Richard Sherman fever is spreading — all the way to Boston.
A day after the Bombers spent $155 million on Japanese hurler Masahiro Tanaka, an outspoken member of the champion Red Sox did some trash talking of his own, firing the first 2014 salvo in baseball’s fiercest rivalry.
“People can go out and sign whoever they want right now,” Jonny Gomes, taking a page from the Seattle Seahawk loudmouth’s playbook, said Thursday in Boston. “Boxing rules, we still have the belt. Whoever else, reloads.”
But Gomes didn’t stop there, as he took dead aim at the free-spending Yanks and their $458 million free-agent bill this winter.
Clik here to view.
Keita Iijima/AP
Gomes voices skepticism about Masahiro Tanaka-who has never played a game in the major leagues.
“It’s kind of interesting, though — $500 million and still some questions,” Gomes said. “You’ve got (free agent catcher Brian) McCann who hasn’t been in the American League before, the pitcher (Masahiro Tanaka) who hasn’t pitched a game over here. They’ve got some guys playing different positions.”
RELATED: LUPICA: YANKEES’ PLAN IS ON CLOUD ’09
“It’s about winning the summer. It’s not about winning the winter.”
It’s probably too early to tell if we’re back to the days when players and executives from both teams were lobbing bombast back and forth in between the on-field brawls that marked the 2003 and ’04 seasons. And who knows if Gomes will ever develop into the kind of rival villain Pedro Martinez once was.
Clik here to view.
Robert Sabo/New York Daily News
Jacoby Ellsbury joins the Yankees this offseason, but Gomes does not seem to be worried about his former teammate switching sides.
But Gomes’ comments sure heated up the hot stove season, even if Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, the architect of his club’s changes, didn’t respond for requests for comment.
Gomes has clashed with the Yanks before — remember his spring-training dustup with Shelley Duncan in 2008, when Gomes was on the Rays? His cracks now likely will have more legs, at least among the rabid fans of both clubs.
The Yanks have added big-name players this winter, including Gomes’ ex-teammate Jacoby Ellsbury, McCann, outfielder Carlos Beltran and Tanaka. Those four players signed for a total of $458 million, if you include Tanaka’s $20 million posting fee, and the Yanks’ winter bill rises to $486 million if you add new deals for holdovers Derek Jeter and Hiroki Kuroda.
RELATED: MADDEN: YANKS HAD LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO SIGN TANAKA
Clik here to view.
Seth Wenig/AP
The Yankees signing of Brian McCann was the first splash of a busy offseason.
“Kind of flattering a little bit, you know, that (a division) rival has to reload as much as they did,” Gomes said. “We lost some core players; at the same time, this organization is extremely deep. The majority of our core group of guys is back. We’re champs. We have to uphold that title. I don’t think the mind-set is going to change.”
Gomes’ frank assessment of the Yankees and their winter included some admiration, too, which is maybe an indication that this really isn’t the old, savage rivalry after all. Cashman and Joe Girardi “are about as professional as they get in the pinstripe organization,” the outfielder/DH said. “They run a pretty tight camp.”
Gomes also added, “They’ve got some true professionals over there. They’ve got some guys coming back.”
He even said something that should encourage Yankee fans who are worried about CC Sabathia, the lefty who had his worst season last year: “CC (Sabathia’s) lost some weight, he’s going to get back to ace caliber.” As for his own club, The Bearded One acknowledged the Red Sox “lost some core players.” But, he says, Boston is “extremely deep” and the majority of the core is back.
DREW DOINGS
CBS Sports.com reported that the Yankees might be considering free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew because the team’s payroll already is going to be over the $189 million luxury-tax threshold. The website said the Yanks are “at least weighing” Drew, citing “people familiar with their thinking.” The possible run at Drew would “depend on the price,” one person told the website. On Wednesday’s conference call to discuss Tanaka, Cashman indicated it was unlikely the Yankees would pursue anyone expensive. Drew turned down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Red Sox.
“I think clearly a lot of heavy lifting needed to take place this winter, and it has taken place,” Cashman said.
Source Article from http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~r/NydnRss/~3/wgxJqANA8tk/story01.htm
The post Gomes on Yankees: ‘We still have the belt’ appeared first on New-York News.