$$$$ Next Year

[Wilhelm]

Nagy, Wright, Cordero, Fryman. Missing anybody here?

That is some serious cash. Alex, you always have the numbers. Who is leaving and how much is freed up?

If we are smart, we could make out next off season.

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[Alex]

Thome!

Gulp!

Plus, CC & Bartolo could suck up a good bit of that money.

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Alex

[brianp]

Also, you have to now factor in the increases in Lawton and Gutierrez's salaries. Lawton will make $5 next year, but more in 2003, and Gutierrez gets $2 next year, with more in 2003. Their increases will knock about $5 mil off of what we free up. With Sabathia and Colon taking another $7-8 off, I figure we should have about $7 mil to spend after this season, which is not a whole lot. We can sign a new 3rd baseman with that money, and that is about it.

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[Alex]

And of course, Dany's Baez!

Who spent a 1 & 1/2 years in the minors, will come into his own this next season, then hold us ransom in his final year.

Heck, we should trade him now, he'll never have more value...

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Alex

[The Crank]

Baez has not been in the majors long enough to qualify as a free agent....

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[UK Tribe]

It's better than you say

On the plus side:

- Nagy $6m
- Finley $5-9m
- Fryman $6m
- Cordero $4.5m
- Wright $4.5m (2003 Option will be dropped)

Total savings = $26-30m

On the minus side

- Thome $8m now, resign for $10m which he will because he loves it. For more than that he can walk. It may even be less if the market stays depressed and there's a lot of quality free agents (which i think there are).

- CC Maybe $1m for 2003 depending on the structure of any contract. Remember he's locked up for years and arbitration wont kick in for a while. Let's see if the "sophomore slump" happens before we get carried away. Remember Millwood ?

- Colon Has an option for 2003 which should get picked up. It's about a $2m increase on 2002. Similar to Wright's contract.

- Danny Baez in a multiyear deal (tot $14.5m) already. 2003 will be third year of 4. Absolute max is a $3m increase. And he can't be a free agent until 2005 I think.

- Omar is due a $3m raise

Add in a few other contracts (Ricky G, Lawton, Diaz) and maybe that'sanother $5m raise max.

Absolte max increase is $16m.

Which means there is a minimum of $10-15m to play with. And my numbers are conservative.

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[Alex]

2002 will be Danys Baez third year...not 2003.

Perhaps though he won't have free agent status as has been stated by the Cranky one.

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Alex

[UK Tribe]

U r right. But that doesn't change the logic that there is money to spend.

What would be your ceiling for Thome ?

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[brianp]

First, you are right about Baez. He is half way through this contract now, he has two years left on it. However, he cannot become a free agent until after 2005. Finley is due $5 mil. That is for sure. Shapiro reported it in his financial statements to the Plain Dealer. I believe that in total we will have about $7-$10 mil to work with. Thome will take about $10 mil, that I'm sure of. We may try to get him for less, though. We will have a need for a 3rd baseman, though. I know that Branyan will not be the answer, so there is where most of the money will go.

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