A Busy Day In Baseball And The Yankees Aren't Involved

Wow. Talk about a flurry of Hot Stove activity. Yesterday was a pretty busy day in MLB. The Yankees weren't involved but the major moves all impacted the Yankees in some way shape or form.

Hideki Matsui signed a 1-year deal with the Angels. After the Yankees traded for Curtis Granderson at the Winter Meetings, it was pretty clear that the Yankees weren't going to bring back both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. The majority of people out there , myself included, thought of the two, Damon was preferred over Matsui. There really wasn't much talk out there about the Yankees having real interest in Matsui. I'm not at all surprised by that. Matsui's role would have been as a pure-DH. I'm not a fan of that. I like the flexibility of having a guy who can play the field. I'm definitely sad to see Matsui go, but it's definitely time for the Yankees/Matsui union to end. All the best Godzilla. Thanks for many years of valuable contributions.

We can all cross Roy Halladay off our Christmas wish-lists as the Blue Jays have dealt him to the Phillies. It would have been nice if Cashman Claus could have stuffed Doc in our stockings but I guess it wasn't meant to be. It would have been nice to land Halladay but the acquisition price was going to be steep, probably too steep. It's tough to pony up some MLB-ready players, top prospects and a boatload of cash for a guy. I'm definitely OK with the Yankees holding on to what they have. I'm really looking forward to Jesus Montero in Pinstripes. If Halladay came to town, odda are said that wouldn't have happened. I'm glad that Halladay was sent to the NL. The East just got a little easier. And at least he didn't go to Boston. Works for me.

the rival Red Sox had a bust day, signing Mike Cameron and John Lackey. I could care less about the Cameron signing. He's been linked to the Yankees for years now and I'm sure he was a target of Cashman's, but I've never been a fan of his. I'm glad he's not a Yankee. The signing works into the Yankees favor as it takes another team of the list of possible destinations for Johnny Damon. It should give the Yankees better leverage in those negotiations. The Lackey signing came out of nowhere, didn't it? It's huge for Boston. Their rotation is now arguably one of the best in the game. Beckett, Lackey, Lester, Dice-K, Wakefield, and Buchholz. Not too shabby. I wouldn't be surprised if Buchholz gets dealt soon. The Sox could definitely afford to deal him. The East just got a little tougher. I'm curious to see if this causes the Yankees to do anything impulsive. I really don't see Cashman doing anything rash, but who knows? The division is pretty much a toss-up right now.

After a busy week last week, the Yankees hot stove has cooled off a little bit. I think we'll know whether or not Damon is coming back by Christmas. I hope the Yankees wrap that up soon. I'd hate to see Jason Bay and Matt Holliday sign before Damon as it'll give Johnny a little more leverage in contract negotiations. I think the Yankees next signing is going to come in the form of a RP. I'm not even sure who I want to see them go after. My head is still spinning from yesterday. It was definitely a fun day.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie