Looks like the Mazzone rumor I heard was true

[Admin]

As the Yankees have been given permission to speak to Mazzone about becoming their pitching coach. I know that many people will complain saying that the Yankees are buying someone else, but it seems very strange to me that the Braves would even consider granting the Yankees permission to speak to him when they have him under contract for another year. Do they really think that little of him? In my mind he is the best pitching coach in the game and I am sure most here feel that way.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2194428

[chillzatl]

that they were going to try to talk to him. The fact that the Braves gave him "permission" to talk to other teams shows what kind of organization they are. They aren't going to hold someone there if they don't want to be there. If other teams want to talk to him and he wants to listen, they aren't going to deny him that.

Leo's loyalty is to Bobby Cox and Big Steins slutty money won't change that. It hasn't been enough to buy him a championship in five years and it won't be enough to buy him a pitching coach to compensate for his poor, star struck purchases.

[Admin]

Because up until the playoffs Mel Stottlemyre was still talking about maybe coming back for one more year with Joe. It wasnt until that sad display in the playoffs that he decided he had enough.

There have been rumors for months though that if Mel didnt come back that the Yankees would make a run at Mazzone.

So I guess you are confident that Mazzone will be back next year as the pitching coach of the Braves? I wouldnt be so sure of that. There are very few men in this world will turn down a large amount of money, if there is a huge difference. If its close I cant see him leaving Bobby Cox, but I also cant see the Yankees offering him anything short of a great deal more money.

I dont know if this is true or not but I have heard that he has a pretty good relationship with Joe Torre as well. That could play a factor in this.

[cyman3]

all things even, LEO stays w/ the braves. hes familar with the city, the organization and has great success.

the ONLY WAY i can see him leaving if the $$$ is too good to ignore. It cant be a slight increase either, it has to be a SIGNIFICANT INCREASE!

and if theres 1 team that can do that, its the YANKEES!

[Plainview1981]

I heard about this alittle while ago...

[chillzatl]

give me a break, if there's a rumor that Big Stein is going to throw gobs of money at someone, you can usually take it to the bank.... I KNEW it was going to happen as did any number of people around this city and in New York. Just because ESPN doesn't report it doesn't mean it's not verified..

I won't say i'm sure. Because his contract is up in a month. But money isn't the driving factor behind everyones lives. Leo could have left Atlanta 10 years ago and made 5x what he's making here with no hesitation. He's been the best in the game for 15 years and Braves coaches always work on one year contracts. If he was just about money, he could have gotten paid over and over again.

And from a technical standpoint, he can go to NY and play for a team full of old, washed out pitchers who are on their last legs and has a butchered farm system. Or he can stay where he's comfortable, playing with a team full of young talent and one of the best farm systems in the game. You take raw dollars out of the picture, it's a no brainer where he'd stay.

[Lascar78]

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Do they really think that little of him?

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The way I see it is the exact opposite. They think so much of him that they give him the respect of letting him decide whether he wants to leave or not.

[Hawkzzz21]

Well that is what the AP is reporting. He signed a 3 year deal with the O's.

[Admin]

Apparently he wanted to be reunited with his lifetime buddy and Orioles manager Perlozzo. I am a bit surprised in the direction that the Orioles have gone with this because they had a very good pitching coach in Ray Miller. I guess Miller's health played a role in this.

Looks like the Yankees might look to Ron Guidry to be their next pitching coach. Not sure how I feel about that since he is unproven as a pitching coach. Sure would have liked to have gotten Mazzone as he is the only guy I would feel comfortable with trying to fix the Yankees pitching problems.

[Plainview1981]

The O's are a p!ssy franchise.

[Lascar78]

I did NOT see that coming. Good for him I guess, if that's where he wants to be. Sucks for the braves, he was a big part of their success. Not that I care about baseball much at all

[chillzatl]

The O's were the other team that rumored to be after him. I can see why he went there. They gave him a good offer and they have some excellent prospects and a solid farm system.

it sucks that he's not in atlanta. You'd think that after 14 years a team would have enough loyalty to forego an absurd 1 year contract mandate for coaches. But that is how things are when you're team is managed for its profit and not for the love of the team.

At least he didn't go to the Yankees. Though I can understand why. Old arms, beat up farm system, jackass media and an owner that loves to take shots. Leo knew he could do better and did.

[Admin]

The Yankees arms arent as old as people seem to think.

Pavano is 29. The rookie Wang is going to be a really good pitcher and he is around 25 or so. Chacon seems to thrive in NY and he is around 27. Jaret Wright will only turn 30 this year and certainly Mazzone could have gotten him straightened out.

Thats 4 pitchers that should be with the Yankees for years. They arent great, but they have all proven they can pitch very well in the postseason at one point or another.

Of course there is also the likelihood that Randy Johnson will be better next year than he was this year. He really started cruising at the end of the season and if you take away that rainy playoff game where he was awful, he won his last 7 starts. I expect to see him around 15-18 wins next year. There is a good chance that the Yankees will make a big offer to AJ Burnett this year too and he is still fairly young and very talented.

So, if you take away Kevin Brown, Mussina, and Leiter, the only arm considered to be old is Randy Johnson and he could still start for any team in baseball.

The farm system is still pretty ragged, but its improving. The Yankees have finally realized they need to stop trading young prospects because of the age of the main ballclub. Cano might very well win rookie of the year and Wang was as good as any AL rookie pitcher. They have a talented young CF Melky Cabrera that in a year or two will be ready to make an impact at this level, so while they certainly dont have a Braves type of farm system, its not as bad as it was 2-3 years ago by any means.

Oh and one last thing. The Orioles are a team without any #1 starter type pitchers and their farm system isnt all that great. They also have bought most of their good playeres, like the Yankees have, just on a smaller scale. I think the biggest reason why Mazzone joined the O's is because of Perlozzo and he probably didnt want to be known as a sellout by joining the Yankees.

[AHF]

The real reason is that Leo is hoping to work with Bruce Chen again.

[DominiqueWilkins]

Well the money is most likely going to be too good to ignore, unless Atlanta is willing, and should give Leo a pay raise.

[DominiqueWilkins]

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The fact that the Braves gave him "permission" to talk to other teams shows what kind of organization they are.

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I can't agree more. It shows that Atlanta has class, but I still think we need to show Leo more money or he will leave us.

[chillzatl]

can't blame him for taking it either. He was making 200k per year and now he's getting 500k per year, with a 3 year guarantee. Good luck to him.