Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Would the Yankees really pull the trigger on CC, Big Mike?

Lately, the Yankiverse has spawned a bucket of infield chatter about trades that - frankly - look dubious. Brian Cashman - who never flags a deal in advance - has noted that anything is possible, that anyone can go, and that anywhere can be Paris - if you use your imagination. Thus, we hear that Brett Gardner, Chase Headley, Michael Pineda and even CC Sabathia are on the block. But I wonder... and here's why.

Gardy: Technically, he's been on the block since that dark day when the Yankees signed Ellsbury, (in part to divert attention from Joginson Cano - the Seahawks'12th man - going to Seattle.) The reason: a) Gardner is nearly a clone of Ellsbury and b) the lineup is lopsided with lefty lead-off men. Still, I can't help but think Cashman would prefer to jettison Ellsbury, whom we'll have for Trump's entire four year term. Gardy will be gone after two. (We have a third year option.)

Hal Steinbrenner paid down Brian McCann's contract to trade him, and Cash immediately noted that the deal gave us "flexibility." Well, the real Yankee bottleneck is in CF, where Ellsbury stands, and it's only going to worsen, as our young outfielders rise through the system. We never hear Ellsbury's name in rumors. To me, that's a reason to raise suspicions.

Headley: We hear teams have made "inquiries." So what? Every day I get inquiries in the mail - from Bed, Bath and Beyond. I tear them up, except for the Calgon Bath Oil Beads coupons. (The Yankees traded Aaron Judge? Calgon Bath Oil Beads, take me away!) The problem with trading Headley is simple: We have nobody else to play the position. He's going to hold the position until Miguel Andujar either arrives or bombs out - which is two years. We can go out and sign a place-holder, but it won't be cheap, and we'll be right back where we are already. Trading Headley? I just don't see it.

CC: After all the water under the bridge here - his alcoholism rehab, his bum knees, his many many innings - it's hard to believe the Yankees would trade a team leader and certified warhorse. If CC looks fat, it's because he eats innings. We will be auditioning a bunch of young starters this season, and we'll need somebody to go out and throw six innings every fifth day. What would we get for him? Two rookie league nobodies? Nah. I don't think so.

Pineda: A lot of fans would love to see him go. And there might be a market from teams that look at him and see Ivan Nova: He's the classic guy who needs to get out of NYC. But nobody escapes this team alive, nobody. If we're dead at the deadline, Pineda can go to Pittsburgh, like everybody else. I don't see him going this winter, unless it's in a huge package of prospects.

Look - I'm all in on a full-scale, nuclear housecleaning. I don't see us winning it this year. But this recent trade speculation - nope, I think we're being fed diversions. Whatever Cash is going to do, he's not going to let it tumble out in rumors.

7 comments:

JM said...

We need to trade Girardi, Cashman and Hal. Everything else is kind of like rearranging the deck chairs on the Lusitania.

That obvious point said, yeah, can't see us getting rid of these guys. Can't wait for Joey Binders to play all the stultified vets instead of the youngsters at key stretches of the season. That's gonna be as much fun as watching Trump gut the First Amendment.

Anonymous said...

HEY GUYS....... ER UM.......WE STILL DON'T HAVE A CLEANUP HITTER........C'MON CASHMAN!

Anonymous said...

.......AND IT BETTER NOT BE BELTRAN!!!!

Anonymous said...

Here is my trade: Todd Frazier and David Robertson from the White Sox for Chase Headley, Brett Gardener, and 2 bullpen kids. We get better (and Cheaper!) 3B and (They get decent 3B in return. We bring Robertson home (was good but not great last year. )and sign Melancon to have that 3 headed monster BP again (CHEAP!!!!!!!) They get GG GGBG (Gold Glove Gutsy Gritty Bret Gardener) and some bull pen future.

Doug K.

Anonymous said...

Doug K
Good trade for the Yankees but why would the white soxs do that , does not get them younger or save them much money

Anonymous said...

If the Yanks make a deal with the White Sox, it's got to include Chris Sale. I'd love to have Todd Frazier. He's got big RH power, and is sufficient at 3B. He's also due arbitration for 2017. That means free agency for 2018, most likely. Adding David Robertson is just taking on contract money, but also, a closer. (setup guy for Chapman?) So, that's the deal that benefits both the White Sox and the Yankees, and the upside of the deal. The downside? Frazier, could go Free Agency route, on the wrong side of 30. Robertson, not getting any younger, payroll goes up. Sale? No downside at all, other than all of the prospects the White Sox will get.

As much as the Yanks need a middle of the lineup power hitter, especially RH power, they need pitching. Sale is cheap, and offsets the Robertson contract. Frazier provides the much needed power stick. The bottom line remains that Sale is the real key. The Yanks can't win with just CC, who is going nowhere in my opinion, and Tanaka, who has a walk option at the end of the season. A Sale, Frazier, and Robertson deal will cost a load of prospects. Still, the Yankees get a very friendly deal with Chris Sale, a hedge against Tanaka declaring free agency. Frazier frees up a trade deal for Chase Headley, whose contract is hardly the albatross many fans think it to be. They're wrong. Not a star, but sure as hell, not a bum at 3B, and his price is reasonable, considering there are no long term answers at 3B any the Yankee system, or Free Agency. If a deal of this magnitude could be done, it has to get done.

As for CC Sabathia, any trade will cost more than any return, simply due to his payroll. He's at worst a solid #5, as he proved last season, which was a bit of a transition season. At times, he was as good as anyone, including Tanaka. CC got very little run support last year. Give him a couple of runs, his record is much different. If he's as good in the upcoming season as he was for much of last season, give the guy another one year deal, if he wants to finish as a Yankee.

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