Here are a few of the early responses to Roger Clemens going to the Yankees for what is pro-rated amount of $28 million. When all is said and done the Yankees will pay Roger about $18.5 million. Add in about $7.4 million for the luxury tax bill (I’ll have more on this later) to be paid at the end of the 2007 season, and the price tag is closer to $26 million for Clemens to pitch in the Bronx the rest of this season
Chuck said:
“While I harbored semi-secret desires to see Roger return to wear a Sox uni, I have no problem with the Sox not opening their ’secret vault’. They don’t have the over-riding need for another starter. The Yanks on the other hand a in serious need.”
The key is here is Daisuke Matsuzaka. If he were not a member of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein would have pushed this Clemens issue more.
As Curt Schilling said, the Red Sox don’t need Clemens. Of course, the caveat is “right now” and “not the immediate future.”
tim said:
“We don’t need him. Keeping the spot potentially open for Jon Lester is exactly what should be done. Our rotation is formidable. Lester showed us last summer he could be fantastic. there’s really just no need to spend 28 million for him.”
Alex said:
“Not a huge problem with it. I’m younger than most of the Red Sox fans that vividly recall the later stages of Clemens’s tenure with the Red Sox, so I don’t harbor many bad feelings. This undoubtedly makes the Yankees a better team than they were yesterday, one starter who was averaging five, maybe six innings of crappy pitching is now replaced by a guy who can average six innings of pitching certainly solid enough to keep the Yankees in the game (and with that offense, that’s all that matters). I can see Clemens putting up an ERA somewhere in the high 3s, low 4s at best…I really think after seeing Randy Johnson the last few years that you simply can’t tack a run onto their NL ERA and that’s it. I don’t think it makes them a better team than the Red Sox, however; if there was reason to believe that Pettitte (not to mention regressing and having his metrics catch up with him) and Mussina will stay healthy the rest of the year (there isn’t), Wang will repeat last year, and so on, then yes, there would certainly be great cause for concern.
I do think that Sox fans out of bitterness and slight jealousy are understating the importance of this – as a resident in southwestern CT, I see pretty much every Yankees game. This was a move the Yankees absolutely needed to make. Without question.”
Ditto.
Mike said:
“This is not a big deal at all. The rotation is still depleted and pieced together at best. Clemens only increases their average age.”
JIMMYBOYz said:
“I don’t care for the New York Yankees.”
Don’t lie. Everybody cares. It is days like yesterday that make this the best rivalry in professional sports. New York cares and Boston cares. The Yanks and Sox meet again on May 21 in New York. Clemens will pitch one of those games. You can bet on that.
