[新聞] Piniella could be lure to attract A-Rod

[leddy (耿秋)]

Piniella could be lure to attract A-Rod
Wednesday, October 18, 2006

By PETE CALDERA
STAFF WRITER

from northjersey.com


NEW YORK -- In the throes of a mid-season batting slump, it became clear how
much Alex Rodriguez still was tethered to his first big league manager.

Running into Lou Piniella in the Yankee Stadium parking lot was like seeing
"an angel from the sky," A-Rod said on June 28.


Piniella and A-Rod chatted for nearly two hours in Rodriguez's apartment
after the meeting, and the next day Rodriguez homered in the 12th inning to
beat the Braves. The main topics of the conversation were hitting and living
as a Yankee, at a time when all the city's noise seemed to be rattling inside
A-Rod's head.

It may never go away until Rodriguez leaves New York.

Now that Piniella has landed as manager of the Cubs, the North Side of
Chicago could be considered a potential spot to send A-Rod in a trade.

On the South Side, the White Sox reportedly made the first trade overture for
A-Rod since the Yankees were eliminated by Detroit in the division series.
General manager Brian Cashman quickly rejected the proposal.

The Angels and Marlins are other possible teams that could work a deal for
Rodriguez, provided he waives his full no-trade clause.

And while that might be considered A-Rod's flag of surrender, his future
happiness -- and the Yanks' desperate need for young, power pitchers -- could
push toward an amicable divorce this winter.

Despite his fondness for A-Rod, it's unclear whether Piniella would lobby
Cubs' management to obtain him to play shortstop or third base.

If Rodriguez even agreed to such a deal, could the Cubs satisfy the Yankees'
demands?

Third baseman Aramis Ramirez has two years and $22.5 million remaining on his
contract, not including an $11 million vesting option if he plays in 270
games combined in 2007 and 2008.

Ramirez is coming off career-highs of 38 homers and 119 RBI, and he could
demand that his contract be restructured if he's dealt; in his current
contract, he can opt for free agency after the World Series.

The Yankees might also insist on top prospect Sean Gallagher, 20, a power
right-hander who had 171 strikeouts in 165 minor league innings this year.

Chicago isn't interested in moving Carlos Zambrano, which would further
complicate any Yankees-Cubs deal. And the Yanks' recent history with
sore-armed pitchers would almost certainly exclude the addition of Kerry Wood
or Mark Prior.

Thinking about Bobby Brownlie, the Cubs' former No. 1 draft pick from
Rutgers? He went 0-3, with a 10.80 at Class AAA this year before being
demoted to Class AA, where he was 3-11 with a 5.64 ERA.

Still, the Cubs reportedly are chasing free agent Alfonso Soriano (to play
center field) as their main big-ticket addition this winter.

The Cubs (who are expected to increase payroll by up to 15 percent from $96
million in 2006), Yankees, Mariners, White Sox, Mets and Dodgers are all
mulling strong bids for Japanese right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka after the
World Series.

With an obvious need to upgrade their starting rotation, the Yankees have no
assurances that the stars of a weak free agent pitching market -- Barry Zito
and Jason Schmidt -- would even consider relocating to the Bronx.

A creative trade seems Cashman's best route to finding an impact pitcher, and
A-Rod seems to be his best trade chip. And the Angels still seem the best
potential trade partner.

Before the July 31 trade deadline, the Angels were willing to deal Ervin
Santana and his electric arsenal to Baltimore in exchange for Miguel Tejada.
A Santana-for-A-Rod trade could open third base at Yankee Stadium for a
potential free agent such as former Bergen Catholic standout Mark DeRosa.

The Yankees owe $64 million over the remaining four years of Rodriguez's
contract, making him a viable trade commodity.

If Rodriguez stays, there is some mending needed in the relationship between
the slugger and manager Joe Torre, whose move to bat Rodriguez eighth in the
final playoff game was a shocking statement.

And if this is Torre's final year as manager, Joe Girardi -- having been
passed over by the Cubs for their opening -- could be in line as the Yanks'
next manager.

According to a published report, there is no out-clause in Piniella's
three-year contract to accept a managerial vacancy with the Yankees.

E-mail: [e-mail]

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc) 
◆ From: 220.132.198.21
推 eric2003002:A-Rod別走~~~>?<
推 oukeheo:想要A-Rod準備付高昂代價吧 這次洋基當強盜! 不希望他走啦
推 Fuuuck:Cubs不打算動到Zambrano，基本上也沒啥好談了...
推 KerryWood:PRIOR+WOOD不知道有沒有人敢要XDD
推 zangyo:樓上要來洋基嗎?? XD  我蠻喜歡這兩個的
推 sheff:Wood不是ＦＡ媽？
推 eilgreen:Pavano+Prior+Wood 三千萬的傷兵 or 45+wins 你敢賭嗎??
推 newbornme:這三個人加起來不會45+ wins，要考慮到replacement。
推 eilgreen:也是吼  王建民就要拿20勝啦  呵呵
推 afj0928:沒好交易不要交易a rod 友好交易就換吧 a rod跟隊長有心結
→ afj0928:走了也好
推 a78544521:樓上 純粹是媒體炒作 別亂信這種不實的傳言
推 afj0928:心結我認為有 跟媒體炒作無關
推 alexfun:光看今年Jeter幾乎沒幫A-Rod跳出來幫腔什麼就知道了 XDD
推 ARAKI:最後一段看不懂 是在酸Piniella?
推 pathfinder:是說他的三年約裡沒有逃脫條款好讓他接NYY的總教練空缺
推 mightymouse:只要是team都會有心結的,如果因為有心結就要有人走,那
→ mightymouse:地球上大概沒有一個team有辦法做事,有心結沒關係,只要
→ mightymouse:有人願意解而且不影響表現,有心結又何妨
推 awesomecheng:歐肥和摳鼻不也是有心結  不過還是拿了好幾次冠軍..
推 leddy:最後是說, 若torre明年解職接替人選不會是Piniella
推 lwghost:之前現金人不是說過洋基不會送走 A-ROD？是我記錯了嗎？