On the Yankees beat

Here's a thought - based on nothing I'm just throwing it out there - with Junior now in the fold in Chicago there's a theory that the Sox are going to move an outfielder to free up a spot for Junior, since he would not have accepted a trade to be a part time player. Now there's another rumor that the White Sox are trying to get Huston Street but they don't match up with the A's and are trying to get a third team into the mix.

How about this:

White Sox get: Huston Street
A's get: Melky Cabrera, Al Horne and Delin Betances
Yankees get: Nick Swisher and Justin Duchscherer

If Manny gets traded, do we need to chip in for an oxygen tank for Sully?

I just heard on the FAN that the Yanks are talking to Cleveland about Paul Byrd.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Some absolutely baseless Yankee trades - the only rule is that 1 or 2 of the players mentioned have to have appeared in a trade rumor:

1.
Cincy gets: Melky Cabrera, Jeff Marquez, Juan Miranda
Yankees get: Aaron Harang (currently on DL but expected back next week), Billy Bray, Adam Dunn (with Damon moving back to CF)

2.
San Fran gets: Melky, Colin Curtis and Al Horne
NYY get: Randy Winn, Jonathan Sanchez, and Alex Hinshaw

3.
LA Dodgers get: Alberto Gonzalez and a low level prospect
NYY get: Derek Lowe

4.
Cleveland gets: Brett Gardner and Jeff Marquez
NYY get: LHRP Rafael Perez

I was going to give you 5 but the news just broke that Manny Ramirez has officially waived his no trade clause to go to the Marlins.

what do you think that means Chip? him waiving it the no-trade clause? hasn't he said all along he'd go elsehwere as along as he's moved? you think that him waiving the no trade clause carries any steam?

Miguel -

I think it's one less hurdle to clear. Look, when Scott Boras is involved it's better to get that stuff out of the way sooner rather than later because you never know if Boras is going to turn around and say "sure we'll waive the NTC if...."

Gammons is reporting though that the Marlins, knowing Boston is in a tight spot, is trying to milk this deal - asking for extra money from the Red Sox.

What's up with the Marlins anyway? They get one of the best hitters in baseball and it won't cost them a dime, yet they're trying to get more cash from Boston.
What can I say about a team that just traded for Rhodes.

St Louis is looking at trading Kyle Lohse which makes a TON of sense.

He's a mediocre pitcher who found Nirvana working with Dave Duncan. But coming off of a good year Scott Boras (there's that name again) is going to want a huge contract for him.

Keep in mind, Boras wanted big money for Kyle going into this season and couldn't find it. Will be interesting to see if the pitcher does what a few Boras clients have done lately and tells him to back off and let him stay where he is comfortable.

Mets are trying to get Ian Snell.

Question for the group:

Which is better for us as Yankee fans -

1. Manny being traded and replaced with Bay (which doesn't sound like it's going to happen)

2. Manny not being traded and going into shut down mode like he did a couple of years ago

I honestly don't know - but I do know that if the Yankees are going to take advantage of this they're going to have to make a stand against the Angels this weekend.

Glad I saw that Byrd probably won't be traded. We don't need another junk-baller in the rotation. Maybe the alternative is to bring Kennedy back up to take Ponson spot and use Hughes (I know) out of the pen like Joba was used last year. Might work.

Still think Melky has to be replaced - either by Damon or by way of trade. Winn is looking better and better, plus even though Swisher is having a crappy year, his OBP is higher than Jeter's. Maybe a change of scenery would help the guy. If Washburn has no guts to play in NY, let the Mariners keep 'em. If he wants out, let them know.

We will be fine. Lets Go Yankees!

(Viper was right, Manny ain't goin' nowhere)

We have reportedly acquired Derek Lowe from the LA Dodgers, reported on WFAN at this time, two or three prospects appear going to the Dodgers.

BTW, Pudge is supposedly going to wear #12.

LoHud reported that last night.

I-Rod wears #12 and A-Rod wears #13.

Maybe the Yanks can acquire K-Rod and he'll wear #14.

So the Manny deal is supposedly dead.....surprise, surprise! I really hoped I was wrong about this one.

We can only dream Jim A, we can only dream.....

Skippy, where did you hear this Lowe deal and is this a joke? Can anyone confirm this information? I seriously doubt LA would trade one of their most consistent pitchers for minor leaguers, unless Kennedy and Gardner were included in this.

Inquiring minds wanna know.

Just heard that the Dodgers are back in the picture. This from the FAN's Joe and Evan as quoted from Jon Heyman. Heyman will be on the FAN today at around when the deadline ends.

Even if Ramirez stays with Boston, it could hurt them. Is he going to play hard for the last few months of the season or shut it down? He didn't hustle down the line the other night against Lackey and his teammates seem pretty fed up with him now. Also how many more times can Francona cover for this guy without alienating the rest of the team?
Mike,
I was looking for info on Skippy's post but i couldn't find anything.

I've noticed repeatedly over the last few weeks that Melky's name is involved with almost every trade rumor regarding the Yanks.

Obviously, the Yanks are getting tired of him - which is good because the vast majority of fans are tired of him as well.

I know Gardner wasn't too impressive with the bat in his 60 ABs but I wouldn't count him out in the Yanks plans.

He'll improve and I still believe he will eventually be a more productive player than Melky.

Viper - in the end the Yankees view both Gardner and Melky as place holders for Jackson.

I have been listening to FAN and Skippy must be getting secret messages because I've heard nothing about D-Lowe

John G,
Manny is essentially playing for a contract next year, he'll be motivated if you ask me. Plus, motivated or not, the man is deadly in the playoffs and against the Yanks. I want him traded to the Siberian Blueballers right now!

Can't get WFAN to stream for some reason....anyone else having trouble?

I agree Manny to St. Elsewhere would be great.

Apparently the Washburn saga continues he may still be coming to NY via trade or waivers.Stay tuned

Jim,

What you say makes sense, but Boston has the upper hand here; not Ramirez. They own the options for 2009 and 2010 so they can just exercise those options and keep him. He's not a free agent unless they decline the option for 2009.
Manny's stuck! Too bad!!

Try shutting down and rebooting Jim. I'm streaming them now and I don't have any problems.

Also, since he opened his big mouth and started all of this, Boston is 1-5, at HOME no less.

Chip,

Yes, I'm well aware of those guys being placeholders for Jackson. But he's at least a year away so someone has to play CF for the next 162 games and it won't be Johnny Damon.

That Lowe stuff is total BS. You can smell that a mile away.

The Dodgers are looking to add a starting pitcher, hence their continued interest in Greg Maddux - not trade one.

MLB.com source says that the Rays are going to acquire right-handed hitting outfielder Jason Bay for Minor League prospects including shortstop Reid Brignac and right-hander Jeff Niemann. The Rays have not confirmed the deal.

--Bill Chastain

Viper - if the Dodgers had gotten Maddux I could see the Lowe thing happening.

John,

We disagree on the Manny stuff. Manny is essentially blackmailing the Red Sox front office here and really has them bent over.

The Manny trade probably won't happen because other teams want to fleece Theo and you can hardly blame them.

Teams like the Marlins and Pirates not only want Boston to pay much of Manny's contract but they are also not willing to give up big prospects.

Like the Yankees, other teams don't want to help the Red Sox. So there are so many factors that suggest that this deal is never going to happen.

I'm not one to defend the Red Sox, but Manny has now completely destroyed any goodwill he's had with that town.

It's all the more reason why the Yanks will never consider taking a chance on him when he becomes a FA.

Please Yankees stay away from Lowe. Let the young kids have a spot to mature. Bring up Kennedy ship Rasner or Ponson (flip a coin) out of the rotation.

If, I was Boston. I'd keep Manny for the two months and hope that he produces when he sees the playoffs in the horizon. Don't pick up his option unless you want to trade and pay some of his salary.

Viper,

My thought on Manny is that the Boston front office, Terry Francona, his teammates (past and present) and former managers set themselves up for this. They kept letting Manny do what he wanted to do and kept chalking it up to Manny being Manny. There were never any consequences for him. He would sit out with mystery injuries, skip the few games before and after the allstar break - a couple of years ago when Varitek went down and they were spiraling he sat out down the stretch and it was all explained away with "well that's Manny being Manny." And now they're trying to lay down the law? That's like bringing a new puppy into your home, letting him poop on the rug for 8 years and then suddenly punishing him when you see a pile one day.

I think if the Yankees turned to him and said, "look, we're willing to offer you a contract, but we're not going to put up with a lot of the stuff you got away with in Boston" that would be fine. Manny will either agree or not. I think he would. I think he's bitter enough at Boston that he would like to stick it to the Sox a little and the Yankees certainly would not have a problem with the money.

Yanks have 10 games left with angels. Rotation after Pettitte this weekend is ponsoon, moose, razamatazz. Not good or very encouraging considering what they did to boston lately.

Why all the fuss over the Red Sox? Anyone else notice that TB is in first place? Anyone else notice that we took 2 of 3 from them in their park and that there were just abused by Anaheim? Anyone else notice how "ace" Beckett was shelled? Let's try not to become obsessed with the Sux the way they are with us. As far as I'm concerned, Bay going to TB is a much bigger problem then where Man Ram decides to pout for the next 2 months. Just because the national media is obsessed with this story (when they aren't talking about Brett Favre), doesn't mean that the we need to as well. Until they are in first place (which I don't think is going to happen) who F'n cares about the Red Sux.

Michaelz - here's the thing. The Yankees don't HAVE to win the division. But right now Boston is in the playoffs and the Yankees are not. If Boston falls apart, whether the Yankees can overtake Tampa Bay or not is irrelevant so long as they can jump Boston for the Wild Card.

See Chip, here's the point...it's already starting to happen. The bottom of their lineup scares no one. No one knows what to expect from Big Pee Pee. Manny is being Manny. Okajima has been mediocre, and their pen, outside of Papelbum, has been inconsistent. Beckett and Dice K's numbers have been down. It ain't happening for Boston this year....

Chip,

We certainly agree that the Red Sox helped create that monster. No question about it. That organization must take some of the blame because they were clearly the enablers.

But I just don't see the Yanks going anywhere near Manny if and when he becomes a FA.

Manny isn't going to change his stripes. Maybe he wouldn't be as much of a misfit as he's been in Boston, but he's never going to be a model citizen in that clubhouse - no matter where he goes.

This is definitely one issue we'll never agree on. I don't think there's a 1% chance that Manny ever puts on the pinstripes.

And I also think it's defeating to aim for the wildcard when you're only 4.5 games behind the first place team with 2 months to go. Maybe it's just me....

Michaelz,

I want to see Boston fall apart as much as you do, but don't make the mistake of counting them out.

Truthfully, they have a much more favorable schedule than either the Yanks or Rays.

The Rays have a ton of road games over the next couple of months and they don't play well on the road.

The Yanks also have a lot more games on the road and they also have to play the Angels 10 times.

Michaelz:

With 10 games left against the Angels and the Red Sox being as talented as they are - I'm not counting them out until they're out.

As for the Wild Card - I don't care how they get to the playoffs as long as they get in. Heck, NY Giants were a wild card team look how that worked out for them.

Viper:

If it weren't for his attitude, would you take a shot at Manny?

Interesting side note: Since leaving Texas Pudge has played for two other teams - both made the WS in his first year there

Viper, Chip likes spinning what if deal scenarios (and I like alot of his proposed deals), but 99.99999% of them have no basis in reality. Not only do the Yanks not want to put up with manny, but their not going to tie up $20+ mill on a 36 year old with modestly declining numbers. Been there done that, and while Chip might think that's a good idea, the Yankee brass clearly do not....

Viper,

Yeah, but he doesn't hold the cards; Boston does. The Red Sox can say that they tried to honor his request and trade him, but they couldn't get equal value back in return. What can Manny do? He can't walk. He can scream, stomp, pout, cry all he wants. Boston owns his a$$. He's not a FA unless Boston doesn't pick up his option.

Viper,
Agreed, I don't see Manny joining the Yanks. If Joe T. was still around, maybe folks would think he could work his people magic on Manny but Joe G. and Manny are not a good couple.

USA Today reports the Rays have acquired Jason Bay and they also say that the Dodgers (the team I felt all along was the best fit) have jumped in the Manny mix and offered Andre' Ethier and more....now that would be interesting if I'm the Red Sox, who undoubtedly countered with a deal that replaces Ethier with Kemp, but we'll see.

I still don't see Manny getting traded. I just won't believe it 'til I see it.

Chip,

The problem with Manny has never been about his bat. It's about everything else.

So no, I wouldn't bother with that headache.

John,

Yeah, but the problem is that Manny is an enormous distraction to the team and he's obviously dogging it out there.

They may own his contract, but they don't own him. They can't make him play hard.

They also can't suspend him because the union would nix that at the drop of a hat.

Their hands are essentially tied. Of course, they also have nobody to blame but themselves for this mess spinning out of control the way it has.

Manny doesn't care and that's why he has them bent over.

Well the deadline has passed and as far as I know, Ken Griffey Jr. and Arthur Rhodes have changed teams. What a tease this deadline was!

its a big let down, like buying a ton of candy for halloween and nobody shows up

I agree with you there Viper. He can now do one of two things. A - He can be a huge distraction as you said and cause all kinds of grief or B - He can be a professional, play hard and basically do his job.

MANNY TRADED TO THE DODGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just heard this as i was typing the post.

Viper,

We agree that his act wouldn't play on broadway - not with fans anyway. But my opinion is that it's a bigger problem for fans than for anyone actually within the franchise.

1. The Owners: Granted we know little about Hank and Hal, but George brought in Gary Sheffield who absolutely was a more difficult personality to get along with than Manny.

2. The Players: They're going to take their lead from Jeter and we know that Derek cares about one thing and one thing only - the rings. If he thinks Manny can help make the Yankees a champion in 2009 and beyond he'll, at the very least, tolerate him the same way the Boston players have.

Consider that Manny has been acting like a petulant child in Boston for 8 years and it is only now that it is a problem. He wouldn't be here for nearly that long - perhaps a short stay would make him more tolerable.

Also, like I said, I think it would be important for the Yankees to lay down the law. Explain to him that his side line antics are not part of the program. If he has a problem with it, if he takes it personally then he can sign somewhere else. If however he's on board, if he agrees to come in, work his tail off, actually run to first base - then I see no issue with it.

Here's the link to SI.Com:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/
mlb/07/31/manny.sweepstakes/index.html?eref=T1

John -

I haven't been this happy in a long time.

I mean beyond Manny being out of Boston - I'm curious how in the heck the Dodgers are going to play Manny, Jones, Kemp, Ethier, and Pierre and how Joe Torre deals with Manny

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

jason bay's going to Boston, but I don't have any other specifics. Jon Heyman is going to be on the FAN in a few so you guys might want to check this out.

Jim,

What's the MLB channel on XM saying?

I can see it now: Joe Torre saying Manny's just being Manny!!!!!!!!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Boston gets Bay
LA gets Manny + 7 mil
Pirates get Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from LA and Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from Boston

source - Ken Rosenthal

Chip's got it right, that's what the MLB channel and Heyman are reporting.