Ken Davidoff's baseball insider

I posted a story a little while ago about the Mets just about coming to terms with Tim Redding. It's a one-year, $2.25-million deal with incentives.

I'm admittedly biased; the veterans here might recall that I did a story on Redding back in September, about how he persevered after an embarrassing, one-start stint for the Yankees in 2005 (the story is no longer accessible). That said, I think this is a good signing for the Mets. Even with their new, improved bullpen, they need innings from their starters. And Redding, 30, pitched 182 innings for the Nationals last year.

baileywalk beat me to it, but I've got a bad feeling about this.

Hoffman has managed to hang around so long because a) he's talented and smart, let's not begrudge him those, but also b) the Padres have babied him, using him nearly exclusively in brief, high-leverage spots and surrounding him with quality relievers.

He also has pitched his home games in the pitcher's paradise that is PETCO Park, although, if you scrutinize his splits, you'll see that, since the Padres moved to their new home in 2004, Hoffman has performed better on the road than at home.

You'll also see what a flyball pitcher he is, however, so it certainly won't help him to go to Miller Park, which is regarded as neutral but _ to Hoffman, coming from San Diego _ will probably seem like the softball field from "About Last Night..."

Will new Milwaukee manager Ken Macha (and his bench coach Willie Randolph) exhibit the same discipline with Hoffman as did Pads manager Bud Black and his predecessor Bruce Bochy? Can Hoffman still pitch anymore, regardless?

It's an expensive gamble for a team that, despite losing CC Sabathia and likely to lose Ben Sheets, still hopes to contend.

Andy Pettitte is very upset with the Yankees, I reported in today's Newsday. When this week began, I thought there was still a good chance that Pettitte and the Yankees would reunite. Now...it's far from a zero percent chance, but there's some serious ill will there, for the moment.

If Pettitte does indeed sign elsewhere _ the Astros would have to be the leading candidate, based on Pettitte's comfort level there _ it will mark the third time in his career that he left his employer on bad terms. It's rather incongruous with the greater theme of Pettitte's career, as he's known as a good citizen (even with this on his record) and his good teammate.

But as Pettitte's buddy Brian McNamee says, it is what it is. Pettitte's character will deservedly take another hit if he can't come to terms with the Yankees.

This story got me to thinking of other baseball folks who tend to leave their employers on bad terms. Off the top of my head, I came up with five names.

1. Milton Bradley. When he left Cleveland, the Dodgers, Oakland and San Diego, he did so in the wake of controversy; to be fair, he was not solely to blame for the final noted incident, as Major League Baseball suspended umpire Mike Winters for his role.

2. Roger Clemens. Yes, the former friends reunited, just for this list. The Rocket's departure from Boston resulted in Dan Duquette's notorious "twilight" comment. Then he bullied his way out of Toronto after just two years, utilizing a secret, unreported agreement that he could request a trade in that period. The Yankees had only good feelings when Clemens left after 2003 - until he unretired and signed with the Astros, costing the Yankees a couple of draft picks (they declined to offer Clemens arbitration because they believed he would retire).

3. Billy Martin. The all-time king. Did he ever leave a job, as either a player or manager, on remotely good terms? Of course, he kept reconciling with George Steinbrenner, so his hurt feelings with the Yankees never lasted too long.

4. Lou Piniella. Underrated, when it comes to this trait. Look at his managing history: He twice left the Yankees on typically bad terms, as did everyone in Steinbrenner's prime. He walked away from Marge Schott in Cincinnati. He forced his way out of Seattle when he felt the Mariners weren't spending enough on player talent. And then he forced his way out of Tampa Bay when he got tired of the losing there. I look forward to seeing whether Sweet Lou can buck that trend with the Cubs.

5. Bernie Williams. On one hand, it's not really fair to include him on this list, as he worked for only one team. On the other hand, he batted 1.000 in the "bad ending" category. Remember how tense that was, when he refused the Yankees' offer of a minor-league contract in 2007?

UPDATE: I'll add other names here as they come in: Tim N. suggested Carl Everett, a good one. Poppy first suggesetd Gary Sheffield. Dennis mentioned Bobby Bonilla. Bob Tufts recalled Lee Elia's inamous rant against Cubs fans. Zan the Man added Raul Mondesi.

I didn't put a great deal of thought into this, so by all means, I'm open to other suggestions.

Greetings from sunny (and windy, but I probably shouldn't complain to New Yorkers right now) Florida. I was going to post something tonight, anyway, concerning the Hall of Fame and World Baseball Classic, but I'll sit on those thoughts for a day. The Mark Teixeira news takes precedent.

I haven't stolen from Peter King in quite some time, but it feels right tonight. So here we go:

1) I think I'm an idiot. I'd link to the number of times that I wrote the Yankees weren't getting Mark Teixeira, but then it would be time to board the plane back home. Good Lord, did I fall for the Yankees' line of baloney. See #4 for more on this topic.

2) I think I'll stipulate that Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett all have the potential to be great signings. It's not fair to compare this haul, in the negative sense, to Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright four years ago. Everyone (besides the Yankees) knew that Pavano and Wright would be horrible.

Nor is it fair to compare this to what the Tigers did last winter, because the Tigers decimated their farm system with their trades for Edgar Renteria and Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis, and Willis was coming off a terrible 2007 with Florida.

I agree with Keith Law: The Yankees have exhibited fine taste this winter.

3) I think, that said, what the Yankees have done this winter is just too much.

Not too much money. That's not our problem, Yes, on one level, it's obnoxious, but on another level, I can't help but admire the Steinbrenners for putting so much money right back into the team.

No, it's too much risk. It's just not good roster and payroll management for a team that is trying to replicate its dynasties of 1936-39, 1949-53 and 1996-2000.

In a vacuum, Sabathia might be every bit the ace the Yankees hope. Burnett might have really found himself in 2008, with the help of Roy Halladay, and might build on that with dominance and reliability.Teixeira might settle right into New York and put up the numbers he has the past two seasons while shuttling from Texas to Atlanta to Anaheim.

But...in a vacuum, Sabathia might feel the wear and tear of his recent workload, and might be turned off by New York's negativity. And Burnett might do/say something stupid, and miss more time due to more injuries. And Teixeira, coming in on a gargantuan contract, might fail to connect with the fans the same way as Alex Rodriguez in the Bronx and Carlos Beltran in Flushing.

Look at SI.com's photo gallery of the 18 players who have signed nine-figured contracts. Count the number of times you say "Yeesh!" and "Good Lord!" Yes, some of them were indisputedly dumb investments (Kevin Brown and Carlos Lee, to name two) before the ink dried. But some seemed smart at the time.

The truth is that we live in a cruel world, and stuff often doesn't happen as you hope. Ken Griffey, Jr. can't stay on the field. A-Rod delivers on the field, yet he hamstrings the Rangers' payroll _ and annoys his teammates _ so much that there's virtually a parade when he leaves town. Barry Zito can barely be a back-of-the-rotation starter, let alone an ace.

So to think that Teixeira, Sabathia and Burnett can all deliver - that none will ever turn into an albatross - seems quite optimistic. Unrealistic, even. At least Sabathia can (and will, you'd have to bet) bolt after three years.

Great organizations look to contend year after year after year, and the best way to do that is to optimize those precious 25 roster spots. And the best way to do that is to avoid too many long-term commitments, no matter how talented those players are to whom you're committing.

4) I think that I thought Brian Cashman agreed with all of the philosophies I just espoused in #3, and I look forward to my next conversation with the Yankees' general manager. He has some 'splainin to do.

Here are some of the thoughts that Cashman has shared with me and others _ and when I write "others," I mean "Joel Sherman" _ in the past year:

On Thursday, Nov. 6, I boarded a plane at John Wayne Airport, headed to Newark. I was the second-to-last person to board the plane. The very last person was Brian Cashman.

We had both spent the week at the general managers' meetings, and we were both tired - Cashman from trying to turn the Yankees into a World Series winner, me from trying to figure out precisely how Cashman was trying to achieve that goal.

A flight attendant recognized the Yankees' general manager, and this is what he said (or something like this):

"Hey, Mr. Cashman, are you gonna get Manny?"

I can only imagine how much Cashman gets asked about Manny Ramirez, since I get asked about him all of the time, and I know Brian Cashman, and I am no Brian Cashman. Yankees fans want him. Mets fans want him. Red Sox fans are scared that Manny will wind up in the Bronx. People in the game want to know what's going on with him.

So here's the latest, based on what I know, involving Manny and our two local teams:

Yankees. Here's Kat O'Brien's story on where the Yankees stand right now, as they introduce CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett at the old Stadium today.

The truth is that Manny barely resides anywhere on the Yankees' radar at the moment. When they discuss different permutations of their 2009 club, virtually none involve Manny. Whereas some, as a point of comparison, do involve Mark Teixeira.

If you've been paying attention to what Cashman has done since becoming a real GM in the 2005-06 offseason, you'll know that signing Manny doesn't follow Cashman's logic - unless Manny's market collapses and the Yankees can get him at a one-year deal.

Is it possible that the Steinbrenners overrule Cashman, much as they did when they brought back Alex Rodriguez? Sure. But the organization was in a different place then - reeling from the fallout over Joe Torre's departure. Right now, it's riding high with Sabathia and Burnett in the fold.

As for Teixeira, it sure seems like he's going to get his $200 million, and if that's the case, it won't be coming from the Yankees. For the Yankees to land Teixeira, after already landing Sabathia and Burnett, they would've needed a perfect storm of sorts involving these components:

1) No team bids crazy money on Teixeira
2) Andy Pettitte turns down the Yankees' $10 million offer, and the team follows my suggestion and makes the fifth starter's job a competition among Alfredo Aceves, Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy.
3) Mike Cameron stays in Milwaukee, as appears likely now.
4) A team agrees to take on Kei Igawa and a sizeable portion of the $12 million owed to him through 2011.
5) The Yankees trade Xavier Nady and switch Nick Swisher to rightfield.
6) Robert Downey Jr. wins the Golden Globe Award for his role in "Tropic Thunder."

(All right, maybe #6 doesn't have to happen.)

All in all, the chances of the Yankees landing Manny are, I'd say, a 2 out of 10.

Mets. This one, I hear all of the time from fans: "Omar is laying in the weeds, just as he did with Santana. He's gonna get him."

Or: "Omar wants Manny, but the Wilpons won't let it happen."

First of all, no. The Mets aren't getting Manny. They're just not. No way, no how.

Second of all, I get the sense that Omar Minaya has cooled on Manny. He didn't push very hard for him at the trade deadline, when the Mets could've had him for a song.

I think that, first of all, Omar was turned off by what Manny did in Boston last July. Furthermore, after the failues of Moises Alou and Orlando Hernandez to stay on the field, I think the Wilpons did tell Minaya something to the effect of, "Stop turning the club into the AARP's Team of the Year!"

The chance that the Mets will sign Manny is a 0 out of 10.

I understand why people want to know about Manny. He is captivating for both his play and his conduct. But the odds are, if you want to see Manny in his home uniform in 2009, you're going to have to leave the Tri-State Area.

In the summer of 1992, I lived in Washington and interned for John McLaughlin, host of "The McLaughlin Group," which, amazingly, appears to still be on the air.

It was a fun time to be young and working hard for literally zero compensation (unless you count the pizza they would order for us on Fridays). Ross Perot shook up the presidential campaign in a big way, and McLaughlin himself was at the peak of his popularity, thanks to Dana Carvey's impersonation of him on "Saturday Night Live," which you can see above.

McLaughlin was a Steinbrenner-esque boss: He ruled by fear - whenever he telephoned, the place was at DEFCON ONE, so palpable was the fear. He loved intimidating his employees, and he could be downright cruel.

But he also had a great sense of humor about his own jerkiness and pomposity. I remember one time, I was ordered to meet him in the parking garage to help him with his bags (Yes, I was at the bottom of the food chain).

"You know, Ken," he said, "as much as I hate carrying one briefcase, I hate carrying two briefcases 10 times as much."

"That's quite a proportion, sir," I responded.

"It's ex-po-NEN-tial, Ken!" he responded, in his booming baritone.

So as a tribute to Dr. McLaughlin _ and I have no idea why he popped into my head, he's still alive and kicking (and yes, we had to call him "Dr. McLaughlin") _ let's present our normal discussions in a format similar to "The McLaughlin Group." Just pretend that you're the other panelists, and after I introduce the issues, you a) offer your take and b) insult me.

Issue One: How badly do the Yankees need more offense? I say, not that badly. Yes, I understand the Yankees' lineup woefully underperformed in 2008, and now they're extremely likely to lose Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi, two of their more produtive hitters.

Here's what I envision: Robinson Cano is going to be better, because he was (way too late) embarrassed by what happened to him in 2008. Alex Rodriguez is going to be better, just because his career has carried a weird, "Phenomenal in odd-numbered years, human in even-numbered years" pattern for a while now.

Nick Swisher is going to be more relaxed because people are going to be paying far more attention to his other new teammates CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett than they are to him.

Johnny Damon and Xavier Nady, both Scott Boras clients in their walk years, are going to make their agent very happy, again.

Does that mean 900 runs scored? Probably not. But with the runs allowed likely to go down, the runs scored could stay the same, and that just might suffice.

Issue Two: How badly do the Mets need more offense? More than the Yankees, I'd contend, because of the lineup depth issue. The Mets have a great quartet in Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes and David Wright. The dropoff after that, however, is precipitous. Even if Luis Castillo rebounds and Daniel Murphy proves he isn't a fluke, they could use some more help, so that when opposing teams get to the sixth spot in the order, they're not putting their feet up and thinking, "Vacation time!"

So whom to get? I suggested Ty Wiggington the other day in my Sunday Insider, but it sounds like that's not happening, due to Wigginton's shaky defensive skills. Adam Dunn? I just threw his name in the headline to draw eyeballs here.

No, they could really, obviously, use a righty bat. I checked out Pat Burrell's numbers again; wow, did he have a bad second half last year. Still, the guy does mash some every year. Maybe if his price dropped to two years? You could still sneak in plenty of ABs for Murphy and Fernando Tatis.

Issue Three: How significant an issue is Joe Girardi's job performance? I think this is real. Look, the Yankees probably would've missed the playoffs in '08 no matter who was managing, and Girardi and pitching coach Dave Eiland did a masterful job with the bullpen.

But Girardi has to do better in the most important part of the job: Managing people. Fostering that sense of family and togetherness that you most certainly saw with the Phillies and Rays.

That means connecting with players and coaches. It means channeing his emotions in a more productive way. You're supposed to take losing hard, but in baseball, when you play day after day after day, you can't let that cloud hover over you as you're leaving the ballpark. Not when you're the manager, and the message you want to project is, "We'll get 'em tomorrow."

Too many people around the team have said that Girardi is just too intense, too often. He must learn the changeup.

Issue Four: Should Oliver Perez replace himself as the Mets' fourth starter? I've been pretty clear where I stand on this: Absolutely, yes. If Derek Lowe's price falls to the Mets, then terrific - grab him. But Perez should be the clear number two choice.

Look at Perez's 2008 numbers against some of the Mets' key opponents:

Phillies: 1-0, 0.35 ERA, 27 strikeouts in 26 innings.
Marlins: 3-0, 2.23 ERA, 38 strikeouts in 36.1 innings.
Yankees: 2-0, 1.84 ERA, 12 strikeouts on 14.2 innings.

The guy is 27 years old. Mensa is probably never going to recruit him, but he's a decent kid who clearly tries to work with his pitching coaches _ Rick Peterson pushed him forward, and then, after the entire team tired of Peterson, Dan Warthen picked up the baton and advanced Perez some more _ and has so much talent. He's worth the risk.

Issue Five: Is Jim Rice a Hall of Famer? I'm still working on this one. Answer to come by December 31.