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BRIAN CASHMAN WILL BE PLAYING THE ROLE OF SCROOGE TONIGHT

"Hopefully he remembers the good times and remembers that we all got along really well. And that factors in with teams like Philly that traded him away. And he understands that we wouldn't want to trade him away. We traded for him so there's like extra love."
—Rangers left-hander C.J. Wilson, on his team trying to re-sign lefty Cliff Lee.

"We can’t worry about them. We can only worry about ourselves and we believe we can compete."
—Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg on the Yankees' pursuit of Lee.

"If Boston offers him X amount of dollars and we offer him X amount of dollars, if it's the same, than he'll probably chose us over Boston. Because of the good times that he had and the fact that the state income taxes are negligible here."
Wilson.

"No doubt he is a Yankee. It would be too devastating to the franchise not to get him, especially when it is just going to cost money. Think about how badly they want him: He was only two months from free agency, the Yanks knew they would be the favorites and they were still willing to give up their top prospect to get him. The ramifications for not signing him are so severe for the Yankees. They can’t replicate what he brings in any other way. They are not going to waste the ton of money they already have invested for 2011 by not bringing in the finishing piece that makes all that money worth it."
anonymous AL executive, on the Yankees' chances of landing Lee. (Joel Sherman, New York Post)

PAT BURRELL-RELATED NOSTALGIA IS TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS

"It's an open-ended question and it's one we're discussing now. I can't give you a straight answer on that right now."
—Giants general manager Brian Sabean on whether or not the team plans to bring back Pat Burrell.

"It’s kind of scary to think about the young arms we’ve got with Timmy, Cainer, Bum, Sanchy. It should be good, man. As long as we keep working, it should be good."
—Giants catcher Buster Posey.

"We decided we weren't going to trade any of them. We started every meeting and ended every meeting by saying, 'How could we replace anybody we traded? We knew we couldn't replace Sanchez from the outside world."
Sabean on holding on to his starting pitchers.

"I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun doing a World Series than I had this year. I think it has to do with the matchup and teams and the guys we were covering and the fun we had in the clubhouse. I walk away smiling, huge. I loved it."
—Fox broadcaster Joe Buck.

"The real upside to our success of this year is next year."
—Giants chief operating officer and president Larry Baer.

"Your personal situation aside, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. For me to look back and say I'm not enjoying it because I'm seeing through foggy eyes, that's something I couldn't swallow.''
—Giants left-hander Barry Zito on non making the post-season roster.

TO THE VICTOR GO THE SPOILED

"It's not a sexy list. It's not a deep list. Quite frankly, there will be suitors on some of these players we won't be able to compete with. So, we're not necessarily banking on a lot of help from the outside world from the free-agent market other than our own possibilities."
Sabean on his approach to free agency.

"We're really worried. You don't want this kid at an early age getting in a danger zone with cholesterol or more so high blood pressure or blood sugar. If he were in any other walk of life, there would be a lot of red flags from your physician."
Sabean on Pablo Sandoval's weight.

"What we first have to figure out is Sandoval's situation, how we can predict which position we think is more favorable. As we saw, Juan played tremendous at third base, but having said that, we do need a shortstop and Juan is certainly capable of doing that and we'll certainly be in discussions with him."
Sabean on his desire to re-sign infielder Juan Uribe. (Chris Haft, MLB.com)

IF HE HAS TO HE WILL UNLEASH HANK UPON US ALL

"There's always the possibility that things could get messy. Our fans are very emotional, and that's what we love about them, but I've got to try to do my job on behalf of the partnership and everybody involved in the organization. Hank and I need to keep a level head and realize that we're running a business here."
—Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner on his team's negotiations with free agent Derek Jeter.

"While it is not our intent to negotiate the terms of Derek's free-agent contract in a public forum. We do agree with Hal's and Brian's recent comments that this contract is about business and winning championships. Clearly, baseball is a business, and Derek's impact on the sport's most valuable franchise cannot be overstated."
Casey Close, Jeter's agent.

"He's one of the greatest Yankees in history, no doubt about it. But at the same time, I'm running a business. I have responsibilities. Hank and I are responsible to our partners, so on, so forth. So we have to remain somewhat objective. And we're going to do that. And I want to get a deal done that he's happy with, but also that I'm happy with."
Hal Steinbrenner.

"That's not something I think you get into now. This is a guy that has a pretty good skill set, so right now I'm not assuming that he's changing positions still."
—Yankees manager Joe Girardi on whether Jeter would move to third base or the outfield.

A LECTURE FROM THEIR PRIVATE JET

"In hindsight, most long-term free agent deals with players over 30 years of age are not good investments. There’s a long history in baseball of teams that do it. It generally costs you more than you’d like in the last year or years of the contract."
—Red Sox owner John Henry, talking with the Boston Globe while onboard his Learjet.

"I also think in the end winning is more a product of good management and good scouting no matter what the sport. History is filled with the fact that teams with the highest payrolls don’t necessarily win."
—Red Sox owner Tom Werner.

"They are very similar. I think in some ways, if you are providing joy to a large number of people, that is one of the most gratifying things you can do. I compare the joy that the Red Sox had in 2004 with the delight of laughing at some of my hit shows."
Werner on the differences between producing television sitcoms and winning in professional sports.

"When you are a general manager, you say a lot of things and somebody can pick up on one and make it a major issue. He said that because we felt that by 2012 we’d have some young talent that’s going to be ready. I don’t know why that was perceived as a negative. For me it was a positive."
Henry on the idea that the 2010 was a 'bridge' season. (Stan Grossfield, Boston Globe)

THE REST

"I do not believe in long-term plans. The fans do not deserve it nor do any of our hard-working employees in the organization."
—Diamondbacks general manager Kevin Towers. (MLB.com)

"The inclusion and involvement that Mike allows with them is critical. They have a voice. Every day before workouts and after, in spring training, they have meetings. They have daily meetings during the season. Observations and opinions are sought after. It's an environment that Mike has created to allow free-flow opinions."
—Angels vice president Tim Mead, on the success of Mike Scioscia's bench coaches when they become managers with other clubs. (Phil Rogers, Chicago Tribune)

"One of the reasons fans like baseball is because it provides a certain amount of consistency and continuity in their lives that maybe doesn't exist otherwise. It's important to recognize that at times. There's a bond that exists over time."
—Mets general manager Sandy Alderson. (Anthony DiComo, MLB.com)

"He's got a pretty big body of work that we can evaluate. And obviously, we'll look at it all in context, but we're not going to evaluate him on two weeks of games when he's had a career of excellent performance."
—Rangers general manager Jon Daniels on declining Vladimir Guerrero's 2011 option. (Gerry Fraley, Dallas Morning News)

"I anticipate him being our first baseman next year. I certainly hope he finishes the season with us. That means we'd have a good season."
—Padres general manager Jed Hoyer on first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. (Bernie Wilson, Associated Press)

"He’s still very productive, arguably the best and most impactful player at this position in the game. That fits with our winning approach."
—Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein on exercising the team's 2011 option on designated hitter David Ortiz. (Peter Abraham, Boston Globe)

"I was a little surprised, but at the same time I wasn't because I understand where they're coming from since they're going to cut salary. We talked about keeping the lines of communication open, and I could still be a Ray next year. The way I look at it, I have 30 teams to talk to."
—free agent reliever Dan Wheeler on the Rays declining his $4 million team option. (Marc Topkin, St. Petersburg Times)

Alex Carnevale is a contributor to Baseball Prospectus.

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mhmosher
11/08
I hope the Yankees give Lee 20 million per for at least six years. In a couple years, they are going to be choked with massive, unmovable contracts like Jeter, Lee, Sabathia, Tex and A-Roid.