Would you rather give a three-year deal to a 29-year-old or a 38-year-old? I would have chosen Farnsworth over Gordon. Ryan really screwed up the releiver market. I think Farnsworth will be fine. The Yanks still need another reliever. I would not count out Gordon still, but now the Yankees have the hammer with him.

I think the Yankees are trying really hard to bring back Gordon as well. Farnsworth and Jose Veras should both strike out lots of guys while allowing too many walks. Its a decent start considering how slow their off season started.

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/ten-things-i-didnt-know-um-a-while-ago/

See the part about Ryan's salary breakdown in relation to inflation. Sure, initial perception seems to indicate Ryan "screwed up the reliever market", but any GM that's not cognizant of what this article purports is not doing his job. Btw... Gordon needs to go to a non-contender and fade away. The Yanks have overused and abused him. He's become a post-season liability for any contender.

I hope the Yankees resign Gordon in addition to Farnsworth: they can afford it and with their rotation, they need as many quality innings as possible from the bullpen.

Farnsworth has shown that he can't handle pressure. He blew a 5-run lead in the NLDS last year to the mighty Astros. I'd have to look it up, but I doubt he was so great in the NLCS in '03. Otherwise, why wouldn't he have come in in the 8th inning of Game 6? Yes, I know Steve Bartman and Alex Gonzalez, but if you have a reliable arm in the bullpen, Mark Prior is watching from the bench.

I think Farnsworth would do ok in a setup role. He certainly has the stuff for it. Then again, he has had the "stuff" for a while, and he's been very streaky.

Were the Yankees that eager to sign him that they were willing to give up a first round pick for him though? Isn't that what they're looking at now, if they formally sign him in the next week?

Wasn't giving up the draft pick kind of weird for Loaiza for the A's?

YD: You're argument almost makes sense except you forgot the Dusty Baker Factor. That guy doesn't go to his bullpen. That's why he left Prior in.

After watching Farnsworth go jelly legs in game 4 against Houston, I'm just as glad the Braves didn't break the bank trying to keep him.

I beg to differ on Ryan messing up the reliever market on two counts. First, I think the Eyre and Howry contracts messed it up first. I love Eyre but before 2005 he was a strict LOOGY, so for his one year peak, he was rewarded with essentially a $4M per year contract (with easy incentives); Howry I'm not sure how his stats were career-wise or what his age is, but it made the price point more concrete by confirming it.

Second, despite the excellent analysis in the Hard Times article on how Ryan's salary is justified, it did also mess up the CURRENT reliever market. The article assumes the long-term salary inflation rate of 10% to justify his salary. That's well and good in a theoretical sense, but the fact of the matter is that salaries over the past 5 years have not been growing at that pace in the market. His contract further baked in the inflation in this year's market that the two other contracts started and heated up.

And again, it's the Cubs doing the inflating for relievers, I thought their contracts for Remlinger and Hawkins were excessive as well.

Come on...the Cubs basically got two good set-up men for the cost the Yankees paid for one. Do you really think that Farnsworth, in a set-up role, is twice as good as Howry or Eyre?

Dave, as a Cubs fan, I'd say no.

This seems like the kind of signing that has no middle ground - it'll either be a disaster or a great pickup.

Then again it could be both, a la Steve Karsay, meaning Farnsworth will look HOF worthy one year, then rookie ball worthy the next.

I can't wait to see if Ron Guidry has any magic to give him.

I thought Farnsworth did come in after Prior in that game six and proceeded to make Prior's mess even worse. Am I misremembering? The only thing that has ever held Farnsworth back is himself and his propensity to drink too much. Wrigleyville was a bad home for him. I wonder how Manhattan will treat him...

Farnsworth going to the Yankees is great; for anyone who doesn't like the Yankees or Farnsworth. He has one of the most hittable 99mph fastball I have ever watched. His best pitch is his slider, but he has a hard time throwing it under pressure. Good thing he will be pitching such a stressfee environment. Should be interesting.

As a Red Sox fan, I'm scared for the next Sox/Yanks brawl... Farnsworth could probably take Big Papi.

Weird stat with Farnsworth -- he's been great in odd years, and mediocre to bad in even years.

(Ignoring 1999, when he was primarily a starter):

2000: 6.43
2001: 2.74
2002: 7.33
2003: 3.30
2004: 4.72
2005: 2.19

That's just weird. Will he be his usual even-numbered self in '06? I'm sure the Yankees are hoping not. And yes, he was pretty bad in the '03 NLCS (contributing to the 8th-inning meltdown), though he'd been unhittable in the NLDS. Very small sample sizes, of course.

The other knock against him in Chicago was he was notorious for enjoying the nightlife, so to speak. He kicked a dugout fan in frustration, injuring himself, and was caught asleep in the bullpen. Not the brightest light, sadly. I fear the NY media will eat him alive because, basically, he's Nuke LaLoosh.

farnsworth in ny, will be full to see those late inning games blown for riveria. how long before he has to fillin for an injured starter. (brown, johnson, etc...)

white soxs are still the team to beat.

why don't the yankees go after Rafeal Furcal and move him to centerfield. opps tried that with tony wolmak

The Phillies got Tom Gordon: 3 years, $18m.