Trade deadline..........rumored moves

A couple of quick thoughts about the Yanks potential moves before the trade deadline.

Tonight, there was a rumored report circulating that the Yanks had agreed, in principle, to a Tyler Clippard, Bret Gardner (AAA center field prospect) for Eric Gagne trade. I like this deal a lot from the Yanks perspective. Gagne reportedly wants to close but will make the perfect set up man for Rivera. He has NASTY stuff, still some of the best in the majors, and a bulldog mentality. Now some will argue that two high quality prospects (B grade both of them but still very good) is a lot to pay for a oft-injured reliever who views himself as a closer, but Gagne may very wekk decide that being a set up man in NY is the same as being a closer, would get paid virtually the same amount of he did the job, and might want to stay on after this season is over. If that is the case, the Yanks would have a dominant set up man with closer experience backing up Rivera. That would obviously not only help down the stretch with this season but also with next season.

Right now, there have been no REAL trade talk with the Yanks, in terms of them being close to getting someone, so let's just take a quick look at the names they have been connected with, either strongly connected or loosely connected.

Jon Garland - This one was thrown out there a few days ago as a possibility but it appears that Chicago is asking for a king's ransom for him. Now, even on the Sat. before the trade deadline, prices are going to remain high as teams try and get the better deal, so the asking price for Garland may go down. Regardless, I don't really like this move for the Yanks, this year. Garland is a good pitcher having a very mediocre season. Giving up a lot to get him now, with a pretty much set rotation, seems like a waste of ressources to me. Where does Garland fit into the rotation? Wang, Pettite and Clemens are locks in the top three spots, Mussina isn't losing his job almost no matter what he does, and Phil Hughes is about to come back and take the 5th spot in the rotation. Who should Garland replace on that staff? Perhaps Mussina, but Moose is going to get the benefit of the doubt from this team, and this manager for the remainder of this year AND next year. And Phil Hughes is your future, a stud pitcher who could help now and will only improve as time goes by. You aren't stunting his growth at all for Jon Garland. So while it seems a long shot, it should be a no brainer to stay away from this deal at all costs.

Mark Teixeira - Again, this seems like a long, long, long shot, but the chances of the Yanks getting back involved in this, in my opinion, go up everyday Tex isn't traded. On the surface, it would appear The Braves are the front runners, but a source within the Braves indicated tonight that their deal for the Texas first baseman is dead. That is significant because it appears the Braves were the only team in the mix that was willing to give up their prime prospect for the slugger. If The Braves have, indeed, pulled out of the race for Teixeira (and are unwilling to give up Salimacchia in the deal) that would throw the Rangers back into a mix with a group of teams all offering their A- to B+ players. It would seem to me that, if the Rangers relented on their notion that any Yankee deal would HAVE to include Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, then the Yanks would be right in the mix. They have deep young pitching talent and some decent position players to throw Texas' way, plus a reliever in Scott Proctor who could be turned into a starter, and could be successful as one. Could Ian Kennedy, who just threw great in his first game in AAA, be a chip Texas would be interested in? Why not? If the Yanks did not have fireballer Chamberlain in their system right now Kennedy would more than likely be the organization's top farm player. Texas needs pitchers and a nice package of players (some MLB ready, come only a year or two away) may be enough to get them back in the hunt for a bat that would be utterly indespensable. If there is one deal I would LOVE to see this team pull off, it would be a Tex trade.

Wilson Betemit - This was a hot rumor about a week ago and has died off. Now, however, with Ty Wiggington being traded, the Betemit deal might ratchet up again. At 26 Betemit is no longer a youngster, but he is still young, and many have believed for a long time that the switch hitting infield multitasker could be a very good everyday starter for a team, once he learned plate discipline. He has very good power, a Soriano like quickness to his bat and a very good glove at almost any position on the infield.

He hasn't come close to his potential, but the potential is still there, and while the Yanks would pay for Betemit on the low end they could realistically get themselves a great bargain. If the bigger deals fell through I would have NO problem putting a deal together for Betemit and stick him at first base for the remainder of the year.

Adam Dunn - I didn't buy this rumor when I first heard it, but in case the rumors are in the least bit true I wanted to add my comments: Are you FUCKING kidding me?

Dunn is a strike out machine that has a mediocre at best OBP, is a rally killer, can't play any kind of defense and has been rumored to be a less than committed athlete who would rather party all night with the friends than settle down and committ to doing what he needs to do to improve. I just don't see how that helps the Yanks at all. They already have Giambi coming back in a few weeks and while I am not the biggest Giambi fan, at least he gets on base and seems to care whether the team wins or loses. Trading any chips for Dunn would be in my mind, foolish and hopefully the deafening silence surrounding Dunn being moved lately signals that the Yanks are not involved at all.

With Ty Wiggington being moved, the Yanks being told that Brad Lidge is unavailable (the Astros asked for Hughes or Chamberlain, which in my mind is the same as them saying he is not available) and some other relievers being traded over the last few days the Yanks have not been linked to anyone else (at least from what I have heard), so now, let's look at some of the current Bronx Bombers who have been rumored to be on the block.

Johnny Damon - This comes from one ESPN report that the Braves would be interested in grabbing Johnny Damon. I have to believe this deal has more of a chance of happening if three things fall into place: 1.) the Braves land Teixeira and believe they can make a HUGE playoff push, 2.) the Yanks agree to pick up a good chunk of the remaining salary left on Damon's contract (two more years at $13 mill a year) 3.) the Yanks accept they are not getting the cream of the crop of the Braves organization back for Johnny.

With all those moving parts it is hard for me to see a way that Johnny, who is now hitting a whopping .242, gets moved but, if it could be done, and the Yanks could swindle a nice player or two away from the Braves (who always have a great farm system) it might very well be worth it. Damon was signed by the Yanks in 2005 after the Red Sox decided the early thirties center fielder was gonna begin to break down, significantly. At the time I thought the Sox could be making a huge mistake, letting a premier leadoff hitter, still only 31, go for something that had not happened yet (injuries). However, it appears they might have been right about him. Damon has been breaking down since before last year and his injuries seem to just be mounting. He is never healthy. He has the body of an 80 year old man. It effects every aspect of his game and he has become somewhat of a liability for a team that just can't afford to have a light hitting DH AND a light hitting lead off man.

Why make a deal for Damon? Namely because you already have a young, cheap, getting-better-everyday center fielder on your team in Melky Cabrera and because it doesn't appear that Damon's injury bug is going to go away anytime soon. Maybe he regains some of his past performance but it appears that Damon's career path doesn't include playing in the league for 20 years. Some guys are never injured, some guys are always injured. That's the way it works, and Damon seems to be someone who will always be injured. With that being the case, and the Yanks already having a center fielder for the future, Damon's value to the team is limited. If a package of decent players is put together for him, it might be time to cut and run.

Bobby Abreu - This, to me, is a harder sell, which is strange because, between Damon and Abreu I like Damon more. Injured or not, Damon plays gutty baseball. Abreu, who has had a miserable season without the benefit of blaming it on any injury, is everything Phillie fans warned Yankee fans about when the team traded for him last year. He gets on base, takes a lot of pitches, and couldn't get a big hit to save his life. He is a front runner hitter. He is a guy who, when the rest of the team is smacking the ball around, he'll join in. When the team is getting 2 hit in the seventh, he isn't gonna be the one to break through. He never starts a rally and almost always kills one. His defense in right field has been, in my mind, sub par, highlighted by his complete reluctance to go back on a ball for fear of running into the wall, a reluctance that actually signifies his entire make up as a player.

Yet, saying that, I am not sure the Yanks should move Abreu before the trade deadline. Reports/rumors are the D-Backs would have an interest in him, and considering the fact that they seem to be inquiring around about every bat that might be on the market, it isn't that hard to believe they might be in play for a guy like Abreu. On the one hand a trade with the D-Backs could be a real coup, as the team gave away decent quality last year for Randy Johnson and may be willing to part with more good talent for a younger, healthier player in Abreu who could help this year and for years to come. On the flip side, while Abreu's game lends itself to complete disgust on my part, who are you gonna replace him with if he is traded? Damon is easily replaced by Melky who, right now, is a better player. Who would slide into Abreu's spot if he were traded? The two best young outfield players the Yanks have in their system right now are at A ball and appear at least two years away from the bigs. There are no other quality names on the market to fill that hole. So while I would LOVE to move Abreu now for almost anything, it seems a pipe dream unless the Yanks had something else lined up to fill a corner outfield hole. Because of that I look for Bobby to finish out the year with the Yanks and move on from there.

Scott Proctor - I still like Proctor, even though his desire to give up the most home runs in the history of the sport is a bit annoying at times, but he seems the most likely chip the Yanks have to move, Proctor is valuable to teams for a number of reasons: he is a durable reliever, he throws hard, he has good stuff, he could potentially be a closer, and he could also potentially be a starter in the big leagues, something the Yanks considered doing almost every year. What could that bring back to the Yanks in a trade? Well, the rumor was Ty Wiggington, but Wiggy got traded to the Reds last night, so that is out. However, many other teams seem ready to explore a trade for Proctor and, if the Yanks get Gagne, Proctor becomes more than expendable. He becomes the perfect chip to throw out there for another team, one that has value to everyone, a team in contention that needs a solid reliever or a team on the cusp that could take a chance on Proctor and either try the tough nosed rightie as a closer or turn him into a starter. Proctor is the Yanks best chance to bring something of value back without diving head first into the farm system and giving up too much.

Kyle Farnsworth - This isn't even worth talking about at length. Other deals made, no deals made, team one game out, 10 games out, HET RID of Farnsworth. If someone, namely the Tigers, want to bite on that piece of shit please, please, PLEASE let me know where he needs to be picked up and I'll drive him. If the Yanks make one move this trade deadline I hope it will be moving one of their big mistakes out. Whatever you get for him is enough.

Kei Igawa - Igawa falls into the same category as Farnsworth. I am shocked someone would want him but it appears the Mariners may very seriously be interested. If that's the case, again, MOVE HIM NOW!!!!!!! Igawa has been a bust and, unlike Jose Contreras, I don't believe there is any chance of Igawa going off and finding himself on another team to the tune of the ace of the staff. Could he get better in a different environment? Possibly, but his stuff is so mediocre the only thing one could expect it would be a mediocre pitcher. Again, if the Mariners want him, if they think teaming him with Ichiro, who seemed to express delight at the idea of adding the Japan native, would make a difference DO IT NOW!!!!!!!!

After that there isn't much on the horizon for the Yanks. With two days to go anything can always happen but, it appears the Yanks won't be major players for the big names (unless they get back in on Teixeira).