Robbing Posada to Pay Bud

The Yankees are reportedly preparing to shop All-Star catcher Jorge Posada due to concerns related to the penalties imposed upon the team as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

To keep the same $135-million team salary that the Yankees maintained this season, they would owe "$8 million to $9 million next season in payroll taxes, plus a possible $15 million payout in revenue sharing."

Of all the long-term contracts that the Yankees' players have signed, Posada's is the only one without a no-trade clause. In one of the oddest mixed metaphors you'll ever hear-how often are Don Corleone and Jesus Christ alluded to in one statement?-GM Brian Cashman said, "I'm certainly open to listening, but if someone wants to inquire about him, they'd better come with frankincense and myrrh and make me an offer I can't refuse."