A couple of years ago, I could be counted as one of the most vocal critics of Brian Cashman after he refused to give up a package including Phil Hughes for Johan Santana and then refused to even consider a trade for Dan Haren because reportedly they were asking for Ian Kennedy. My main point: Cashman was far too much "in love" with his own prospects, believing that his personally rebuilt farm system was nearly untouchable.
Fast forward to this off season.
I can't even remotely make that kind of a statement with a straight face anymore. Cashman has shown a wonderful ability to target his top prospects (Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, etc.) and keep them in the organization, and then make other top prospects available for the right player.
Austin Jackson has big upside and could eventually turn around and be a major player. However, Cashman wisely determined that Jackson's upside probably wasn't much higher than what Curtis Granderson is right now, so he traded the kid. Same thing with Ian Kennedy. There is a wonderful chance Kennedy, with pinpoint control and a nasty changeup, develops into an above average pitcher, but what were the chances of him doing that in the AL East as a Yankee? Cashman made the decision that it was highly unlikely. So, out the door he went.
Now, Cashman has traded for Javier Vazquez and international super spy, Boone Logan (officially the greatest name in sports right now). To get the former Braves, the Yanks gave up Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn, and some double A pitcher who, evidently, has some talent (let's face it, if Atlanta wanted this kid, he must be pretty good since they don't usually swing and miss on many pitching prospects).
It is yet another example of Cashman playing the right chips with the right cards. Reportedly, when the Tigers and Yankees were discussing Granderson, Mike Dunn's name kept coming up. Cashman refused to give up the hard-throwing lefty and the Tigers finally relented, accepting Phil Coke instead. That made everyone assume that Dunn had reached a level of top-tier, almost untouchable status. I mean, if you're not going to trade Dunn for an All Star like Granderson, who, exactly, would you trade him for?
Well, Cashman answered that, and picked up a starter along the way.
Trust me, my first reaction to hearing that Javier Vazquez was coming back was to nearly black out when disturbing memories of game 7, 2004 ALCS, came streaming into my consciouness, but the truth is Vazquez is a pretty darn good starter and has been the majority of his career. He is usually good for 200 innings, high strike out totals, and double-digit wins. You just can't argue with that type of consistent production, especially considering the Yankees didn't give up one top-echelon player.
I think there were some questionable decisions this off season, like replacing Hideki Matsui with Nick Johnson, but, for the most part, Cashman has hit a home run. And, when you consider that the Yankees still have Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Jesus Montero, and pretty much all of their top lower-level prospects, along with a few mid-level guys who might be able to help the team even next year, his decisions have been even more impressive.
Tuesday, December 22
Thursday, December 17
Quick thoughts on the Yankee moves
Just a few quick thoughts on the Yankee off season so far.
*I LOVE the Curtis Granderson deal at every level. One, Granderson is a top player, he really is. He is a good defensive center fielder, better than any they have on the team now, he has power, he has speed, and he has a high baseball IQ. Yes, he strikes out a lot. Yes, he doesn't hit lefties extremely well. But, he does A LOT more to make up for the flaws. Plus, if he is hitting 35 or 40 homers, you can deal with the strikeouts.
Second, you didn't give up anything dramatic to get him. Look, Austin Jackson might end up being a really, really nice player. But, is he ever gonna be significantly better than an All Star like Granderson? Probably not. Ian Kennedy might end up being a good pitcher, but not for the Yankees and not in the AL East. Phil Coke, I always liked. But, as much as I enjoyed Phil, you can always replace a lefty reliever. There isn't a world in the universe in which Phil Coke will hold up a trade for Curtis Granderson.
Finally, this fits right in with what the Yankees have been doing the last year and a half. Instead of paying guys for what they have done in the past, the Yankees are now acquiring guys in their prime. Teixeira, Sabathia, Granderson, even Swisher are all under 30, all ready to come into the best years of their career, essentially meaning that, by the time their contracts are up, the Yankees will have gotten their best years. That's pretty darn good.
Where would I hit him? Honestly, I have no idea. It looks like the Yankees will have themselves a new #2 hitter (we'll talk about that in a second), so Granderson's ultimate destination will not be up in the lineup. It appears that 1-4 is set. So, is Granderson a 5, 6, or 7? Ideally, Cano would be at the point to step into that #5 hole. He hits for power, average, and he has a little speed. I doubt he will be able to handle the upgrade to a run-producing situation, but let's dream for a minute. Then, I would go Posada, then Granderson, then Swisher, then Melky.
Either way, though, he will add another dimension to this team, and you gotta love it.
*Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are evidently out, Nick Johnson is in. Umm........what?
don't get this at all. Look, the Yankee excuse for essentially severing all ties with Matsui and treating him like a man trying to bring a small pox virus into Yankee Stadium was that the team wanted to get younger, more athletic, and more flexible at the DH spot. In other words, they wanted a guy who could do a little more than DH. That's why it was assumed the Yankees preferred Damon. No, he wasn't even a decent fielder anymore, but you could run him out there when needed, DH when needed, and give a day off when needed. He wasn't going to "clog up" any one position.
I even get the Yankees moving on from Damon at this point. If he is really looking for 4 years, $13 mill a year, then you say "night night" to positively Damonic and look somewhere else. You just KNOW that Damon is gonna be a regular on the DL in the next two or three years, so don't blame the Yankees for being smart and saying no. Rather let go now than hang on too long.
But, what I don't get is how in the world the Yankees can justify letting Matsui go and bringing in Johnson. Yes, Johnson is younger, but that is in years only. Johnson's body is might be more broken down than Yogi Berra's at this point. Is there an injury he doesn't have? If you looked at Johnson's injury report and didn't know what sport he played, chances are you would choose hockey, with no pads. But, what about athletic? Well, let's be honest, the Yankees are on the verge of signing the only guy who is probably less athletic than Matsui. In fact, I doubt there was ever a time in Nick Johnson's life where his name and "athletic" ever shared in the same sentence.
So it must be the versatility of the player and the flexibility it provides. Nope, wrong again. Johnson's only position on the field is first base. Guess what, Mark Teixeira plays first and he is pretty good. Not only is he pretty good, he never gets hurt. So, Johnson becomes the same "clogger" for the DH spot that Matsui was feared to be.
Again, someone has to explain the upgrade. Matsui was one of the clutch players on the team. Johnson's only flirtation in big games ended not so good. Matsui hit 28 homers last year. Johnson hit 8 and has only hit 20 or more homers once in his career.
Again, I ask, what is the benefit to going with Nick Johnson over Hideki Matsui?
*I LOVE the Curtis Granderson deal at every level. One, Granderson is a top player, he really is. He is a good defensive center fielder, better than any they have on the team now, he has power, he has speed, and he has a high baseball IQ. Yes, he strikes out a lot. Yes, he doesn't hit lefties extremely well. But, he does A LOT more to make up for the flaws. Plus, if he is hitting 35 or 40 homers, you can deal with the strikeouts.
Second, you didn't give up anything dramatic to get him. Look, Austin Jackson might end up being a really, really nice player. But, is he ever gonna be significantly better than an All Star like Granderson? Probably not. Ian Kennedy might end up being a good pitcher, but not for the Yankees and not in the AL East. Phil Coke, I always liked. But, as much as I enjoyed Phil, you can always replace a lefty reliever. There isn't a world in the universe in which Phil Coke will hold up a trade for Curtis Granderson.
Finally, this fits right in with what the Yankees have been doing the last year and a half. Instead of paying guys for what they have done in the past, the Yankees are now acquiring guys in their prime. Teixeira, Sabathia, Granderson, even Swisher are all under 30, all ready to come into the best years of their career, essentially meaning that, by the time their contracts are up, the Yankees will have gotten their best years. That's pretty darn good.
Where would I hit him? Honestly, I have no idea. It looks like the Yankees will have themselves a new #2 hitter (we'll talk about that in a second), so Granderson's ultimate destination will not be up in the lineup. It appears that 1-4 is set. So, is Granderson a 5, 6, or 7? Ideally, Cano would be at the point to step into that #5 hole. He hits for power, average, and he has a little speed. I doubt he will be able to handle the upgrade to a run-producing situation, but let's dream for a minute. Then, I would go Posada, then Granderson, then Swisher, then Melky.
Either way, though, he will add another dimension to this team, and you gotta love it.
*Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are evidently out, Nick Johnson is in. Umm........what?
don't get this at all. Look, the Yankee excuse for essentially severing all ties with Matsui and treating him like a man trying to bring a small pox virus into Yankee Stadium was that the team wanted to get younger, more athletic, and more flexible at the DH spot. In other words, they wanted a guy who could do a little more than DH. That's why it was assumed the Yankees preferred Damon. No, he wasn't even a decent fielder anymore, but you could run him out there when needed, DH when needed, and give a day off when needed. He wasn't going to "clog up" any one position.
I even get the Yankees moving on from Damon at this point. If he is really looking for 4 years, $13 mill a year, then you say "night night" to positively Damonic and look somewhere else. You just KNOW that Damon is gonna be a regular on the DL in the next two or three years, so don't blame the Yankees for being smart and saying no. Rather let go now than hang on too long.
But, what I don't get is how in the world the Yankees can justify letting Matsui go and bringing in Johnson. Yes, Johnson is younger, but that is in years only. Johnson's body is might be more broken down than Yogi Berra's at this point. Is there an injury he doesn't have? If you looked at Johnson's injury report and didn't know what sport he played, chances are you would choose hockey, with no pads. But, what about athletic? Well, let's be honest, the Yankees are on the verge of signing the only guy who is probably less athletic than Matsui. In fact, I doubt there was ever a time in Nick Johnson's life where his name and "athletic" ever shared in the same sentence.
So it must be the versatility of the player and the flexibility it provides. Nope, wrong again. Johnson's only position on the field is first base. Guess what, Mark Teixeira plays first and he is pretty good. Not only is he pretty good, he never gets hurt. So, Johnson becomes the same "clogger" for the DH spot that Matsui was feared to be.
Again, someone has to explain the upgrade. Matsui was one of the clutch players on the team. Johnson's only flirtation in big games ended not so good. Matsui hit 28 homers last year. Johnson hit 8 and has only hit 20 or more homers once in his career.
Again, I ask, what is the benefit to going with Nick Johnson over Hideki Matsui?
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