Yankees Deal For Curtis Granderson

Well, that didn't take long. The reported 3-team blockbuster deal that's been swirling around the rumor mill all day is apparently a done deal. The deal as it's being reported is as follows:

From Yankees to Detroit: Phil Coke and Austin Jackson
From Yankees to Arizona: Ian Kennedy
From Detroit to Arizona: Edwin Jackson
From Arizona to Detroit: Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth
From Detroit to Yankees: Curtis Granderson

I think I have the moving part right. From a Yankees standpoint, the deal breaks down to be Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson and Phil Coke for Curtis Granderson. The Boogie Down gives the deal a thumbs-up.

I wrote in mid-November that if the Yankees had the chance to make a deal for Granderson they should go after it. I wrote that I wouldn't give up Hughes/Joba and Austin Jackson. Kennedy and Jackson is definitely a downgrade over that tandem. Phil Coke is garbage so throwing him in to get it done works for me. But, I also wrote in November that I didn't want them to give up Jackson at all. Apparently, I re-thought that stance this morning when I saw the proposed deal.

As I wrote this morning, I'm ok with dealing unproven prospects for proven players. You never know what is going to become of a highly touted prospect. A lot of them flame out and never amount to anything. That possibility exists with A-Jax. He could be a HOFer. He could be nothing more than a AAAA OF. Who know? Time will tell on that. With Granderson, we know what to expect. He has speed, has a good bat with some pop, struggles against LHPs, and plays a great CF. He has a few shortcomings, but I like what he brings to the table and I think the pluses out weight the minuses.

So it looks like the OF right now is Swisher in RF, Granderson in CF, and Melky in LF. The question now becomes what to do with Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui. I'd have to think that the Granderson deal means Matsui is as good as gone. I think if the Yankees wanted to still bring back one of them, Damon makes more sense. I think there's still a good chance that the Yankees will bring back Damon. Personally, I would prefer to see Damon in LF, Melky in RF, and Swisher can DH. Damon brings flexibility to the team because he can play the field and can DH. I also think the Yankees need him at the top of the lineup. Granderson whiffs too much and has too low an OBP to hit 2nd. I think the Yankees are still in on Johnny Damon.

I think this deal also probably closes the door on dealing for Roy Halladay and rules out signing Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. There's a chance they could still be in play for Halladay but I think without A-Jax and IPK to deal, it means that Hughes or Joba AND Jesus Montero would have to go. They'll have to get creative though. I'd like to see them hold onto Montero and Hughes. i'm more than OK with them dealing Joba. We'll see. Ideally, Doc stays in Toronto and the Yanks nab him as a FA next year. Fingers crossed.

So what do you guys think? Thumbs up or thumbs down on the Granderson deal? Any other thoughts about how things are shaping up? Still 2-plus days left until Winter Meetings wrap up. I'm sure there's still a lot to come.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Yankees Involved In A Potential Big Trade

I went to bed last night around 10:15 and woke up today around 6:30. Within 5 minutes from waking up, I was on MLBTradeRumors, checking to see if any late-night action went down at the Winter Meetings. Apparently, the Yankees were involved in a potential 3-team "blockbuster" that would have landed the Yankees Curtis Granderson. It's being reported today that the deal is unlikely and it mentions that the Yankees felt the price was too high. I'm all for bringing in Curtis Granderson, but the reported "blockbuster" was a little too costly in my opinion.

If you break down the "rumored" deal, the Yankees were getting Granderson from Detroit and some unnamed prospects from Arizona in exchange for Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke and Mike Dunn. It's a little costly for the Yankees. Not much, but a little. I'm a little on the fence but my initial reaction was that the price is too high. I'm all for dealing prospects for proven talent. With Granderson you know what you're going to get. Despite his shortcomings against lefties, CG is a really good, and proven, player. Coke and Dunn are expendable middle relievers. Kennedy has the stuff but hasn't been able to put it together on the big league level. Austin Jackson is probably the best prospect the Yankees have but again, he's just a prospect. He could easily prove to be a big bust.

So it'd be Curtis Granderson ( a good and proven player) for 4 guys that may or may not ever really contribute at the big league level. If the deal happened, I'd be fine with it. But if you ask me, the Yankees should be able to get a lot more for that package than Curtis Granderson and some prospects. I'm sure if you pulled out Kennedy and added in Joba, you might have something decent in terms of a Halladay offer. I doubt Coke and Dunn are of interest to the Jays but the foundation of a deal (Joba and Jackson) is there. Who knows? I think the Yanks could get a little more for those guys if they're truly willing to part with them.

If the Yanks happen to bring in Granderson, it's a safe bet that Damon and/or Matsui won't be back. Maybe one will to DH (I prefer Damon), but there would be no chance that both would return. With Granderson, the OF would be Swisher in RF, Granderson in CF, and Melky in LF, with Gardner likely being the 4th OF. Trading for Granderson also likely means no Matt Holiday or Jason Bay. But who knows? Last year we all thought there was no chance they'd sign Mark Teixeira after signing A.J. and CC, but they did.

Buster Olney is on XM radio right now. He didn't call the trade talks dead, but refereed to them as "dormant." I wouldn't be surprised if this deal picks up some steam. It's not a horrible deal. Perhaps they'll rework it. Stay tuned.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

What Would You Do-ooh-ooh For A Hall-A-Day?

I read yesterday on MLBTradeRumors that per Jon Heyman, the Yankees have contacted the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay. Well duh. I could have written that and had a 99.9% chance of being right. This isn't anything to salivate over or get worked up about. Not yet anyway. The Yankees have to do their due-diligence and at least check in about Halladay's availability, especially now that the new Jays GM has said he'd trade Roy within the division. It wouldn't be good business if the Yankees didn't call and ask about it. I'm sure it was likely a routine call, something I'm sure Cashamn has done several times this offseason with different GMs. Until I hear something more substantial about it, I'm dismissing it as fodder.

I think the Yankees will become major players for Doc. There's no doubt that the Yanks will make competitive offers, if for nothing else, to drive up the price for everyone else. I think it's something they'll actually focus on sooner rather than later, especially if they want to be players for John Lackey. If the Yankees sign Lackey, I don't see them making a run at Halladay. That would be rather costly. But if you're going to make an offer to Lackey, why not go after Halladay, as their respective salaries will likely be in the same ballpark. I guess what the Yankees need to decide is if it's worth giving up players in addition to the salary or just go with the salary. Think of it as acquiring Johan Santana and CC Sabathia. The Mets had to trade top prospects for Santana in addition to paying him $100 million plus. The Yankees waited a year and signed CC as a free agent, thus keeping their prospects. Right now, it would obviously cost more to acquire Halladay as opposed to Lackey since Halladay can only be gotten via trade. You can roll the dice and hope Roy hits the free agent market next year but i think there is zero chance of that happening. Bottom line: if you want Roy Halladay you have to pony up the players.

I personally would love to see the Yankees land Halladay. But I don't want to see them pay through the nose for him. But if they want him I think they're going to have to. This will probably go down pretty much the same way things did when the Yankees were looking at trading for Johan Santana. It's going to cost at least 4 prospects. The Jays will probably ask for both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. If that's the case I walk away. i am fine with one of them going but not both. The Yanks would be wise to hold onto one of the youngsters. Trading both is a dealbreaker for me. If one has to go I hope it's Joba. I am really high on Hughes and I think he is now, and will always be, a better pitcher than Joba. I'm fine with them dealing either, but not both.

The 2nd piece of the puzzle is going to definitely be Austin Jackson. As high as I am on A-Jax, I'd be OK with him being included in a package. There's no guarantee that Jackson will ever materialize. And I think OFs are much easier to come by than stud starting pitchers.

The 3rd piece of the puzzle would probably have to be Jesus Montero. I'm not a fan of him being included but the Jays would be stupid not to ask for him. He's arguably the Yankees best prospect and he's a catcher. I'd like to see the Yankees find a way to hold onto him but I think it'll be tough to do, especially if they get in a bidding war with another team, namely the Red Sox. Perhaps Cashman can talk the Jays down into taking Austin Romine over Montero. The Yankees are going to be in need of a catcher very soon as Jorge Posada isn't going to be around much longer. The Yanks would be wise to keep the better of the two if at all possible.

The 4th piece, and I'd assume there will be a 4th piece, is probably going to end up being another pitching prospect. Someone like Ian Kennedy, Zach McAllister, or Andrew Brackman. Maybe the Jays would want a guy like Juan Miranda. The Yanks don't have a huge need for him with Mark Teixeira being on the squad.

So barring any creative deals, say where the Yankees take on a guy as a salary dump (Vernon Wells), i think it's going to take at least 4 guys to pry Halladay away from the Jays. I'm fine with that if it's the right 4 guys. I could live with it if the Yankees dealt Joba, Austin Jackson, Austin Romine and any of those pitchers. I could even live with it if they threw in Juan Miranda. I'm not as big of a fan of the deal if it includes Montero but I can probably live with it. There's no guarantee that any prospect will materialize. There is a guarantee that Roy Halladay kicks ass. If the opportunity arises I hope the Yankees go for it.

I'm still undecided on whether or not it's better to deal the guys and pay the contract (for Halladay) then to just pay the contract (Lackey). I prefer Halladay to Lackey but I'm not 100% sure I prefer they deal the prospects and pay the cash for the better pitcher as opposed to just paying the cash for a great but not as good pitcher.

What do you guys think? Do you want to see the Yankees go after Halladay? If so, what can you live with them dealing? What's a dealbreaker? You think they'd be better off signing Lackey as opposed to dealing for Halladay? Lay it on me.

The Hot Stove is heating up. Tomorrow marks the 1st day teams can sign other teams' free agents. Let the games begin.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Curtis Granderson In Pinstripes?? Color Me Intrigued

It's been reported that the Tigers have made it known that Curtis Granderson is on the market. The Yankees of course have interest. When don't they, right?

Bringing Curtis into the fold intrigues me. He's one of the best CFs in the game and can pretty much do it all at the plate. He is one of 4 guys (I think) who have pulled off a 20-20-20-20 season (2B, 3B, HR, and SB). What's not to like about that? He's also relatively cheap if you look at his salary. He's under contract until 2012 with a club option for 2013 Over the next 3 years, he's owed a base total of $23.75 million ($5.5M in 2010, $8.25M in 2011, $10M in 2012). His 2013 team option is for $13M with a $2M buyout. That's a bargain if you ask me.

I think the Yankees will and should explore trading for Curtis. You'd have to assume that The Tigers would want one of the Yankees young SP (Phil or Joba) and probably some other prospects. I don't think the asking price would be too high. Grandy had a down year in 2009, hitting only .249 (23 points below career average of .272) and his OPS was only.780 (about 48 points below his career OPS. Personally, I think Curtis would do well in NY. I wouldn't mind seeing Curtis patrolling the OF with Melky and Swisher. He's definitely an upgrade over Damon. The lower salary wouldn't hurt either. I think if Cash gets the opportunity, he should try to make it happen. At the right price of course. I wouldn't give up Hughes/Joba and Austin Jackson. I don't think I'd give up Jackson at all. I think Joba is expendable and wouldn't be surprised if his name comes up in trade talks. I also wouldn't be surprised if Cashman could wrangle CG away from the Tigers for a group of other prospects. We'll have to see.

Am I the only one out there who'd like to see Granderson in Pinstripes? Right now there's not much to this. It's pure speculation. But it's fun to talk and think about. Just one of the many reasons why I love the Hot Stove.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie