All about the Granderson trade
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Dec 08, 2009 
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I know we just had a post about the Curtis Granderson trade, but the situation is considerably different now, so let’s start a new post for information as it comes in.
As of 2:10 p.m., multiple outlets are reporting that the deal is done. Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch is currently addressing the media and started the session by saying he can’t comment on any potential deal. “We are doing everything we can to make our team better,” he said.
Literally two minutes ago I got a text message from Austin Jackson that said simply, “No, I haven’t heard anything.”
UPDATE, 2:30 p.m.: To get a sense of how much youth is going to Detroit, check out these numbers: The Tigers get five years of 25-year-old Max Scherzer, six years of 23-year-old Daniel Schlereth, five years of 27-year-old Phil Coke and six years of 23-year-old Austin Jackson. That’s a total of 22 years suddenly under Detroit’s control.
UPDATE, 3:31 p.m.: It seemed for a while there that news would be flowing in, but apparently the players involved have still not been told that a deal is final.
UPDATE, 3:46 p.m.: One thing to like about Granderson: He’s at his best when he’s pulling the ball. And managed to pull the ball roughly 50 percent of the time last season. And pulling the ball is a good thing for a left-handed hitter to do in Yankee Stadium.
Hey, give us Austin Jackson’s cell so we can prank call him
He’ll hear about this tomorrow, once all medicals are finalized and any paperwork kinks are worked out. Austin Jackson should expect to be competing for the Tigers’ starting CF job in spring training.
I want Curtis on our team. He will drastically improve our outfield defense. However, for the 4 players proposed, that’s a little too steep in my opinion.
IPK, Coke & Ajax just for Granderson?
Walk away Cash.
It’s kind of jarring how the fans are finding out before the players themselves.
SJ, I’m not a prospect hugger…..I understand you have to give something to get something. I assume, then, you think the Yanks will have to give up Phil/Joba or Montero for Doc, right? That the Jays will either get one of those (or Bucholz, Kelly, etc…) from the Sox or just hold onto him?
GREAT TRADE! Well done Cashman. Kennedy had burned his bridges long ago. Jackson is a big maybe with little power. Coke is homer-prone and very replaceable.
YANKEE FANS WILL LOVE Curtis. Smart, hustles, great with media. This is a HOME RUN!
I like this deal.
Not liking this deal at all.
Too much to give up.
Too much.
“Why trade Melky? He might be our LF……Damon’s not coming back”
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Melky doesn’t hit enuf to make it as a corner OF’er. His value is in his ability to play CF.
if Damon doesn’t resign, at worse the yankees can pick-up a stop-gap for left field, who is a better hitter then Melky
The difference between the Doc trade is that they would have to pay twice for Halladay: Prospects and the giant salary he’s going to command.
From the Yankees perspective, this deal is almost too good to be true. Heading into his age 29 season, Granderson is a legitimate +4 win center fielder signed to a bargain contract for the next four years. I ranked him as the 22nd most valuable asset in terms of trade value in baseball over the summer, and the Yankees are getting him for a variety pack of role players. He instantly makes their team better, giving them a legitimate all-star center fielder who should thrive in Yankee Stadium. For as much as the Yankees have a payroll advantage, they continue to win because Brian Cashman targets the right players. Granderson is a fantastic acquisition for them.
Needed to get another player back in this deal for the Yankees.
Thanks for the updates.
I’m sad to see Austin go. Would have loved to watch him in NY
I’m not going to be real happy if AJax turns into some phenomenal player.
Unsure of my final thoughts on this. I like Granderson but was looking forward to Jackson. In any event, I wish Austin nothing but the best with his new team.
“I like this deal.”
So do I, great deal.
granderson will improve against lefties. i am sure the yankees know his flaws and long will work to adjust him to that and hitting the gaps. yankee stadium has a lot of field in left to right center. i think he will improve and have damon like numbers and much better defense next year and that will be just fine.
We have 3 spots open on our 40 man now (2 after thursday’s rule V draft). I wonder if there are more moves on the way. I bet Damon/Matsui takes one and that leaves us with one more open spot. Mark DeRosa maybe???
chris, if you’re going to C/P fangraphs you need to attribute your source.
trisha: point taken. Thankful to know you delighted with this trade : )
Can’t have Melky in LF. Sign Damon…
JoeyA
December 8th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
If Jackson develops into an Adam Jones – which is an excellent possibility – this deal was horrible, especially considering we also gave up 2 pitchers.
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And by excellent do you mean very very very very very very very very very very unlikely?
Betsy,
If the Yankees ever do a Halladay deal, either Joba or Phil would be part of it.
Montero? Much less likely.
The Jays didn’t think much of Austin Jackson. Frankly, they don’t need him. They need starting arms, middle infielders, and catching help. Those are their needs in the organization.
If they do trade Halladay it will be for players in those areas of need.
SJ44 December 8th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Besty,
If the Yankees ever do a Halladay deal, either Joba or Phil would be part of it.
Montero? Much less likely.
The Jays didn’t think much of Austin Jackson. Frankly, they don’t need him. They need starting arms, middle infielders, and catching help. Those are their needs in the organization.
If they do trade Halladay it will be for players in those areas of need.
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This post needs to be repeated for the “this trade takes us out of Halladay” people.
“We have 3 spots open on our 40 man now (2 after thursday’s rule V draft). I wonder if there are more moves on the way. I bet Damon/Matsui takes one and that leaves us with one more open spot. Mark DeRosa maybe???”
You including Pettitte?
CALL OFF THE TRADE!
Granderson wears #28!
Look at it this way. If Jackson turns out to be a really good player, we can trade for HIM in 4-5 years.
So do we keep Melky and Gardner or does one of them have to go?
It’a amamzing after all this team that people still listen to Francesca for baseball “wisdom.”
This is the same idiot who pines for AAAA pitchers like Bronson Arroyo and garbage like “Huntah” Jones.
Stop posting his nonsense on this site. He’s not a talent evaluator and has no idea what he’s talking about.
It’s a great deal. Coke and Kennedy are replaceable parts, and Austin Jackson’s ceiling is Curtis Granderson, and who knows if he actually reaches it.
I like all those guys and wish them luck, but Granderson is an excellent pick up.
I’m taking a wait and see approach. No judgements until the end of next season (Nov 2010 when the Yanks win their second straight title).
I like the trade. Think it improves the Yankees outfield.
What’s great about this deal is it gives the Yankees another positional advantage.
Having a CF who can play good defense and hit 25-30 HR’s is completely rare in this game.
You can actually afford to play Melky at a corner if your CF has that kind of power.
This is a HUGE move people.
We are getting incredible offense at C, SS, 3b, 2b and now CF.
Those are traditionally weak spots for every other team.
Having players with this kind of ability in those positions wins divisions and post season games.
Take a step back and remember what it was like to have Bernie’s power in CF.
We have that kind of power again and we have speed and defense to boot.
This is a great trade. Cashman has absolutely outdone himself.
Granderson is locked up for years to come at an affordable salary that will not prevent any other moves.
Great deal and a great day for the Yankees.
So what happens to Melky?
Not a corner OF.
Either he or Gardner now get packaged in another deal.
i trust cashman knows what he is doing. let’s be honest. losing jackson sucks, but we never knew with kennedy (always hurt), and coke is what it is. mike dunn can be a second lefty, or they can find another lefty somewhere. granderson is going to be big for us for the next few years.
Didn’t see the new thread –
Wow.
On the one hand, I’m excited about Curtis Granderson. He’s got a lot of potential in the new Stadium, and I agree with SJ44 and Pat M, that whatever’s wrong with his swing, Kevin Long is the guy to fix it. Look at Alex for proof – he turned into a beast with his new mechanics, someone nobody wanted to face in the postseason.
And, as a fellow graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago, I know Granderson will do very well
However, it is disappointing, after reading so much about Kennedy and Jackson, to say goodbye. It’s only human, I guess. And Phil Coke tried his best, and succeeded at times, for us. He just needs to be a bit more consistent, and cut down on the dingers.
Overrall, Cash and Co. must have decided that Austin Jackson was enough of a risk, with the Ks and lack of power last season, that a still young Granderson, albeit at more $$$, was worth it. And that they really like Michael Dunn (successor to Coke as second lefty out of pen?).
Per Sherman -
Key to completing deal this morn was Tigers OKing Yanks removal of Dunn from package and limiting to 3 prospects for Granderson
13 minutes ago from web
Laura – Bring back Matsui in 2010!
December 8th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I’m not going to be real happy if AJax turns into some phenomenal player.
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This is just a ridiculous comment made by several people. This is what happens when trading prospects. Some work out and others do not. Every trade basically involves prospects. You take the risk on guys who seem less likely to pan out.
Even if AJAX pans out this can still be a great trade. Do you think the Red Sox are upset with having Josh Beckett when they won the world series in 2007.
Hanley turned into one of the best players in baseball, yet the Red Sox still make that trade without flinching.
This is a great get for the Yanks.
I’m very nervous about Granderson against lefties, though, especially in the playoffs. I don’t want teams to exploit the Yanks the way we exploited the Twins’ and Angels’ lefty hitters in the playoffs.
The Yanks need to sign a RH OF to pair with Jackson. I think Cameron’s a natural, but I’m open to others.
CHAD – ASSUMING THIS DEAL GOES THROUGH CAN THE YANKEES ADD 3 TO 5 PLAYERS TO THEIR 40 MAN ROSTER TO PROTECT PLAYERS FROM BEING RULE V DRAFTEES? (3 IN THIS TRADE, 1 FOR BRUNEY AND 1 BECAUSE THEY WERE AT 39.)
“granderson will improve against lefties.”
That’s a big if right there as he’s been pretty terrible against lefties his entire career.
The way I am looking at this is like this:
AJax has potential to be a good major leaguer…The odds are more likely they he will not be. So trading him for a proven player (who has ups and downs, pros and cons) is basically guaranteeing we got that out of him (even if it is in the form of Granderson) and your giving up/trading the potential.
For all those crying over Coke and Kennedy, neither were irreplaceable. Kennedy really didn’t have a chance on this team and Coke can be replaced by another young arm from the system.
One more thing about Granderson not hitting lefties.
The Yankees are well aware of his difficulties against lefties and still made the deal. Why? Because they think Kevin Long can help him in that area. Just two years ago he hit .259 against lefties, the Yankees will take that in a heartbeat.
Secondly, if Granderson didn’t have this flaw in his game, I’m pretty sure the Tigers wouldn’t have traded him or at the very least, the trade value for him would be a lot more expensive than Kennedy, Jackson and some lefty reliever.
melky can play left or right. gardner cannot.
Only one problem. Granderson isn’t really that great.
Don’t like this trade at all. Seems pretty dumb.
I checked Granderson’s game log to see if his 30 dingers were padded by picking on the dregs of the Central. Not so, lot of name-names on the list (chrono order of victims):
R. Halladay TOR
R. Romero TOR
Jer. Weaver (2) LAA
J. Saunders LAA
K. Davies KCR
M. Rivera NYY
R. Betancourt CLE
N. Blackburn MIN
R. Springer OAK
K. Millwood TEX
J. Guthrie BAL
L. Berken BAL
B. Jenks CHI
T. Wellemeyer (2) STL
B. Looper MIL
R. Ortiz HOU
A Burnett NYY
T. Hunter TEX
S. Feldman (2) TEX
J. Papelbon BOS
B. Tomko OAK
J. Lackey LAA
F. Carmona CLE
S. Richmond TOR
T. Pena CHI
J. Nathan MIN
M. Guerrier MIN
Welcome to New York, Granderson!!
Tigers were dumping cash,no matter how they try to spin it!ge
Cashman got an upgrade in the OF,take that Damon/Boras!!
Francessa also said he didn’t want the Yankees to get Halladay because it would take the fun out of winning.
Why do people listen to him?
Torn on Granderson. He is an upgrade in CF and is a plus clubhouse guy but his inability to hit lefties will be a big issue. One of the huge advantages the Yanks had w/ Damon and Matsui was their ability to hit lefties. How many times did the opposing mgr bring in a lefty to face one of those guys and they still got the big hit?
Don’t expect that from Granderson. Hopefully Matsui and/or Damon are still in the cards.
how can anyone say we gave up to much…
on this board ive heard “kennedy stinks hes nothing but a 5th starter in the NL”….”coke is garbage he cant get out lefties”….”ajax has no power and he strikes out to much”…now its “we gave up too much”…i dont see it..the only player that hurts losing is ajax…everybody is totally replaceable…
Phil Coke’s last words on the Yanks:
“I want the ball. TOMORROW!”
After stinking up the joint in game 5.
To Ralow… I think the yankees will need one of those 2 spots remaining to sign a pitcher, whether its relief or starter, unless they decide to go the Doc rout which would open up more space.
People again overvaluing Yankee prospects.
Austin Jackson is not thought of in the same breath as Adam Jones and Andrew McCuthchen. He’s just not.
Coke is a fungible reliever. You can fund those guys anywhere. With Marte as the lefty specialist, he’s easily expendable.
No one except Yankee fans think of Kennedy as anything other than a back of the rotation guy.
I think this is a very good trade. IPK has not proved himself in the majors. Jackson has never seen a major league game. Coke gave up costly homeruns and will continue doing so, wasnt good for the month of August and Sept. Curtis Granderson will now potentially block Boras for asking a huge amount for Damon. This was a good deal, Granderson 28, Centerfielder with great defense and speed, hit 30 hr’s and can steal bases.My opinion this still leaves opening for talks to get Halladay. yankees did not have to give up Hughes, Chamberlain or Montero. Great work Cash!!!!
You mean we won’t be subjected to Coke’s relentless spitting anymore?
“The Yankees are well aware of his difficulties against lefties and still made the deal. Why? Because they think Kevin Long can help him in that area.”
That’s the same thinking as drawing to an inside straight.
My guess is Granderson is, and will continue to be, the hitter he always has been.
Better to get another OF to use when facing tough lefties.
Ok, with the Granderson deal done I think the Yankees now give Damon an offer 1 year 9 mil, take it or leave it.
If he leaves it there are a few ways the Yankees can go:
1. Sign Mike Cameron to play LF, move Melky to RF and Swisher to DH. The OF/DH combo might hit around .250 but the outfield D will be outstanding
2. Play Melky in LF, Swisher in RF and bring in someone to DH (Dye? Nick Johnson?)
3. Sign a catcher and DH Posada
4. Swing a deal for David DeJesus or Adam Dunn
Okay, I have to let the Yankees go back to managing because I have holiday stuff to do. This stuff is too intoxicating once you get started on it again!
So I will leave santa with my Yankee wish list, with the caveat that per usual, I’m good to go with whatever the Yanks do.
1. Re-sign Matsui
2. Keep Melky
3. Don’t sign Halladay. (Even though this may sound counterintuitive, I’m for keeping the kids rather than signing a 32-year-old phenom. Last year we needed phenoms. This year we do not. JMO)
Keep the homefires burning y’all. See you soon.
One way to improve against lefties? Swing at strikes.
Sounds simple but, one thing good hitting coaches do (and KLong is one of the best) is to get guys to swing at strikes.
Taking more pitches will improve his numbers against lefties.
Also, he’s playing in a better ballpark to suit his talents, as well as a MUCH better team.
This is a great deal for the Yankees.
They gave up 3 players who will have little or no impact on their team over the next couple of years, to get an all star CF, who is cost controlled.
It opens up a world of options for them.
Why are people complaining about this deal? I can understand not wanting Austin Jackson to go because he is a good talent, but IPK is not that good, and phil coke can’t get a lefty batter out if his life depended on it.
I like keeping prospects/ young players but only the good ones, and IPK and Coke and not that good. Just average.
now trade melky for halladay and were set
“This is just a ridiculous comment made by several people. ”
Last time I checked, people are entitled to their opinions and feelings. I don’t see a need to criticize them just because you disagree.
Long will work with Granderson on hitting lefties. i think he just has to not become enamored with the short porch, and tighted up his swing.
i like the list of pitchers he homered off last year.
“I’m not going to be real happy if AJax turns into some phenomenal player.”
A couple titles with Curtis would take the sting off of that, wouldn’t it?
I like this deal in terms of what the Yankees gave up in prospects but, as has been heavily commented on, Granderson’s splits against LHP are frightening.
Not only did he hit .183 against LHP pitching, he hit only .202 against LHP over the last 3 years.
If the consequence of this trade is that the Yankees bring back neither Matsui or Damon their lineup just got a lot weaker against LHP.
So who exactly were all the players involved in this deal?
I saw AJax many times in AAA. So much potential there. But when you trade, always have to give up to get back. I take it that Damon is a goner.
now trade melky for halladay and were set
can we send gardner instead? he has hit well at skydome. and grounders will get through the infield. what a cogt he would be for the jays.
I wouldn’t pay attention to Mike Francesa’s scouting reports.
The Yankees got the best player in the deal. a fundamental aspect of any trade;if as gunderson suggests he can return to his previous form against lefties, this is a steal.
Sadly it is also an example of rich teams taking advantage of poor ones i.e. salary dump.
Melky is a switch hitter who is the Yanks only OFer who can play all 3 positions and has shown he raises his game in big spots.
If Melky goes anywhere, at least a few of those things need to be replaced so why move him when he’s budget friendly and NY proven.
Granderson is overrated. He strikeouts a TON and hits .219 against lefties. Why didnt the Yankees offer Damon arbitration and stick with him for year? It would have given A-Jax some more time at AAA and it would have allowed the Yankees to pursue Carl Crawford in the off-season.
chris, if you’re going to C/P fangraphs you need to attribute your source.
I was going to mention the same thing…
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs.....big-trade/
Chip, or just bite the bullet and sign Holliday, actually improve the team and not have to worry about the outfield for 3 or 4 years.
“You mean we won’t be subjected to Coke’s relentless spitting anymore?”
Or his pointing up at the sky on popups.
Playing in Yankee stadium is definitely going to inflate Granderson’s HR totals.
I tend to agree with WYH, I think Cameron would be a nice pick-up. Put him in LF when the Yanks are facing a righty and let him play CF vs tough lefties. Trade one of Melky/Gardner and put the other on the bench.
i hope we can still bring back damon to DH/LF even with granderson. i think Damon is important to the top of the order. great #2 hitter
This is a great trade.
A-Jax lack of power this year pretty much made him trade-bait, but I wish him the best…especially when the Tigers are playng Boston, Toronto, Baltimore and TB.
(I wish I still had the comment I posted about four months ago where I wondered what it would take to pry Granderson away from the Tigers.)
“So do we keep Melky and Gardner or does one of them have to go?”
Can’t imagine Melky isn’t one of the corner OF’s. Still have to think about the budget. Granderson puts them at $175.5M. Assume Pettitte get’s $11.5M. That’s $188M. Melky will get an Arb bump to $3.5M or so. That’s $190M. As discussed, a pitcher beyond Pettitte and DH/LF type would be nice. Maybe they get Damon/Matsui and Sheets/Harden is another another $16M – $18M. That probably puts them about as high as they are going to go. Of course they might also want another LHP in the pen as I’ve seen nobody who thinks Dunn is MLB ready. Maybe they pass on a Sheets/Harden and count on Gaudin/Aceves (neither of whom are factored into these numbers yet)to be the “6th starter” and look at Mike Gonzlaez. Some stuff still to be determined.
Jackson can’t hit more than 5 HRs in AAA and strikes out 120 times.
No big loss. Granderson strikes out the same amount of times and hits 25 more HRs and is a better defender.
Holliday is still a strong possibility.
“A couple titles with Curtis would take the sting off of that, wouldn’t it?”
Big time. By the way Nick, LOST Season 5 DVD hit the streets today.
CHAD – ASSUMING THIS DEAL GOES THROUGH CAN THE YANKEES ADD 3 TO 5 PLAYERS TO THEIR 40 MAN ROSTER TO PROTECT PLAYERS FROM BEING RULE V DRAFTEES? (3 IN THIS TRADE, 1 FOR BRUNEY AND 1 BECAUSE THEY WERE AT 39.)
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No. The Bruney trade was basically a rule 5 protection trade. The nats will pick a yankee player then trade him as the PTBNL. They have to keep the roster at 39 as per the rules of the rule 5 draft and they need roster spots to sign people like Damon/Pettite/anyone else.
most lefties just need to learn to keep their left shoulder closed and not bail against lefties.
I’m assuming this puts the Melkman in LF, right?
Betsy, While I have warmed to this deal, it is a misconception of people that you have to give something to get something. Simply not true.
I find amazing out of this, is they are making it out to be that CG is a much better acquisition than Edwin Jackson.
While he may be better, Edwin is a good SP. Good Starting Pitching trumps OFs.
2yrs ago Grandy hit .259 against lefties in limited exposure to them…as he played more regularly including against more lhps’ his #’s against them were atrocious…in most cases when a hitter has that much trouble it’s not about holes in his swing it has more to do with him not being able to “see” or p/u the pitch from that side…then Long would be able to very little to help him become better hitting against lefties…
I’d have preferred to keep AJax and bring him up but i would bet that Damon is done with the Yankswith this move as he’d just be a DH now with Grandy in CF and Leche/Gardy in LF and Miranda DH’ing…I think IPK will be a very good pitcher in the NL west for Zona
This is the start of the winter for the Yankees, not the end.
Its not going to be the only transaction they make.
They just got better today and didn’t cost themselves anything of value. To me, that’s good news.
Cashman,
Send Joba, Romine, Ramiro Pena, and A – AA pitcher for Halladay.
Sign Andy.
Get that done and call it an offseason.
You give up the 4 above + Ajax,Coke,IPK for Halladay and Granderson.
This is such a beyond stupid deal. Granderson really isnt that good. He hit .249 this year, cant touch lefties, and doesnt have too good of an arm, and hes almost 29!!! for this we gave up a 22 year old centerfielder with star potential, a barely 25 year old pitcher, who has only pitched 60 innings in the majors and has a 1.96 career era in the minors. MAKES NO SENSEEEE
As of Right now Melky is our LF.
Funny how Jackson became a bum overnight.
Melky in LF for now.
If they sign Holliday, Melky is in RF and Swisher is a DH and the Yankees will have improved all 3 OF positions defensively while replacing Matsui’s bat with Holliday’s and Damon’s with Granderson’s.
Thank you Brian Cashman.
On second thought, I think it’s not a bad deal. I am concerned with Granderson’s very bad numbers vs lefties and more strikeouts than I would like to see. With those K’s I think you have to hit him leadoff and move Jeter back to #2, which he probably prefers anyway.
Why is Melky in LF? His arm is far superior to Swisher’s!
Your best arm should be in RF. Swisher will be in LF.
Edwin Jackson is also a party animal. That what got him shipped out of Tampa and that’s what put him in Leyland’s crosshairs in Detroit.
Probably not a good match to put Edwin in the club scene in NY.
They will add another veteran arm (along with Andy) at some point.
Every pitcher points to the sky on pop-ups, certainly isn’t a characteristic of only Phil Coke.
I’ve seen pitchers point to the sky on homeruns too…
Can someone show me something that shows why Austin Jackson won’t/can’t develop into an Adam Jones or Andrew McCutchen?
I agree we get Granderson for replaceable parts + CF prospect that wouldn’t have been on the team full-time until 2011. We could always make a deal for someone in 3 years to play CF.
I still think we should sign either Mike Cameron or Jermaine Dye to DH or split time with Grandy & Melky
Holliday will probably only cost 5 or 6 M more next year than Damon and he’s better. That would allow them to fully concentrate in pitching next year and the rest of this year. Fill the DH slot from within.
SJ44,
There a party scene in Tampa?
This puts the Yanks in a great position in dealing with Damon and Matsui’s agents. Especially Damon. They can offer him a low offer and basically take it or leave it. Or bring back Matsui for 1 year and let Melky play leftfield. Granderson only makes $5m next season so the Yanks can save a lot of money to use on pitching. Damon and Matsui made $26m combined.
SJ44,
If you don’t think Montero will be included in a deal for Halladay, what do you believe a Halladay deal might look like?
I wonder if NYY will put Colin Curtis back on the 40 man roster. Not even sure if they can. If NYY does need to add an MLB ready catcher to a Halladay trade, I’d try to push Cervelli and then sign John Buck to back up Posada.
Laura – Bring back Matsui in 2010!
December 8th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Last time I checked, people are entitled to their opinions and feelings. I don’t see a need to criticize them just because you disagree.
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It is ridiculous because does it really need to be said?
If Jackson becomes a star we will all be upset
If Ian Kennedy becomes a star we will all be upset
if Granderson does not pan out we will all be upset
Now, everyones obvious feelings are out of the way.
I’ve read all of you practically bashing Ajax. I do not know anything about him, but he has to a better prospect and closer to the majors than Casey Kelly.
You don’t hear any media member bashing Kelly, do you?
G. Love,
Great post, anyone who disapproves of this trade should go back and read that a few times. RE: Melky in left…While this move allows the Yankees to do that, I’m guessing the goal is to bring Damon back & have him split time between LF/DH. The CF advantage you discussed makes it much more palatable to give the regulars 1/2 days, because the regular who is resting will be the ONLY below average bat in the lineup.
Considering Granderson’s contract and the leverage he gives them w/ Damon, it might be possible to sign Cameron for LF/CF and Damon to DH?!? (Either way though, I’m very pleased with this move and won’t allow my Yankee greed to prevent me from enjoying it.)
PS Tigers are really winners in this trade.
Not only do they get everything we see them get, but they have more payroll flexibility now, allowing them to retain Cabrera and keeping him away from other teams (SUX)
Chip
December 8th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Ok, with the Granderson deal done I think the Yankees now give Damon an offer 1 year 9 mil, take it or leave it.
If he leaves it there are a few ways the Yankees can go:
1. Sign Mike Cameron to play LF,
Some scuttlebutt re: Cammy going to play with the guy he once replaced…
http://mynorthwest.com/?nid=374&sid=253079
So all of a sudden the Bay talk has cooled. Which makes a rumor both Mike Salk and I have heard, that Mike Cameron could return a little more believable. The guy can still play defense, offensive numbers (good and bad) have been steady, and you wouldn’t have to give him a long term contract. I am not sold (although I love the guy, seriously, it would be the happiest clubhouse in the history of the game) but one thing that keeps coming into my mind is that he is one of Jack Zduriencik’s favorites. Jack has brought this up unsolicited on more than one occasion and also said that good things follow Cammy from team to team. Worth keeping an eye on.
You people really think after trading Austin Jackson and IPK for Granderson they are going to drop Hughes or Joba +Montero for Halladay? You’re all nuts.
Are you people ever happy?
We just got a top end CF.
This move also signaled the end of Damon as a Yankee. With Granderson in CF you can now get away with Melky in LF and still have Gardner on the bench.
Damon is done here. They just got a better player at a lower salary and gave up a potential back end starter, a potential average OF, and an overrated mediocre lefty reliever. Great trade.
I’m surprised that the Yankees agreed to include Phil Coke in this deal. I thought that Brian Cashman was high on Coke.
I have pined for Granderson the past few seasons.
The Yanks are famous for overhyping their prospects then dealing the hype away , if possible. Hasn’t worked in recent years as teams caught on.
If Ajax was a can’t miss, we would have kept him. And we are a team where being Major League ready is a must. We needed help in the OF and this is a major step and only the beginning.
We gave away garbage. Coke and Kennedy. Bye-bye, no love lost.
I rather see them keep Jackson and see what he has in spring training.
NYY can easily carry Cabrera’s bat in left field. You can do that when you have a center fielder with a corner outfielder’s bat.
The other thing great about Holliday in LF, Granderson in CF and Melky in RF is that when Arod DH’s, the weakest hitter in the lineup (Melky) sits and DeRosa probably plays 3b.
If the Yankees anticipate many AB’s for Arod and Posada at DH then this configuration makes sense since Swisher flips easily from DH to RF or even 1b if Tex needs a break.
I really like the idea of Swish as DH and Melky sitting when the regulars get a rest.
“Your best arm should be in RF. Swisher will be in LF.”
They could give Swisher a golf cart and he still couldn’t cover LF at Yankee Stadium.
“Why is Melky in LF? His arm is far superior to Swisher’s!
Your best arm should be in RF. Swisher will be in LF.
”
LF in Yankee Stadium is very large – you’re much better off with a guy who can cover a lot of ground than a guy who can’t.
Brian NYY
December 8th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
Why is Melky in LF? His arm is far superior to Swisher’s!
Your best arm should be in RF. Swisher will be in LF.
———————-
Not true. Melky should be in LF because LF is much more difficult to play then RF in Yankee stadium. Melky is a better on defense so he should play the more difficult position.
Nobody is calling Austin Jackson a bum. He isn’t however as good a player as Curtis Granderson right now.
He also may not be as good a player as Granderson in the future.
The two are not similar in their games. A misconception too many people on here do when discussing the two players.
Now the Yankees need another lefty in the pen.
As far as Melky is concerned, look for him to go to RF, Swish to DH, if no Matsui. Johnny for 2 years in LF is still a possibility.
Uggghh, bittersweet. I like Granderson, don’t love him, but younger, high character guy, defense and power for Yankees stadium. Landing him allows the Yankees to make other more prudent money moves. But also wanted to see what A Jax had. With lack of position player talent in the minors I really didn’t want to see him gone. Montero is the guy they mist keep and they kept Hughes and Joba. Makes a Halladay deal much less likely as well I would think.
Granderson also isn’t all that patient and much more like a CF version of Swisher. He is awful against left handed pitching.
The more the deal sinks in, the more I like it – and I liked it to begin with!
I had always admired both Tex and Granderson from afar and wished that both of them would one day wind up on the Yankees. Last year they got Tex. This year they got Granderson. I’m two for two!
As for Kennedy and Jackson – I’ll wish them the best and hope they do well (just not ever against the Yankees!!)
It’s fantastic that Cash has been this active from the get-go.
Now, what’s next??
No longer worried about Granderson. I read on this blog that Long will fix his stroke just the way he “fixed” ARod.
Must be true I read it here.
What kind of arm does Granderson have?
Melky would be the starter in LF if we had a game today. But we don’t have a game today, and I doubt the Yanks will start the season with Melky in left.
Granderson is actually under contract for 5 years, but the last 2 years are club options, according to Sherman.
And people are right Jackson may not be Granderson or may never be. But we are spending money on Granderson and not on A Jax. A Jax could have been in control for years and allowed that money to be spent elsewhere.
Look at it this way. If Jackson turns out to be a really good player, we can trade for HIM in 4-5 years.
——————————————————
We’ll sign him as a free agent in six years.
Austin Jackson is not a bum, but he was not going to become Curtis Granderson in 2010. No guarantees that he becomes Curtis Granderson-caliber ever, so making this deal makes the most sense for the Yankees. CF was okay in 2009 because they got so much out of other positions, but you can’t expect some of those performances to be recreated. If Granderson does his thing offensively and defensively, center field becomes a huge plus for the Yankees. I think they will miss the insurance that Kennedy provided as a potential #7 starter, but hopefully there will be some more pitching signed/acquired that alleviates that loss. Coke, I think Mike Dunn or Mike Gonzalez are the most likely options to replace him.
Hey John in Ohio, you mean this one?
http://yankees.lhblogs.com/200.....ent-676462
Nice call, by the way.
Meanwhile, up in Boston, PeteAbe is trashing the deal. What a sad sack.
Exactly…one of those pitchers that went to Detroit should have gone to the Yankees.
BS.
“So what happens to Melky?”
I would think Melky is the odd man out. Gardner doesn’t have much trade value, so I think he stays as a pinch runner. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Melky spun off in a trade for pitching (Cubs?).
Especially if they’re still talking about resigning Damon.
GreenBeret7
December 8th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
NYY can easily carry Cabrera’s bat in left field. You can do that when you have a center fielder with a corner outfielder’s bat.
I agree POWER UP THe Middle for Yanks, Jorge, Jeter, Robi, Grandy – pretty nice
“Granderson is actually under contract for 5 years, but the last 2 years are club options, according to Sherman.”
4 years and the last is an option per Cots.
We did not send our best position prospect away for a .249 hitter (.183 vs lefties). Seriously Cashman. That is a package that could have come close to landing Doc.
Great deal for the Yankees if for no other reason that it gives them much more leverage now with getting Damon to resign at a reasonable salary.
If Damon/Boras try to muscle the Yankees into paying more to retain him, the Yankees now simply walk away because Granderson is a full time outfielder regardless of whether he plays left or center.
Plus, the Yankees could still go back to Matsui if they needed to ensure that they have another lefty bat with pop.
Cashman played this beautifully.
Matt Holliday is not coming to NY. He’s not even on the Yankees radar.
Miggs,
If Damon accepts the Yankees 2/20 offer, they will bring him back. If he doesn’t, they will move on without him.
IF the Yankees look at a Hallday deal, I think its Joba and Romine, along with Pena or Nunez and another arm.
Absent that, I think they will pass and look at possibly Ben Sheets if he is healthy.
I do think they will add another veteran arm and veteran bat this winter. The Granderson deal isn’t going to be their only off-season deal.
“The other thing great about Holliday in LF, Granderson in CF and Melky in RF is that when Arod DH’s, the weakest hitter in the lineup (Melky) sits and DeRosa probably plays 3b.
If the Yankees anticipate many AB’s for Arod and Posada at DH then this configuration makes sense since Swisher flips easily from DH to RF or even 1b if Tex needs a break.
I really like the idea of Swish as DH and Melky sitting when the regulars get a rest.”
This may be the silliest post I have ever read on this blog. Do you still believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus also?
You didn’t include Lackey and Halladay in your post, aren’t we getting them in addition to DeRosa, Granderson, and Holliday?
“It is ridiculous because does it really need to be said? ”
I wasn’t aware that you were put in charge of making sure that people only post what needs to be said. From now on, I’ll be sure to clear my posts with you before I write them.
We traded IPK, Jackson, and Coke.
Did you expect to get back Justin Upton or Ryan Braun?
We just got an all-star CF, cost controlled, for two 2nd tier prospects. Not Hughes/Joba/Montero.
“What kind of arm does Granderson have?”
Ordinary
This won’t help the team at all. I think Cashman lost his mind on this BS deal.
I can see Dunn getting a shot as a lefty in the pen, but, eventually, I think that Wilkins DeLaRosa will get the job. More pitches and much better control.
squidward and SD,
Thanks, I forgot about Pettitte…I guess you can either scratch DeRosa or anticipate another move. Either way, we just got an upgrade in CF and some roster flexibility. This trade is starting to grow on me…
He’s costing us 5.5 mill this year… drool.
So some of you people rather have Damon and his weak pathetic arm, and injuries ? We have so much power in the lineup that Granderson’s inability to hit left-handed pitching well will not hurt this team as much as you think.
We finally got an outfielder who has speed, is young, and has a strong arm.
haha. they’ve talked to DeRosa and Swish fits the type of DH they’re interested in with Arod’s hip and Posada’s shoulder.
Holliday isn’t on their radar.
Neither was Teixeira.
all I know is my baseball-crazy, red sox-loving cousin from Boston just called to say he can’t believe that the Yankees managed to get Granderson for what they gave up…that’s good enough for me
“IF the Yankees look at a Hallday deal, I think its Joba and Romine, along with Pena or Nunez and another arm.”
I think that sounds like a reasonable deal, but (to me) it doesn’t seem to be in the same ballpark as what the Jays were asking last year. What makes you think their asking price has gone down so significantly?
Austin Jackson is not the Yankees best position prospect. Jesus Montero is.
He’s also a guy that IF he was their best position prospect, he may be 2-3 years away from being an impact player, if at all.
He’s far from a finished product.
Its a no brainer deal for the Yankees.
i do not like this trade at all.
i’m sorry, but this really upsets me.
Pete Abe is trashing the deal??
“is a clear upgrade over Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner. Granderson is a premium defensive CF.”
I am not concerned about the lefty split. It is “only” 200 at-bats.
Jeter and Tex hit lefties well (comparing 2009 stats to righties).
Posada, Swisher, ARod hit comparable, a few points here and there. Cano was a little worse but not much.
And how many strong lefties are in the starting rotation in the AL? If you destroy the starter, then who you face in the last 3 frames means nothing. I’ll take 5 – 7 runs heading into the later innings and give up the one left at-bat that Granderson would have.
For those of you not liking this deal, go look at Curtis Granderson’s 2007 stats. Yeah I know it was 2 years ago but this is the reason so many of us are so high on the guy.
.302/.361/.552 (.913 OPS) with 38 doubles, 23 triples, 23 HR, 122 runs scored, 74 RBI (he hit leadoff), 26 SB only 1 CS
His UZR was also 14.2 that year. 7.4 wins above replacement
He has regressed some in the past 2 years but with Kevin Long helping him with his swing I could see him getting closer to those numbers once again. That 2007 season is just insane, one of my favorite seasons by any player in recent years.
Still sign Damon and bat C.Grandy 5th? Left-handed heavy line-up though…
Remember another trade where the Yanks got a LH OF who wasn’t so hot against lefties? Anybody? Well that guy came to NY and raked against lefites and had a great career here. Playing in NY brings out the best in some guys.
“Neither was Teixeira.”
Yeah, he was.
Coke’s homer tendancies are overblown 5 of the 10 homers he gave up this Year were to Mauer and Morneau…i think some excellent pitchers have given up homers to those 2….Coke also was one of the best reliever we had the 1st half of last year which led to Girardi overusing him(he was becoming Girardi’s Proctor)…he’s a good reliever and can pitch to righties and lefties…
Detroit really did well in this deal as they’ve added 5pieces to their major league roster who are all under 25 high ceiling guys who will be cheap for the next 5yrs…Scherzer is basically their #2 behind Verlander and has more upside than Edwin imo, AJax will start in CF for them and Coke and Schlereth are two very live LH arms to put in their pen along with Ryan Perry rh that throw smoke
I think Kennedy will be a very good pitcher for AZ this season
Damon is out.
Damon hobbled around LF for a year, you don’t think Swisher can cover LF? They obviously take 1st to 3rd on Swisher. With Melky in RF, runners will not be so eager.
Good trade for the Yankees. You can’t complain about bringing in a power hitting centerfielder in his prime, especially when you don’t have to give up any major league talent.
It’s too bad Austin Jackson is the one to go, but he didn’t have a great year in AAA last season, and the Yankees might be trying to get the most out of him while they could.
“Neither was Teixeira.”
Yeah, he was.
…
Not really.
You people calling out Cashman have no clue.
Rob Neyer said in 3 years, Jackson will be better than Granderson
TB
December 8th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Still sign Damon and bat C.Grandy 5th? Left-handed heavy line-up though…
——————————
Which is perfect for that porch in Yankee stadium.
I don’t like giving up AJax, but you have to give up talent to get talent. I agree that Granderson is likely AJax’s ceiling as a ballplayer and that there is no guarantee he will ever reach that ceiling, but he is also only 22 and very much cost effective for a number of years to come. I like Kennedy more than most, as he reminds me a lot of Mussina with a bit less stuff. I expect him to do very well in Arizona, but that is only because it is an NL team he will pitch for. Coke was very good in 2008, but nothing overly special in 2009. Dunn can replace him.
I believe there are prospects in this deal as well, so it will be interesting to see how that pans out. This could really work to the Yankees advantage if they get decent prospects. Another thing to consider is that, they no longer are forced to go after Damon at his price. Having Melky/Gardner and Granderson is better than the Damon and Melky/Gardner OF we had in 2009 and it is also less than half the price. If Damon’s budget number for 2010 was $10mil, Granderson is at $5.5mil, so that frees up more $$ to get another pitcher. We also get much better roster flexibility on the 40-man. This could work out very nicely, but still don’t like seeing AJax go to Detroit.
Bret,
Tex WAS on the Yankees radar. He wasn’t on the media’s radar.
They don’t want Matt Holliday. They wanted (desperately) Mark Teixeira.
Big, big difference.
Respect your opinion SJ44, but I think Damon is done. Frankly, IMO we don’t need him anymore.
They’ll sign a lesser OF to add depth. Melky is a perfectly fine LF.
I dont know if anyone has read what we’re going to do with the Rule 5 pick and the Nationals.
The Nationals will take one of our players and give him back to us, allowing us to keep in our minors and off the 40 man roster.
Rob Neyer responded to this by saying: There should be a rule against such things, because that’s not how the rule is supposed to work.
But where was Rob when the Sox took Tazawa from Japan. That was considered smart baseball.
Jackson does have holes, and the high K’s are a sign that he has lots of developing to do. BUT, the low HRs are not as big a deal as lots are making them out to be.
Power is always the last tool to develop. Jackson is very young (23 in Feb), and his power could still be coming.
I don’t mind Kennedy and Coke. But giving up Jackson concerns me.
Dunn could be a real weapon if he harnesses his stuff.
Uncle Ellsworth (content to be on the Group W bench)
December 8th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
GreenBeret7
December 8th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
NYY can easily carry Cabrera’s bat in left field. You can do that when you have a center fielder with a corner outfielder’s bat.
I agree POWER UP THe Middle for Yanks, Jorge, Jeter, Robi, Grandy – pretty nice
————————————————————
It’s been since the Winfield/Henderson days that NYY has had an everyday good fielding left fielder. He can hit pretty decently. 70-75 RBI with 13-15 homers and a .275-.280 average a year out of the 9 spot is nothing to complain about.
SJ44 where does granderson hit in the lineup if the yankees bring damon back?
SJ44 where does granderson hit in the lineup if the yankees bring damon back?
I live in Michigan and talking with Tiger fans, they are absolutely bummed right now. Granderson was probably their favorite position player and now he’s gone.
The more I think about this trade the more I like it.
We gave up spare parts and get back a 30 HR/ 20 SB legit CF. And he’s got a great rep as a really good guy, and good clubhouse guy.
This is what I think Granderson will doo next year. Maybe a little wishful thinking
280AVG 31HR 100RBI 100Runs
OK, two very important questions:
1. What number does Granderson wear?
and
2. What will Girardi’s nickname for him be? I’m thinking it’s got to be Grandy, right?
Rob Neyer said in 3 years, Jackson will be better than Granderson
__
well if neyer says it, must be true. in 3 years we may have heathcott ready to play cf. who know what will happen in 3 years.
As far as Granderson hitting lefties, as a team in 2009, the Yankees had @1700 ABs against lefties, but nearly 4,000 against righties. There are obviously far more right hand pitchers, I would rather that if he struggles, it is against lefties.
Did the market for Damon just get a lot thinner ?
“SJ44 where does granderson hit in the lineup if the yankees bring damon back?”
They bat him 9th.
What this move also did was Cash just freed up more spots on the 40 man roster, while at the same time improving the roster.
Guy knows what he’s doing.
Melky is in no way a corner outfielder.
And I live in Milwaukee and watch Cameron on a daily basis. He stunk last year at the plate and even his defense lagged. Don’t go near this guy. He’ll be flailing at balls a foot low and away in big spots.
You’ve been warned.
Rob Neyer’s scouting credentials?
That’s right, he has none.
Try somebody else who actually knows talent and you will get a better read on such an insane prediction.
When Austin Jackson shows he can actually HIT major league pitching, then you can make outlandish predictions on his greatness.
Right now, he’s a good athlete who makes inconsistent contact at the AAA level.
This is a very good deal for the Bronx Bombers….I understand it’s not a popular move judging from all the flack I’ve been recieving for the past 3 weeks….Curtis is going to Wow you guys……As for the Leftside issues, Long will simply change his approach to hitting from that side……Come the All-Star break, he’ll be in Center for the AL …35 HR’s is not a stretch, Gold Glove…..Come July, we’ll be hard pressed to find anyone who will say they were against this trade….I’m sorry to see Ian move on…He’s going to be a good MLB pitcher 13-14 game winner….It was not to be for him in NYC..
Remember another trade where the Yanks got a LH OF who wasn’t so hot against lefties? Anybody? Well that guy came to NY and raked against lefites and had a great career here. Playing in NY brings out the best in some guys.
___
ONEILL
Rob Neyer said about Ajax that he would better than CG in 3 years.
Where was all the prospect propping when Jackson was a Yankee.
I never heard anything about him. I did not even know he was black.
Now, he’s a Tiger, and he’ll be better than CG in only 3 years.
Although I do not value ESPNers opinions, I’ll use this one for my following argument: So SJ44 and others devaluing Jackson, he is not a great prospect, right?
Are some oyu against this because you think IPK and Coke are the real deal ? Because they are not the real deal. Maybe Jackson but not Coke and IPK.
We still have our best prospects in the farm after this trade. Though Jackson will be gone.
You got it tex’s friend.
“Rob Neyer said in 3 years, Jackson will be better than Granderson”
We can win one or two WS in 3 years with Granderson, possibly. I am a little disappointed to give up Ajax, and would have loved to see him in the Bronx, but I am not upset with the deal.
In 3 years, we can also sign BJ Upton, who will be better than either of them.
SJ44
you have no idea if AJax could be a guy who makes an immediate impact or not. Your opinion or guess isn’t based on much.
Who’s to say that AJax won’t be the rookie of the year next year?
I hope that grandy comes here and is the player from 2yrs ago. We all want the Yanks to win and i understand the point of this move is more to replace Damon’s bat and AJax might not be ready to do that next season. But Granderson like all players not named Pujols has his flaws and doesn’t really profile to leadoff or hit in the 2hole for us…
“Not really.”
Yes, entirely. Teixeira, Boras and Cash were meeting nearly a month ahead of the X-mas time announcement. He wanted NYC and Cashman wanted him. It was just a matter of using Boston to get the Yankees to a number they, and the Yankees could live with.
Where will Granderson hit in the Yankees lineup?
I think the Yankees will still bring back Damon to hit in the 2 hole and play some LF and DH on a 2 year deal.
I don’t see Granderson just sliding into the 5th spot in the lineup. A-Rod needs better protection than a guy that has a .570 OPS against lefties over the last 3 years. Posada is an option for the 5th spot, but he will be out at least 1 game a week and who knows if he can keep the production up at this stage in his career? I think Cano has the best chance of being able to grow into the 5th spot in the lineup, leaving Posada at 6th and Granderson at 7th.
Jeter, Damon, Teixeira, Rodriguez, Cano, Posada, Granderson, Swisher, Melky
C Granderson wears #28. I wonder if he is attached to it.
You give your top AAA pitcher and your top AAA outfielder and and a hard to find lefty reliever that’s played in NYC with all the pressure for
A CF that has holes in his game and played for a team that was never under any pressure to win. This guy better be an awesome outfielder to make this trade even.
This is the first time in a long time Cashman over paid – The Diamonbacks scored big on this one……………
Just hope the Grandy man doesn’t turn into Nagy and gets hurt.
Only time will tell – but this trade smells awful – I don’t believe stats achieved on subpar teams – THOSE ARE INFLATED NUMBERS………….
“I find amazing out of this, is they are making it out to be that CG is a much better acquisition than Edwin Jackson.”
CR9,
Edwin Jackson can’t compare to Granderson. Before last year, Jackson was never worth more 1.5 WAR. In 2009 he pitched 121 innings with a 2.52 ERA and that has really skewed his perceived value. He followed that up by returning to form with an ERA of 5 in the second half. Now that he’s entering his arb years, he’s going to be even less valuable. As for Granderson, he’s consistently been a 3.5-4 win player and has demonstrated the ability to perform at an MVP level. Given the looming concerns about the age of Yankee lineup, this acquisition is perfect. NYY get Granderson for his age 29-32 seasons at a below market price. Talent like his almost always requires getting locked into the decline years at above market prices. I understand the concerns about his L/R splits, but look at how productive he’s been despite that and playing in an enormous home park. Last year was a down year and Granderson still had an sOPS+ of 128 against RH and 133 on the road overall. My hope is the advantage of his new home park, working w/ Kevin Long, and being surrounded with premier talent will really allow him to shine…even if none of that happens, you sit him against some lefties and still get 30+ HR and above-average defense out of CF. I hope this helps you feel better about the trade
Erin-
3. What will Sterling’s HR call for Granderson be?
I have been reading a lot of “coulds”…power could be developing, could be an all-star.
You go with what is a know quality. If Jackson was putting up Granderson numbers in the minors, that’s one thing. But he’s not.
Is CF in 2010 a stronger position than 2009? Yes.
Bullpen…not being done being built.
LF…not complete.
Yankees gave up depth (spare parts) for a know quality.
Here’s how I just put it to a coworker who hates the deal:
Would you buy a car from a manufacturer that has never delivered (Jackson) or a manufacturer like Toyota/Honda that you know what you are getting (Granderson).
sorry- of you.
Uncle Ellsworth (content to be on the Group W bench)
December 8th, 2009 at 2:57 pm
C Granderson wears #28. I wonder if he is attached to it.
********************
Hmmmm…well, #27 recently became available.
SJ44,
I seriously doubt Neyer ever seen Jackson play a full game besides that futures game showcase.
SJ, I wonder if the Jays like Romine if they can’t (they won’t) get Montero. What are your thoughts? Do you think the Yanks would give up Phil or Joba….and would you do that?
As an Example 28% of Jeter’s at bats were against lefties last year
Tom in NJ
December 8th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Erin-
3. What will Sterling’s HR call for Granderson be?
******************
Good one!!
Personally, I can’t wait to hear him say “a grand slam from Granderson”-but I’m sure he’ll come up with a twist.
“What will Sterling’s HR call for Granderson be?”
I don’t know how it will end, but I’ll bet it starts with: “The RIGHTY kicks and deals…”
Definite upgrade for 2010, but passed that, I’m not completely sure.
IF K-Long can fix Grandy,the way he fixed Swish, and get him close to his 2007 #’s, this is a no-brainer.
Bottom Line: Regardless of his average, if the Yankees coaching staff can give Grandy 50 points to his OBP, he will be an AWESOME CFer, given his power + defense and will totally be worth this trade.
Someone just teach the man some patience!
“We still have our best prospects in the farm after this trade.”
Joba, Hughes aren’t “prospects” by definition (more than 50 MLB innings or 130 MLB AB’s). Nor were Coke or IPK. Ajax was there 2nd best prospect by virtually everyone’s account. Doesn’t make this deal a bad thing, but it’s not as though they gave up nothing. Nothing that will help ‘em much this year, but not nothing overall. Detroit scored pretty well here.
Dumb trade
If Damon doesnt come back, granderson will hit 2nd vs righties and Swish will hit there vs lefties.
SJ44 – Pujols has hit flaws. He made 7 more errors in 2009 while playing with an elbow that needs TJ surgery. Come on, who wants that!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Note: Yes that is sarcasm, haha
“This is the first time in a long time Cashman over paid – The Diamonbacks scored big on this one……………”
I completely disagree, in my opinion ARI came out the worst–they gave up two plus arms who have minimal service time for two guys who will be more expensive and have less potential. I assume they profiled both of their guys as relievers, and I can see Jackson/Kennedy having success in the NL West, but I think they sacrificed way too much inexpensive talent.
SS jeter
CF granderson
1B Tex
3B arod
LF holliday
C posada
2b cano
RF swisher
DH fill from within
Filling the DH from within allows you to go after Holliday. You could so Miranda, montero, hell they could even sign me to DH with that lineup, I’d be cheap.
Howard Cosell
IPK is not that good. He is only good in the minros, Coke can’t get lefty batters out, and gives up a ton of homeruns under pressure. Austin Jackson is the only bad part of the deal because he has talent.
Some of you are making this into a really bad deal when it’s not.
Granderson hit 30 hr’s last year and only 10 were at home. imagine what he’ll do at YS3. Hopefully he won’t become TOO pull concious, though.
detroit is not a subpar team and that field is huge so for him to hit with the power he did, says something. he will be worked with before april on his approach to lefties.
cashman isnt an idiot, he knows all of this.
“Would you buy a car from a manufacturer that has never delivered (Jackson) or a manufacturer like Toyota/Honda that you know what you are getting (Granderson).”
Good analogy, except that Toyota just recalled 4mil cars for bad gas pedals. Proof that even a known commodity can produce a lemon.
“Show some courtesy Curtis!” – Sterling
I heard a rumor that the Cubs may be interested in Melky. Do the Cubs have any prospects we could flip to Toronto for Halladay?
Melky to the Cubbies
Joba, Romine, and Cubbie prospects to Toronto
Doc to NYY
This trade does not mean that Damon is out in LF. In fact, this trade gives Cash leverage with Damon and allows him to have a hammer in negotiations.
I think Damon will be in LF, Granderson in CF and Melky in RF come opening day with Swisher DH’ing.
You can afford to make Melky a corner because of what Granderson brings to the table power wise.
That said, I can also see a team like Toronto wanting Melky in a Doc deal with one of Joba/Hughes, Romine and one of Pena/Nunez.
I also think the Yankees should re-sign Hairston, all this hand wringing over Granderson not hitting lefties can be put to bed if we have a nice righty bat in reserve in a utility role.
I hate this Trade…
I think we give up too much for a player who hit just .248 last year, and only .180 against southpaws.
And you give up a young position player who is cheap and under clubcontrole for many years.
And remember. The Yankees are traditionally very low on positional prospects
@Howard Cosell
Nope, the Diamondbacks lost BIG TIME on this trade.
Actually I do champ.
Based on the 27 times I’ve seen him play, many from sitting in the scout seats, and listening to them talk about the holes in his game.
Aside from Yankee fans who have convinced themselves he was going to be the next Bernie Williams, most scouts did not see him becoming an elite level ML CF.
In fact, most scouts thought he was overrated.
None that I know, and Pat M will tell you I know a lot of scouts in the game, see him as EVER being as good as Curtis Granderson.
The Yankees stole Granderson today. Stole an All Star CF for guys who won’t impact this roster in a significant way in the near future.
Francessa – “Very good deal for the Yankees”.
Damon, Gardner, Melky and Swisher………….which of these players will not be on the club opening day??
from fangraphs:
“From the Yankees perspective, this deal is almost too good to be true. Heading into his age 29 season, Granderson is a legitimate +4 win center fielder signed to a bargain contract for the next four years. I ranked him as the 22nd most valuable asset in terms of trade value in baseball over the summer, and the Yankees are getting him for a variety pack of role players. He instantly makes their team better, giving them a legitimate all-star center fielder who should thrive in Yankee Stadium. For as much as the Yankees have a payroll advantage, they continue to win because Brian Cashman targets the right players. Granderson is a fantastic acquisition for them. “
Does Joba/Melky/Igawa/Brackman get a deal done for Halladay or do we have to throw in another pitching prospect(def a lower level one)? Maybe exchange Igawa/Brackman for McAllister? No way I’d ever trade Montero unless Cash has a free agent C in mind next year. I don’t see Mauer not re-uping with MIN. Minnesota would burst into flames if he doesn’t.
Imagine Ichiro, Cameron and Gutierrez in the same outfield? Be hard to get a flyball to drop.
Pat M -
You’ve got to be happy today. Except that E Jackson did not also end up pinstripes.
You know, I didn’t want to get my hopes up for Granderson, but it happened. And it happened rather quickly, didn’t it?
After the Yankees play in the next two world series, I really don’t care if Neyer is right — that AJAX will be better than CG three years down the road. This Yankee team is built to win now. CG ups the chances of another WS victory greatly.
Pettitte will re-sign, Damon probably will as well, now that his bargaining power just went “poof.”
I’m thrilled.
If we are to believe what we’re hearing about the Halladay situation, his price will go down with each passing day.
That said, no way they give up either Joba or Hughes for him.
We’re looking at Johan Santana all over again.
Why NOW would Casjh make a deal he wouldn’t make in ‘08 for a guy 3-4 years OLDER?
Don’t think Halladay’s going anywhere – except maybe at the trade deadline for some flotsam.
My take on the trade if Austin Jackson turns out to be Derek Jeter, Its a bad trade for the Yankees. Granderson is a above avg Outfielder, who is about to turn 30. It is feast of famine for Curtis, he had a career yr and might be a great pick up for the amount of money he makes. Yet trading Coke, IPK and Jackson is not cool!!
December 8th at 3:05 pm mark the time and date. I HATE THE TRADE!!!
Losing AJax is a tough one for some but they did get back an All-Star CF.
A-Jax was always talked about in terms of athleticism. Curtis is definitely no slouch either.
“I think Damon will be in LF, Granderson in CF and Melky in RF come opening day with Swisher DH’ing.”
Or Melky LF, Swisher RF, and Matsui DH.
They have the luxury now of offering the same deal to Matsui and Damon, and the first one that takes it, gets it. Of course, it is more complicated than that, but that could be the gist of it.
So roster-wise, the Yankees had one open spot. Minused three players (Bruney, Kennedy, Coke), added Granderson and the Rule Five pick, that leaves two open spots. One for Damon, one for Andy. With some more minor holes to fill, I wouldn’t be surprised to see another deal giving up 40 man roster players.
STANZY….thanks.
Didn’t think I’d be able to prove it.
Jackson has a lot of potential, but let’s be honest: his power and contact number in AAA were not exactly awe inspiring. Granderson, at a minimum, is a mature, developed Jackson with power.
So what was given up besides the cost controlled years of Jackson?
(1) IPK. Nowhere to go in the Yankee system. Now he’s got a chance at the bigs in a place much closer to his family in Southern California. Good for him.
(2) Phil Coke. He’ll do much better in that cavernous park in Detroit. Much harder to give up HRs, although I think he gave up one or two there last year, didn’t he. He’s redundant with Damaso Marte. This implies that the Yankees think that Marte is now straightened out after his injury–puts a lot of pressure on that Eiland and Nardi made the right call on him. Dunn becomes the new Coke.
Not bad, not bad at all.
This means that either Matsui or Damon is likely no longer a Yankee. That is too bad. I think they take one or the other, and Johnny can run and occasionally play LF, so he’s higher in the pecking order than Hideki.
I agree with SJ that is will take Joba/Romine/Pena to land Halliday. Not sure that it’s worth in for one year of him, and Yankees could take the risk that he’ll wait one year to see what the Yankees offer before extending.
With Granderson’s current salary, and presuming Andy gets $12 million and Damon $10 million, payroll would be at $195.2 right now. Missing 1 bullpen arm though.
With Granderson’s current salary, and presuming Andy gets $12 million and Damon $10 million, payroll would be at $195.2 right now. Missing 1 bullpen arm though.
Sign Pettitte + maybe an injury risk veteran starter like Sheets or Harden, maybe kick the tires on some veteran relievers on the market and if logical sign one, and re-sign one of Matsui or Damon and that’s your offseason.
Is there any chance that the Yankees now resign Xavier Nady as a right hand hitting DH?
The other thing great about Holliday in LF, Granderson in CF and Melky in RF is that when Arod DH’s, the weakest hitter in the lineup (Melky) sits and DeRosa probably plays 3b.
If the Yankees anticipate many AB’s for Arod and Posada at DH then this configuration makes sense since Swisher flips easily from DH to RF or even 1b if Tex needs a break.
I really like the idea of Swish as DH and Melky sitting when the regulars get a rest.
———-
I can’t believe I just read this post. Why stop at adding Holliday and Derosa to a team they aren’t on? Another great things would be if Roy Halladay is our pitcher and we sign Rich Harden, Ben Sheets and Justin D. and have them have a potato sack race to every 5th day to see who gets the start. Why not sign Bay and then have an OF of Holliday, Bay and Granderson? Then we have 0 holes in the team. Awesome. /Saracasm
Congrats, Pat M, this is the one you’ve been pushing for.
In other news, Peter Gammons leaving ESPN…
http://www.espnmediazone3.com/.....with-espn/
Woah, per Ian Browne Gammons done at ESPN-
Granderson
08:$1M, 09:$3.5M, 10:$5.5M, 11:$8.25M, 12:$10M, 13:$13M club option ($2M buyout)
Yanks control him during his prime years and for reasonable dollars.
Younger, more athletic and for less money. Cashman hit the checklist tri-fecta.
“Rob Neyer said about Ajax that he would better than CG in 3 years.”
That’s the first time I heard that. In fact, I’ve heard several people state Jackson’s ceiling was probably Granderson minus power. Regardless, there is a great risk involved with Ajax he may be a superstar or he may be Brett Gardner. With Granderson his floor seems to be a 3.5 win player who is capable of being the starting CF on a championship level team. If both players maximize their potential, I don’t see how Jackson could be better. Ditto if neither reach their ceiling. The only way this trade looks bad is w/ a combo of Jackson reaching his ceiling and Granderson neither maintaining his recent performance or regressing to his dominant level of 2007-08.
RF has to be addressed. Swisher may have a great personality but he’s horrible in the outfield, he’s worse than Damon.
Peter Gammons To Leave ESPN
By Tim Dierkes [December 8 at 2:08pm CST]
Surprising press release today: legendary journalist Peter Gammons will leave ESPN to pursue other endeavors after the Winter Meetings. Hopefully Gammons will continue writing for another outlet.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Stinksniffer be gone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Chad,
That’s assuming all of those guys pan out.
For all people who want youth throughout the game, most of the teams that get too young never win.
Its a fine balance between youth and experience. Especially when you are also trying to win.
As Cashman has said many times, “Young doesn’t always mean better”.
I’d rather be good and win than be young and “win” the off-season hot stove league.
Correction: 3 roster spots currently open
Payroll at $194.7 million
Rotation – CC, AJ, Pettitte, Joba, Hughes
Bullpen – Rivera, Robertson, Marte, Gaudin, Aceves, +2
Outfield – Cabrera, Granderson, Swisher, Gardner
Infield – A-Rod, Jeter, Cano, Tex, Ramiro Pena ?
C – Posada, Cervelli
DH – Damon or Matsui or ???
Kennedy and Coke were throw-ins in this deal. The real trade was Granderson for Ajax. Good job Cash! No brainer.
Technically we traded Ajax for Granderson. I mean Kennedy and Coke are not really worth much.
E-gawa December 8th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
RF has to be addressed. Swisher may have a great personality but he’s horrible in the outfield, he’s worse than Damon.
I remember people were saying that Swish was going to make an error and cost us a playoff game. It never happened.
dooo it cash, ajax not proven player and coke is brutal IMO, kennedy meh givin him a lot of chances and he stinks.
Ian Kennedy: “The Yankees have treated me great since I was drafted. If this happens, theres no bad taste or any lack of opportunity at all”
29 minutes ago from web
This also happened today:
“Gammons Ends Hall of Fame Run with ESPN”
http://www.espnmediazone3.com/.....with-espn/
I admit I wanted Granderson before, the Winter Meetings……I just hesitated over giving up our pitching depth (even though I don’t think IPK is great). I’ve been pretty convinced now that this was a darn good deal…I hope Kevin Long can work his wonders with Granderson. It doesn’t hurt, too, that Granderson is supposed to be a fantastic guy.
I wish Jackson the best of luck in Detroit – I hope he does live up to his potential
I was never completely sold on Jackson, and Coke is definitely expendable (and might have lost his job this year anyway), but I have to say losing IPK smarts a little. I always thought he’d figure it all out if he got a decent amount of innings this year.
A lot of dollars to commit to Granderson as well. Hopefully finding himself in our lineup will help push his average up a little. Platooning him with Gardner who oddly enough hits lefties very well might be a good option. Could make Melky expendable. Perhaps we could move him to Atlanta for Soriano, or off to the Cubbies if they can find us a player worth having!
It is a relatively bold move by Cash though, and I do like it when he really goes for something. At the end of the day you’d say Granderson is a safer bet for a big season than any of the guys we gave up. Depth for quality proven guy who is still young and has some speed and a good glove.
Melky Cabrera does not hit enough to be a corner outfielder on an everyday basis.
His best role, as it’s always been, is as a fourth outfielder.
For a salary dump, Detroit did great.
I guess the Granderson deal was just too much for Gammons nerves!
Gammons probably becomes an advisor to the Sox. But wasn’t being an ESPN columnist the same thing?
Gammons leaving ESPN
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/.....-espn.html
Wow, don’t pay attention for a few days and finally things start happening. This should make the Damon/Matsui situation interesting. And what about Gardner?
pat
December 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Ian Kennedy: “The Yankees have treated me great since I was drafted. If this happens, theres no bad taste or any lack of opportunity at all”
29 minutes ago from web
********************
Awwww. Best of luck to IPK
Is Gammons leaving to join the Red Sox organization?
gammons is leaving espn?
did he finally get a job directly for the sox?
carl
December 8th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
E-gawa December 8th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
RF has to be addressed. Swisher may have a great personality but he’s horrible in the outfield, he’s worse than Damon.
I remember people were saying that Swish was going to make an error and cost us a playoff game. It never happened.
———————
That only means we were lucky.
Wasn’t totally sold on Jackson and he is still largely unproven, granderson is about to turn just 29, and has superstar potential as well as a pretty good track record already. He could really come into his own in New York, and losing Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy won’t hurt one bit- they are good trade pieces.
Always trade a prospect for a known.
Melky Cabrera does not hit enough to be a corner outfielder on an everyday basis.
His best role, as it’s always been, is as a fourth outfielder.
___
this was never his role. give it up…
Pretty crazy how people just take for granted that we will sign Derosa, Holliday, and any number of people.
I’d honestly just be happy if they retained Damon and Andy, picked up Sheets and moved foward.
“They have the luxury now of offering the same deal to Matsui and Damon, and the first one that takes it, gets it. Of course, it is more complicated than that, but that could be the gist of it.”
Like you say, it’s not that simple, but I think a major advantage to this trade is the leverage it gives them with the LF/DH options. The supply of these players and the Yankees complete lack of desperation now allow them to extend only one-year offers at reasonable prices and roll with whoever accepts the deal. I think they will end up bringing back just Damon, but it would be cool to see them sign Cameron and then bring back either Damon/Matsui to DH. An outfield of Granderson/Cameron/Swisher would be an amazing complement to the HOF infield.
3 roster spots are currently open, but the Yankees traded Bruney for their Rule 5 pick, I assume they intend to use it. That leaves 2 spots.
Nady wasn’t all that special during his time with NYY. He struck out a lot and after a two week burst, didn’t do much. He’s also not much of a fielder.
The worst part of all this is, people still want swish for brains to start. I on the other hand, want him on the bench.
Also, I think the fact Cashman gave up Coke and Bruney w/o hesitation means he’s gonna sign at least one FA reliever
“The Tigers get five years of Scherzer, six of Schlereth, five of Coke, and six of Jackson, potentially 22 years of control in total. Scherzer, 25, and Jackson, 23 in February, are probably considered the prizes of the haul.”
–http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/
For a team looking to shed salary, this is a good deal of value for the Tigers.
Notice the proximity of the World Champion Yankees picking up Curtis Granderson and Petter Gammons’ decision to get off of TV… hmmmmm.
“I mean Kennedy and Coke are not really worth much.”
They’re not worth much, but Casey Kelly is worth Roy Halladay. Riiiiight.
Laura
Peter is probably leaving to a place he can make a bigger impact. The Cardinals. He will join the Cards in some capacity and attempt to convince the Cards to trade Pujols for whatever garbage the Red Sox have in the front yard.
DeSaint:
It’s higher than that. $170M heading into winter meetings. Granderson makes it $175.5. Pettitte will make it $187M (we’re giving him $11.5M). Damon makes it $197M. The $170M baseline did not include Melky and Gaudin, who are both arb eligible or any of the kids (Hughes, Joba, Robertson, Gardner, Aceves, Cervelli, etc.) If kept, Melky and Gardner are about $7M. The kids at routine tender offers are probably another $3M or so.
Classy comment by IPK. He and Bruney will get more opportunities to pitch going elsewhere.
Gammons is probably going to the mlb network
Gammons just pulled an Arod opting out at the world series.
He just wanted to take the focus off the trade the Yankees just made.
I’m sure his next job will be sitting on Theo’s lap whispering hype about Red Sox prospects into his ear.
Jeff in NJ
The Nationals will take one of our minor leaguers, then give him back to us, so we can keep him off our 40 man roster.
as much as i hate to see Kennedy and Jackson go, this deal makes too much sense….
and I always thought Granderson seemed like a class act.
Detroit did very well reducing payroll with this one move. I would expect more to come, as Detroit as a city has been very hard hit.
It would actually improve our defense a lot to move Swisha to left and Melky over to right with a Granderson/ Gardner platoon in center. With Damon as DH and occasional outfielder we’d be well balanced and flexible.
It’d leave us with enough dollars to go after some great pitching as well.
Melky hits just well enough for a corner spot and combined with Granderson’s power would give us a good outfield. Granderson kills RHP. In our stadium, with the protection he’ll get in this line-up he could hit 35 homers.
i just don’t get the “blockbuster” part of this. He’s a .249 hitter. He’s basically a jason giambi with defense… and WORSE OBP
A Grand Pop from Granderson!
“For a team looking to shed salary, this is a good deal of value for the Tigers.”
Really good. They did a great job getting Zona in the deal. For what their objective was, they did at least as well as the Yankees did on this.
Tigers made out like bandits, Granderson 29 for Ajax who is 22 and will most likely be a better hitter than Granderson…youth movement my ass.
yankees are not signing mike cameron when they have a cheap and functional fielder in melky.
its damon or no one…
Will all of his home runs be “Grandy Slams”?
Melancon should have a good chance in ST, as should Mike Dunn. Still would like to see Gonzalez, but may not be worth the premium.
Could be an excellent defensive outfield a year from now.
steveoh
December 8th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Will all of his home runs be “Grandy Slams”?
*****************
Love it.
“Tigers made out like bandits, Granderson 29 for Ajax who is 22 and will most likely be a better hitter than Granderson…youth movement my ass.”
Ajax hasn’t even master AAA ball which is why he was targeted to repeat that league. We’ll see if Ajax even becomes a starting MLB player.
If Brackman is so admired by everyone and Kennedy is AAA foder then please substitute that over inflated giant who can’t hit the side of a barn and can’t get over 96 mph.
Its really unbelievable how people over rate some of the Yankees big name pitching prospects because they may be the next Randy Johnson. Substitute Bellances while you are at it.
A good pitcher – a guy that knows how to pitch like Kennedy is so underrated.
Thats what wins games……..smart talented players.
“Could be an excellent defensive outfield a year from now.”
No outfield with Swisher in it is going to be excellent defensively. It’ll be a lot better though. Getting Granderson helps them more in the area of run prevention than it does run production.
“yankees are not signing mike cameron when they have a cheap and functional fielder in melky. its damon or no one…”
I tend to agree. They’ve seen that they can win with Melky. He can even have moments where he shines. If they don’t get Damon, they’ll go with the Melk Man in Left.
for the people saying Melky can’t hit enough to play corner OF, i don’t buy that. Baseball games are won by the entire lineup scoring more runs than the other team. a lineup of Melky, Curtis granderson, and Swisher in the OF…. Tex, Jeter, A-Rod, Cano in the infield… Jorge at catcher… Re-sign Hideki to DH…. that lineup is extremely powerful… the only person you lose is Damon, who is way more risky than Hideki cuz he’s just as old but still plays defense and poorly at that….
I agree with whoever said they should move melky to RF and play swisher in LF if the outfield stays as is. Melky has a much better arm than swisher..
However I just don’t see them not signing another outfielder and I would rather pay Holliday 15M next year than Damon or any other stopgap 10M and have to go through this all over again next year. Trade melky while his value is high
Maybe Gammons got wind of Halladay talks and has to step down for health reasons.
“Its a fine balance between youth and experience. Especially when you are also trying to win.”
SJ,
Imporant point there isn’t it. The Yankees acquired an all-star CF who is in his prime and is signed to a reasonable contract for the next four years. How is this a bad thing? Obviously he’s not a perfect player, but if he was the Yankees wouldn’t be able to acquire him! I think this is a great use of the farm system–dealing useful players who are replacable and a young high upside guy (who may or may not have been able to earn a spot in the NYY lineup) for the prime years of great guy who will ultimately be loved in New York.
Frank and Beans
Granderson is 28 he will be 29 in March. He is in his prime so what are you talking about ?
And Austin Jackson becoming a Derek Jeter type player…LOL !
I like Jackson but he won’t be like Jeter. Jackson is more like Jacoby Ellsbury.
Cameron. lol.
“Ajax hasn’t even master AAA ball which is why he was targeted to repeat that league. We’ll see if Ajax even becomes a starting MLB player.”
Not surprised this is what the yankees always do, they trade thier prospects every single time, Granderson had 1 MVP yr. and now he’s 29, he’s not even a great CF. It’s not a good move at all.
brandon:
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Granderson is replacement Damon’s bat in LF and Melky’s glove in CF.
Last years OF was Damon, Melky, Swisher.
This year’s so far is Granderson, Melky, Swisher.
Mix and match them any way you like but in the end, Granderson is replacing Damon.
Granderson is replacement Damon’s bat in LF and Melky’s glove in CF.
Last years OF was Damon, Melky, Swisher.
This year’s so far is Granderson, Melky, Swisher.
Mix and match them any way you like but in the end, Granderson is replacing Damon.
Squid, I wasn’t really referring to 2010. I was suggesting that more OF moves will be made either during the season or next off-season with the available FA.
Presuming Granderson plays CF, options will exist to upgrade LF (Crawford, DeJesus, others), and possibly RF.
love the boston blog saying ‘ the fat get fatter’. it was a trade, not a free agent signing, and the yankees did give peopel up to get granderson. this was one comment before ‘we need to get matt holliday NOW’.
yeah hot air up there in chilly beantown.
Brandon you are as off base as possible. You have no idea how good Jackson will be in the major leagues. It is proven what Granderson can do on both sides of the ball. He is a huge immediate upgrade to the Yankees’ OF.
Sign Damon…Melky 4th outfielder…If not Hideki, get Righty DH/OF…can play Melky or this guy against tough lefty.
G. Love December 8th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Gammons just pulled an Arod opting out at the world series.
He just wanted to take the focus off the trade the Yankees just made.
I’m sure his next job will be sitting on Theo’s lap whispering hype about Red Sox prospects into his ear.
I was gonna type the same thing earlier lol
RiverAveBlues RT @JamalG_BB: The shortest true-distance HR that Curtis Granderson hit in the 2009 season was 354ft. Welcome to New Yankee Stadium, bud.
_______
welcome to yankee stadium indeed!!!!!
Well we will not have Pete Gammons to kick around any more. I bet he goes to the Globe and is P Abe’s boss.
Howard Cosell
IPK sucks ! Okay ! He is nothing more than a #4, #5 starter. He can lite it up in the minors but his stuff can’t get it done in the majors.
Second, Brackman just came back from surgery, and Betances is really young so how do you know they won’t be good in the future. Look at how long it took for Randy Johnson to get his stuff together.
RiverAveBlues RT @JamalG_BB: The shortest true-distance HR that Curtis Granderson hit in the 2009 season was 354ft. Welcome to New Yankee Stadium, bud.
—
wow!
Breaking news:
Hall of fame baseball writer Peter Gammons will be the next bat boy/man for the Boston red sox pending a Physical
Terrible deal. Giving up a starter, a lefty reliever and a (potentially) very good outfielder for a guy who is incapable of hitting left-handed pitching.
This is a GREAT start to the offseason.
Think what you’ll be missing — you won’t have Peter Gammons to kick around any more
blake
December 8th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Breaking news:
Hall of fame baseball writer Peter Gammons will be the next bat boy/man for the Boston red sox pending a Physical
*********************
LOL. What an image…
“Brandon you are as off base as possible. You have no idea how good Jackson will be in the major leagues. It is proven what Granderson can do on both sides of the ball. He is a huge immediate upgrade to the Yankees’ OF.”
Granderson is 29, if anything he’s the black Swisher, I just find it hilarious that they panicked to land a CF who’s not even a superstar anymore. The Mega deal looks to DET. all those players controlled, young and really they gave up nada to get it, Granderson subpar at best, Edwin Jackson was the jewel.
I would like to see if anyone here can name one prospect the Yankees have regretted trading
the black Swisher?
I see no reason to sign Damon now. They need somebody to hit behind arod not another #2 hitter.
Brandon AWESOME! (BECAUSE In New York! Kate Hudson is what dreams are made of!)
Yeah the Yankees trade their prospects every time. That’s why they did the Santana deal back in 2008 right ? Not !
I like keeping and developing good prospects but you some times have to trade for talent. Montero, Romine, and others are still in the farm. Hughes and Joba are still with the team. So what are you talking about ?
DeSaint:
I see. Only flaw in that logic is the two FA’s you’re not yet thinking about. With Granderson in tow, they already have commitments in the amount of $145M to 8 players. Mo and Jeter are free agents (think $30M+) and Hughes and Chamberlain hit arb. If we assume Damon gets the 2/$20 this offseason, you’re already up around $195M+.
Lot can happen, but the Yankees don’t have a lot of tradeable contracts.
Francesa just said what I was thinking.
Gammons will be working for MLB Network before Christmas.
What a blow to Boston.
Tokyo Rose (Peter Gammons) was worth 20 games per year as he conned other teams into over valuing red sox prospects.
Keith Law’s analysis…..
The Yankees also come out ahead simply because they haven’t given up much of value, and in exchange they get an above-average everyday centerfielder. Curtis Granderson is a good defensive centerfielder who hits right-handers well, is a plus runner and gets unanimous raves for his personality. In two of the last three years, however, he hasn’t cracked a .500 OPS against left-handed pitchers and his pitch recognition problems against southpaws look like they’ll be very hard to correct, meaning that the Yankees need to consider a right-handed-hitting centerfielder to caddy for him against at least good left-handed starters. That (hypothetical) two-headed monster would be among the better centerfield solutions in the American League. It’s good they got that player for Jackson, who right now projects as more of an average everyday centerfielder; Coke, a middle reliever who had lost Joe Girardi’s trust anyway; and Ian Kennedy, who at the very least wasn’t going to crack the Yankees’ rotation again.
Should be noted: Granderson is due $25.75 million over the next three years, including the 2013 buyout.
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs.....-big-trade
“From the Yankees perspective, this deal is almost too good to be true. Heading into his age 29 season, Granderson is a legitimate +4 win center fielder signed to a bargain contract for the next four years. I ranked him as the 22nd most valuable asset in terms of trade value in baseball over the summer, and the Yankees are getting him for a variety pack of role players. He instantly makes their team better, giving them a legitimate all-star center fielder who should thrive in Yankee Stadium. For as much as the Yankees have a payroll advantage, they continue to win because Brian Cashman targets the right players. Granderson is a fantastic acquisition for them.”
“A+ for the Yankees, who continue to show that they know what they’re doing. Not a bad deal for Detroit, who needed to save some cash. But man, I’m sorry for D’Backs fans, who just saw their team screw up. “
Why is everyone killing Swisher’s defense. Do you remember one or two bad plays this year and assume he is bad on defense. He is an above average RF.
In fact Swisher had the 8th best UZR among RF’s last season.
His defense is not a problem at all.
ridiculously bad trade for us
pat December 8th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Francesa just said what I was thinking.
Gammons will be working for MLB Network before Christmas.
=============================================
Don’t think so. They broadcast near NYC. He’s not going to take the train in every day, at his advanced age. ESPN broadcasts near boston – that was an easy gig for the ole timer.
I don’t know why people talk about Coke and IPK like their gods. They are not that good. So what if they got traded they were eventually going to get traded.
Gammons walks from espn
Poor bosox they will have 1 fan less @espn
“Granderson subpar at best”???
At worst, he’s slightly above average.
At best he is an all-star and huge catalyst to a high-powered offense.
“if anything he’s the black Swisher”
Damon is not getting 2/20 with Granderson in the mix. He has absolutely no leverage now.
“I would like to see if anyone here can name one prospect the Yankees have regretted trading”
During the best years of their careers, I’d guess a few people thought about the what ifs of Leiter and Lowell wearing pinstripes.
Overall body of work, probably nobody.
Brian Cashman spent considerable time last week with Senior V.P. of Baseball Operations Mark Newman in Tampa after the organizational meetings were finished and got full and final input as to what farm prospects were untouchable and which ones were expendable.
That explains why Austin Jackson was part of the deal.
Brandon must have a crush on AJax.
There, there.
I know breaking up is hard to do, especially when you’re young
Boogey woogey
CD
Gammons still traveled to game sites as well as did studio work for ESPN.
He can do the same for MLB Network.
Time will tell.
Thanks for the ‘links’ Tom and Rodg.
Anytime they ‘name’ the trade after the guy your team landed, it’s probably a good day. I like what we got for what we gave up, Granderson should thrive in our lineup and ballpark.
Recent rumor, Jays trying to trade for Doumit.
Since we love sending our over-hyped prospects to Pittsburgh, maybe we can jump in and add Doumit to our trade for Halladay, instead of giving up Montero.
Yankee prospects to Pittsburgh; Doumit, Joba, and a prospect to Toronto; Doc to NYY
We just traded 4 prospects for a guy who hit .249 last year. Woo hoo!
A # 4 or 5 starter is very valuable. Saying someone sucks and then calling him only a # 4 or 5 is ridiculous.
Don’t get me wrong, he was replaceable for the Yanks, because they have similar guys in the minors.
But kennedy will do well in the weak NL West.
@ Jeremy
Isn’t that what we need a #5 starter? I’m not in love with IPK but he is a valuable chip. WE don’t have the depth in the minors like we used to after this trade.
Romulo Sanchez, Ivan Nova, Igawa,Kontos (shoulder)etc are all not worthy of the majors.- Maybe Nova has a shot. Kontos could be another Horne.
McAllister is the only stud and he is one year away if that. That’s it the rest are AA and A prospects.
This is my point – we are losing near term legitimate call ups. WE shouldv’e thrown in a longer term higher level prospect since we have more of those.
Brackman or Bellantances would suit me – I personally don’t either one of them does anything – BUT THEY HAVE LOTS AND LOTS OF POTENTIAL more than AAA Kennedy fodor right?
Detroit did very well in the deal, but that’s because Arizona GROSSLY overpaid for Edwin Jackson.
Detroit really lucked out with Edwin Jackson – they traded him when his value was at a complete low; got a terrific first half of the season out of him; and were able to spin him into two very good pitching prospects before he had a chance to implode again.
Cashman to do list:
1. Sign Andy Pettite
2. Right handed CFer to hit against lefties/DH when needed (Cameron)
3. Lefty reliever for the pen
4. Pitching reclamation project (Duchscherer, Harden, Sheets)
5. Another reliever for good measure – possibly 8th inning guy
The Jays trying to trade for Doumit? That is interesting. I’d love for Cashman to get him.
wonder what gammons will do? probably get theo coffee and tell him he’s the best gm in the game.
granderson was a steal for the yankees.
I’m glad to see that people have come around to the fact that prospects are valuable. But now I think the pendulum has swung too far. You build a farm so you can develop your own players and so you can hype some players up and trade them for something missing from your team.
Curtis Granderson > Edwin Jackson
Here we go, it’s Jose Tabata syndrome all over again.
Nice to see you, Brandon.
As said so many times, the Yankees could pave the streets of the Bronx in 24 karat gold and somebody will complain about the glare.
Granderson will be a good fit for the Yankees.
This is a bad deal – Granderson is not a true All-Star. He’s a mediocre player who strikes out way too much. The biggest problem I have here also is that we have just given up our best trade bait that we could have used for Halladay. I have to think that George was behind this, not Cashman. I would hope he’s smarter than this.
it’s been quite an offseason:
we pick up Granderson, Kevin Towers, the first Rule-5 pick, JEter is named SI Sportsperson of the year, and the boston propaganda wing lost Steve Phillips and Peter Gammons
The Yankees didnt trade 4 players. They traded 3.
Austin Jackson is more like Jacoby Ellsbury than Bernie Williams.
CountryClub
December 8th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
The Yankees didnt trade 4 players. They traded 3.
and one of them was a soft drink
Who is untouchable really in the farm system? Montero and..
I don’t remember the real Howard Cosell’s realtionship with the Enlgish language being so distant.
Tom in NJ
December 8th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Erin-
3. What will Sterling’s HR call for Granderson be?
——————————————————-
A Yankee Doodle Dandy by Grandy…
Ralph
December 8th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Who is untouchable really in the farm system? Montero and..
—————————-
Take out the and and you got your answer
Brandon,
You’re rooting for the wrong team man. I mean all this nonsense over Austin Jackson when we just received a young all star CF who is athletic and has power?
So the dream of Tabata and Jackson in the OF is over.
Just relax and realize that Cashman hasn’t traded a prospect in a long long time that has come back to haunt us.
Unless you’re still upset about Dioner Navarro who is about to be released by the Rays.
Here’s where the Yanks now stand:
$175.8MM for 11 players (ARod, DJ, Tex, CC, AJ, Mo, Jorge, Cano, Swisher, Marte and Granderson (need a short handle for him)).
Approx $4MM (after arbitration and step-up raises)for 6 cost controlled guys (Joba, Phil, Melky, BG, Robertson and Aceves)
Assume the minimum ($.8MM) for a backup catcher and backup infielder (right now, Cervelli and Pena).
The Yanks will almost certainly sign Andy. Let’s say for $11.5MM as someone above said.
That’s $192.1MM for 20 guys. The Yanks typically carry 12 pitchers into the season, so they need 3 more pitchers and 2 position players (DH, Utility).
This IMO rules out Halladay. Even if they didn’t give him a raise, that would put the payroll at $208MM and we’d still need 5 guys because either Joba or Phil would go.
I’m thinking they sign at least one more major hitter. It could be Damon, but I wonder.
They could sign Cameron and Matsui, and keep Gaudin, for probably $17MM total. Give Robertson the set-up job, give major league jobs to Melancon and Dunn for $.8MM total.
That’s a payroll of approximately $209MM, similar to last years. Plus a pretty darn good team.
No way do the Yankees sign Cameron.
GIVE IT UP!!!! If the Yankees traded Jackson for Granderson, CG is playing against lefties too!
Talk about a guy who strikes out too much.
Let’s focus on getting Doc away from Toronto now.
We just traded 4 prospects for a guy who hit .249 last year.
A) Yankees traded 3 players not 4
B) of the three one is a 27-year old LH relief pitcher – not really a prospect by any loose definition of the word
C) Jackson might someday be as good as Granderson. Then again he might also hit .250 with no power and Kennedy is redundant in a farm system loaded with back of the rotation pitching prospects (McAllister, Brackman, Bleich, Nova, Betances, Mitchell….)
YankeefaninMD
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Austin Jackson is a average centerfielder at best, Curtis Granderson is an all star and builds up the outfield defense. And it looks like the Yankees and Red Sox aren’t interested in trading the farms for Halladay.
Second, George is not calling the shots.
Five years of Phil Coke ?
He just avoided arbitration last year.
More like 2 or 3 years at most.
The Yankees didnt trade 4 players. They traded 3.
==================
Wrong wrong wrong.
they also got rid of Gammons
“If the Yankees traded Jackson for Granderson, CG is playing against lefties too!”
Could well be, but I hope not. Zebras don’t change their stripes very often.
Gammons can now officially “come out of the closet” and work for his Red Socks in a paid public relations capacity.
Just saw Keith Law’s analysis of this trade over on ESPN.
I have to admit, he turned by quite a bit in favor of this deal. For what the Yankees gave up it seems like they did just fine. Detroit won and Arizona lost but that wasn’t because of the Yankees and really has nothing to do with them. The pitchers Detroit got from Arizona is a bit more baffling then anything the Yankees parted with.
Go Yanks! Now if we sign Sheets the yankees would have brought in 3 of my favorite non-yankees in the past 2 years with Tex, Granderson and Sheets!
Hopefully Johnny comes back on a small deal as well.
If the Yankees look like this next year I am soooo excited
C: Posada and a backup (i could live with Cervelli but could see the yanks signing someone)
1B: Tex
2B: Cano
SS: Jeter
3B: Arod
OF/DH: Granderson-Swisher-Damon-Melky/Gardner (i’d like to see a trade with Melky in it to be honest)
SP: CC, AJ, Andy, Sheets, Hughes/Joba
Bullpen: Whoever…not too worried here. I like the trimming the fat with Coke and Bruney gone. I have faith in the young guys and maybe the yanks bring in a FA or trade but nothing major.
Bench: Derosa would be wonderful but I think that might be too much money for a bunch player…lots of demand, he won’t be cheap. Probably could fill this from within pretty decently with maybe a random signing or two somewhere down the line.
Curtis Granderson!
SWOOON!!
He is sooooooooo cute.
Be still, my heart.
Tough typing 6 ft under………..
“He just avoided arbitration last year.
More like 2 or 3 years at most”
Last year was his 1st full season. They control him til he’s thru six.
This is a bad deal – Granderson is not a true All-Star. He’s a mediocre player who strikes out way too much. The biggest problem I have here also is that we have just given up our best trade bait that we could have used for Halladay
___
a-jax wasnt the bait in the halladay talks. montero and joba are.
This deal is another one of life’s little IQ tests.
Granderson only hit .248 last year but Swisher also had a terrible season in Chicago and ended up being very productive for us.
Cashman knows what he’s doing. Just like with Swisher, I’m sure the Yankees did their homework on Granderson and have faith that K Long can help him. Plus, he’s a great guy to have in the clubhouse, and seems like the type of guy who will embrace NY.
Neil December 8th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Gammons can now officially “come out of the closet” and work for his Red Socks in a paid public relations capacity.
================================================
Please. Gammons wore a Red Sox uniform and cap when he was on the air.
“Approx $4MM (after arbitration and step-up raises)for 6 cost controlled guys (Joba, Phil, Melky, BG, Robertson and Aceves)”
Wave:
Melky will be $4M by himself. 2nd arb year and he was at $2.2M last year. The 6 other guys will be about $3M.
If they keep Gaudin, he’s looking at $3-$4M in ard as well.
I liked IPK, but he was expandable. With CC, AJ, and potentially Joba/Hughes there isn’t much room for him on the roster.
I’ve always liked Austin too, even when Tabata was shinning. However, his full potential is what Curtis is now. Austin doesn’t walk much, he hits maybe one or two home runs in a minor league park. He strikes out a TON. He is in every way and shape like Curtis, and at his full potential would turn into a player like Curtis, and NOT Crawford.
Phil was also a nice piece, and there is less negatives about him just because he’s made it to the majors and has shown us some very nice bright spots. Phil is the one guy in this trade that will be in the majors immediately, and for a while. Whether it be that he pitches well, or for the fact that he’s just a lefty pitcher.
A couple of posts above have the right idea – platoon Granderson with Gardner in CF. Although both are lefties, Brett can help Granderson’s problems with lefties. Granderson batted .183 vs lefties in ‘09 while Gardner hit .291 (a bit higher than his .264 avg vs righties).
Is Granderson going to hit second in this lineup? Is he going to hit lefties this year?
Erica, new PBF?
Detroit won and Arizona lost but that wasn’t because of the Yankees and really has nothing to do with them. The pitchers Detroit got from Arizona is a bit more baffling then anything the Yankees parted with.
It’s not often I agree with Keith Law but on this one he’s dead on. I can’t figure out what Arizona was thinking in this deal. It’s awful for them. No wonder Detroit was so desperate to keep this deal going when the Yankees were ready to walk away from the table.
Man you guys are gonna be sick to your stomach when Kennedy is pitching well in Arizona and we’re trying to come up with a fifth starter out of Aceves, Gaudin or somebody.
Erica
December 8th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Curtis Granderson!
SWOOON!!
He is sooooooooo cute.
Be still, my heart.
A new pretend boyfriend???
he will be soon.
“He just avoided arbitration last year.
More like 2 or 3 years at most”
Last year was his 1st full season. They control him til he’s thru six.
++++++++++++
Phil Coke was drafted by the Yankees in 2002
5 years in Minor plus another 6 in the Majors ?
Total of 11 years of service time, seriously ?
Halladay isn’t coming, folks. The Yanks still need another hitter, and IMO they aren’t shelling out another $23MM to $35MM to get both.
squidward-
Per Cot’s, Melky only got $1.4MM last year, where you are getting $2.2MM? And Gaudin only made $2MM last year-I see him getting less next year. The other guys will probably be under $3MM.
“Could well be, but I hope not. Zebras don’t change their stripes very often.”
We did not give away our best prospect for a part-time player. Think about it.
Three things:
1. The Yankees are not going to platoon Granderson with anyone. They will work with him and hope that he improves against lefties but I assure you that there will be no talk of a platoon no matter how bad his splits get.
2. The Yankees certainly wouldn’t platoon him with Brett Gardner
3. While right now Granderson is probably penciled into the lineup as the #2 hitter I think that could still change with the Yankees trying to either bring back Damon or bring in a more conventional #2 hitter and batting Granderson in the 5 spot.
Erica
December 8th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Curtis Granderson!
SWOOON!!
He is sooooooooo cute.
Be still, my heart.
*********************
Erica-I know!! Love him.
Will you have a new PBF if you-know-who doesn’t return?
To all those who think this is the end of Peter Gammons, you are sadly wrong.
Peter will find a place where he can be of even more help to the Red Sox. Peter will do anything he can to propogandize Boston. If they gave out sainthood for hanging on the *** of the Red Sox, he’d be Saint Peter.
Simon,
That’s hard to predict. What if he just gets a freak injury to end his career tomorrow? All of a sudden, the trade looks that much sweeter. We will find out in the coming yearS(!) as to whether this is a good trade or not.
“We did not give away our best prospect for a part-time player.”
Austin Jackson is not the Yankees best prospect. It’s Jesus Montero, by a mile and a half.
Why do people keep posting this?
Trust me – I would love for Granderson to work out, but Cameron would have been a better choice as a stopgap for Jackson to develop. Everyone knows that this is a pretty weak year for free agents, which is why Cash went the trade route. That’s all well and good, but we could have had Cameron (without giving up anyone) or even Damon (also without giving up anyone), let Cameron play CF for a year or two and see where Jackson is in 2011. If Jackson wouldn’t have been ready, we could have signed someone else at that point. In any case, our No. 2 hitter is now someone who can’t hit lefties and is a strikeout machine – not exactly setting the table, methinks.
A lot of people who write about baseball for a living are really heaping some praise on the Yankees for this deal.
I like it!
platoon Granderson with Gardner in CF. Although both are lefties, Brett can help Granderson’s problems with lefties. Granderson batted .183 vs lefties in ‘09 while Gardner hit .291 (a bit higher than his .264 avg vs righties).
___
WHAT!!!???!!!
___
Gardner will not start and they arent paying granderson to platoon him. Give it a rest. He will start against lefties and righties. gardner can check out…
Man you guys are gonna be sick to your stomach when Kennedy is pitching well in Arizona and we’re trying to come up with a fifth starter out of Aceves, Gaudin or somebody.
I’m willing to take that chance.
For Ian Kennedy to have any impact in this season (or likely next season) the following would have to happen:
1. Andy doesn’t return
2. The Yankees do not sign a single free agent pitcher
3. Hughes AND Joba have to be hurt or awful
Kennedy lost me when he was dominating AAA came up here and got lit up repeatedly and said he didn’t feel he had to change anything because of how well he was pitching in AAA. And I think that’s when he lost Cash and Girardi too.
“1. The Yankees are not going to platoon Granderson with anyone. They will work with him and hope that he improves against lefties but I assure you that there will be no talk of a platoon no matter how bad his splits get.”
Hope not. Think back on Jason Kubel in the ALDS. I bet Theo is shopping for lefty relievers right now. We need another OF to hit the lefties.
Aceves and Mitre are competent 5th starters. Grand Am Granderson ! Cashman is probably not done.
hearing #redsox wont give up either buchholz or casey kelly for halladay. can you say “market crash?”
3 minutes ago from mobile web
- Heyman
Yankee fans will love granderson just like they do swisher, he’s a great guy to pull for. The difference is that granderson is a much better player
All of you people complaining about this deal will be cheering it after the first game of the season and you actually see the man play.
1) Granderson-CF
Cano-2b
2) Jeter-SS
3) Tex-1b
4) Arod-3b
5) Matt-LF
6) Swisher-RF
7) Posada-C
9) Sabathia-DH
oh Erica…is this the same girl who was at the parade begging Johnny D to return?
To all those who think this is the end of Peter Gammons, you are sadly wrong.
Gammons has a deal in place to join MLB Network. He will also be getting a regular show of his own on their radio station.
Just saw a report that I saw before. Just putting it out there again. Acquiring Granderson does not put the kibosh on Damon. All it does is reaffirms that the Yanks will not go more than 2 years for him. In my opinion most people would be crazy to go more than 2 years on Damon. If someone is willing to take that risk god bless.
With all due respect, anybody that says “George must be behind this” obviously has not been around for the past 5 years, at least. The poor guy is not in the best of shape at this point in his life. It ain’t 1985 anymore, people, you can’t blame George for trades you don’t like.
Peter Gammons will not quit or go down that easily. True Red Sox fans (though there are not many) do not give up. Peter Gammons is the truest of the true Sox fans. He sacrifices his professionalism every day of his life to attempt to help the Sox.
Kennedy has no spot in the rotation. I think he will be a good pitcher but he was best used as trade bait
The idea of Gardner platooning with Granderson is illogical. That said, if we had a righty bat who played a good CF or LF then a platoon wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world (with Melky in CF on Granderson’s sit-days).
They are gonna cram Granderson into the 2 hole because we don’t have anyone who can hit there. He swings and misses too much for it though. Still say Chone Figgins in left was a better fit.
i love when people complain about going younger, then talk about mike cameron.
1. he is old
2. he is a righty
3. he strikes out ALOT
Man you guys are gonna be sick to your stomach when Kennedy is pitching well in Arizona and we’re trying to come up with a fifth starter out of Aceves, Gaudin or somebody.
——
Last I checked, Arizona was an NL club in the NL west. Kennedy was of little to no value in the AL east.
I REALLY don’t think the Yankees are going to sign Matt Holliday. I like REALLY seriously doubt it. I would be floored if they did. Honestly floored.
Chip
Thanks for the info. I guess Pedro Gammons decided a radio show to spew is Sox nonsense is going to help them more. Maybe it will, maybe it wont, but the more time he can spew his drivel, I do not like
3. While right now Granderson is probably penciled into the lineup as the #2 hitter I think that could still change with the Yankees trying to either bring back Damon or bring in a more conventional #2 hitter and batting Granderson in the 5 spot.
___
agreed. however granderson led off in det just like damon used to lead off here. my feeling is he will basically be a younger damon but better in the field, so he should be able to hit second, hit and run, speed etc…
We still need to resign Pettitte, get a DH, and sign a pitcher. Options for DH seem to be Damon, Matsui, Dye, or Guerrero. Pitcher options that wont cost what Lackey will cost would be Sheets, Harden, Duchscherer, and Bedard. Also they will be looking at Chapman. Hopefully they make the right decision on the DH. Cant wait to see what their plans are for Hughes and Joba…
By the way, I just finished using a restroom at Fenway Field and had to flush the Ryan Westmoreland before I left
I’m telling you, this is not a lot to give up. Kennedy will never thrive in the AL east, in the NL somewhere maybe. Coke is not an elite reliever by any means. And Ajax? Unproven. He hit 4 HR last year. FOUR. The odds of him ever becoming the caliber of player Granderson is, is highly unlikely.
Melky could start for him against lefties.
This improves the Yankees. That’s why Cashman did it. Hell, we’re on our way to having 9 guys that can hit 20 HRs and we just added speed.
Jeter is leading off.
i want to post something!!!!
Chip, that’s what I figured gammons would do. There won’t be baseball tonight pretty soon. Mlb tonight is much better
LOL at 2 more years of Damon.
“This deal is another one of life’s little IQ tests.”
LOL
finally, it is working! Sorry for the spam.
Chip, I agree…just because Kennedy MIGHT be a solid 5th starter in Arizona next year doesn’t mean he’d be a solid 5th starter in the AL East next year.
IPK was beyond expendable.
I think everyone in the deal from the Yankees was expendable, but I still don’t like the trade.
Could we have not put something comparable together for Grady Sizemore? I’d have been willing to give up more for that guy in our CF….not Granderson though.
I feel very weird about this trade.
Simon
IPK is over hyped. He is like Michael Bowden or Hunter Jones who was on the Red Sox. Overrated prospects who won’t do jack in the majors. Phil Hughes is the real deal, Joba has more talent than IPK. IPK is not good, when will you get that through your head ?
I really wish the Yankees would have protected themselves with picks by offering Damon arbitration.
SIGN SHEETS!
Personally, I would love to round out our OF with DeJesus. You can have Damon DH, DeJesus in LF, Granderson in CF, and Swish in RF with either Melky or Gardner as the 4th OF. But I don’t know if we have anybody left to trade for DeJesus
But then again, what do I know. What would KC even want for DeJesus anyway?
Ladies, check out these dreamy eyes!
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ukZO.....derson.jpg
I’ll give you a name for DH – someone who can bat in the two spot. He’s old at this stage, but a veteran who has played on winning teams and as part of a DH platoon I think he would be very nice.
Garret Anderson
Not nearly the player he once was, but he’s what they call a “professional hitter”
I can’t believe this. There may be some years missing from my memory, but is Granderson the first legit CF since Bernie?
The Mad Prince in Pinstripes
Grady Sizemore would have cost Phil Hughes, Joba, or Montero. The Tigers needed to dump salary. Would you feel better getting rid of the best for Sizemore, or getting rid of the average guys for Granderson ? The second one makes much more sense.
As far as I’m concerned, the offseason is a win as long as the Red Sox don’t get Halladay and the Yankees resign Pettitte. I would also love to sign Sheets.
What I would like to know is whether the Yankees offer Damon a contract to be their primary DH. He seems like a perfect fit because he loves to DH (unlike Posada, who doesn’t have good numbers at DH) and he can play LF when Arod or Jorge need a day off.
re Anderson – of course it’s possible he’s more done than dinner.
Chip, I agree…just because Kennedy MIGHT be a solid 5th starter in Arizona next year doesn’t mean he’d be a solid 5th starter in the AL East next year.
IPK was beyond expendable.
I think everyone in the deal from the Yankees was expendable, but I still don’t like the trade.
Could we have not put something comparable together for Grady Sizemore? I’d have been willing to give up more for that guy in our CF….not Granderson though.
I feel very weird about this trade.
——
Cleveland needs to sell tickets even if they aren’t focused on winning now. Sizemore is the only guy they have that they can market. I promise you they wouldn’t have parted with him. This i just a pipedream of ever having happened.
Not sure what I think of the trade, but you have to assume CG gives us: 35HR, >100R and at least 80RBI.
Melky gave the team 13HR, 66R and 68RBI. That’s a major upgrade.
With CG added, I don’t see the point of spending for two more years of Damon. Still wouldn’t have a real #5 hitter, you don’t know how Damon would take to the DH role, and the lineup would be lefty vulnerable.
Hideki for one year is cheaper, gives you the known commodity DH at #5 and he hits lefties well.
Sure, I’d be happy to see them spend on Holliday; otherwise I’d take Hideki over Johnny.
Erica
December 8th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Ladies, check out these dreamy eyes!
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ukZO…..derson.jpg
*****************
Preaching to the choir, my friend.
I don’t know why so many people want to trade Melky just to trade him.
He is only 24 yrs old & hit 13 HR’s last yr. with some clutch game winning hits.
As he matures he could easily hit 20-25 HR’s per yr. He is a switch hitter, with decent speed, good defense, & a great arm. He does not make alot of $, & is a great clubhouse guy who is well liked by his teammates.
With his arm, start him in RF & he will avg. within the next couple of yrs.:
20-25HR, 75-80 RBI, .280 Avg. 20 SB.
Unless he is one of the pieces to get a Roy Halliday, why give him up?
Want to save another 4-5M dollars and apply it to pitching.
Sorry Erica, since you now have a new PBF, and I love the idea that Granderson is our CF, if the Yankees don’t resign Damon they could trade for David Dejesus-hit .290 as a lefty against lefties, 13 assists no errors in LF. With this deal we get a player for 4.6M next year with a club option for 2011 at 6M. He’s 29 could bat second and the addition of him and Granderson will just about account for the loss of HR power from the loss of Damon and Matsui.
Plus we’re younger, faster and a huge upgrade in OF defense.
Possible lineup:
Jeter SS
DeJesus LF
Granderson CF
A-Rod 3B
Tex 1B
Posada C
Cano 2b
Swisher DH
Cabrera RF
C-Grand is indeed fit.
Eye candy for the ladies:
http://www.jimmyscottshighandt.....rson_2.jpg
Woland
You’re right. Cashman and his staff know which prospects to keep. Why do you think they refuse to trade Montero and Hughes because they are the real deal. Every team wants them.
i’d love to see melky in right, granderson in center, and gardner in left with damon as a DH against righties and swish against lefties. where are these mike cameron rumors coming from?
if granderson hit 30HR in detroit, that could be 40 in yankee stadium. I say take a flyer on Sheets or Duchsherer and re-sign pettite and damon.
Damon could DH / LF, DH could also be used to spot rest the veterans and for posada as we try out who will be our catcher of the future.
Good point, Simon. We got beat bad by not pursuing Figgins, who wouldn’t have been that much more expensive than Granderson. Also, we could have kept our trade bait. On the flipside (and this is more of a commentary on center fielders in general), a quick look at stats would rate Granderson behind: Ellsbury, Upton, Beltran, Victorino, Hunter, Guttierez and Kemp. That places him in top 10. I am crossing my fingers that he learns to hit the lefties and can pull a serviceable .280 average at least. For a No. 1 or 2 hitter, that’s the bare minimum. Of course, we could always drop him to the 5 slot for his power and move Cano to the top of the order …
I haven’t heard a single grumble for Dejesus…I mean i guess its all good to fantasize but the guy actually needs to be on the market.
Love that lineup YankeeTrader and the financial flexibility it allows to address other areas either now or at the deadline.
Bronx Jeers
December 8th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
C-Grand is indeed fit.
Eye candy for the ladies:
http://www.jimmyscottshighandt…..rson_2.jpg
*******************
Nice. Thanks for that one!!
Granderson’s trends over the past two years should be alarming.
Someone said he has an “ordinary” arm too? Sounds to me like he’ll be shifted to LF in two years.
Hate to be pessimistic, but I don’t care how “good” of a guy Curtis is, there were better alternatives, even if that meant resigning Damon for a couple years.
Terrible deal.
You don’t give up young, serviceable arms and a good, possible above average CF for a light hitting speedster. I hit lefties better than Granderson, and most of his extra base hits are because of that gigantic stadium in Detroit.
Cashman is a fool.
He should have offered arbitration to Damon, allowing Ajax to mature in AAA, or allow the organization to package him for a young SP or Halliday, then go after Crawford next year. Bad move.
“Personally, I would love to round out our OF with DeJesus.”
Why not just wait for Crawford to hit free agency? Can you imagine Crawford and Granderson together? I can’t remember the last time we had so much speed in the OF.
Erica
not nearly as dreamy as Cervelli’s
Just like last year with Tex, in spite of Pete and the rest of the planet disagreeing with me.. we know the end result.
A couple of points:
1. Matt Holliday really prefers NYY over any team (desperately)
2. Matt’s dad dreams of his son playing for NYY
3. Matt has clearly stated to Boras his ultimate desire
4. Think 6/100m range if Yankees
5. If Bay goes to sox
6. Johnny goes wherever
7. perfect storm for Holliday to NYY
lastly, don’t think Cash doesn’t know what he is doing. He played hardball with Boras/Tex last year up until the very end.. he know how much Tex wanted to play for NYY (sure he had his doubts) but he played possum. Expect us to be players in Holliday.
Why is the rich owner of Little Caesar’s slashing payroll? Tigers owner is rich, owns the successful Detroit Red Wings too.
Please tell me someone didn’t just put Granderson hitting 3rd in a mock lineup.
“We need another OF to hit the lefties.”
Reed Johnson?
upstate kate
December 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Erica
not nearly as dreamy as Cervelli’s
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agree. Granderson and AJ both have dreamy eyes, but no one beats Cervelli!!
Yankee Trader,
No offense, but that lineup is ridiculous.
Granderson right ahead of A-Rod instead of a switch hitting power 1B hitting 5th? Guys may have preferred pitching to A-Rod last year, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that will be the case in 2010 if he’s healthy.
Not trying to insult you but come on man.
Matt Holliday will NOT be Yankee.
I/ they would rather pay Doc.
Why is the rich owner of Little Caesar’s slashing payroll? Tigers owner is rich, owns the successful Detroit Red Wings too.
——–
I hear baseball revenue is WAYYY down in Detroit. Auto got his hard in the recession and the city is basically in shambles.
I think what a lot of people are having a problem with is that they see Detroit getting a haul and figured the Yankees got robbed. It’s not the case.
Detroit got a haul because Arizona got robbed.
I was against getting Granderson because I figured that the asking price would be Hughes/Joba along with Jackson or Montero. To get him for the lowest of the top four guys and two guys who don’t really factor deeply in the future of the team is very good.
Yes, some day Austin Jackson might be as good as Granderson, but thus far all he’s shown is that he, like Granderson is a good athlete and he, like Granderson, strikes out a lot. The difference is that Granderson has shown he can perform at the ML level while Jackson has not and Granderson brings a power aspect that Jackson has not shown.
“You don’t give up young, serviceable arms and a good, possible above average CF for a light hitting speedster. I hit lefties better than Granderson, and most of his extra base hits are because of that gigantic stadium in Detroit.”
light-hitting speedster? please the man hit 30 homeruns last year
With Granderson’s lefty splits, I don’t see Damon back at all. Matsui makes even more sense now since he’s more of a middle order guy and excels at hitting lefties.
I don’t want Matt holliday or another huge star, enough is enough with buying the blue chips.
Just want to make one thing clear, Ian Kennedy was never, NEVER going to be a great AL east pitcher. He may go the NL and be a 4 or 5 like Karstens or Ohlendorf but he didn’t have the stuff to shut down the Red Sux or anyone else in the big East consistently. He was the fools gold of this deal.
Please tell me someone didn’t just put Granderson hitting 3rd in a mock lineup.
—–
Just ignore David Dejesus hitting second.
Cost control ? …… yes.
5 years/$30.25M (2008-13), plus 2014 club option
5 years/$30.25M (2008-13), plus 2014 club option
signed extension with Detroit 2/4/08
08:$1M, 09:$3.5M, 10:$5.5M, 11:$8.25M, 12:$10M, 13:$13M club option ($2M buyout)
2013 option increases to:
$15M if MVP (1st – 5th) in 2011 or 2012
$14M if All Star in 2011 or 2012
$13.5M if All Star selection in 2011 or 2012
award bonuses: $25,000 each for All Star, Gold Glove; $50,000 for Silver Slugger; $75,000 for LCS MVP; $0.1M for MVP, WS MVP
1 year/$0.41M (2007)
re-signed by Detroit 2/07
1 year/$0.335M (2006)
re-signed by Detroit 2/06
1 year (2005)
re-signed by Detroit 1/05
drafted 2002 (3-80)
$0.469M signing bonus
ML service: 3.077
“We need another OF to hit the lefties”
Holliday.
Granderson’s trends over the past two years should be alarming.
Not terribly so. Granderson was playing with subpar defenders in LF and RF and had to cover a CF the size of Central Park in Detroit.
upstate kate December 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Erica
not nearly as dreamy as Cervelli’s
———————————————-
LOOK! He even competes in wet-tee-shirt contests
http://refrigeratorlogic.com/w.....re1004.jpg
Curtis will be a 40/40 man at Yankee stadium in 2010!
Once you go Grandy, you’ll always feel dandy.
Sorry, gotta go.
Jackson is a good prospect, Kennedy may be good, but he wasn’t going to pitch for the yankees, and Coke was exposed at the end of last year. We got a known quantity that will likely hit 30 homers this year and play an outstanding centerfield.
Nice to get the Melk Arm in Right and Swish into Left.
“We need another OF to hit the lefties”
Holliday.
——
If the Yanks were sold on getting Holliday this season I doubt they would have gone after Tex last season.
I see the Yankees bringing back Pettite, maybe Damon if he will agree to the shorter contract, a reclamations pitcher and maybe another smaller piece or two.
No blue chip FA this year.
Well, i have to admit. I wasn’t for this trade, but i have to trust Cash knows what he’s doing. Granderson’s declining numbers, both offensively and defensively scare me. I thought that package of players was worth more, but apparently not. If AJax’s ceiling was projected to be as good as Granderson, might as well fast forward and skip the growing pains by taking the finished product.
I guess Yankee stadium will be good for Granderson’s bat, and it’ll be nice to have a solid everyday center fielder again. He does come with a reasonable price tag.
Just a couple of things.
I thought teams valued IPK more than it turns out, and i think he will actually be a solid starter in the NL.
Coke was okay, but definitely expendable (especially considering the return).
I seriously doubt the Yanks are bringing Granderson in to be a platoon with anyone. AND HE WILL NOT HIT 3RD.
They can still go after Damon or Matsui if the price is right. Im sure the yanks will not pursue any DH types other than Matsui.
Im still hearing some people want Cameron. Okay player, but not worth the money considering he wont be playing center, and Melky puts up similar offensive numbers (i actually prefer Melky) and costs a fraction of the price.
The Yanks still have enough chips to pursue Halladay, if they so choose. Personally, im all for it if they don’t trade Hughes or Montero.
They will sign Pettitte.
And i guess that’s all i can come up with right now. Welcome Curtis, we’re rooting for you. Let’s go Yankees.
You don’t give up young, serviceable arms and a good, possible above average CF for a light hitting speedster. I hit lefties better than Granderson, and most of his extra base hits are because of that gigantic stadium in Detroit.
Um…I’ll grant you he probably won’t hit as many triples in Yankee Stadium but you’re also talking about a guy who hit 30 HR in that gigantic stadium so I would think that number’s likely to go up.
“Personally, I would love to round out our OF with DeJesus.”
Why not just wait for Crawford to hit free agency? Can you imagine Crawford and Granderson together? I can’t remember the last time we had so much speed in the OF.
—————————————————
Could still go after Crawford since there’s a club option for DeJesus with a .5M buyout if he doesn’t work out.
Highlight film showing Granderson jumping and reaching over th CF wall to take a homer away, hit off Verlander. When’s the last time you’ve see a Yankee OF’er make that play??
Nick in SF in Larkspur December 8th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Once you go Grandy, you’ll always feel dandy.
Sorry, gotta go.
===============================
I’m soo flustered right now. Curtis is causing a heat wave!
Garret Anderson
Not nearly the player he once was, but he’s what they call a “professional hitter”
…………………………………
That’s exactly how Hideki Matsui has been described on numerous occasions since he’s been a Yankee.
Bronx Jeers
December 8th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
C-Grand is indeed fit.
Eye candy for the ladies:
http://www.jimmyscottshighandt…..rson_2.jpg
.
____________________________________________________________
Thanks for brigtening up my day bronx jeers
Any Pettitte pics floating around like this? LOL
Anyone have any idea why Granderson’s UZR rating fell so much in 2008 and 2009? He’s always looked pretty good defensively to me.
Erica
December 8th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
LOOK! He even competes in wet-tee-shirt contests
http://refrigeratorlogic.com/w…..re1004.jpg
*******************
Erica, you’re finding REALLY good pictures
For a guy with Granderson’s speed, he needs to run more. I want to see 15 triples and 40-50 steals.
Damon’s stock just went down to lees than Bobby Abreu $$.
Johnnie will get a 1 year 10mil or 2 year 16mil offer from the Yankees.
If he walks then Sui will get the next offer at around 8 for 1 year.
This was a good move by Cash! The Yankees will have a better OF next year with this move.
Sign Andy next!
The next time they show the Yankees defensive lineup and they always display the Gold Glove Awards attachments next to their names…..You’ll see one next to our new CF, to go along with Jeter, A-Rod & Texeria…..This is a very good day for the Yankee faithful, even for the ones who don’t know better or at least don’t know yet……
Granderson has some pretty serious home/road splits. Does anyone know if that is skewed by facing more lefties at home or was hitting in Detroit’s big ball park a big factor?
NYY626
December 8th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Any Pettitte pics floating around like this? LOL
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if you find any, please share
Derek
December 8th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Terrible deal.
You don’t give up young, serviceable arms and a good, possible above average CF for a light hitting speedster. I hit lefties better than Granderson, and most of his extra base hits are because of that gigantic stadium in Detroit.
—————————-
Apparently 30 HRs makes you light hitting. Someone should tell AROD that.
Swish will be in right. Grandy’s inability to hit lefties will keep Melky useful, he can spot start in CF and for damon, allowing Damon to DH. DH could be musical chairs all season.
Melky’s numbers are not the numbers of a starting yankee CF. Love the guy, clutch, great personality and great arm, but granderson was too good of an opportunity.
Derek– Well said. Very well said.
Tom in NJ– I have always loved Reed Johnson.
Speaking of aging outfielders…I think Damon comes back to the Yanks — for 2 yrs — who else is going to give him longer than that?
John Sterlings new HR call for Granderson…
It is high, it is far, it is GONE!!! A solo shot “Curtis”y of Granderson!
JT
December 8th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
John Sterlings new HR call for Granderson…
It is high, it is far, it is GONE!!! A solo shot “Curtis”y of Granderson!
***********************
We have a winner! love it
good one JT
You don’t want another “blue chip”
that’s like google saying, we don’t want another top developer, although we can afford it, and have a vacancy. But let’s get lesser talent just because we are embarrassed to be so successful.
WHAT??!!??
I saw him a lot last year and he didn’t look bad defensively to me.
I think some people don’t like this trade because they want to hold onto every prospect. The point is that those prospects that were traded aren’t going to be that good.
Curtis Granderson is young in his prime, and so what if he had a down year a lot of players have down years and come back strong.
It’s a Grand-er-slam!!!!!
Derek was right, he is light hitting. You either get .290 and 10 HR’s…or he turns on the power and you get .248 and 30 hr’s.
.248 on the year is what I call light hitting. Under .225 career against lefties is what I call light hitting.
JT, FTW!
I also like YankeefaninMD’s.
Nice work.
And whoever said the Yankees should have got Figgins instead of trading for Granderson is a idiot !
Figgins is overrated and not the great of a hitter.
Getting Figgins would be a bad idea.
Thank god we didn’t get Figgins.
Simon
You don’t know what your talking about. I’m not even going to talk about that last post because it was a stupid post. More assumption than fact.
Lost in Holliday-In
Yes, I’m one of those people that does think it would be ridiculous if the yankees scooped up the best available blue chips every off season and saw their payroll go to 300M. I’m still a Yankee fan born and bred, but yeah, I don’t think we need tons of 100M contracts. At one point, winning the WS will lose some luster, and I don’t ever want that day to come. I’ve heard every side of the opposing argument, so we can just stop here. I’m not apologetic for payroll, they have the most fans and sell the most merch and the most tixx. Still, let’s not get silly. If we get Holliday and Doc and Lackey, give me a break.
.248 is not light hitting if you hit 30HR.
Melky Cabrera is light hitting.
since becoming a full time starter Grandy’s low HR total is 19 Averaging 25 per year.
Jeremy– you’re gonna sit here and talk about assumption and fact? It is a fact that Granderson his .248
Then you go and say this:
Figgins is overrated and not the great of a hitter.
Getting Figgins would be a bad idea.
Come on buddy…at least hold the same standards to your own nonsense….
Personally I think IPK & AJ are very good, but timing is bad for both of them. The Yanks are looking for spots to protect players ranked above IPK & Coke and AJ is not ready for 2010. So the Yankees get a stellar CF in Granderson and the ability to protect more prospects. This is a Win-Win for NY!
Also, unlike most of what I’ve heard, I like IPK & E Jackson in the NL with AZ. I mean really people, the NL is where Smoltz & Penny thrived at the end of last year & lower Yankee prospects did well with the Pirates. IPK & E Jackson will do great in AZ.
Also, I like what the Tigers got too! I wouldn’t be surprised if Montero wasn’t up at mid year as a reserve Catcher & full-time DH.
I was looking at Grandersons stolen bases numbers. I was shocked to see that he only had 20 last year and 12 the prior. I thought he was a speedster? Did they just not like to send him in Detroit with all the hitters behind him?
Jeremy you also said:
“The point is that those prospects that were traded aren’t going to be that good.”
That sounds like the boldest of all assumptions. Oh wait, you know for a fact what the careers of Kennedy and Jackson hold right? It’s always the idiots who start the personal confrontations
S.o.S.– If he bats second in this lineup, he better start stealing bases…
Granderson strikes out every 4.17 at bats. Figgins strikes out every 5.85 at bats.
Granderson is awful against lefties. Figgins, as a switch hitter, doesn’t have that problem.
Granderson: career avg. 272
Figgins: career avg 291
Jeremy, if I cared to go further and point out how much less Figgins swings and misses, how many more pitches he sees per at bat (a trait the Yankees love), and how much better he is on the basepaths…you’d be buried.
Right on, Simon.
This is a good deal. Jackson has potential but getting Granderson is a plus. His contract is also very reasonable. Yankees get strong defense and power in cf. I wish Austin the best. He is a good kid. Coke and Kennedy were not gonna be deal breakers.
Highlight film showing Granderson jumping and reaching over th CF wall to take a homer away, hit off Verlander. When’s the last time you’ve see a Yankee OF’er make that play??
____
Melky taking away Manny’s shot in 2006.
Matsui taking away a homer against the Red Sox behind the Big Unit in the first game of 2005.
Cash said that pitching was his very top priority. Yet he has now traded away three pitchers. Seems strange.
It’s hard for me to evaluate the Granderson trade, because Granderson declined so much between 2007 and 2009. We just don’t know what we’ll get in 2010 and going forward. FWIW my guess is Granderson will swing for the fences even more in Yankee Stadium. I predict 30+ HRs, but an OBA of .310 of so.
I am not happy with this trade. Not because of Granderson — I pushed for getting him back in November and am happy to have him on the team, as long as he understands up front that he needs to [1] cut way down on the strikeouts, and [2] get better against lefties. I believe Granderson’s capable of doing that.
What bugs me is that the Yanks effectively did a 3-for-1 trade for Granderson. Cash should have held out for a prospect or a PTBNL, doesn’t matter from whom, in addition to Granderson. I know Sam doesn’t think they paid too much — but I disagree.