You can really make the case that the baseball offseason is every bit as fascinating as the sport's regular season is. In fact, this year, there is no comparison between the offseason and the postseason. The postseason offered us snore fest after snore fest, with the Indians - Red Sox series even remotely appraoching watchable (and even that lacked real spark as the last three games of the series were easy wins for the Sox). Already, you have the pretty boy A-Rod out there, you have Miggy Cabrera on the block, you possibly have D-Train, Dontrell Willis, available for the right price, there are rumblings that the best pitcher on earth, Johan Santana, will become available, there are rumors that ace starters Erik Bedard and Scott Kazmir could be had, and free agent players like Tori Hunter, Aaron Rowand, and Andruw Jones are all on the market for someone to try and pluck up.
With the amount of money baseball is swimming in right now, and with the amount of teams possessing coveted young players (especially pitchers), this offseason really promises to be as interesting as we believe it can be.
Having said that, the Yanks have already been linked to a few big, big names, and a few interesting moves that may or may not pan out. It's important to look at each one individually and see what is the smart move for Cash and which move makes NO sense at all.
Miggy Cabrera - I go back and forth on this one all the time. On the one hand, the kids numbers are amazing. I mean, look at his stats playing for a horrid team in Florida, in a horrid ballpark? They rival anyone, even A-Rod. He is putting together one of the best all around careers we are ever going to see, and, oh, by the way, the kid really is a KID. He is 24 years old.
On the flip side, he is expanding like a star about to go supernova. For a kid who is about six feet tall, he is north of 260, with many feelin he may be 270 plus. Now, at 225 or 230, no problem, just has a little meat on him but he can carry that load pretty easy. An extra 40 pounds of chunky monkey at 24? That is a bit alarming.
What's also alarming is thathis defence at third is putrid, meaning that, if you traded for him with the idea that he would be your third baseman of the future, you might find yourself having to move him to first or to DH, which is tricky because you seemingly have enough firstbasemen to hold down the fort for this year, and you need that DH spot open down the line anyway for when Posada moves out from behind the backstop (and he's coming back folks, just read the Derek Jeter quotes from the Joe Torre dinner). If Cabrera can't control his Louie Anderson eating habits it could spell big problems down the road.
There is also the issue of Cabrera playing in New York. To me this is neither a positive nor a negative, it is simply an unknown. On the one hand, Yankee fans have seen too many guys, quality players, march into NY with a resume and an attitude and run screaming for the door. Cabrera would be going from the easy life of Florida, where each days game meant about as much to the citizens of Miami as rehab means to Lindsay Lohan, to the pressure cooker of New York, where fans are gonna know Cabrera's stats and have lofty expectations before he even steps off the plane. However, on the flip side, as opposed to the Dr. Phil case study A-Rod was, Cabrera seems to have a lot of that Manny, Bernie, Abreu, laize fair attitude, where nothing seems to really effect him. It isn't to say he doesn't want to win. It is just saying that the "pressure" of NY may not melt him the way it did A-Rod. He comes to the park, he hits the shit out of the ball, he tries to win, then he goes home. It might make it seem as if he doesn't care, but who would you rather have up in the big spot, Manny being Manny or A-Rod being pussy?
In the end, I think it comes down to how much the Yanks would have to give up. If the asking price is Ian Kennedy, Melky Cabrera, and another prized prospect, I would have to do it and take my chances. I like Kennedy, who looks like a Mussina clone, and I LOVE Melky, and seeing him go would be tough, but if Cabrera didn't break down, you would be getting yourself one of the top righthanded hitters in the game today, and a guy who promises to be that good for the next 12 years. You get yourself a Hall of Famer. It is hard to look that in the mouth and then walk away.
On the other hand, I would have to think twice before giving up Phil Hughes. Would it be a complete deal breaker for me? No, but Hughes showed in the playoffs that he may have a Roy Oswalt type of career waiting for him. He is only 21. He has been the most coveted player in their system for years. If I was going to give up Hughes in that deal, I would want to look to throw in a few more prospects and get Willis back WITH Cabrera. That is a rich diet to feast on, no doubt, but Hughes can be special, and as much as I love what Miggy can be, I don't know if he's worth a potential #1 starter, not when there are other options.
Joe Crede - It seems like this deal might be dead, but there was A LOT of talk about a Joe Crede for Johnny Damon swap. Now, a couple of things might have happened here. One possibility is that the Yanks were looking at Crede as a "shit, well, we got nothin else, and we need a player there, so why not take a chance" kinda guy and when Cabrera came on the market, and a few other possibilities presented themself to Cash and the boys, they decided that Crede really wasn't the type of splash they wanted to make. There is also the possibility that the Yanks decided (and rightfully so) that Damon is actually and incredibly valuable player for them. With he and Jeter at the top of the lineup - if both stay healthy - they have first and third with no one out ALL THE TIME. Damon is really a spark plug for the team and if they Yanks can hang on to him, and get his body to the point where it isn't constantly breaking down, then hanging onto him is a good idea I believe. Then, there is the possibility that one of the two teams simply pulled out of the running for either player, with the Yanks overly concerned about Crede's back problems, and the White Sox concern about Damon's overall health in the future.
Whatever the case, if this deal is dead for the Yanks, it is good news. Crede, when healthy, is a GREAT defensive third baseman. However, again, when healthy, Crede only had one really solid year with the bat. Let's assume that, as with most career years from second tier players, his 2006 campaign was more a flash in the pan than a sign of things to come. Let's assume he is more the .250, 17, 82 player than he is the All Star player his 2006 numbers suggest. That means the Yanks would be trading Johnny Damon for an average, at best, hitting third baseman. Okay, I can hear the "Scott Brosius" defense coming up (which is defined as a Yankee fan pointing out that the team was tremendously successful when Scotty Brosius was playing third and not putting up A-Rod numbers every year). That's a fine arguement, except for a few things. 1.) Brosius was on one of the most unique, dominant teams in baseball history. The chances of finding the type of players the Yanks had during those years is slim to none, and none just threw slim over the side of the boat in the middle of the Pacific. 2.) The Yanks had the Bam Tino at first during those years, who was good for 30+ homers a year. Maybe he wasn't the best player, but he was a slugger. Right now, if you brought Crede in and made no other move, your third baseman would be an average, at best, hitter, and your first base situation would be an unknown. Giambi might not be able to stay healthy at all and Shelley Duncan might turn out to be Shane Spencer light. You can't afford to have both corner infield positions be light hitting for you, not even the dynasty teams could have afforded that. 3.) Brosius was an OUTSTANDING fielder. So is Crede. That is to say, so WAS Crede before the back surgery. We have no idea what Crede is going to be, defensively, after undergoing such extensive surgery. Look at Hideki Matsui. Now, he was never a great fielder, but he was a solid left fielder (even playing some center from time to time) before he mangled his wrist. Now? He is atrocious. He is a liability in the field. His whole demeanor out there has changed. What if Crede is like that?
I say you move on to bigger and better things and let the White Sox deal with Crede, and it looks like the Yanks may be doing exactly that.
Johan Santana - Okay, here is the ONE guy that is potentially on the market that I believe the Yanks should look to give up almost anyone not named Joba Chamberlain. Here is the thing about Santana............if Phil Hughes accomplishes everything in this game we think he can, he will have possibly, possibly become as good as Santana. He isn't going to be better than him. He isn't going to eclipse him. He can only hope t match him.
Santana fits exactly what the Yanks would be looking for. He is relatively young (27), he throws hard, he is a lefty, he is durable, and he has postseason experience. Plus, all indications point to him being a bulldog. A package of Hughes, Melky, Tabata, and one more guy for Santana and maybe a player to be named later, or a middle of the road reliever, sounds like a decent deal for everyone all around. If you can work the deal with Kennedy instead of Hughes, Cashman should get GM of the century, but I believe the Yanks would HAVE to give up Hughes in that scenario.
Santana would instantly become a difference maker, and with the potential for Chamberlain to be utterly dominant, and with Wang still a very good pitcher (despite his deept throar choke job in the playoffs), the Yanks would have a starting rotation unmatched in the majors. And, with everyone under the age of 30, that rotation would be set for the next decade and beyond. Hughes is a high price to pay for anyone, but Santana is the one guy I wouldn't flinch to give him up for.
Miguel Tejada - Okay, I know this isn't gonna be a popular rumor, and it might be just a lot of noise which signifies nothing, but I actually think this makes a lot of sense for the Yanks. Let's say the asking price for Miggy Cabrera is too high. Let's say the Angels give up on A-Rod and walk in and say "here's Howie Kendrick and our two best prospects" and blow Florida out of the water. Let's say your options at that point are trading for the likes of Joe Crede and Hank Blalock, or going into the season with Wilson "Big Willie" Betemit. Isn't Tejada the BEST option at that point? Seriously, Tejada's bloated contract and his disatisfaction with the Orioles makes it likely that you can have him without having to give up ANY of your big pieces to the puzzle. You won't have to give up either of the big three pitcher, probably won't have to give up Melky Cabrera, and could put together a package of A- to B+ players in the minors to get him. The Orioles would be dumpling his salary and moving on.
That would give the Yanks their fourth place, right handed hitter. It would give them a guy who has power (not 50 homers power, but 30+ power), a good average, an ability to walk, and a nack for getting the big hit. He destroys the Red Sox, hits very well in Fenway, and seems to be a gamer, even if he is a little too emotional sometimes (which might be what the Yanks need right now). How would he make the transition to third? Well, I'm not here to tell you he will be a gold glover, but if he wanted to make the move, he has a good enough arm, has some pretty good range, and you have to believe he would be able to learn the position. Solid defenders usually stay solid defenders no matter where you move them (except from outfield to infield).
Now, the concern is that Tejada is declining and that he will be connected to the steroids once it comes out. I don't know how to answer this question except to say steroids hangs a black cloud over the entire sport, and there are NUMEROUS players who are gonna be suspected of using. Could Tejada's name be on that list Mitchell is about to release? Sure, but so could Miggy Cabrera or Joe Crede or Wilson Betemit or a million other players who might fit on the team. All I know is this..........last year was the first year Tejada did not play 162 games in the season, and it is the first time he didn't hit 20+ homers. In that Yankee lineup, if he stays healthy, he is hitting 25+ homers and knocking in 110+ RBI. Is that A-Rod esque? No, but it should be plenty good to win a lot of games and be right there in the playoff hunt. Then, in the playoffs, Tejada has routinely done better than A-Rod and has been, throughout his career, a better clutch performer. It isn't saying he is a better player than A-Rod, by no means. What it is saying is that Tejada is a cheap solution that could end up paying huge dividends to the team. Remember, he is only 31.
I'm sure, over the course of the next few weeks, more names are going to pop up. Do the Yanks decide to move Melky in a deal for a starter and sign a free agent center fielder as their big bat in the middle, ala Andruw Jones? Does a player like a Mark Texieira become available as the Braves decide that signing him after next year would be too costly? Do the Yanks try and pry a Willis away from the Marlins at a cheaper rate than what Santana would cost, trying not to use their big, blue chip players to acquire him? Is there another bat on the market no one truly knows about right now, someone the Yanks would be interested in for either third or first?
All these questions will be answered in the next month. But, for now, the Yanks already have some interesting names on their plate. Oh, and by the way, as I have stated MANY times before on this blog PLEASE SIGN KERRY WOOD TO BE THE SET-UP MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
