluefish or Newark Bears than the Royals. At least then I’m not being lured in under the false pretense of seeing two major-league teams play one another.
May 7th, 2007 at 8:07 pm
Yup - given the luxury tax implications, the Yankees are actually close to that $28 million number… coming in around $25 million for payroll and luxury tax total. Without the luxury tax (and not including the posting fee for Kei Igawa), I believe this puts them back over the magical $200 million payroll threshold that has proven so successful in recent years.
Just think, if Carl Pavano had any interest whatsoever in actually pitching for the Yankees, they may not have signed Clemens. Bit of a nonsequiter, but I’m just sayin’ is all.
May 7th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
What ever happened to Carl Pavano? I like to think he ran off and joined the French Foreign Legion; its the romantic in me. But I could also believe resentful mafiosi deposited him in the East River, or a blow to the head has left him a homeless amnesiac, wandering barefoot around the lower east side, talking shit about Carl “The Truth” Williams…
May 8th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
I’d have a great old laugh if Clemens fell completely on his face this year.
Of course, there’s no evidence that will ever happen, but a guy can dream, can’t he?