Joe Torre has decided he did not want to work under a contract that would have cut his league-high manager's salary to a lower one, which would have still kept him atop the manager salary scale. Before I move on to some possible fantasy implications, I have to draw you to one of the funnier comments I've read on this event.
In this morning's New York Times, Scott Boras is quoted saying this the the AP:
"It is difficult, near impossible, to accept a salary cut," Boras said. "Successful people can afford their principles. They understand if they accept the position, there is a great risk the message to all under him is dissatisfaction."
I guess the Yankees can assume Arod won't sign an extension for an average annual salary less than what he currently gets paid?
On to the fantasy implications for the 2008 Yankees. I don't expect much difference. The salaries of the regulars and the quality of the back-ups leave little room for creativity. The one area that could be affected, though, is the stolen base.
Joe Torre did let his player steal bases. The Yankees were 4th in the AL with 123 swipes behind Tampa Bay (131), the Angels (139) and the Orioles (144). If a New School manager is hired, then expect to see many fewer stolen bases. Will that manager take the team to the depths of the SB totals like the Indians (72) or just as low as the Red Sox (96)? Where would those 27 fewer SBs go?
The Yankees SB leaders were all older players (Johnny Damon, Bobby Abreu, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter), but all of them had good (Abreu 25-33) to great (Damon 27-30) success rates with the exception of one - Derek Jeter. He was caught 8 times in 23 attempts.
Could a new school manager come in and put the breaks on Derek Jeter? Would it be allowed?
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