I happen to be in Italy, and wasn’t planning on posting while I was away, but this deal has rocked the Colosseum. Given how much money Mr. Hicks is swallowing, it’s hard to fault the Yankees on the deal, but clearly it is mind blowing.
The fascinating thing to look at is the way contracts signed a few years ago (ARod, Mike Hampton) have become the vehicles of complex arrangements that shift money around. This sort of arbitrage (I believe the term applies) finds value in odd places, and thus affords the Yankees the opportunity of having the game’s best player at a very fair price, while also saving the Rangers dough.
Fantasy wise, it’s hard to see how this matters at all, unless Mike Young gets beat out of playing time or confidence. For a more thorough appraisal of the secondary effects, please wait until I get my head out of the salumeria.
Prego.