The Balance of Power shifts in the division...but which one?

Well, obviously there was a lot of news coming out of Major League Baseball today. Enough even to prevent SportsCenter to not mention Monday Night Football in the first 15 minutes of the show, which is almost unfathomable. Let's take a look at the deals:

Image via Wikipedia

Halladay" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="300" height="377">Image via Wikipedia

First, the deal that most directly affects the Yankees. John Lackey signs a five year contract worth more than the $82.5 million A.J. Burnett got from the Yanks last year. This doesn't really scare me that much. Yes, Lackey is a workhorse who has had success in the playoffs, but besides that what is he? He went 11-8 in 2009 and 12-5 in 2008 while missing time with injury. Boston's rotation, as of right now, is Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Lackey, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Clay Buchholz. I think the Yankees rotation matches up favorably to that, but I do have a biased opinion.

Now the big news: the Roy Halladay trade. The three team deal between the Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners is still pending, and it is still unclear what prospects are headed where but the basics: the Phillies get Halladay, the Mariners get Cliff Lee, and the Blue Jays get prospects from both teams.

Now for the Phillies, they get the guy they've wanted for months now, but they have to give up Lee, who was their ace from this postseason. I literally just got off the phone with a friend of mine who is a Phillies fan who had just heard of the trade. He had only heard that the Phillies got Halladay and I was the one to break the news that they had to give up Lee in the deal. After assuring him that I was not trying to get back at him for the Giants-Eagles game last night by joking around, he was considerably less excited about the trade. Now, Halladay is an upgrade over Lee, but they Phillies would have been a lock for a World Series appearance next season if they had both.

But I think that the attention should be going to the Mariners. They added a front-line starter in an off-season where they already signed Chone Figgins and have been linked to players such as Matt Holliday and Jayson Bay to add to their lineup. They have taken advantage of the Angels losing some big names over the past few years (like Teixeira and Lackey) and have made an aggressive push to make themselves competitive. I think this deal affects the AL West more than the NL East or the AL East.

Well it's finals week, so there may not be too many posts, especially if no big news comes out of Yankee-land because, you know, priorities.

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"The Baseball World's Been Turned Upside Down"

Okay, that is what my roommate (who's a red sox fan) just said in reaction to all the deals that happened today. Obviously that is what we call an overreaction. If you havn't heard the Red Sox signed John Lackey to a 5-yeard deal supposedly a little more than what Burnett's deal was.

But what has the rest of the baseball world talking is the deal that sends Roy Halladay to the Phildaelphia Phillies, Cliff Lee to the Mariners, and prospects to the Blue Jays. I'll have more of my opinion and two cents later... but thought these deals were kinda of important so I posted this.

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Yanks Non-Tender Wang

As expected, the Yankees non-tendered Chien-Ming Wang's 2010 contract, making him a free-agent. The Dodgers and Cardinals appear to be interested in signing Wang. Wang had back-to-back 19 win seasons with the Yankees, but in 2008 he suffered a LisFranc sprain to his foot running the bases in an interleague play against the Astros that required surgery.

Wang returned this year but was never the same, he had that awful game against the Indians when he couldn't even get out of the first inning allowing 10+ runs. He was put on the DL but was still never fully able to return to the groundball pitcher he once was.

Wang was one of my favorite Yankee pitchers during the years of 2005-2008 because he was always reliable to pitch well. He had a rough time in the playoffs, but he couldn't match the frontline aces of the other playoff teams. I'd like to see Wang succeed and hopefully he does (unless he finds himself on the Red Sox).

If you're worried about the Yankees pitching depth, Chad Jennings breaks down the Yankees options should they need a spot starter or if someone suffers an injury.

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Winter Meetings Report Card

The Winter Meetings officially ended Thursday, so we're a little late, but we'll give you our analysis and grade of how the Yankees faired in this year's Winter Meetings.

First, the Curtis Granderson trade. This was the deal of the Meetings and probably the Yankees offseason. They had to trade away some good prospects (Austin Jackson)but they were still able to acquire a young, excellent player in Granderson. Granderson fills their need in acquiring an outfielder and will play centerfield as Melky will most likely move to left. Granderson can either fill the two-hole in the lineup, or if Damon returns, he can protect A-Rod in the five spot. Overall, great deal for the Yankees.

Second, the Andy Pettitte signing. This was important because Pettitte was such an important part of their World Series run last year and he showed he still has something left. By re-signing Pettitte it takes pressure off the Yanks to go out and look for another veteran arm.

Third, trading Brian Bruney to the Nationals. Bruney was injury-proned and never really lived up to expectations. His role can be filled within the organization and the trade led to the Yankees getting the first pick in the Rule 5 Draft which led to:

Finally, drafting Jamie Hoffman. Hoffman is a right-handed outfielder who made perfefct sense for the Yankees to choose. He can make the team in spring training and contribute immediately by giving them depth and a right-handed bat off the bench.

There were also reports Cashman began negotiating withScott Boras about Johnny Damon, but it doesn't look like much progress has been made.

Despite not much progress with Damon and giving up some good prospects, Cashman definitely exceeded my expectations during this week as it was a very successful week. He addressed the top priorities and did everything the Yankees needed him to do in a short amount of time. The Yankees left the Winter Meetings as one of the biggest winners.

Overall Grade: A+...there really wasn't anything more they could have done.

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Yanks, Damon Begin Negotiations

ESPN is reporting that the Yankees have begun negotiations with Scott Boras to re-sign Johnny Damon. Damon made $13 million last year and was rumored not to take a pay cut. However, the deal for Granderson give the Yankees leverage in this situation. If a deal cannot be reached Mike Cameron and Mark DeRosa are the other expected targets for the Yankees to pursue.

In other news, the Yankees selected Jamie Hoffman from the Dodgers with the first pick (acquired from the Nationals) in the Rule 5 Draft. The Rule 5 Draft isn't much to get excited about. Nobody really amazing comes out of it other than a few excpetions (Josh Hamilton, Dan Uggla). Here's how Chad Jennings of the LoHud Blog describes it:

The Rule 5 Draft is a bit of a crapshoot...It's all about teams going after a specific need. Maybe that’s a left-handed pitcher or a utility infielder or a speed guy off the bench. It’s often high-ceiling, not quite ready talent for a team that doesn’t expect to contend.

Hoffman is a right-handed hitting outfield who hits lefties well. Cashman expects that he has a chance to win a bench spot on the team. If he does make the team you'll be sure to hear what the Rule 5 Draft is everytime he comes to the plate from Michael Kay. For a complete profile of him check out the LoHud Yankees Blog.

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Granderson deal official, Pettitte re-signs

The 3-team deal to bring center fielder Curtis Granderson to the Bronx is official. A couple of quotes from the press conference with Brian Cashman and the conference call with Curtis Granderson:

Cashman
On Granderson:

We're excited about what he brings to the table -- his athleticism, his youth, his power and how it all relates to where we play. His personality, how people gravitate to him -- they're all plusses.

On Austin Jackson and the other players the Yankees gave up in the deal

We're excited about what we're getting, and we're distraught about what we gave up at the same time. It's not like I'm doing handstands. It's a tough decision. You're trading the future for here and now.

Granderson
On his role on the team

I'm not going to be the standout guy. I'm not going to be the guy that you're constantly worried about. But if you don't keep an eye on me, hopefully, I can go and sneak in and do some positive things for our team.

On playing at Yankee Stadium

I've never been a guy who's gone up there trying to hit home runs.I think it's one of those things that has evolved over my career, and hopefully, the same will hold true at Yankee Stadium -- going up and trying to drive the baseball, and if it gets out, it gets out.

On whether he will wear #28 (or whether manager Joe Girardi will)

It'll be interesting. Of course, [Girardi's] the man. He's the one that makes everything go. He's going to definitely have first dibs on it, and if he chooses to take it, I've played in other numbers before. It's just a number on the back. Whatever you do on the field hopefully will stand out more.

In other news today, Andy Pettitte will return to the Yankees in 2010, as he signed a 1 year, $11.75 million deal that was announced today. After going 14-8 with a 4.16 ERA and winning all the clinching games in the postseason, the Yanks rewarded one of their "Core Four" with a raise over his $5 million base salary last season.

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Granderson apparently headed to Yanks in 3-way trade

Multiple outlets, including SI's Jon Heyman and ESPN are now reporting that a deal that was rumored last night has been finalized and center fielder Curtis Granderson will be coming to the Yankees.

Granderson" style="border: medium none ; display: block;" width="224" height="240">Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

It is a three-team deal involving the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks. Here's how it breaks down:

Yankees get: Granderson (from Tigers)

Tigers get: Phil Coke and Austin Jackson (both from Yankees) and Max Scherzer (from Diamondbacks)

Diamondbacks get: Edwin Jackson (from Tigers) and Ian Kennedy (from Yankees)

Different reports differ slightly on whether the Diamondbacks give the Tigers pitcher Daniel Schlereth (better known as the son of ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth)

If this trade goes through, it means a couple of different things for the Yankees.

1. The Yankees now have some leverage in negotiations with Johnny Damon
2. The Melky/Gardner combination in center field, despite being relatively successful last year, will not continue next season, unless they slide over to platoon in left or...
   
3. Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner may now be trade bait.
4. Say sayonara to Hidkei Matsui.
5. The Yankees won't be going after Matt Holliday or Jayson Bay (unless they were kidding about cutting payroll).
6. By trading 3 for 1, the Yankees open up 2 spots on the 40-man roster for other free agent signings.
   
7. Granderson will be your everyday centerfielder through at least the 2012 season, and possibly the 2013 season because of an option.
   
8. The Yankees pick up a very back-loaded contract: Granderson is due $5.5 mil in 2010, but that increases to $8.25 mil in 2011, and $10 mil in 2012.
   

We'll update with more as soon as more news becomes available.

UPDATE 3:45: No news as of yet, as they are apparently looking over medical records and physicals and things of that nature. I just had a couple of other thoughts:

• From the Tigers point of view, they get considerably younger and it makes you wonder if people like Miguel Cabrera and Maglio Ordonez are on there way out the door as well.
• While I was a little hesitant about giving up Austin Jackson, reading a Tweet from PeteAbe made me reconsider it a little:

  Look at the trade this way, #Yankees fans, the best you could have hoped for Jackson to be was Granderson. So get Granderson.

• With stats of .249/30/71 Granderson helps to make up some of the offense lost by Matsui and/or Damon leaving. You'd like to see a higher average and a better on-base percentage (.327 in 2009, .344 for career) especially if he bats towards the top of the order.
• Plugging Granderson in centerfield and possibly move Melky/Gardner to left vastly improves their outfield defense, which at times was horrendous.
  
• With Coke headed out, that means Mike Dunn, who the Yankees are very high on, will most likely get the chance to be the 2nd lefty out of the bullpen behind Damaso Marte.

UPDATE 5:00: John here, busy day for me today, but even busier for the Yankees. Just wanted to give my reaction of the trade. I thought the Yankees did a good job here. Despite giving away our best position player prospect, the Yankees sent Kennedy who is coming off a shoulder anuerysm and has shown inconsistencies in his development and Phil Coke (who I deemed the name Choke) for an All-Star centerfielder. So when it comes down to it, the Yankees made the right move.

It took me a while to deal with losing Jackson, but for a team looking to repeat, Granderson is probably the better option. Look what happened when we threw Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy into the spotlight in 2008. They stunk up the joint. It takes a few years for players to develop. If you can give up prospects for a relatively young and inexpensive player who is in the prime of his career and fills a need on the roster then you pull the trigger. The difference between this and Johan Santana a few years ago is the cost of Granderson, which Jim talks about above.

Now, as for Granderson, what I like about him is his defense, power, and his speed. I don't like his splits against lefties which is why I have mixed feelings about him. His average has also declined over the last two season. However, playing in a hitter-freindly park like Yankee Stadium, especially for a lefty, and with a little faith in Kevin Long, things may work out. And as Jim pointed out, Granderson in center Melky in left improves our defense tremendously.

Now we just have a few more questions which we kind of answered but we'll make a post later or tommorow. What does this mean for Damon and Matsui? And where does Granderson fit in the lineup?

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Brian Bruney Traded to Nationals

Just read on the LoHud Blog that Joel Sherman is reporting that Brian Bruney has been traded to the Nationals. Bruney will best be remembered as that average bullpen pitcher who smack-talked K-Rod and almost got into a fight with him.

Bruney is a MKS blog favorite as we met and got his autograph (that's me with Bruney below). Being he was on a championship team I guess I can sell it for like, 12 bucks. If only we can find out if this was really his car when we met him:

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Pettitte Rejects Offer But Will Play in 2010

So I've heard two things this morning on the first day of the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis. That Andy Pettitte will return in 2010 and that he rejected a 1-year $10MM offer from the Yankees. SI's Jon Heyman tweets negotiations have begun between Brian Cashman and Pettitte's agent Randy Hendricks. According to Buster Olney and Joel Sherman's reports, it's just a matter of working a deal out, so perhaps the $10 million deal isn't what Pettitte wants. I don't think the Yankees will go higher than $12MM. I can see maybe a 1-year $10MM deal with incentives. Either way, many expect this deal to be done so it looks like Andy Pettitte will be back in pinstripes next year, making it less stressful to find a pitcher to replace him this offseason.

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Yankees Attack Bloggers

With not much going on in the baseball world right now, I came across something interesting on the Yankees Universe blog. The Yankees Universe blog is a fan blog just like us and recieved this e-mail which they posted on their blog:

"While the Yankees are very appreciative of their loyal and highly valued fan support,unauthorized use of the Yankees Marks that would be confusing or misleading to the public, orfalsely imply some endorsement or sponsorship by the Yankees, cannot be tolerated. Althoughthe Website purports to be a “blog about Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees,” ithas clearly branded itself throughout with the Yankees Marks, including the Logo. Thus, you arenot using the Yankees Marks in a permissible manner but rather to brand your own onlineservice, and to create or imply a false impression that the Yankees have approved, condoned orsponsored the Website...

Accordingly, demand is hereby made that you immediately cease and desist from usingthe YANKEE UNIVERSE name and the Logo, any other Yankees Mark and any other MLBMark in and as the name of your Website, to promote the Website, to seek advertising any othercommercial opportunities, in and as the Domain Name, and in any other manner that wouldcause consumer confusion, dilution of the MLB Marks, or imply any sponsorship orendorsement of your Website or its contents by any MLB Entity."

Well, that just sucks. So the same thing doesn't happen to us we will be adding to our disclaimer's on the page. I feel bad for the Yankees Universe guys, and it's moments like these when even Yankee fans just shake their heads at the organization. I love the team, but there are some people who run it I disklike. Like the people who set the new prices and thought a bar in centerfield to block views from other fans seats were a good idea.

In baseball news, the Red Sox signed Marco Scutaro. Even though I hate him for hitting that game-winning homer off Rivera I love it as a Yankee fan. This is ten times better than Pedroia moving to short and them acquiring a Brandon Phillips or Orlando Hudson.

Winter Meetings are next week, there will be more updates I promise.

See Ya!

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