Lighten up on the Crede bashing. If you recall, Mike Lowell was a throw-in in the Beckett-for-Hanley Ramirez deal. He was coming off an injury and sub-par year. (Ring a bell?) Sox fans didn’t want him, saying that Youklis could be fine at third as a stopgap.

If the Yanks can get a finally-healthy Crede (remember, he was trying to play through pain the past two years, and submitted to season-ending surgery to resolve the problem), then he’s an absolute steal. Who cares about 2009? The Yankees want to win in 2008.

If not for the Eric Chavez popularity votes, Crede would have been the Gold Glove winner at third base two straight years. He’s a vaccuum over there, and changes games. Sox announcers will tell you that he’ll win three games a year just by stealing late inning hits. And he never makes a bad throw to first base.

As he matured, his pitch selection improved tremendously. He was hitting about .300 when the back pain started. He can crush the ball on occasion, or take it up the middle when that’s what the situation calls for. Time and time again, he gets big hits when they matter most, regardless of his batting average – something not every player is capable of. He’s a World Series champion – something many of the current Yankees have never been through. And he’s a great teammate – something that many questioned about the Yankees previous third baseman.

One thing Crede is not is smooth around the media during interviews. He’s got a lot of country boy in him, but that’s also part of his charm. In Chicago he’s a fan favorite, and the ladies love him. He’s just a dude who loves to play ball and drink some beers. He doesn’t have an ounce of prima donna in him, and has always worked to improve.

He’s not a household name because of the past two years going on and off the DL, but if he’s healed, he can be the surprise to the Yankees that Lowell was to the Red Sox. And it wouldn’t hurt for a guy to go in there with low expectations from the fans, because once they realize what they have, he would quickly win them over, and would be a major component in the Yankees lineup.

please stop.

your argument is an embarrassing strawman.

But I think Crede is a viable option. Maybe not option A, but a viable one depending on how this all shakes out.

With all due respect, I don’t think your comments are entirely fair. Damon for Crede isn’t happening, no doubt. But Crede is an option worth looking at, if he is non-tendered. Ideal, probably not. But low risk and with a potential good upside.

Is that speculation any different than you comment today about Tejeda?

Stats = wins. The best team on paper always wins. The team with the most all-stars position by position wins. Whatever you say ‘hmmmmmm’.

ok, i’ll explain. a .305 OBP means he makes an out 69.5% of the time.

outs are bad b/c you only get 27 of them per game.

the less outs you make, the more it helps your team.

Crede makes a ton of outs, and therefore he hurts his team.

i don’t really care if he “leaves his heart” on the field. i’d prefer it if when he at the plate, he doesn’t make outs.

that’s just me.