Takashi Saito made a FA

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...2008&fext=.jsp

Had Saito been tendered, he would have been eligible for salary arbitration and a raise from $2 million to about $3.5 million. Because the right-hander is coming off an elbow injury that sidelined him for two months, the Dodgers were only willing to take as much risk as a $2.5 million contract plus incentives. It really was a "staredown," as general manager Ned Colletti described. There were no negotiations after Tuesday.

Saito has told friends he's healthy and intends to play in 2009, whether it's with the Dodgers or not.

"We're expecting quite a few teams to be calling in regards to Takashi Saito," agent Nez Balelo said. "We respect the Dodgers' stance and we're moving on and looking forward to free agency."

I'd like to see the Yanks look into that. He'd make a great set up man.

[justtxyank]

I would as well.

[THEBOSS84]

Saito is nasty. Let's get him in the fold ASAP.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Very good GB rates the last couple years too

http://www.hardballtimes.com/thtstat...lastName=saito

[Matsui55]

The guy's elbow is shot- he literally mised the entire stretch run last year and was awful when he tried to pitch.

He's 39 years old and will likely need TJ surgery. Pass.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

The guy's elbow is shot- he literally mised the entire stretch run last year and was awful when he tried to pitch.

He's 39 years old and will likely need TJ surgery. Pass.

Of course there is a risk but he has also been one of the best relief pitchers in the majors the last few years. I'd like to see the Yankees take a chance on him.

[nnysiny]

http://www.npbtracker.com/2008/12/fr...kahashi-saito/

Takashi Saito got himself non-tendered from the Dodgers by turning down an incentive-laden 1-year, $2m deal.

[SoCal Pinstriper]

The guy's elbow is shot- he literally mised the entire stretch run last year and was awful when he tried to pitch.

He's 39 years old and will likely need TJ surgery. Pass.

he was completely toast when he came off the DL. The Dodgers left him off the roster for the Philly series.

I don't think that he'll make it past any team's ST.

Loved his huge smile when he got the save.

Great guy, and a very effective pitcher for a while, but pass.

[Rocketman]

he was completely toast when he came off the DL. The Dodgers left him off the roster for the Philly series.

I don't think that he'll make it past any team's ST.

Loved his huge smile when he got the save.

Great guy, and a very effective pitcher for a while, but pass.

Agreed on all points.

[teknetic]

Going on 39 (February) with elbow issues, he might be out of a job soon enough.

Sucks he didnt get started here sooner.

[bcom33]

The guy's elbow is shot- he literally mised the entire stretch run last year and was awful when he tried to pitch.

He's 39 years old and will likely need TJ surgery. Pass.

Does this not sound like the exact sort of player the Yankees are interested in signing right now?

[teknetic]

Does this not sound like the exact sort of player the Yankees are interested in signing right now?

No, not unless you somehow figure signing Burnett or wanting Lowe is equivalent to signing a 39 year old reliever who's probably gonna be going under the knife.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

No, not unless you somehow figure signing Burnett or wanting Lowe is equivalent to signing a 39 year old reliever who's probably gonna be going under the knife.

It's not even close to equivalent. Those guys cost 80+ mil to sign, Saito would cost 2-3 mil.

[YankeePride1967]

I think it would be a good idea on the cheap.

[ThePinStripes]

Do we really need BP help? I mean, it's always good to have, but I'd have to be pretty desperate to go after this guy. He's more a hail mary and a liability than an insurance policy.

[aeromac76]

Bullpen is a good strength of ours, Saito is 39, and has serious arm issues.
Unless he takes a minor league deal or a cheap ML deal with incentives, not worth pursuing.

[Snatch Catch]

The guy couldn't get $3.5 million. You have to wonder what's really wrong.

[Melan-cynic]

Saito had experimental surgery using stem cell injections. His elbow is likely cooked and unfortunately at his age he likely will never recover. However, the Yankees should do their due diligence to make sure his medicals aren't better than we'd all expect.

[THEBOSS84]

Rotoworld:

According to the Boston Globe, the Red Sox made an offer to Takashi Saito after he was non-tendered by the Dodgers.
The Saito market has been surprisingly quiet since he was let go. He'd seem to be a really good gamble for a large-market team, especially since he'd be under control for three years even after being given a one-year deal.

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/home_MLB.aspx

I would like to outbid the Sox.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Dammit. I really want the Yankees to go after him

[Yankee Fan in Boston]

Rotoworld:



http://www.rotoworld.com/content/home_MLB.aspx

I would like to outbid the Sox.

The Sox have cash to burn now.

[Hibachi]

It is worth a shot. Sign him to around a 4 million/1 year deal. If he gets hurt and/or flames out than the Yankees can just release him. Buy low and see what you get out of it.

[Stache Fan]

It is worth a shot. Sign him to around a 4 million/1 year deal. If he gets hurt and/or flames out than the Yankees can just release him. Buy low and see what you get out of it.

Agreed... but one more unexpected FA signing by the Yankees would probably make people's heads explode.

[Jace]

Didnt he get that crazy surgical procedure to try and avoid an otherwise-necessary TJ surgery? I mean, this could just be throwing money completely away

[Hibachi]

Didnt he get that crazy surgical procedure to try and avoid an otherwise-necessary TJ surgery? I mean, this could just be throwing money completely away

You forget that the Yankees print money in the basement of new Yankee Stadium. Money is not an issue.

[Jace]

You forget that the Yankees print money in the basement of new Yankee Stadium. Money is not an issue.

Money is probably the only issue. I think any club, no matter how rich, is trying to make intelligent decisions

[destro]

let's sign every other player that teams throw away because they arent any good anymore.

let's get Saito, Andruw and while we're at it, might as well ink Bernie again

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Another quality post.

[nnysiny]

It is worth a shot. Sign him to around a 4 million/1 year deal. If he gets hurt and/or flames out than the Yankees can just release him. Buy low and see what you get out of it.

how is overpaying "buying low"? youre talking about Marte money for a guy who is over the hill and possibly finished

[teknetic]

let's sign every other player that teams throw away because they arent any good anymore.

let's get Saito, Andruw and while we're at it, might as well ink Bernie again

Why do you bother posting here?

[Matsui55]

It is worth a shot. Sign him to around a 4 million/1 year deal. If he gets hurt and/or flames out than the Yankees can just release him. Buy low and see what you get out of it.

There is no need to throw away good money on a broken down 39 year old pitcher. He needs TJ and his career will be over.

Besides, when Mark Melancon makes the team, people will not even remember Saito- let alone EVER raise Joba as a reliever again.

[DaSh 1s]

Why do you bother posting here?

Why do you bother responding?

[dont_ya_know24]

Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.

[teknetic]

Why do you bother responding?

Because it's a message board? it's quite the concept really.

[jobasfistpump62]

I think our bullpen is stacked enough already. I would use the money that he would get to improve the bench.

[jesterno2]

I think our bullpen is stacked enough already. I would use the money that he would get to improve the bench.

nailed it. we have 9-10 guys already vying for spots, all who are young, have great stuff and are cost controlled. no need to take up a roster spot and block one of these guys and throw away some money that could be used on improving the bench.

[DaSh 1s]

Why do you bother posting here?

Because it's a message board? it's quite the concept really.

[destro]

i can comment however i please. i think saito is a dumb idea and doesn't fill any immediate need. people constantly make threads about picking up hasbeen players "on the cheap" just to have something to post about.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Has Been? Saito was completely dominant in 08'.

[destro]

Has Been? Saito was completely dominant in 08'.

he's 39 and his arm almost fell off. we don't need to pick up scrap heap guys. use known quantities or don't do anything.

but i mean you would know best, you predicted how sick Homer Javy is. Heading to Atlanta this year?

[destro]

even if you were to spend on Saito, it would only be prudent to make it a minor league deal with an invite to ST. Considering he spent from July - Sept with a ligament problem and JUST barely avoided having Tommy John surgery in his late 30s, it wouldn't be smart to use a roster spot for him

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

he's 39 and his arm almost fell off. we don't need to pick up scrap heap guys. use known quantities or don't do anything.

but i mean you would know best, you predicted how sick Homer Javy is. Heading to Atlanta this year?

Oh, did you not like the Javier Vazquez trade?

When you use expressions like "his arm almost fell off" you can't lose.

Yes, Saito's arm almost fell off, but I'm hoping they will be able to re-attach.

[Panamaniac42]

i can comment however i please. i think saito is a dumb idea and doesn't fill any immediate need. people constantly make threads about picking up hasbeen players "on the cheap" just to have something to post about.

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showpost.p...32&postcount=1

Because of that, we have created this sub-forum, ITL 2. In this forum, thread creation will not be actively moderated. If someone wants to start a thread about Derek Jeter’s throwing error in Game X, they are welcome to do so without anyone saying that it should be merged with the Derek Jeter Performance Thread. In other words, no one should be making any judgements (or posts) in this sub-forum about what threads are and are not threadworthy, though we do ask that everyone use their best judgement about what is thread worthy before they start a thread. For instance, if there's a thread about why Robinson Cano is struggling in this sub-forum and you have a different theory about why he might be struggling, it might be better for you to post in the thread about that specific issue rather than starting a thread about your own theory, but it's largely up to you, and threads in this forum can be as specific as a user wants them to be.

[Snatch Catch]

Saito's arm could go at any time. The procedure he used was relatively experimental and didn't fix him like new.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct...rts/sp-dodfyi3

Saito credited his unlikely recovery from a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow that he suffered in July to a cutting-edge medical procedure, which, to his knowledge, had never been tried on a major league pitcher.

To this day, team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache can’t definitively say that injecting platelet-rich plasma into Saito’s elbow is what allowed him to avoid Tommy John surgery. ElAttrache also won’t guarantee how long the elbow will hold up or that Saito won’t have to have surgery in the future.

Within a week of hurting his elbow, Saito had blood drawn and spun to isolate the platelets, which clot and promote healing. The platelets, 10 times more concentrated than in normal blood, were injected into the site of the tear in the elbow. ElAttrache said he used PRP in the past to repair tendons, but never ligaments.

ElAttrache admitted if that Saito were 25 or 26, he would have recommend surgery.

[THEBOSS84]

If Saito believed the situation was as dire as you guys are making out to be, wouldn't he have accepted the LAD's offer of $2.5M + incentives?

[destro]

http://forums.nyyfans.com/showpost.p...32&postcount=1

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great, i understand that, but the point is i think Saito isn't worth even considering. thanks for the paste.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

Saito's arm could go at any time. The procedure he used was relatively experimental and didn't fix him like new.



http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct...rts/sp-dodfyi3

Which I understand, which is why I started this thread with the preface that I would like the Yankees to look into it.

[JavyVazquezIsSick]

great, i understand that, but the point is i think Saito isn't worth even considering. thanks for the paste.

Yes, and the point is, it's not up to you to decide what is worth considering.

[destro]

If Saito believed the situation was as dire as you guys are making out to be, wouldn't he have accepted the LAD's offer of $2.5M + incentives?

Because if your elbow is hanging together with duct tape and chicken wire, you want to maximize your earnings as much as possible. $2.5M is way under the "high end" reliever's minimum. if he thinks he can get more, let him. just don't let it be from the yankees.

[destro]

Yes, and the point is, it's not up to you to decide what is worth considering.

but it's worth me commenting on why i don't think it's worth considering. you sure are sensitive. do you need a sweater and some hot tea?