Both the Post and Fox Sports are reporting a supposed three-way, blockbuster trade between the Tigers, Yankees, and Diamondbacks. Looking at it from only the Yankees perspective, the trade would consist of receiving Curtis Granderson and a couple prospects in exchange for Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, and Michael Dunn (a left-handed reliever).
Supposedly one of the teams is not playing ball. Hmm, I wonder which. Why would the Yankees trade a the guy who is supposedly their very cheap future in center field, a cheap left-handed reliever who, though inconsistent at times, has had success in the Majors, and another left-handed reliever for a good center-fielder who doesn't hit for much average, has power, but strikes out a lot. Would you give up all that for a more athletic Jason Giambi? I wouldn't. Honestly, I'm not surprised to read that it's the Diamondbacks who are really pushing this trade, though the Tigers would get a pretty nice crop themselves. The trade seems least beneficial for the Yankees, especially considering the prospects would be coming from the D-Backs. Nothing against Arizona, but we just traded the only D-Back who ever did anything for us at the Major League level and the other guys we picked up when we traded for Randy Johnson haven't exactly lit the world on fire.
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The only thing holding up this trade for the Yankees is Ajax. Coke can be a nice lefty option in the pen but we already have Marte, and I doubt Coke's ceiling is anywhere near that high. And Coke hasn't shown that he can get righties out.
If Granderson were really a "more athletic Giambi" who could play CF, not only would I make the trade discussed, but I'd be willing to throw in Joba or Hughes. That would be like getting another Bernie Williams!
I don't know about that. Bernie Williams could get on base without hitting a home run or being walked, largely because he could hit to more parts of the field than over the fence or into the shift.
That said, I did forget to mention that the trade would also cost us Ian Kennedy. Does that change the analysis?
Haha, you may be going a little overboard trading our guys! I'm somewhat intrigued by this trade because if the goal is to lower payroll, this trade isn't exactly helping. Especially since we have cheap centerfield options for the short term.
I also wonder if a Granderson trade takes us out of the Halladay runnings. Its either that or the Yankees aren't serious about the payroll thing.
Granderson is owed 25M over the next 3 years, so he may be an attempt to lower payroll if we abandon resigning Damon, though I'm not sure that is the best option.
Fox is now reporting that the Yankees feel they are giving up too much talent for one player (as Arizona, somehow, thinks it shouldn't have to send prospects to the Yankees, meaning the Yanks get Granderson for Kennedy, AJax, Coke, Dunn). Not surprisingly, the Yankees are the wrench.
Frankly, I wonder if someone in Arizona just floated this trade idea (half jokingly), some reporter overheard, and it became a rumor which grew legs considering the slow pace of things this offseason. When you read the terms of the trade you have to wonder who in Arizona, or Detroit for that matter, would ever think the Yanks would agree to this trade or even take it as a serious first offer in trade discussions.
Kennedy is an important mention but I don't see him holding up the deal either. He didn't pitch last year (albeit for an injury unrelated to pitching) and his stock has gone way down.
All that said, Granderson is an interesting player who would bring a solid bat to CF. My biggest problem with him is he can't hit lefty pitching (lifetime .184 average). And the Yankees are right that they would be giving up too much for him. Ajax alone would arguably be too much - Ajax plus Kennedy and Coke is too much.
My only point about Giambi was that if you had Giambi's bat at CF when Giambi was in his prime, you'd have an amazing player. At Granderson's age, Giambi was a .333 hitter with 40+ HR power. At CF, that wouldn't be Williams, that would be Mantle! So I guess I'm saying that Giambi would have been the best player ever if he were more athletic, or something.
I suppose we never saw much of the prime Giambi during his stay in New York, certainly not those last few seasons.
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