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.