On the Yankees beat

Kat,
You must know Pudge from your Texas days so you and A-Rod will give him a couple of friendly faces to see when he arrives....let him buy you a steak ok?

I won't bet against the Yanks getting another pitcher and it all depends on their confidence in Kennedy returning to the majors and being effective or Hughes returning at all.

Kat,

No bet.

Cash is on a serious roll. He hasn't added any superstars but everyone he's added has filled a need and the only contributor he's had to subtract is Kyle Farnsworth.

This was a great trade for the Yankees. Farnse was at the end of his contract anyway, so it was just a swap of second half players. The bullpen for NY is very strong right now with Veras and Ramirez delivering the goods. Robertson and Giese are holding their own and now we've got Marte. Farnsworth was dead weight at this point. No one really trusted him in a tight game.

As I said on the last thread:

Cashman has RH relief pitchers in spades to use as bait - so while he was right when he said that he robbed Peter to pay Paul he forgot to mention that Peter is filthy rich.

Bottom third of the Yankee lineup last week:

Melky
Molina
Gardner

Bottoom third of the Yankee lineup tomorrow:

Nady
Pudge
Melky

that is all

ESPN is reporting that talks between the Pirates and Rays for Jason Bay have slowed. They attribute this to talks heating up for a Manny to the Marlins deal. The Bucs and Red Sox essentially have a deal in place for Bay if the Manny trade happens.

Viper, I know you said you would be shocked if Manny gets traded...but I think we need to prepare ourselves to be shocked.

Chip,

I'd be fine with that. Boy, ain't this fun?

This is one of the most exciting times of the entire season.

If Manny gets traded that would open the door for him to be in Pinstripes next season? Don't know if I like that idead or not. But it weakens Boston this yeay if he is gone.

Whatever Spirit

Chip..

We talked about this yesturday , give the Bomber his props, I mentioned we should get Pudge and you said you preferred dude from Texas I believe .

Viper...

I told you long ago that Kyle fonzworth could be moved , chip did say then thay a team like the Tigers would ask for him I said the Rays. Bottom line he;s moved.

I know I sound silly but hey. BC did not even give me hint on this one when we spoke.

I felt after reading a story that Detroit wanted Relief pitching and that Ivan was on the Market.

So Chip our convo talked this up

Bomber,

The deadline is different.

It took a deadline deal with only two months left on his contract to finally move Farnsworth.

This could have never happened a year ago or during the offseason when we went back and forth on this so many times.

It also took Farnsworth pitching like a capable human being for a bit to get this done.

Who would have thought this time next year or even early this season that Farnsworth could be traded at all, much less for a guy who can actually contribute?

I agree w/ Viper, this time of year is great. I love all the drama and all those shocking trades. It's been a lame deadline the last couple of years so maybe we're in for a shocker like Manny getting traded but I still hesitate to believe that one.

Agreed on all counts, Jim.

I still don't see the Manny trade happening. But I'd certainly welcome it.

Bay is no Manny and never will be.

Bomber,

You're right I did say I would rather have Saltalamaccia than Pudge. Now if you had told me I could have Pudge and all it would cost is Kyle Farnsworth - I would have been on board. I thought the price would have been much higher.

Chip: your bottom third batting order last week and this week is profound when you look at it as you show. Night and Day. I wonder if the third part Melky can be replaced with a better 1/3.

From Jayson Stark:

"The Astros are close to a deal with the Yankees that would send reliever LaTroy Hawkins to Houston for a low minor-leaguer, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions. Hawkins would be the second prospective free agent the Astros have traded for this month."

That Cash could get ANYTHING for Hawkins is a miracle.

Man, the Cubs have really brought out the whooping sticks against the Brewers.

They won the first two games of the series against Sabathia and Sheets and now they scored 2 runs in the 1st inning tonight.

Hey, they haven't won in 100 years. If the Yanks can't win the WS - I hope the Cubs do.

Let me tell ya, Chicago would have a party of epic proportions if that happens.

If the Yankees could unload Melky and maybe some cash or a low level prospect for Randy Winn, would anyone support that?

I wanted the Automatic Out portion of the Yanks lineup broken up and I thought it would be Melky who was traded as I didn't see the Yanks picking up a catcher who could hit, I just figured they would get a guy who was a little more capable than Moeller.

Jim,

If you're going to dream I say dream big.

Yankees trade Melky Cabrera, Ian Kennedy and Andrew Brackman to San Diego for Scott Hairston and Jake Peavy.

Would anyone support that?

Viper,
I'm with you on the Cubbies, it helps that Sweet Lou is their skipper. I'd love to see him be the manager that helps get it done for the Cubs if the Yanks aren't there.

Hey Sully: I thought I saw a post from you the other day about quitting your job....give some details about what job you quit (Dennis Miller thing?) and what you plan to do next.

Chip: Peavy is so interesting and Hairston for Melky is a swap except the HR numbers but Ian and Brackman may not be enough?

Agree with Larry. I don't think San Diego would do that deal at all.

I said DREAM guys

"The Red Sox don't deserve a player like me," Ramirez said. "During my years here I've seen how they [the Red Sox] have mistreated other great players when they didn't want them to try to turn the fans against them.

"The Red Sox did the same with guys like Nomar Garciaparra and Pedro Martinez, and now they do the same with me. Their goal is to paint me as the bad guy," Ramirez added. "I love Boston fans, but the Red Sox don't deserve me. I'm not talking about money. Mental peace has no price and I don't have peace here."

It's been a pretty rough week for the Red Sox.

Not only could they weaken their team by dealing their most dangerous bat, but they're on the verge of losing 5 of 6 at home against the Yanks and Angels.

Beckett is getting lit up by the Angels - surrendering 8 ER on 11 hits.

Angels up 8-2 in the 6th.

It's probably going to be a tough weekend for the Yanks too.

I'll say this much, if they can go 5-5 against that Angels team over the next couple of weeks, they will be elated.

I'm not one to defend the Red Sox front office - but what the hell is Manny talking about in regards to the mental stuff?

They created that monster because they let him do whatever he wanted.

No other team would have put up with his BS over the years. His contract is the only reason he wasn't dealt years ago.

The Red Sox just want him to come to the park everyday and play hard.

What's so bad about that?

Oh well. RSN is having a rough week regardless and I find that pretty funny.

BTW, Mark Melancon made his debut for Scranton tonight and retired all six hitters he faced in 2.0 IP (19 pitches, 15 strikes).

Apparently, this is why his pitch counts are always low and his inning total are so high. He's now at 77.0 IP on the season.

He must really have some nasty movement on his pitches because GameDay showed nearly every pitch was down the heart of the plate and nobody seemed to get good wood on anything.

I'd like to see him hit the corners a lot more because - good movement or not - he can't throw the ball down the middle against major league hitters and get away with it.

HOUSTON -- The busy New York Yankees traded reliever LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros on Wednesday for minor league infielder Matt Cusick.

The 22-year-old Cusick was hitting .285 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs in 94 games for Class-A Lexington. The Astros selected him in the 10th round of the 2007 draft.

I apologize if this has been posted or if you have read it but I found this very interesting...poor lil Rami?
Wednesday, it was the Orioles' turn to complain about high and tight pitches, and Kevin Millar didn't dance around the issue.

With the Yankees leading 9-2 after six innings, Edwar Ramirez relieved Joba Chamberlain, and his first pitch was a fastball over Millar's head. Just like Tuesday night, when the Orioles' Daniel Cabrera was tossed for hitting Alex Rodriguez in the shoulder, plate umpire Mark Wegner ejected Ramirez.

"One hundred percent," Millar said when asked if he thought the pitch was intentional. "I was upset they threw him out of the game because he's really good hitting. He's a cute little fella, he didn't throw that hard and he doesn't have very good stuff. So it's probably a good idea they threw him out, because it probably would've been in Monument Park."

Despite Cabrera's drilling of A-Rod Tuesday, which angered Yankees manager Joe Girardi, Millar said he didn't expect retaliation, especially in the form of "a ball at my neck.

Related links

*
Joba leads Yankees to easy win over Orioles
*
Kat O'Brien's Yankees Blog Kat O'Brien's Yankees Blog
*
Yankees fan forum Yankees fan forum
*
Pudge to the Bronx

What do you think of Pudge coming to the Yanks?
I love it. He's one of the all-time greats behind the plate. I don't see this making a big impact -- good or bad. I don't like it. Molina was doing great and Farnsworth was finally coming around.
o View current results
*

Bronx & Beans
*
2008 Yankees season, game-by-game 2008 Yankees season, game-by-game Photos
*
A-Rod's 2008 dingers Photos
*

Yankee Stadium guide

Travel info, directions, tickets, photos and more.
*
MLB Salaries
Top-paid players
See a list of the 50 highest salaries.

Search by player
Enter player's last name:
Search by team or compare MLB team payrolls
*
GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT
Submit your New York Yankees photos Your Yankees Photos

Submit your photos and view pics taken by other fans.


*
Ken Davidoff's baseball blog
*
Newsday's Fantasy Baseball blog

"There just needs to be a thing about how to throw at a guy, that's all. Stay in the waist-below, it's part of baseball. You don't want to mess with anybody's career," Millar said. "He doesn't throw that hard, so it wouldn't have hurt, but I wouldn't have minded facing him."

Orioles manager Dave Trembley also said he thought Ramirez's pitch was deliberate. "That was as obvious as the nose on my face and yours that he did it intentional," Trembley said.

Ramirez said he wasn't trying to bean Millar, only pitch him inside. "He's a good guy. I don't have a reason to hit Kevin Millar. Why?" Ramirez said. "If he thinks I'm throwing [at him] on purpose, I apologize."

Wegner said no warnings were issued before the game, but that his crew was aware of what was "going on."

"He intentionally threw it behind his head, at Millar," Wegner told a reporter after the game. "It was a done deal."

Millar said intentionally or not, pitchers shouldn't put their pitches in certain places.

"If they can't throw in," Millar said, "then throw down, that's all it is. It's not a big deal. Ramirez tries his little heart out, but I love facing him. He doesn't have many out pitches. [He is] fortunate he's in the big leagues.

Rumor Has it the Mets are intrested in..........CARL PAVANO! While the Yanks have intrest in Scott Schoenwiess

*see above* NO!!! NO SCHOENWIESS..........sorry, i had to get that off my chest....secondly, i forget who brought it up about the whole retaliation thing, but you cannot, and let me say again, cannot throw at someones head....PERIOD... im a big edwar fan but that was just terrible...throwing a baseball 90 mph anywhere near someones head (on purpose or not) is not alright...albeit Millar sounded very.....well...... i wont remark on his comments but edwars changeup is better than 9/10 guys in the leage save perhaps santana, volquez (maybe, only really saw him once) and perhaps a few others....Heres hoping ramirez with his "not good stuff" strikes him out on three pitches next time he faces him on his apparently non-existant out pitch, his "really not-so-nasty" changeup...

Well, this trade certainly get everyone stirred up! I can't recall the last time I saw so many posts on this blog in such a short period of time!

I don't want to get overly excited about this deal myself but, looking ahead, would it make sense to sign Pudge, if possible, for another 2 -3 years, have Molina spell him behind the plate as often as necessary and make Posada the 1B? The Yanks could then break in a young catcher in 2010/2011.

If the Yanks could swing a deal for a Randy Winn type CF and get something decent for Melky, I would be happy with a Nady, Winn, Abreu OF (assuming they can sign Bobby for another two years.) Jackson could then slot into CF in 2010, if ready, and the Yanks could look at keeping Nady in left or look at other possibilities for the OF. Damon would be the DH and leadoff until his contract expires.

As someone else mentioned on a previous thread, I would NOT want to sign a FA pitcher for more than three/four years and, if that's the case, I'd go with Sheets over CC, or just keep the homegrown product: Joba, Wang, Pettitte, Hughes, IPK for next year and perhaps Moose as a one year insurance policy.

“Yanks61: That's Chip's plan, and it's a sinister one at that as he will have the Yanks with two LF's and hope that no other teams notice. The Yanks defense would be awesome! I'm also thinking we should put a guy in at rover and station him between Jeter and Cano....and depending on who is pitching, either LF or the Rover will bat but shhhhhhh, don't let anyone know that.
Chip=Genius.” – Jim A = genius. Hysterical, Jim A! Thanks for the laugh.

it's still up in the air if NY will land Washburn which after some consideration would be an upgrade over Ponson.Rasner is still the 5th starter w/ either Washburn ,Kennedy,Aceves or even Hughes in the wings.Kennedy has done his penance and has been lights out .Does he deserve another shot this season? I think so.

Adding Pudge a Hof F catcher certainly the greatest catcher since Bench was at first glance a stroke of genius from BC but Pudge has been at the receiving end of much criticism from Detroit's pitching staff for his game calling.Hopefully it will all work out for NY."Experts" have been weighing in on who got the best end of the deal Detroit or NY? C'mon a Hof F catcher for an erratic pitcher ? I'd take Pudge everytime.Now NY has a very balanced lineup w/
Pudge
Nady
Sexson
Christian

rumors still out there that NY might be interested in Randy Winn.

it's still up in the air if NY will land Washburn which after some consideration would be an upgrade over Ponson.Rasner is still the 5th starter w/ either Washburn ,Kennedy,Aceves or even Hughes in the wings.Kennedy has done his penance and has been lights out .Does he deserve another shot this season? I think so.

Adding Pudge a Hof F catcher certainly the greatest catcher since Bench was at first glance a stroke of genius from BC but Pudge has been at the receiving end of much criticism from Detroit's pitching staff for his game calling.Hopefully it will all work out for NY."Experts" have been weighing in on who got the best end of the deal Detroit or NY? C'mon a Hof F catcher for an erratic pitcher ? I'd take Pudge everytime.Now NY has a very balanced lineup w/
Pudge
Nady
Sexson
Christian

rumors still out there that NY might be interested in Randy Winn.

One thing about Pudge he can still turn on a fastball.

"He will be the best catcher in baseball for the final two months of the season," a Tigers source said. "He is going to love the spotlight."

As for Washburn, that deal doesn't have to get done today. With his salary he'll likely slip through waivers.

The cynic in me says that in this three team Manny trade the Red Sox will wind up with Jose Tabata as a throw in and he'll turn into Manny Ramirez. Still, I will be more than happy to get in my car and drive Manny to the airport if this deal goes through...

Jorge catching days are numbered especially if I-rod wants a fair contract next season.

If Tex is signed by another team and the Team does not want to bring up miranda then fit Jorge with a 1b glove

or alt DH and C duties between the two

WOW..lots happening. Time to tip our proverbial caps to Cash Money. He dumped two dead weight RH RP's and got back Pudge and a high upside MI. Listen, after the Boston game where Mo had to come in and get 5 outs, Farny was never going to sniff the 8th inning in a close game anymore. He just seemed to shoot himself in the foot in close games, his numbers were average, not great. In the beginning of the year we would have traded this guy for a bag of balls, we should be thrilled we got a guy like Pudge. Marte ( who was closing in Pitt ) was going to be our 8th inning guy from the day they traded for him. Plus my boy Dave Robertson has been lights out since the promotion. Add in Veras and Edwar, we have plenty of young arms to fill the role. On top of that Melancon and Cox are on the verge of a promotion. We needed to find who will pitch the 8th this year anyway since Farny was gone at the end of the season. Pudge may not be the same player since they started drug testing, but is still a HOF C with a decent bat and solid D behind the dish, anyone who doesnt think that he's an upgrade over Chad is not paying attention. One of the best parts about this deal has nothing to do with 08. Now that Jorge is having shoulder surgery so early, we have another 3 months to see if the procedure goes well. If there are complications, we could sign Pudge for another 2 years or so and keep Molina for next year ( last year of his contract ), stick Jorge at 1st or DH him. There could be a little log jam with Matsui, Damon and Jorge fighting for PT at DH, but these things tend to work themselves out. Now if Jorge's procedure goes OK, ( which I think/hope will be the case ) then we let Pudge walk at the end of the year. Since he's a type A FA, we get two high draft picks for him ( some team will sign him, have you guys seen what other teams are trotting out there for C's this year? ). Farny is going to be a Type B FA, only yielding a sandwich pick, so with this trade, we get a 1st round pick, plus the sandwich pick. Lets hope he signs with a middle of the pack team since it wont be a 1st round pick if the team who signs him has a top 15 pick, in that case we get the supplemental and the teams 2nd rounder. The best case scenario is that the team with the 16th pick signs Pudge.

Now to the Hawkins deal...how can this not be viewed as a steal? Hawkins was never going to see the Bronx for the rest of the year. Even when he was here, it was for mop up duty. We get a 22 year old Mark Loretta prototype. Here's some info on what he brings to the plate =

Strengths: Hitting approach. Cusick came into the 2007 season with a .340 average in two years with USC. He drew 76 walks against 31 strikeouts in those seasons. He hit .304 and had a .425 OBP in the Cape Cod League last summer.

Weaknesses: Defense. Cusick is a tireless worker, which should help him become an average defender in the future.

Summary: With his bat control and outstanding makeup, Cusick should get plenty of attention and could be a nice No. 2 hitter in the future. His ability to hit for average and get on base should appeal to the stats-hungry crowd.

For a guy we were about to cut? How great is that? Cash Money has really come up big time in the past month. I think once Wang went down, the two kids flopped ( Ian and Phil ) and Jorge went down, the FO knew that winning the WS this year was a longshot. Look at all the moves they've made, they're going for it this year without giving up any solid prospects aside from Tabata ( who they soured on ), while really positioning themselves for a big winter on the FA market. They've already cut some of the dead weight while picking up young talent and solid pieces. They'll finish the job this offseason with Moose, Giambi, Pavano and Abreu all being issued their walking papers. Cashman could have went all in this year and traded some blue chips for CC when he was on the market, he could have traded more and got Bay or he could mortgaged the farm for Rich Harden....he could have done all this to save his arshe when his contract expires at the end of the year, but he didnt. He made smart moves that not only improved the team this year, but really helped the team move forward next season. Now we dont have to go and dish out a monster contract for a LH setup man, or a RH RF, we got them already under contract. Now we can concentrate on making only two moves this winter...Tex and a frontline SP, the rest was already handled, its almost like the Yanks started the offseason moves. Kudos Cash Money, Kudos.

BTW - You'll see the WS favorites very soon in the Anaheim Angels of Los Angels, California of America, North America of the Northern Hemisphere, Planet Earth of the Solar System, Milky Way Galaxy of the Universe....that team is stacked with hitting, pitching, fielding and bullpen...they're going for it all this year...tip your cap to them.

WC in 08......WS in 09!!!!!!

GO YANKS!!!

Dru - it's only a rumor right now, but the Yankees may not need to count on Veras or Robertson for the 8th:

"Now that the Braves have decided to sell, they are working with the Yankees on a trade that would involve Melky Cabrera to Atlanta (along with other prospects) for Rafael Soriano and Mark Kotsay."

I don't know that Cusick has much upside, but hey - getting him for LaTroy is pretty darn good. Curious what they'll get when they DFA Moeller.

WOW...very interesting Chip, I think I would have to seriously consider that trade. Soriano has had elbow issues this year, but has come back recently. If his health checks out for the long term, he's a stud. Kotsay is a little over the hill at 33. He's only hit .300 once in his career, at best could only hit 10-15 HR's a year at this point. The only thing he really has over Melk is his BA. Melk is faster and stronger, plus is on the upswing. Still, if Soriano checks out.......hmmmmm...Id have to sleep on that one buddy.

Still...we have a pretty young/solid pen...and I dont see Kotsay really doing anything better than Melk from today forward...

Yes
No
Yes
No
YES
NO!!

Im split...U??

NY would be shooting themselves in the foot with a trade like that.Kotsay back is always bothering him and Soriano's health is suspect.

Plus they start getting old once again.

Dru,

I would probably do the trade (depending on what prospects the Yankees were sending back).

You're right when you say that Kotsay and Melky are about a wash, but when you add a healthy Soriano in front of Mo...well that's a clear win.

Kotsay can still run the ball down, his arm's not as strong as Melky's but I'm alright with that - heck the Yankees won titles with Bernie's arm in CF. But if the Yankees can essentially replace Farnsworth with Soriano - well I think you have to be happy about that.

I hear ya Ruse, Im starting to turn more towards the keep Melk side. Kotsay (33) is making 7M and has been breaking down. Soriano ( 29 ) 2.65M is breaking down as well, hit the DL twice this year with elbow issues. Back issues for a CF and elbow issues for a RP? Both combined make about 10Million ( how crazy is it that Pavano makes more than them COMBINED! ). The more I think about it, they're Atl's problems, let's not make them ours now. As inconsistent as the Melk man has been, he's a pretty damn good CF. If Gardner would have shown something during his time up with the club, I think Melk would be traded. At this point, Brett is at least another year away from starting. We need Melk more than Yankee fans realize.

Still Im temped by Soriano, even if he needed TJ surgery, he would be a key factor at 31 for the pen..maybe Mo's replacement down the line?????

I cant decide....Damn you Chip!!!

; )

Agreed with Ruse on that one, I don't like Kotsay at all these days and I don't know if Soriano is worth taking on an old, injury prone CF and this is coming from a fan who is extremely tired of Melky.

I love July 31 almost as much as Thanksgiving.....but don't count out the Red Sox here, Theo has a way of pulling off good trades at the deadline and I'm not talking about Manny, because I still believe he's not going anywhere, but Buster Olney actually said he thought the Red Sox will actually pull the trigger this time. However, I can't see what the Marlins gain from this besides Manny for two months. The will lose a young OF with a promising future for a guy that will not stay with them at all. Also, The Marlins problem is not offense, they have terrible pitching.....hey, this sort of sounds like the Yanks of the last few years: They can't pitch so they try to bring in more offense and win the game 10-9. It never worked and I have to think the Marlins will understand that sooner or later.

Griffey Jr. to the White Sox, pending his approval.

Yeah Jim, I still dont understand what the Marlins get out of that deal? Pitt makes out great, the Sox rid themselves of Manny and pick up a solid bat in Bay...what do the Marlins get? A shot at the playoffs? So that they can get 10,000 fans in that crap stadium instead of 8,000? They claim its because Hermida is arbitration eligible...so what? Its not like he's an All-Star yet, pay the effin man...YOUR PAYROLL IS ONLY 22M!!! That team kills me...but hey, they're still in it somehow.

Griffey to the W-Sox? Interesting, he'll play CF? They have a logjam themselves now, I guess Griffey plays CF with Konerko, Thome and Swisher splitting time at 1B/DH. Maybe Griff and Swisher share CF too. Do you know what the Reds got back?

A couple of Pudge notes:
1. When the Tigers had him and Boras on the phone to talk about waiving his no trade clause, Boras wanted some money kicked in (and another year) at which point Pudge told Boras to shut up so the trade could get done.

2. Wonder what # Pudge will wear - he's always been 7 and that's certainly not available. Nor are 16, 25, 34, or 43

Griffey will likely be a bench guy for the ChiSox, that's what's holding up the deal. Junior is trying to decide if he would rather be a starter on a bad team or a reserve for a good one.

Soriano and Kotsay are both free agents at the end of the year. So it's not a long term commitment.

How about this - since it's a rumor anyway and today is the day to dream big, lets make it a REALLY good one.

Lets hypothesize that the Yankees and Braves can expand it into a 3 team deal with the Royals:

Braves get: Melky, Al Horne, Mark Teahan
Royals get: Jeff Francour, Ian Kennedy
Yankees get: Rafael Soriano, David DeJesus, Zack Grienke

what is the terms of their contracts ...

Kotsay and Soriano?

if they pacts are running out then yo udo the deal therefor the Org will promote our prospects

I believe Kotsay is a FA at the end of the year.

Soriano is either a FA or arbitration.

Ahh, I see, if Kotsay and Soriano are FA after this year, then no way.

As far as that 3 way trade, we give up

Ian
Melk
Horne

to get

Soriano
DeJesus
Greinke

Soriano will be a FA at the end of the year, I do like Greinke who would be the key to this trade. If Soriano was under contract for another couple years, I would do it. Its close, very close.

Great trade proposal Chip!

shaun powell's article is so dumb i can't believe nobody has commented on it. i guess moeller is the better option over pudge.

Dru-

I think they would do this trade perhaps live with Damon in Center for a year then promote Austin.

this makes perfect sense actually

which brings logic back to the forefront with this question.

why did,nt they sign Torre Hunter to start with when he was avail?

I'll answer my own question and say becasue cash did'nt know the chips would fall this way.

bringing in a Kotsay who since coming back has been hitting the ball well weeds out the dead weight.

trading Melky avoids Arb and free's up more money

How is justin christian"s arm?? we keep sleeping on this kid I have a feeling he is the truth.

Remember the more money we frree up a better chance this team could make a big time splash.

I have another 1b prediction if the players team fails

don't laugh just my opinion..

ALBERT PUJOLS - yes we will trade alot for him but our surplus is the Cards weakness PITCHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is Greinke the one that was having some anxiety issues? I remember one of the Royals pitchers leaving the team last year or the year before for a long time to deal with those issues, I just can't remember which pitcher it was. If it was Greinke....well, NY and anxiety are a bad mix.

I keep telling folks Kennedy is the real deal .In my estimation it would be extremely foolish to trade him .He'll be a 15 game winner very soon for I hope NY.

Bob, yeah I read that too, my eyes rolled a little.

Jim, it was him, he seems to have turned his life around, but yeah, the NY pressure cooker may not be the best fit. Staying low key in KC certainly helped his mental situation. He may crumble when he hears his 1st bronx booooooooos.

Ruse - I love me some Ian as well, he just needs to take his lumps ( like 95% of all SP's that come up ), and get some MLB experience. I really hope a Washburn deal is not done so Ian can log some more innings.

BB - good point on Christian, since he's "old" at 28, people slept on him. He's been pretty solid since coming up though.

As far as the Pujols idea....crack kills, stay clean BB.

; )

T MINUS 5 HOURS UNTIL THE DEADLINE!!!

Since Pudge always wore #7, maybe he'll wear 77 with the Yanks. Ray Borque did that when the Bruins retired #7 for Esposito.
Good deal for the Yanks. Pudge helps with the RH line up against lefties. However, I think that the "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim" who play in Orange County just off of the 55 freeway, are going to give the Yanks a hard time this weekend (a polite way of saying that they're going to clean our clocks!). Just a fear that I have about that team.
Manny is a jerk. I'm not one to defend the Red Sox as I can't stand them, but where have they treated this guy unfairly? Since Henry and Lucchino took over that team, they've won 2 titles in 4 years and have sold out Fenway Park since what? 2003? Why can't that guy just shut the F up and go out and do his job? He's getting 7 mil for 2 more months of work. I'll bet all of you guys would love to get 7 mil for 2 months of work.

DRU, You're right. Chip is pure evil. Now I believe Cashman can do anything! This is absolutely one of my favorite times of year. Good to have Pudge needing to prove he is still the man. He brings a lot of fire with him, something that this team needs every now and then. I do believe, I do believe.......

Now playing leftfield for the Florida Marlins, Manny Ramirez! (Viper is right - this will NEVER happen)

Lets Go Yankees!

I wouldn't say "pure" evil...I'm tainted evil in that I have moments of evil sprinkled with positive energy.

Here's a thought - 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

Betances upside is tremendous you simply do not trade him.

Swisher is a bum.Duchscherer will never duplicate the yr he's having in 08.Street is not the same pitcher Oakland drafted a few yrs ago.

Dru (haha)

Never underestimate what can happen,

I;m not talking this year but I think next year and on if the Cards have no real team they may deal off Albert who would then be 30 years old and if they could get a lot in return to balance out there need. Is'nt the relations between Albert and the Cards a lil shakey now?

Chip, now I am convinced! You gotta get a job working for Cashman playing devil's advocate - your trade scenarios are good because initially you say - NO WAY, but upon further examination you say, Chipwich may have a point here.....

Thanks Chip, for expanding our minds on the possibilities. Swisher would be a good fit in Yankee stadium. Just might have somethin' there. Just like Ozzie - pure evil!

Lets Go Yankees! Time to kick some Halo butt.

I thought we were praising Cashman for making key upgrades WITHOUT selling the farm (too much). How is it a good idea to do a trade that gives up Horne when his value is at its lowest and Betances who has a very high ceiling and is very young when we get back fairly unexciting, low-impact players?

Moreover, to talk about how any player that we might potentially trade for benefits from playing at Yankee Stadium this year is foolish. Figure there are 20 or so games left at home and a player gets an average of 4 or at most 5 ABs per game. So out of a maximum of 100 ABs a player hitting at the league average is only going to get 26 hits, mostly singles at the stadium.

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: Wilson Betemit and Alberto Gonzalez
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.

I just heard on the FAN a few minutes ago that the Yanks have talked to Cleveland about Paul Byrd.

I'm changing #3 to Alberto and a low level prospect for Lowe. Editor's discression

I hope the Paul Byrd thing doesn't happen

I'm going to kill the Marlins - they are killing this trade because they want an additional $2 million from Boston

There's a video blurb on the Boston Globe's website (NESN's pre-game show) where Gordon Eddes says that the Yanks' acquisition of Pudge can have the same type of impact that Abreu had for the Yanks when they got him in 2006. It paid dividends right away.

Chip,

I guess that the fish are going to go from your "favorite NL team" to "I hate their stinkin' guts" all in one fell swoop.

The Griffey trade to The Chisox is stupid!