The sense and difficulty of trading Granderson
Posted by: Chad Jennings - Posted in Misc on Dec 18, 2012 
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Curtis Granderson hits a lot of home runs, but he also strikes out a lot. He can play center field, but so can Brett Gardner. He’s a valuable player for the time being, but he’s a year away from free agency. His current contract is affordable, but he’s likely to generate huge money on the open market.
For every reason to keep Granderson, there seems to at least one reason to trade him, and given the Yankees financial desires going forward, there’s a lot of logic to the idea of getting something of value for him right now rather than lose him for nothing more than a draft pick next winter.
Here’s the problem: What are the Yankees going to get in return?
Two things to consider:
1. One year of Granderson is valuable only to a team that thinks it can contend this season.
2. Losing Granderson would require that the Yankees replace his offensive value in the short-term.
That makes a good match hard to find.
A team that has two productive, everyday catchers and a need for additional home run power might be a good match, but where is that team? The Rangers don’t have impact catching to spare. Neither do the Rays. The Orioles aren’t giving up Matt Wieters. The Cardinals aren’t giving up Yadier Molina. The Giants aren’t giving up Buster Posey.
What else could the Yankees look for in return? We already know that third base is remarkably thin throughout baseball right now. Hard to believe a contending team would give up an impact starter. The Reds gave up a young shortstop and a big league center fielder for one year of Shin-Soo Choo, but the big leaguer is more of a platoon player and the shortstop hit .243 in Triple-A (plus it took a three-team deal to make it happen).
Even if the Yankees did find a team willing to give significant prospects for Granderson, how would the Yankees replace Granderson’s offense in the short term? Trade those same prospects for different one-year contract? I don’t really buy into the notion that the Yankees should have traded Granderson for prospects, then signed Josh Hamilton to fill Granderson’s offensive hole. Too much risk in Hamilton for my taste, and such a deal would effectively wipe out any chance of re-signing Robinson Cano, who I think is a better bet to perform going forward.
I’m not saying the Yankees couldn’t trade Granderson — not even saying they shouldn’t trade Granderson — just pointing out that it’s far more complicated than simply pointing to his strikeout totals and the final year of his contract and saying the Yankees should deal him. Making such a trade work – and getting both short-term and long-term value in return — would be difficult, and might be impossible in this market.
Associated Press photo
Repost:
Shame Spencer December 18th, 2012 at 3:15 pm
Patrick December 18th, 2012 at 3:08 pm
If you mean trading your best prospect for an unproven pitcher so you wouldn’t have to spend money on Yu Darvish? Yea …. That’s not the outside the box type thinking we need….
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Ugh .. We could have Montero, Darvish, Cespedes and Chapman right now. That would go a long way to helping the team get under $189 and still be great. Oh well, I guess hindsight is 20/20
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2 of the 4 would have been pretty good lol.. and it didn’t take a lot of foresight to know they’d be valuable to the team.
Cespedes is the one that hurts me the most, knowing we’d have holes in the OF in the very near future.
The Giants aren’t giving up Buster Posey.
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Well not voluntarily. This is where you sent Tom Hagen to visit Brian Sabean and have him make an offer Sabean cannot refuse – - – -
2 of the 4 would have been pretty good lol.. and it didn’t take a lot of foresight to know they’d be valuable to the team.
Cespedes is the one that hurts me the most, knowing we’d have holes in the OF in the very near future.
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Yeah, definitely. You can also look back at Matt Holliday, the contract he got and how he’s performed during that contract. What a bargain.. and he would fill a big hole on this team.
?@MLBastian
Swisher hasnt signed. Has standing offer from CLE. Outfielder en route to another team’s city for visit. More soon on http://MLB.com
Trading always takes some work and invloves some risk. But I believe Grandy, PH, Cano or some combination could bring back some pretty good players from teams “on the bubble”, teams that feel they are close to contention or close to winning WS.
There are a lot of those teams. IDK what players these teams have to offer but tell me Det., ATL or either LA team wouldn’t want Cano, even for 1 year.
The biggest obstacle is that the NYY are not in the practice of trading guys like those 3 away. It signals “rebuild” and I feel they do not want to even hint at that…not good for business.
Had the Yankees signed Darvish and Cespedes ten they’d have Darvish in the rotation and Cespedes and Montero in the lineup and they’d probably be the best team in baseball on paper heading in to 2013….plus they’d be in a better position to get under 189 and remain competitive ……alas
“I don’t really buy into the notion that the Yankees should have traded Granderson for prospects, then signed Josh Hamilton to fill Granderson’s offensive hole. Too much risk in Hamilton for my taste, and such a deal would effectively wipe out any chance of re-signing Robinson Cano, who I think is a better bet to perform going forward.”
Chad,
Would your rather have Hamilton for 5/125 or Cano for 8/200? Cause that would have likely been the choice…..plus you would have had them both for 2013.
They should have signed Hamilton and traded Granderson
YankeesWFAN Spot on take from my friend Chad Jennings “@LoHudYankees: The sense and difficulty of trading Granderson lohud.us/ZKCclc #yankees”
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Chad receiving some love from around the twitter verse – - – -
Too much risk in Hamilton for my taste, and such a deal would effectively wipe out any chance of re-signing Robinson Cano, who I think is a better bet to perform going forward.”
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Spot on – - – -
Cano is a better bet to perform long term….but is rather sign Hamilton for 5 years in 2013 than Cano for 8 or 9 in 2014 because I don’t really think either of them will age all that well…..
Seattle is the other Swisher team.
Plan B is:
Keep the status quo….try to make the playoffs in 2013….let everybody walk after the season…..and hope the fans keep their eyes close and keep walking through the gates.
@twithersAP: Swisher left town to visit other teams. He didn’t tell #Indians where he was going. Team has 4-year offer on table for free agent.
I predicted between 4/60 and 5/75 for Swish….still think it’ll fall into the lower end of that….might be 4/60 on the nose
This Granderson problem would seem a lot easier to solve if they had signed Melky IMO
The Return of Stoneburner December 18th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
YankeesWFAN Spot on take from my friend Chad Jennings “@LoHudYankees:
++++++++++
Chad has friends besides us?!
BoJo says:
December 18, 2012 at 3:40 pm
This Granderson problem would seem a lot easier to solve if they had signed Melky IMO
For 2/18….yup
Just watch–Melky will lead Jays to WS and win MVP consideration…
@espn_durrett: Sources: A.J. Pierzynski to meet with Texas http://t.co/XdKMcJyv
If the Yankees go into the year with the catching they have then they are just wasting all the money they spent….because leaving a hole that big at a key position just makes no sense when you have a 200 million dollar payroll….
Grandy for Montero? And live with his glove?
And you heard it here first….
BoJo says:
December 18, 2012 at 3:53 pm
Grandy for Montero? And live with his glove?
Id do that even if he just DHd
I would do it too…
And if Seattle doesn’t get Swisher, they may be interested as well
The alternative to trading Granderson is to let him walk for a draft pick. That is the most foolish route they could take and is very likely what they will do.
They should have traded Swisher. Many of us argued for that and sign Cespedes or Beltran to replace him. Instead they get a player in the draft who, if all goes great, could help in 2018. They should have had his replacement as well as prospects.
That would take foresight. They have shown me they certainly cannot see as far as 2014. Three starting pitchers, two key offensive performers and the closer will almost certainly be gone. To be replaced by whom?
And if Seattle doesn’t get Swisher, they may be interested as well
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Why would they want Granderson for a year? They aren’t competing in 2013
@FeinsandNYDN
Ramon Ortiz, who went 13-6 with a 3.45 ERA last season for the Yankees’ Triple-A team, has signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays.
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Is there no end to this tyranny?
“That would take foresight. They have shown me they certainly cannot see as far as 2014. Three starting pitchers, two key offensive performers and the closer will almost certainly be gone. To be replaced by whom?”
Dolla bills #Hal’d
I gave you a couple of solutions on Grandy.
For example, trade him to Philly for Ruiz and Brown.
To replace him you trade for JU from the Snakes.
That shores up your Catching. Gives you a young, high-cieling, power-hitting replacement (Upton), and a 4th OF’er with potential to advance(brown).
BoJo December 18th, 2012 at 3:46 pm
Just watch–Melky will lead Jays to WS and win MVP consideration…
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then blake would jump off the nearest bridge
MTU December 18th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
I gave you a couple of solutions on Grandy.
For example, trade him to Philly for Ruiz and Brown.
To replace him you trade for JU from the Snakes.
That shores up your Catching. Gives you a young, high-cieling, power-hitting replacement (Upton), and a 4th OF’er with potential to advance(brown).
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What are we trading for JU?
LOL…the people who say that the Yankees should’ve signed Darvish, Cespedes and Chapman are clueless. There is a difference between playing for an MLB ballclub and the New York Yankees. Without question, Darvish, Cespedes and Chapman would’ve choked miserably under pressure cooker environment of the NY Yankees and NY Sports media. Let those players play well for lesser cities and develop the cajones to play in NY. As for the Montero/Pineda deal..the Yankees traded a gimped catcher for Seattle’s 23 year old All Star pitcher. To “Shame Spencer” that is not what you call a pitcher who is “unproven.”
This is the only way to keep Cano: make the length of the contract 12 years.
I’ve crunched every number possible lol, and this is the only way to make it happen and I think the yanks might try it.
“What are we trading for JU?”
Been over and over this.
The short answer is we generally open up the vault to Towers with few exceptions.
I’m told he wants additional Pitching.
Let’s offer him some. He knows our system almost as well as Cashman.
I’m sure if we are open to it he can find what he likes.
That’s the who.
Gotta go.
check back later.
Hehehehehe.. thanks for this guys..
@OldHossRadbourn
Be cautious, N. Swisher. When I was a lad if the Indians wanted you a band of braves stole you away in the middle of the night.
“then blake would jump off the nearest bridge”
Not unless I had a bungie or a hang glider.
@Buster_ESPN: Pierzynski is set to meet with the Rangers, writes Bruce Levine. http://t.co/ToBZVx2g It’s a fit that makes a lot of sense, in a DH-C role.
@Buster_ESPN
Pierzynski is set to meet with the Rangers, writes Bruce Levine. http://espn.go.com/dallas/mlb/.....ources-say … It’s a fit that makes a lot of sense, in a DH-C role.
Beat me to it!
This whole organization just reeks of “we have no idea what we are doing outside of getting under a $189MM payroll”.
waka flocka December 18th, 2012 at 5:20 pm
This whole organization just reeks of “we have no idea what we are doing outside of getting under a $189MM payroll”.
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totally agreed.
(parody)
Sources: Cashman to meet with Louise Meanwell’s sister about a potential date scaling a downtown Stamford building.
“It’s a fit that makes a lot of sense in a replacement-level stalker role,” said one Yankee insider.
Bowden just said “can the Yankees senior citizen program work”. Lol
I can live with an austerity program; I cannot deal with the NYY being a joke.
and what’s up with the yankees paying the pirates to take aj off their hands because he was so worthless, and then aj rolls out 16 wins on a lousy, offensive pirate team ?
it couldn’t be overrated coaching on the yankees.
it was just dumb luck
maybe they can package the cost friendly Gardner…for a catcher & sign Bourn.
they don’t get any hitters in here, their pitchers better lead the AL in era
I’m with you, Chad.
only thing I can think of is to send Granderson to the Dodgers and sending for a couple of prospects (Puig and Garcia) and adding some Yankee prospects to that package and sending it all to the Marlins for Stanton.
and that’s pretty unlikely.
The bottom line to the Granderson situation is,it was a foolish trade by Cashman and will always be viewed as such.
Granderson is who he’s always been,average defensively with a weak arm,never a successful average hitter with good power.
Fans and apparently Yankee “mismanagement” believed his HR totals would offset his known weaknesses! They haven’t! At every level Yankee scouting assessments have been flawed! The fish rots from the head!