Aaron Boone

[Elmo]

So....how 'bout them Yankees.

Aaron Boone - 1 year 5.75 mil. What does everyone think - is he the Great American Shortstop? Or the guy he has been for most of his career. Do you pay $5.75 for Aaron Boone - post season HR considered?

.302 OBP in NY .254 - .274/.332 (pretty average elsewhere) - that's pretty much he was in the ML's. Not much power, efficient base stealer. reputation as a good 3B that I can't even fathom.

What do people think?

[JamesI]

I am surprised he got so much money.

I am also surprised the Yanks signed him. I really exected him to be cut loose.

[Wolf Hopper]

Five mill, for his length of service, doesn't seem like a ton.

If he bats 9th, and the Yanks have a good LH or SH on the bench for late inning pressure spots, he can't hurt NY.

Someone has to play 3B.

If he bats higher than 8th in the regular line-up on a daily basis, he won't last the year in NY.

[Elmo]

Five mill, for his length of service, doesn't seem like a ton.

If he bats 9th, and the Yanks have a good LH or SH on the bench for late inning pressure spots, he can't hurt NY.

Someone has to play 3B.

If he bats higher than 8th in the regular line-up on a daily basis, he won't last the year in NY.


5.75 - that means if the Yanks FILL their 9 hitting slots with #9 hitters they have a salary for 9 of their 25 of....51.75. That seems bad to me.

And if 'someone' to play third, then why not pay them $750.000 and get a .320 OBP and .270 BA. That's probably possible. And then re-sign Pettitte or Wells...just to throw some people out.

[Wolf Hopper]

Elmo - Torre likes the guy. He knows better than me - and probably you. I kicked and screamed when they let Mike Stanley go and picked up Joe Girardi (who made a lot and could not hit water if he fell out of a boat).

Last time I checked, the Girardi deal paid off for NY.

Maybe they like the way he conducts himself - - the Yankees are short on "pro" players lately. Maybe they hope Soriano and others see how a pro goes about his business and it rubs off? I dunno.

Just guesses - and wild ones at that.

Things could be a lot worse - - they COULD sign a $750,000 place holder and Stein could stick the $5 mill in his pocket - like most other owners.

If he wants to spend his profits on players, more power to him. Many probably wish their owners did it more often.

[Elmo]

Elmo - Torre likes the guy. .

True - the Torre likes the guy factor. Still seems a bit jarring after the Schilling trade. I guess it's the usual deal - the 'value' whatever that is, of the player is rather secondary to the market. I mean, without looking I guess they could get Ventura back (not that they would) and come out about the same.

[Jim Rice]

Wow, $5.75 million. Didn't the Royals just pay Joe Randa about $2 million less than that to post pretty much the same career OPS and defensive stats?

[Wolf Hopper]

IIRC, the 3B FA group of 2004-05 has some nice names on it. Most likely, NY is thinking of one and out for Boone.

[Elmo]

Wow, $5.75 million. Didn't the Royals just pay Joe Randa about $2 million less than that to post pretty much the same career OPS and defensive stats?

In a much, much worse hitters park.....

Yeah, pretty much and I think they over paid for him by quite a bit.

[Wolf Hopper]

Wow, $5.75 million. Didn't the Royals just pay Joe Randa about $2 million less than that to post pretty much the same career OPS and defensive stats?

Boone is 3 years younger, runs much, much better than Randa (and you want a 9th hitter than can run - not to clog up the bases for the 1st and 2nd hitter), and can back-up at SS and 2B in a pinch (and hold his own with the glove). Randa is only a 3B at this point (has never played SS and last played 2B more than once in 1998).

That will be the $2 mill diff - plus the cost of living in NY v. KC.

[Elmo]

IIRC, the 3B FA group of 2004-05 has some nice names on it. Most likely, NY is thinking of one and out for Boone.


Yeah - I guess with the Sheffield signing and probably some pitcher signing and such, we are almost back to Ken Phelps and Pat Tabler....if not Doyle Alexander....

(OK that's a bit harsh given the Yankee's bankbook)....but they've been playing one year fixes since about 2 years after Showalter and it seems to be taking it's toll..

[Elmo]

Boone is 3 years younger, runs much, much better than Randa (and you want a 9th hitter than can run - not to clog up the bases for the 1st and 2nd hitter), and can back-up at SS and 2B in a pinch (and hold his own with the glove). Randa is only a 3B at this point (has never played SS and last played 2B more than once in 1998).

That will be the $2 mill diff - plus the cost of living in NY v. KC.

Wait, Boone is younger, but he doesn't get on base - he doesn't hit outside of cincy.

2003 .288/.360 home .246/.294 away
2002 .244/.310 .236/.317
.2001 .332/.910 .255/.311

This is BAD. He's three years younger, sure - but he's gonna be 31 - he's not getting any better. He can play ss and 2b - but he can't play them well. He only has one thing that separates him and that is that he is an efficient base stealer.

[nyy26wc]

Elmo - Torre likes the guy. He knows better than me - and probably you. I kicked and screamed when they let Mike Stanley go and picked up Joe Girardi (who made a lot and could not hit water if he fell out of a boat).

Last time I checked, the Girardi deal paid off for NY.

The last time I checked, other players on the team overcame the liability that was Girardi.

Just like this time around, other players on the team will have to overcome the liability that is Boone.

[Elmo]

The last time I checked, other players on the team overcame the liability that was Girardi.

Just like this time around, other players on the team will have to overcome the liability that is Boone.

I agree - my point is not that the Yankee's can't overcome that though - but rather they shouldn't pay him like a one year rental of Girardi -PLUS a one year rental of Wells.....which is what they are doing. IMO.

in 2003 A. Boone was 9th amongst 3B with more than 150Ab's in RCAA with a BA over 260 and an OBP of over 300.......with 4.

That ranked him tied for 139 - behind

T131 Hideki Matsui 5 5
T131 Joe Vitiello 5 5
T131 Sean Burroughs 5 5
T131 Ricky Ledee 5 5
T131 Phil Nevin 5 5
T131 Dave McCarty 5 5
T131 David Ross 5 5
T131 Billy McMillon 5 5

Fine company. Only10 people who played 3B in MLB had BA and OBP less or equal to Boone and had more than 131 Abs

1 Tony Batista 631 .235 .270
2 Adrian Beltre 559 .240 .290
3 Shane Halter 360 .217 .269
4 David Bell 297 .195 .296
5 Jose Hernandez 262 .214 .267
6 Jeff Cirillo 258 .205 .284
7 Pedro Feliz 235 .247 .278
8 Fernando Tatis 175 .194 .281
9 Edwards Guzman 146 .240 .263
10 Donnie Sadler 131 .198 .277

How many 6 million players in here - as a free agent this year......

[Skip]

IIRC, the 3B FA group of 2004-05 has some nice names on it. Most likely, NY is thinking of one and out for Boone.This was my first thought upon seeing him signed. However, I agree with others that I didn't expect him to be back next year at all.

[KCBOOMER]

I understand why the Yankees signed Boone (you gotta have someone), but why did they pay so much?? Would he have really gotten that much in arbitration?? Maybe they figured with Boone being a one and out guy they could overpay a little and avoid a hassle.

[TimmyB]

Is Boone a 'place-holder' for someone? Certainly not Henson... or is that what's up here?

[Wolf Hopper]

They could be thinking Chavez.

[KCBOOMER]

I would have thought the Yanks could have gotten Boone for less that $5.75M, but maybe they didn't want to hassle with a one-and-out guy.

Where's Swan??? I would really like to hear his take on this signing. As much as he hated the Joe Randa deal he must be having kittens over this one.

[NJYANKEE]

It does seem odd that they'll give Boone about 2 mil more than he's "worth" but that's the Boss. Some guys he overpays for and some guys he nickles and dimes and there's no rhyme or reason for it.

[Wolf Hopper]

2003
3B
GAMES >= 130

RCAA RCAA G
1 Bill Mueller 38 146
2 Scott Rolen 34 154
3 Eric Chavez 26 156
4 Corey Koskie 24 131
5 Mike Lowell 22 130
6 Hank Blalock 12 143
7 Sean Burroughs 5 146
8 Aaron Boone 4 160
T9 Wes Helms -2 134
T9 Joe Randa -2 131
11 Aramis Ramirez -4 159
12 Joe Crede -7 151
13 Casey Blake -8 152
T14 Edgardo Alfonzo -9 142
T14 Vinny Castilla -9 147
16 Chris Stynes -12 138
T17 Ty Wigginton -14 156
T17 Adrian Beltre -14 158
19 Tony Batista -29 161

Boone wasn't the worst 3B in the bigs last year.


2002-2003
3B
GAMES >= 250

RCAA RCAA G
1 Scott Rolen 55 309
2 Eric Chavez 47 309
3 Bill Mueller 38 257
4 Mike Lowell 35 290
5 Corey Koskie 33 271
6 Edgardo Alfonzo 23 277
7 Eric Hinske 21 275
8 Aaron Boone -8 322
9 Joe Randa -12 282
10 Geoff Blum -16 253
11 Adrian Beltre -22 317
12 Tony Batista -32 322
13 Aramis Ramirez -35 301
14 Vinny Castilla -47 290

Looking at the last 2 years, he's still about middle of the pack.

If I had to name a price for him - I would have said $5.2 mill - - - a raise of $1.5 mill off his 2003 pay. Stein was not that far off.

[Jim Rice]

2002-2003
3B
GAMES >= 250

RCAA RCAA G
1 Scott Rolen 55 309
2 Eric Chavez 47 309
3 Bill Mueller 38 257
4 Mike Lowell 35 290
5 Corey Koskie 33 271
6 Edgardo Alfonzo 23 277
7 Eric Hinske 21 275
8 Aaron Boone -8 322
9 Joe Randa -12 282
10 Geoff Blum -16 253
11 Adrian Beltre -22 317
12 Tony Batista -32 322
13 Aramis Ramirez -35 301
14 Vinny Castilla -47 290

Looking at the last 2 years, he's still about middle of the pack.

If I had to name a price for him - I would have said $5.2 mill - - - a raise of $1.5 mill off his 2003 pay. Stein was not that far off.

I disagree. I think the $3.7 million he made last year was just about right anywhere else in the country. Look at the veteran guys around him - Randa $3.5 million, Alfonzo $4 million, Lowell $3.7 million, Koskie $3.4 million, Beltre $3.7 million, Ramirez $3 million, Mueller $2.1 million, Chavez $3.625 million. The only guys making the kind of money Stein just gave Boone are Rolen (and Boone ain't no Rolen), Troy Glaus (and he ain't no healthy Troy Glaus either) and the trio of bad contracts that are Jeff Cirillo, Fernando Tatis and Vinny Castilla. Every other respectable veteran 3B out there makes about $3-$4 million. Fine, bump him a bit because of cost of living, but it's just a one year deal - Give him $4.7 million, tell him he has to rent on Long Island, and spend the extra million bucks on a relief pitcher.

(And no, I didn't just pull the cost-of-living number out of thin air. I used this site to calculate what $3.7 million in Cincinnati equates to in New York - http://www.homefair.com/homefair/calc/salcalc.html)

[Wolf Hopper]

4.7 and 5.2 are close - we're in agreement here, I believe.

[sweaver]

Boone is a competent player...I really think he should play 2B, his defensive stats there were great. He has speed and power, not much of an average. Maybe he'll be a late bloomer like his brother.

[Wolf Hopper]

His bro has two advantages - hitting to RF and muscle juice.