Happy New Year

Just in case you forgot:

Left Field

At this point I would like to go over the options available for the now vacant left-field position.

Reed Johnson: I remember Reed Johnson mostly as a guy that wasn't terrifying but not a sure out either. He was good not great. His fielding was average and he couldn't have had a worse arm than Johnny Damon. The Yankees are not looking for a great amount of power now, they are really just looking for table setters so their lineup will be more well rounded. Reed Johnson has been on the Yankees radar and many believe he will end up with the Yankees. I am not sure on this one. He would be a nice addition and I wouldn't mind having him on the Yankees.

Jermaine Dye: Recently his defense has become a little more than questionable, remember the play that got Melky the cycle? Although that should not sway you because left field does not require amazing range and Dye still has a good arm. His production as a 5 or 6 hitter would probably be one of the best in the game. Also let's not forget he is proven in the postseason, winning the World Series MVP in 2005. Personally I think Jermaine Dye would be the best pickup for the Yankees, aside from Damon. The Yankees could even probably get Dye under their "budget" and he could be the steal of the offseason.

Johnny Damon: I feel I have made my feelings on Damon clear. I want him back. He was never afraid of anything and that was never more evident than his performance in Game 4 of the World Series. Everyone will remember him stealing second and third but I will remember his at-bat against Brad Lidge. He was down in the count and fought of several pitches and ended up getting a single to left. Nothing was more clutch than that performance. If Damon won't come down on his price his return to the Yankees is unlikely and I don't like that.

Rick Ankiel:This guy has sparked my interest a little bit. He does come with baggage. He is injury prone, he had that incredible meltdown in the playoffs, albeit as a pitcher, and that whole HGH thing. But he brings some good things to the table. His defense is average to above average and his arm is probably one of the best around being a former pitcher and all. His bat is what I'm actually interested in. With the way the New Yankee Stadium plays, lefties are at a supreme advantage when it comes to power. Ankiel provides power and would hit a ton of homers at the new stadium. However he does have injury problems. In the middle of a pennant race having your starting left-fielder, cause I assume he would be, out for the season is not a setback you want to endure. I am interested in Ankiel but mostly as a last resort.

Aroldis Chapman

I guess I've put this one off for as long as I possibly could. Aroldis Chapman has defected from Cuba to come pitch in the Major Leagues. He is a fireballing left-hander who is willing to learn in the minors instead of jumping straight to the big leagues. He really impressed lots of people during the World Baseball Classic, and if the World Baseball Classic is any indication he has the potential to be a very good pitcher in the Majors. Pedro Martinez won himself a roster spot on a World Series team based on his performance in the W.B.C. and may be a fair indication of how a player may perform in the majors. This guy could be a valuable part of the Yankees. The only question is, are we going to get Orlando Hernandez or Jose Contreras?

Personally I think someone who throws really hard is not always a guarantee. I've seen a ton of relievers come in who throw 97 and bomb miserably because they aren't real pitchers. Which is why I am a fan of Chapman going through the minor league system. There he can learn to use his pitches effectively and not just rely on his fastball. Do I think the Yankees should sign him. Yes and no. It's not a necessity but it would be nice to have that kind of pitcher lurking in the minors. I imagine it was how Giants fans felt when they had Lincecum or Angel's fans excitement for Jared Weaver. However signing Chapman would once again bring up the argument every non-Yankee fan has against the Yankees and that is that they buy their teams. Chapman is not a player I'm dying to have on my team he would be nice to have but I don't see him as a must sign.

One thing should be noted. The Red Sox could snag this guy and potentially make their rotation better. The Red Sox are stock-piling pitching like their is going to be a shortage of pitchers in the future. I would rather not see the Red Sox get another young pitcher.

Carlos Zambrano

Sometimes the Yankee rumors surprise me. When I heard that Melky Cabrera was drawing interest from the Cubs I was expecting the Yankees to be sighting some outfielder or maybe a young reliever like Jeff Samardzija, the former Notre Dame receiver and pitcher. However Cashman was looking a lot bigger. Big Z, Carlos Zambrano, in fact.

Carlos Zambrano is a good pitcher, still young, and one of the fiercest competitors in baseball. Personally I love his fire and the general attitude he brings to the mound. Playing in Chicago he knows the pressure of playing in a big media market. Chicago has still not allowed Steve Bartman within city limits, and I'm assuming the state if he knows whats good for him, for interfering with a foul ball in the NLCS 6 years ago. He also provided one of the best moments in ejection history when he, after being ejected from a game, ejected the umpire himself:

Even Lou Piniella is laughing at this gem.

He would have been a fun piece to the Yankee puzzle. However with Cabrera on the Braves this trade is no longer on the Yankee radar.

Ps. I know this is late. Also the Mets might acquire Zambrano through a trade sending Castillo to the Cubs which would open up the second base slot for Orlando Hudson. If the Mets could pull of these two moves the fans could stop whining about how little their GM is doing this offseason.

Surprising Move?

I just read that before the Halladay-Lee 4 team mega-blockbuster trade of the decade, Brian Cashman made a play for Halladay from the Blue Jays AND a play for Cliff Lee separately of course. This really surprised me. Mostly because I never thought the Phillies would part with Cliff Lee. I'm not even sure why they traded him away for Roy Halladay in the first place. Neither of these proposals were entirely serious as the asking price was too high. Just interesting that Cliff Lee was in the Yankees sights. Which he might be next season.

To Start or Not To Start....

...I don't know much about Hamlet, but I know I'm really tired of this debate. And since there is no more real news people have decided to bring this one up again. The debate I'm referring to, for those of you under a rock or who don't follow sports but follow my blog (wink), is the debate over whether or not Joba Chamberlain should start or become a reliever. Unfortunately, for people like me, Phil Hughes' success in the bullpen last year has added his name to this discussion.

To me this is a matter of art. Not like the "art" of pitching but the kind you would find in a museum. I once heard someone describe starting and relieving in terms of painting. A starter is more like a painter. They have a blank canvas and with every pitch, like a brush stroke, they begin to form a picture. Every pitch has it's meaning just like every line sets up the next in the painting. If something goes awry you need to be able to parlay that into something positive. That is the mentality of a starter. A reliever however is more like the guy who touches up paintings. Sure his craft takes it's own degree of skill. However his skill is a lot different than the painter. The touch-up guy comes in and gets out. He does not worry about the next step nearly as much as the original painter. The same can be said for relievers, the reliever does not set-up one at-bat later in the game with the present one. His focus is to get the batter out as quickly as possible. Therefore he is like the touch-up guy who comes in with a specific goal and that is to finish out the painting.

First let's start with Hughes. Hughes just doesn't have the mentality to get it up and fire it in. Sure that isn't the blueprint needed for a closer, ie. Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman, but it was clear that coming out of the bullpen was not his preference during the 2009 playoffs. In other words Hughes is a painter. He needs to be able to work batters and manipulate their idea of what is coming next. Keep them guessing. Coming out of the bullpen hinders this mentality. In my opinion, everything about Phil Hughes screams starter. When I look at him I see a thrower who is learning how to become a pitcher. Phil Hughes is still young (23) and I believe this year has reestablished his confidence in himself. With time he could be the next Andy Pettitte.

Now for Joba. I wish I knew more about politics to provide a proper simile to how intensely this has been debated amongst fans and even internally in the front offices. My belief from the get-go was that this young man (24) should be in the bullpen. Nothing about Joba says painter to me. Everything from his fiery mentality right down to his electric slider. When he broke onto the scene, Joba was untouchable, almost literally. He had a WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) of 0.75. He even said it himself that starting wasn't the same rush as coming out of the bullpen. If you can't get yourself mentally right for a start, you shouldn't be starting. It is so obvious that I can't believe it doesn't have a sign denoting how obvious it is. One final note on this topic. When Chamberlain came in to the World Series up by a run in the 8th inning, he was dominant. I hadn't seen him pitch like that since he first came up and I believe that there is a common denominator there: the bullpen.

This issue brings up another question about the bullpen. Who will replace Mariano Rivera. I am terrified of the day Mariano Rivera retires because I know that the greatest closer to ever live will have thrown his last pitches. I do not believe this day will be for another 3 or 4 years but I do believe it will happen. If history has taught us anything, it is that we need to learn from it and not make the same mistakes twice. This why I think Joba needs to be the 7th and 8th inning guy. Mariano Rivera did not just jump from starter to closer. No, he spent a year in the bullpen grooming his talents and preparing for his role. Joba should be doing the exact same thing so that we can prepare this guy for that day off in the distance when Mariano does retire.

DeRosa to the Giants

San Francisco and Mark DeRosa have reached an agreement. Once again I go disappointed.

Did DeRosa make too much sense?

Are you really that blown away by Brett Gardner's multiple baserunning mistakes as a pinch runner?

Do you love Juan Miranda THAT much?

Was Melky too clutch for us?

Should I really be happy with Ramiro Pena as our utility guy?

Can you please do something that I like?

Pitching

It appears the Yankees should be done with acquiring pitchers this offseason unless they want to address the bullpen a little more. However I feel it is necessary to review the pitchers the Yankees let go.

Matt Capps- pitched for the Pirates and is regarded as pretty good with upside. He signed with the Nationals. Why? I'm not entirely sure, if he wanted to lose consistently he could at least stay with the Pirates and open the possibility of being traded midseason.

Jason Marquis- lifetime National Leaguer who has a resurgent year last year. I'm not high on him and the fact that he is a lifetime National Leeaguer is a huge red flag for me because he isn't dominant in the National League. He also signed with the Nationals. He prefers the mentor role and he will presumably get a lot of opporunities with Capps and Stephen Strasburg, who should be in the rotation by June.

Randy Wolf- Again not great but a good lefty pitcher. He signed with the Brewers and I'm okay with it.

Justin Duchscherer- Other than having an incredibly hard last name to spell or pronounce he is a pitcher I wished the Yankees took a better look at. A few years ago he lead the League in ERA for a while and made 2 all-star teams. He is a young talent and could be groomed into a solid 2 or 3 starter. The A's apparently felt the same way and re-signed him recently.

The list isn't fairly impressive but given the Yankees needs I think the only pitcher that was worth a second look was Duchscherer but not signing him is not a huge loss. The pitchers available more than suit the Yankees needs, should they feel they need another.

Cashman Honored

As the title suggests Brian Cashman was given an honor by, get this, the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.

I have given Cashman a bit of a hard time recently but I do regard him as a very good GM. For the record I think Theo Epstein is one of the best GM's in baseball. Which is why this should be considered an especially great achievement for Cashman. I just hope it's not a trick and when he gets there they don't pelt him with rocks, and burn him at the stake.

This Makes Me Sick

This is why it Yankee Fans get a bad rap

This is an example of taking the game too far. I'm a crazy Yankee fan. I kicked a guy out of his own living room because I thought it brought bad luck to the Yankees. So I know crazy but this is going too far. It's really unfortunate that some people take the game this seriously and even worse that this guy had to lose his life.

Mr. Cashman I Call Bullshit

Cashman has stated that since Nick Johnson will not be playing the field he is at less of a risk than when he was playing the field and that is why the signing isn't as risky as everyone feels. I have to disrespectfully disagree. I'm not gonna say that playing both defense and offense is less risky than just hitting. I will argue that there is just about the same amount of risk. Cashman said that a lot of freak injuries have plagued Johnson and not something they have to worry about blowing up and coming back, ie Matsui's knees. However batting and running the bases provide a ton of opportunities to run into freak injuries. Every at-bat has the looming risk of being hit with the ball and that can break bones, cause concussions, pull muscles, or tear muscles. I dislocated my knee cap swinging in a slow-pitch softball league so the threat of injury can come literally with every swing. Next you have the freak injuries that occur running the bases. Need proof look at Chien Ming Wang, he was injured on a play that he scored standing up on and was done for the season. Lastly there are collisions accidental and purposeful running the bases. Let's say that Johnson is on first, a likely situation, and slides hard to break up a double play and collides with the second baseman. Not a ridiculous situation but potentially hazardous.

I'm not saying that Johnson is going to get hurt. I'm saying I don't buy Cashman's rationalization of signing Johnson.

Mark DeRosa

With the departure of Melky Cabrera the Yankees need another outfielder, at least in my opinion. The person that makes the most amount of sense to fill this void would be Mark DeRosa. He fits every need the Yankees have expressed interest in from a position player. He can play both corner outfield positions, third, first, and probably short. He is a solid hitter and best of all he is from New Jersey. I'm from New Jersey and I love players prove New Jersey on the Yankees. Do I think they all work out, obviously not see Ron Villone, but I am partial to players from New Jersey. Okay now that I got that bit out, Mark DeRosa would be the ultimate utility player because he could fill in for those players who need a 1/2 day off at DH.

Unfortunately this move seems unlikely for two reasons. First the price seems to be too high for the Yankees. This seems incredibly ridiculous because the Yankees are willing to shell out money to people like Nick Johnson. They were hoping he would come down on his offer and meet the Yankees in the middle. Hopefully the Cabrera-Vazquez trade will put some pressure on the Yankees to compromise with DeRosa. Secondly and the biggest roadblock is that he seems to be leaning toward the Giants. They have made him an offer and it appears that he will sign with them. Nothing is final but it is clearly further along than the Yankees.

Signing DeRosa would make this offseason more bearable and potentially more of a success than it's current state.

Recreating '04

I'm not really sure what is going on. Cashman might be trying to relive 2004 and rewrite history. It seems like he looked back and got rid of what didn't work and is bringing back stuff from that year that might work.

There is a trade that is pending approval between the Braves and Yankees with the centerpieces being Melky Cabrera and former Yankee Javier Vazquez. This move is extremely questionable. I can't even see myself coming around on this one. Why get rid of Melky Cabrera who was not great but certainly clutch and unquestionably good for team morale. Bringing in Vazquez is not a bad move... at the trade deadline, not in the offseason. There are plenty of 4th starters available in the free agent market, like Jon Garland, Ben Sheets, etc., and we are down an outfielder now. I don't understand this. Brett Gardner in LF makes me very uncomfortable seeing as how we had previously improved our outfield, yes I have changed my mind. With this move the Yankees backup outfielder is now Juan Miranda barring some signing or, God forbid, another trade. I can't see how this trade works on any front and just seems like an unnecessary move.

Chien Ming Wang

I have to admit that the first time I heard his name I thought my mom was trying to be funny.

Wang is a bit of an enigma. He came withing an 1 game of winning 20 games in back to back seasons, his first two mind you. Then he got hurt for the year and has not been the same since. Was last year just a rebuilding year? Is he really done forever? I don't know if those questions are worth bringing him back. The Yankees reportedly will match any offer for Wang. It is an interesting proposition but last year raised my eyebrows cause he couldn't get any groundball outs. Every start (all three of them) was fly ball after fly ball. He is a sinkerballer and maybe he just isn't a fit anymore.

Numbers

Since the Yankees have made some questionable moves, by fans standards, some people have come out and given reasons why losing both Damon and Matsui are acceptable loses. They will compare stats of both Matsui and Damon with Granderson and Nick Johnson. However what I'm worried about is not the stats, I'm positive that Cashman is signing people who will produce. I am worried about the type of people we bring in. Matsui and Damon are clutch players.

Would the Yankees have won the World Series without this play. Not every player makes this play and I don't see the sense in letting two guys who were clutch beyond clutch in the World Series go.

Frustration

WHAT ARE THE YANKEES DOING THIS OFFSEASON???

Nick Johnson... Really

I said that Nick Johnson coming back to the Yankees is a stupid idea. With the impending signing of Nick Johnson it bears repeating... signing Nick Johnson is a stupid idea. If we were going to sign a player that isn't going to play the field, and will pretty much be the DH then why did we let Matsui go. After all the deals appear to be the same and last time I checked Nick Johnson didn't just win the World Series MVP.

Salary Cap

Okay I was originally going to just leave the last post as is and have this be a post script to it, but I liked the way it ended and this topic deserves it's own post.

I would like to see a salary cap in baseball. Might seem strange given how much I love the Yankees and how much the Yankees go out and spend. Before the World Series I was watching the Mike Francesa show and a caller asked him if the Yankees winning the World Series would be cheapened by the free agent acquisitions. To the caller's surprise, and mine, Francesa immediately said yes it would. I don't like the thought that the Yankees might be winning, for lack of a better word, tainted championships. I want the Yankees championships to be unquestionably earned and an achievement no one can take away even a little bit.

The idea of a salary cap would change a lot in baseball. Obviously players like Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Dustin Pedroia would be locked up quickly and stay with the same team but players like Mike Lowell, or Scott Kazmir could end up literally anywhere. It would shake everything up immensely and if teams are willing to spend correctly any team could be as good as the Yankees or Phillies. The only problem is that a team like the Phillies who have mostly homegrown talent, Utley, Howard, Rollins, Hamels, Happ, Madson, and Ruiz, would lose some of the players they groomed from the start. As fair as the salary cap would make the field, it would be highly unfair to teams like the Phillies or even the Rays. There are many things that need to be considered but I am actually in favor of a cap.

Tired of This

Mentioning a salary cap in baseball, as ESPN's First Take did today, is like pointing at the Yankees and saying "Hey no fair". I'm really sick and tired of hearing this. Yes the Yankees have the highest payroll by far but that doesn't equate to being unfair. A lot of times the Yankees spend money in the wrong places. Need proof how's Carl Pavano or Jaret Wright or Kevin Brown or Jose Contreras or Randy Johnson or Hideki Irabu. The list goes on and on. So for the woman on ESPN to say that a salary cap in baseball is not about Yankee hating because teams (which usually implies the Yankees) take all the free agents from the lesser financial markets (Milwaukee, Colorado, Tampa Bay etc.) is total bull. Every team has money to spend and some choose not to. Not to mention you get what you give with a sports team. If you invest nothing into the team, your team won't be very good and no one will want to go to the games leaving you with no income to put back into the team. It's very cyclical.

Every person that is not a fan of the Yankees who mentions a salary cap is clearly reverting back to being a child and tugging on their mommy's dress pointing at their bigger sibling and saying "It's not fair they won't let me win".

Nick Johnson

Sometimes the Yankees are linked with names that are just stupid. I loved Nick Johnson when he was with the Yankees. He played good defense, hit pretty well, and was generally a good player. But he is not a good fit for the Yankees. Nick Johnson is super injury prone and not nearly the best option at first base, or DH. If the Yankees want to take a chance with a DH/1B go after this guy:

obviously this is not Adam LaRoche but this came up in the google search for Adam LaRoche and it made me laugh.

Back to the point, Adam LaRoche would be a much better fit than Nick Johnson. For that matter a 40 year old Jim Thome would crank a ton of homers in the New Yankee Stadium and would be a much better fit than Nick Johnson. Nick Johnson shouldn't really be considered by the Yankees anytime outside of 2001-2003.

Ben Sheets

I've heard some rumblings about Ben Sheets as a potential fit for the Yankees. I gotta be honest, I don't know much about Sheets. What I do know is that he, when healthy, can strikeout people with the best of them. Don't forget this guy started the all-star game a few years back. He had a good, not great year last year and seems to finally be returning to form.

However, and this is a big however, he is very very VERY injury prone. The last time Sheets pitched 30 games before this year was 2004. The Yankees could take a chance on this guy but I would rather take Garland over him.

Plus I'm pretty sure someone asked him how many times he's been on the DL:

Last Words On Halladay

Roy Halladay is officially a Philadelphia Phillie.

I think the reason I wanted Roy Halladay on the Yankees so much is because I liked what he brought to the table outside of pitching. It was his desire to win, his concern for his teammates, and his ability to mentor.

I've always thought that players who go into free agency are really saying "where's my money?" That never sits well with me. I hated it when Mariano and Posada went into free agency but they never really had any desire to play for another team. With Posada it was about money but for Mariano it was about years which tells me he just wants to play. To me testing free agency really questions how much they actually want to win and how much they would rather get paid to win. That is why I liked Roy Halladay's approach to all this. He was never about the money. He was tired of pitching for a team that's best accomplishment during his tenure was beating out the Red Sox for 2nd in the AL East a few years ago. His desire to win was never, in my mind questionable. He wanted to compete for and win a World Series.

Not many people have payed attention to why he set a deadline for the Blue Jays to trade him but I did. He didn't want his trade talks to be a distraction to the team as it was a year ago. Halladay even went as far as to say he would exercise his no-trade clause if he weren't traded before spring training. Clearly he is a great teammate and would have been great for the Yankees.

Lastly and probably the main reason I am upset about not landing Halladay was his ability to mentor, in particular his ability to mentor AJ Burnett. I love Burnett, I've said it before, I'll say it again, and it has been well documented how Roy Halladay helped AJ Burnett become a more complete and stable pitcher. If Roy Halladay could have influenced Burnett in a positive way and actually improve on the way he pitched last year the Yankees would have been unstoppable. Also there is this:

Look at that and tell me it doesn't look like those two are having fun out there.

Cam Boogie

The Red Sox have signed Mike Cameron to a 2 year deal. After talking to my friend I was getting really excited about the Yankees signing Mike Cameron and moving Granderson to left. He is a great centerfielder and has one of the best nicknames ever, Cam Boogie.

As the dominoes start to fall, Johnny Damon is getting backed further into the left field corner on 161st Street in the Bronx.

New Idea for the Rotation

I was talking to my friend about the pitching situation and he brought something up very very interesting. He brought up the idea of Jon Garland for the Yankees. At first I was worried about how he bounced around from Chicago to Los Angeles of Anaheim to Arizona and back to Los Angeles (of Los Angeles) but then he told me to look at the stats. He compared him to John Lackey and so will I. Before you look at the numbers realize that Garland has pitched 1 more full season than Lackey.

John Lackey: 102 Wins, 71 Loses, 3.81 ERA, 14 Complete Games, 1501 Innings, 1519 Hits, 702 Runs, 636 Earned Runs, 151 Homeruns, 441 Walks, 1201 Strikeouts, and 1.31 WHIP

Jon Garland: 117 Wins, 102, Loses, 4.42 ERA, 10 Complete Games, 1829.1 Innings, 1944 Hits, 992 Runs, 898 Earned Runs, 228 Homeruns, 593 Walks, 960 Strikeouts, and 1.39 WHIP

These two guys are pretty much equal with the clear edge going to Lackey. If you look year to year Lackey is a more dominant force than Garland. However the Yankees rotation is not in need of a number 2 pitcher. We already have our number 1 and 2 pitchers for the next 4 years. What we really need is a solid 3 or 4 depending on where we decide to put Pettitte which I suspect would be 3. So for a 4 started Jon Garland would be a perfect fit.

Matsui

I honestly can't picture Hideki Matsui in another uniform. That is why it will be so strange opening day when Hideki Matsui will be wearing a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim uniform. I really liked Matsui and his performance in the postseason was out of this world. Masui will always be a Yankee in my mind and I will miss his presence.

Lackey Signs... sigh

Lackey to the Red Sox... damn it

Halladay Trade Finalizing

Well it happened. Not quite the way I wanted but it happened. Roy Halladay will be wearing pinstripes next season and until 2013. Unfortunately those pinstripes are red. If your not following the Phillies have traded for Roy Halladay. If your first thought was wow thats gonna change things, you might want to hear the rest of the trade. Roy Halladay will be traded to the Phillies in exchange for prospects. The only wrinkle in the trade is that most of the prospects are coming from the Mariners in exchange for... wait for it... Cliff Lee. So essentially what the Phillies have done is trade away Cliff Lee for Roy Halladay, making them the same team as before the trade. They have not improved their rotation even though Roy Halladay is a better pitcher than Cliff Lee because, at this point in their careers, this trade is like trading Sandy Koufax for Bob Gibson there is no point. This trade makes no sense because the whole point of getting Roy Halladay was to have him and Cliff Lee pitch together.

Lets get down to the reason I'm mentioning this. This could have been the Yankees. Earlier I mentioned that trading for Roy Halladay would be easier if a third team was involved. Apparently I was correct because that is just what happened. If the Yankees were willing to deal either Joba or Hughes, I'm starting to lean toward Joba, to the Mariners and Jesus Montero to the Blue Jays they might have been able to pull off the trade pending details. However Halladay to the Phillies is better than Halladay to the Red Sox.

Monday

Quite possibly the biggest day in the history of offseason pitching just ended.

2 Cy Young Award winners and 1 World Series Game 7 winner have found new teams, at least tentatively. And not one of these players is going to the Yankees. I'm not upset I just think it is something worth noting that the Yankees aren't the only team that buys big name players.

What The Hell?

I've noticed something. Grown-ups never say exactly what they mean.

General Manager Brian Cashman was asked many times what his priorities were this offseason and every time he said "Pitching, pitching, pitching". That implies that he intends to sign some pitchers in the offseason (three if you are reading literally). What that meant was he wanted to re-sign Andy Pettitte.

It is frustrating to hear one thing and see another acted out.

More on the Halladay Trade

The Yankees lost a piece of the Halladay puzzle in the Granderson trade; Austin Jackson. This is a small setback but I believe it opens up another option that may favor the Yankees. If you recall I believe that Halladay becomes exponentially easier to obtain if Vernon Wells is traded as well. How can the Yankees do this without having a surplus of OF's. Well a three-team trade would solve that problem. So here's how it would break down.

Yankees Get:

Halladay(Toronto)

Blue Jays Get:

Jesus Montero (Yankees)

Joba/Hughes (Yankees)

An established OF (Third Team)

Third Team Get:

Vernon Wells (Toronto)

Possible prospect (Yankees)

Cash (Yankees)

Since the Yankees will be taking a part of Wells' contract the trade would need to be approved by Bud Selig. Which is why the third team would need to receive something other than just Vernon Wells, be it an outfielder or something else that fits the team's needs. What team would be in on the this trade, I have no idea. It would need to be a team that either is very young and needs a veteran presence, or a team that is rebuilding and would value the prospect more than Wells but likes what he brings.

This is quite simple, in principal. So simple in fact that it might not get done. Or so simple neither GM has thought of it.

Granderson

Okay so when I first heard the trade I thought it was a terrible trade. In my opinion the Yankees were giving up too much for not a lot in return. I also felt this trade makes Johnny Damon less of a priority. Most of all, I thought this trade effectively ended our chances at Roy Halladay.

However I've come around. I'm still not totally in love with this trade but I'm definitely warming to this trade. I should break it down point by point.

First: Giving up too much.

I've already expressed my thoughts on Austin Jackson. I haven't seen him, which concerns me because the people he is supposedly competing against are Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera. These guys are good, but no one considers them the future like they did of Jackson. Ian Kennedy, although showing promise at the end of last year, had a huge attitude problem and I had no real attachment to him. He could be a back of the rotation guy but let's be honest, those guys get traded all the time and no one says boo. Now we've rounded to Phil Coke. He wasn't great. Nor was he a key piece to the bullpen. However, he did play his role well and was effective when he needed to be, playoffs excluded.

All that for Granderson. He is clearly an upgrade at centerfield, in every facet. A few years back he was a 20, 20, 20, 20 (doubles, triples, homers, and steals) guy, one of only two and the only person in the modern era. He has that rare mix of power and speed and would thrive in Yankee Stadium the same way Damon did.

He's made some great defensive plays:

And some not so great plays:

I believe that Granderson will show more of the former and be a solid fielder. Granderson is a great clubhouse guy. He was a finalist for the Roberto Clemente Award which is pretty much the "great guy" award in baseball. It is given to the player who excels on the baseball field and giving back to his community. Lastly he seems to know his role. When asked about his number he said he Girardi has preference to the number 28 if he so choses. Also he is willing to bat anywhere in the order realizing that if it aint broke don't fix it.

In closing were giving up players who have a lot of promise for someone who CAN produce.

Second: Damon

Okay this one is simple: I wasn't thinking. Cashman has said that Granderson is coming in to play centerfield and clearly that does not affect Damon. The only factor that could prevent Damon from coming back, as a result of this trade, is that Granderson can essentially replace Damon without bringing him back. However I still think that Damon should be on the Yankees next year and this trade will not affect his signing. It may affect his contract though as he may need to settle for less money or less years.

Third: Roy Halladay

The Granderson trade seemed to nix the Yankees interest in Roy Halladay. Upon further investigation the GM for the Jays said that no team has drawn back interest in Doc Halladay. So there goes my gripe with the Halladay trade.

One last note on the Halladay trade. We sent Austin Jackson to the Tigers for Granderson. I thought that the Blue Jays had more interest in Jackson and therefore was more valuable for that trade and not for Granderson. Again with the Toronto GM saying that no team has drawn back interest in Halladay tells me that the Yankees are getting creative.

Andy's Back... Back Again... Tell A Friend

Today the Yankees signed Andy Pettitte to a 1 year $11.75 million deal. Duh! This was all but a formality. Andy had to decide whether or not he wanted to come back and compete for another championship. He made the decision just about everyone and their mother's would have made. He's coming back to start on some jewelry for his other hand.

Yankees Trading for Curtis Granderson

The Yankees, Tigers, and Diamonbacks have "reached an agreement" on a trade that would bring in Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and ship out Phil Coke, Ian Kennedy, and Austin Jackson. There is nothing to report on this just yet, other than it might happen. Although they (they being people I regard as reliable) reported this deal is close to being done around 2 pm today and it is currently 2 am and nothing new has happened. At the moment I am warming to this trade but I still don't like it. More to come when more is released.

Now Catching ...

I believe the Yankees have caught lightning in a bottle made of winning lottery tickets and gold they struck in the California gold rush. I am talking about Francisco Cervelli.

This guy game up from Single-A and filled in for an injured Jorge Posada. He played backup but was a solid backup. This past season Cervelli was the third catcher and impressed me greatly. If you remember correctly Joe Girardi was ejected from a game in Atlanta. Cervelli was the batter directly following the ejection and he hit a homer. This was the turning point in the season. From that point on the Yankees went on a tear and eventually won the World Series. Also Cervelli stepped in to a pitching staff and handled veteran pitchers AJ Burnett, CC Sabathia, and Andy Pettitte magnificently. He has the makings of the catcher of the future. I think the Yankees have stumbled upon something special here and would be remiss to ignore that. Cervelli has proven he can step in and shows a lot of promise. I'm hoping the Yankees agree with me.

Austin Jackson

If your like me, you have been following the Yankees closely for a long time. You know the roster inside and out, and you hear rumblings in the minor leagues. Players that might have an effect on the future of the Yankees. And if your like me you have been hearing a name quite a bit over the last few years. That name is Austin Jackson.

This is what he looks like in case you were wondering.

Now I have been hearing about him for a long time. I mean a long time. He is supposed to be the CF of the future but despite all the buzz about this player I haven't seen so much as an appearance in batting practice. He wasn't even a September call up this year. Now if he is supposed to be this great prospect where was he in September when the entire minor league system gets their big break. As it stands now our CFs are Brett Gardner and Melky Cabrera. Let me break it down. Brett Gardner has all the speed in the world. Only problem is he can't hit and never gets on base. Thus his speed is negated and is relegated to a late inning pinch runner/defensive substitution. On top of his hitting woes, he also makes a ton of base running mistakes. Now for Melky Cabrera. Melky doesn't have great power and has average speed. However Melky did prove to be one of the most clutch Yankees last year and was a huge part of the many comeback wins the Yankees had last year. His defense is slightly above average with an above average arm. Unless I'm mistaken that leaves the Yankees with two average players at the centerfield position. Why isn't Austin Jackson making a name for himself when these two guys are in front of him. Don't get me wrong I believe that Melky and Gardner are valuable in their own right and I have oversimplified their abilities. But shouldn't the top prospect at CF be able to win the position from these two guys.

What I'm saying is, Austin Jackson I want to see something from you.

Roy Halladay

Now let me start this off by saying this: If the Yankees get Roy Halladay in a trade the deck would be stacked on the side of the Yankees immeasurably. My desire for the Yankees to win is overriding the clear and present truth that Roy Halladay in Yankee pinstripes would be plain unfair.

I think the Yankees should make a push for this guy. Yes he is getting older. Yes he has had injury problems. And yes he is going to ask for some ridiculous, but deserved, contract that will push the Yankees farther and above the other teams in the league. Finally, yes he is going to cost the Yankees more than just millions. Despite all this information I think Halladay will be invaluable to the Yankees.

Here's why. First he is one of the best starters in the majors now. Since the Yankees already have one of the best starters in CC Sabathia, the acquisition of Halladay would give the Yankees the best rotation in baseball without question. Second, AJ Burnett, who I love, doesn't stop talking about how Halladay helped him become a more complete pitcher. Burnett was a mystery to most people in terms of which Burnett was gonna show up, Game 2 of the world series or Game 5. With Halladay on the staff it is a possibility that Burnett will be a more stable and consistent pitcher. Not to mention what Halladay might do for the other pitchers on the pitching staff. Third he is a horse. He will eat up innings and save the bullpen on those days we need him to much like Sabathia. This means our bullpen will be very rested and better suited for the playoffs. Lastly the Yankees will be deadly in the playoffs. Sabathia, Halladay, Burnett, and Pettitte is one of the scariest short series rotations ever.

Now the matter of the trade. I think that this trade becomes much more attractive to the Blue Jays if the Yankees also take Vernon Wells in the trade. I would prefer not to include him in the trade so I will not. The Blue Jays have said they want a combination of OF Austin Jackson, C Jesus Montero, RHP Phil Hughes, and RHP Joba Chamberlain. What it comes down to in my opinion is which pitcher the Yankees are willing to deal away. I'm torn on this topic. Joba has the potential to be a closer like Bobby Jenks, fireballer who strikes people out in the big situations, which we saw in the World Series, despite giving up the homer. Phil Hughes in my opinion can be a big time starter. However his shakiness in the playoffs concerns me because the playoffs are a place where pitchers need to feel comfortable. The two position players, Montero and Jackson, are two players I have no attachment to. If they turn out to be top players good for them but I feel the Yankees can get rid of them and not miss them too much.

One way or another I think this trade makes sense for the Yankees.

Offseason

Okay, its the offseason, which means my mind is running wild. Roy Halladay, John Lackey, Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui are just some of the names swirling around the Yankees. My biggest concern right now is locking up Johnny Damon. Sure he isn't the best fielder and Yogi Berra has a better arm in his elevated age. But not many players are going to steal second and third... in the same play... with the game on the line... with the ball in an infielders glove... in the World Series. Damon should be signed as soon as possible. I know the main deterrent is Scott Boras, as is the case with all his clients. But the Yankees need to push through this and sign Damon if for nothing else because his swing is tailor made for Yankee Stadium. Sure we can go out and sign another left fielder who can send them out but Damon is too good a fit for the Yankees to let him go. Jeter leading off and Damon behind him was one of the most underrated moves made this season. Jeter had been hitting into double-plays at insane rates and switching Damon and Jeter fixed that. Damon is too sensible to let him go.

Welcome To My Mind

Hello, my name is AJ Vecellio and I'm a crazed yankee fan.