Tuesday, May 1, 2007

Trade Melky Part 2

Man, I'm a posting fool tonight. Make sure you scroll down to see my other posts. I tried to turn in for the evening but this injury to Hughes has me restless. The Yankees pitching staff is in shambles and I don't think we have many options to consider to make it better.
The Yankee rotation right now shapes up like this: Pettitte, Igawa, Wang, Mussina and ??? Wang just got back from an injury and has a split nail. Moose is just coming back from an injury and isn't at full strength. Igawa is inconsistent. Pettitte didn't start the season healthy. Who knows when Pavano is coming back? Hughes is going to be out for 6-8 weeks. Karstens has a broken leg. Chase Wright isn't ready for the majors. And quite frankly, neither is Darrell Rasner. This is not good. Pickings are slim.
I think it's a pretty safe bet the Yankees are going to back the Brinks truck up to Roger Clemens' front door and deliver him a blank check. But even if he wants to come to the Bronx, that's at least a month away and by then the Yanks may be so far out of contention in his estimation that he passes by the Bronx for Fenway.
I think Cashman needs to explore the possibility of trading Melky Cabrera. His value has obviously declined so he wouldn't command much on a straight up deal, but Cashman can get creative with the Boss's money or possibly mix in some lower-level prospects. The Yankees need a guy that can get them 6 innings consistently and hold teams to 5 runs or less. Preferably a #3 starter but anyone that can keep them in the game will do. Right now, the only team that immediately comes to mind with options is the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies right now have 6 SPs. Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia, Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber, and Adam Eaton. Hamels is too young for them to part with. They just brought in Garcia, Moyer and Eaton. I'm looking at Brett Myers and Jon Lieber. Myers is currently pitching out of the pen and Lieber, besides being 37, is in the last year of his contract. So here's what I'm thinking:

  • Trade Melky and some low level prospect for Lieber
  • Brink back Bernie Williams or promote Kevin Thompson to be the 4th OF

I can't imagine the asking price for Lieber would be too high, and quite frankly, I think he could get the job done.
Who's with me, or who has other suggestions? Time for us to play GM for a day.
J

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