Big trade on the verge of happening

[Will Hunting]

Yankees get Curtis Granderson

Detroit gets Max Scherzer, Phil Coke and Austin Jackson

Arizona gets Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy

[JamStone]

Good luck in New York, Curtis. Not that you need it in that line-up.

Tigers obviously cost-cutting, but got some pretty good pieces. Still sucks to see such a good, young player who was really good for the community get traded right at the start of his prime.

[Will Hunting]

The Red Sox better get shit going quickly. They were the ones who needed a good off season, not NY. Now the Yankees have a speedy leadoff hitter who can get on and swipe bases, the one thing their lineup lacked last year. He's also a lefty so expect his home run total to go way up in that park.

[JamStone]

I think it would be a mistake for the Yankees to make Curtis a leadoff hitter. That's not what he is. And, while he's got speed, he doesn't have Michael Bourn or Carl Crawford or Ellsbury type speed. If Curtis is given some discretion to run, which he didn't have for the most part in Detroit, he might be able to be get 30-35 stolen bases. But, he'll get picked off a good 15-20 times in the process.

Curtis strikes out basically once every 4 ABs and hits around .270 for his career. He's not the ideal leadoff hitter. In fact, his ideal spot in the Yankees line-up is probably as the #9 hitter. They might try to make him a #2 hitter though. I'd keep Jeter at lead-off until Curtis proves he's improved on his strike-outs.

As for your Boston comment, wasn't there rumors that Boston would be going hard after Roy Halladay before the winter meetings?

[Will Hunting]

As for your Boston comment, wasn't there rumors that Boston would be going hard after Roy Halladay before the winter meetings?


They don't wanna give Buchholz for Roy Halladay, which makes sense since Buchholz has accomplished so much more at a major league level than Halladay has :bang


The Red Sox need help with batting and pitching. They need to keep Jason Bay, hopefully Hermida can take over for JD Drew when Drew's pussy is dealt its final blow next year. Their infield is solid for the most part (I still think trading Hanley for Beckett was a mistake), but they should try to upgrade at 3rd, but most importantly they need a DH. Ortiz is done, time to move on. The Manny Papi era is over.

With pitching, their one reliable starter pitcher is Lester. Beckett can be a Cy Young candidate one season and then have an era of 5+ the next. Dice-K is just worthless, Wakefield is done, and then they have a bunch of young unprovens.

Quite frankly to compete with NY they need Halladay and Holliday.

[IronMexican]

My second team the Red Sox NEED to pick it up soon. The Yankees are my third team but I like the Sawx so much more!

[Thunder Dan]

Good luck in New York, Curtis. Not that you need it in that line-up.

Tigers obviously cost-cutting, but got some pretty good pieces. Still sucks to see such a good, young player who was really good for the community get traded right at the start of his prime.

welcome to the world of Major League Baseball. The smaller teams develop the plays for the bigger teams. I'm done with baseball. After 2 consecutive years of trading Cy Young winners for nothing, I'm done. I only play fantasy for now on

[Mel_13]

This deal makes sense for the Yanks and the Tigers. I'm not sure I understand what's in it for the Dbacks. It's also a bad day for Scott Boras and his talk of getting a long-term deal for Damon.

Anyway, Granderson's swing is made for Yankee Stadium. This chart shows all his HRs from 2009.

http://hittrackeronline.com/parks/Granderson_Curtis_2009_scatter.jpg

[Mel_13]

I think it would be a mistake for the Yankees to make Curtis a leadoff hitter. That's not what he is. And, while he's got speed, he doesn't have Michael Bourn or Carl Crawford or Ellsbury type speed. If Curtis is given some discretion to run, which he didn't have for the most part in Detroit, he might be able to be get 30-35 stolen bases. But, he'll get picked off a good 15-20 times in the process.

Curtis strikes out basically once every 4 ABs and hits around .270 for his career. He's not the ideal leadoff hitter. In fact, his ideal spot in the Yankees line-up is probably as the #9 hitter. They might try to make him a #2 hitter though. I'd keep Jeter at lead-off until Curtis proves he's improved on his strike-outs.



Given his lefty/righty splits, I would guess he bats 2nd against righties and 8th or 9th against lefties.

[gaKNOW!blee]

Isn't Austin Jackson supposed to be a stud?

[The Gemini Method]

welcome to the world of Major League Baseball. The smaller teams develop the plays for the bigger teams. I'm done with baseball. After 2 consecutive years of trading Cy Young winners for nothing, I'm done. I only play fantasy for now on

This^

I used to be a die-hard baseball fan--made it out to 5-20 Angels games a year and respecting a sport that I cherished as a youth. Nowadays, I can expect to be rooting for a team that may be fighting for 2nd for a long time.

[JamStone]

welcome to the world of Major League Baseball. The smaller teams develop the plays for the bigger teams. I'm done with baseball. After 2 consecutive years of trading Cy Young winners for nothing, I'm done. I only play fantasy for now on


I'm not new to baseball or the skewed system of the rich v. the poor uncapped salary world of the MLB. I understand the frustrations of small market fans and the hatred for the New York and Boston over-spending.

But even in this economy, the owner of the team I root for spent the money to compete for a couple seasons, overpaid a few FAs and some unwisely so. And thus is the result. We're paying for it now.

People weren't griping for what 8 years when all that over spending wasn't doing squat for the Yankees. It sucks but that's how it is and if your team is lucky enough to experience some success despite the imbalances financial structure of the MLB, it makes it that much sweeter.

I understand why you're frustrated. That doesn't prevent me from still being a fan.

[K-State Spur]

That's the issue.

I don't care that the Yanks & the Red Sox spend more than anybody else - so be it. But it's that they can eat and write off their mistakes (which nobody else can do) that is frustrating. You have to be more careful with what you spend when you know that you're going to be hooked at the hip with that player for an extended period.

[Horry For 3!]

Isn't Austin Jackson supposed to be a stud?

He has the tangibles to be good just depends if he lives up to them. He is ranked around 20 as a mlb prospect compared to others.

[Horry For 3!]

Baseball America has Austin Jackson ranked #36 as a prospect coming into last year.

[Thunder Dan]

That's the issue.

I don't care that the Yanks & the Red Sox spend more than anybody else - so be it. But it's that they can eat and write off their mistakes (which nobody else can do) that is frustrating. You have to be more careful with what you spend when you know that you're going to be hooked at the hip with that player for an extended period.

the problem is only going to get larger because as teams like the Pirates sell off their teams each year, they lose their fan base, and when the Sox and Yanks spend, they grow their fanbase. So the smaller market teams lose money and the giants get more. So the difference is only going to grow and grow.

[ducks]

http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/yankees/hc-yankees1209.artdec09,0,2344623.story

[ducks]

Courant.com
YANKEES
Yankees Get Granderson In Three-Team Deal
By DOM AMORE

The Hartford Courant

December 9, 2009

Despite winning the World Series, the Yankees were looking to get younger and faster in the outfield — and they are close to landing All-Star center fielder Curtis Granderson in a three-team trade.

According to multiple published reports, the trade that would send Granderson, who hit 30 homers and stole 20 bases for the Tigers last year, to the Yankees awaits only physical exams of the players involved, which could take a few days.

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed source, reported the teams were looking into various "technical aspects" of the trade before making it official. It would be the first big deal of the winter meetings in Indianapolis.

The Yankees get Granderson, who turns 29 March 16, a top-shelf defender whose batting average has dropped while his power numbers have increased the past three years. They give up pitchers Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke and outfielder Austin Jackson, one of their top minor league prospects. Kennedy goes to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Coke and Jackson to the Tigers. The Diamondbacks get pitcher Edwin Jackson from Detroit, and send pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth to the Tigers.

The Tigers collapsed in September and lost the AL Central to the Twins in a one-game playoff. They also had a steep drop in attendance and made it known they were looking to trade higher-salaried players for prospects.

Granderson, who hit .249 last season, .280 in '08 and .302 in '07, signed a long-term deal on which he is owed roughly $25.5 million over the next three years, including $5.5 million in 2010. For the Yankees, who are also looking to trim payroll slightly, the lefty-hitting Granderson would replace either Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui in the lineup, each of whom made $13 million in 2008.

And the Yankees were able to make this deal without trading pitchers Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain, or catching prospect Jesus Montero, three of their most attractive young players.

Granderson is expected to be the Yankees' center fielder, with Melky Cabrera likely taking over in left. That's a rangy combination to cover the most spacious areas of Yankee Stadium. Granderson struck out 141 times in 2009, and hit only .183 against left-handed pitchers. Still, he figures to be pitched differently in the more potent Yankees lineup, and perhaps hit even more home runs with the short right field in Yankee Stadium.

Austin Jackson, who turns 23 Feb. 1, was thought to be the Yankees' center fielder of the future, but he hit only four home runs in Triple A in 2009. Kennedy, who turns 26 Dec. 19, is a former first-round draft pick who missed much of last season recovering from an aneurism. Coke, 27, a lefty reliever, had a 4.50 ERA in '09, his first full season.

Damon, 36, his defensive skills fading, hit 24 homers last season, but cooled off late in the season. He made one of the most memorable plays in the postseason, stealing second and third in Game 4 of the World Series to ignite the Yankees' winning rally. He is looking for a multiyear deal, and it is unlikely the Yankees will go for that. They might be able to agree on a two-year deal, with Damon playing mostly at DH.

If Damon doesn't return, Matsui, 35, the World Series MVP, could be back as the full-time DH, but the Yankees aren't likely to offer him more than one year.

Copyright © 2009, The Hartford Courant

[JMarkJohns]

Not in love with the talent and control the Diamondbacks gave up to get Jackson. Like his acquisition, but he, at just two years of control, is more expensive than the 11 total years of control for Scherzer and Schlereth. I wanted hi, but not at the expense of Scherzer. Oh well... Not happy Schlereth was included to begin with. He should have been hung on to. Like the Kennady acquisition as its a low-risk, medium-reward pick up on the cheap for a number of years. Still, he's not exactly a sure thing to even contribute as a fifth starter, so he's not exactly enough to make up for the expense of Scherzer and Schlereth.

[crc21209]

Yankees going after big name guys...whats new?

[ducks]

Schlereth was a waste
never was impressed
Clay Zavada is much better
hinch said Billy Buckner Bryan Augenstein or even Esmerling Vasquez might be the 5 starter
Vasquez was a starter before in minor leagues
I think he would be a better starter then reliever

[ducks]

Scherzer wanted to strike out everyone one and I could not pitch out of the 5 6 inning

oh and props for dbacks trying to make the team better

they needed better pitching
hopefully drew will be back with the o
and conar jackson will be like he was last time he was healthy

or upton and mark renolds please work on your d and o this offseason
lets kick dodgers pussy

[JMarkJohns]

We hardly saw anything of Schlereth. Facts are facts and he's a power lefty with a plus fastball and has shown decent secondary pitches. To make him a part of this deal is laughable, considering their return.

[DarkReign]

the problem is only going to get larger because as teams like the Pirates sell off their teams each year, they lose their fan base, and when the Sox and Yanks spend, they grow their fanbase. So the smaller market teams lose money and the giants get more. So the difference is only going to grow and grow.

Replace baseball with society in general and the truth still holds. The rich get richer faster the poor get un-poor.

[chode_regulator]

My second team the Red Sox NEED to pick it up soon. The Yankees are my third team but I like the Sawx so much more!

yankees fan and sox fan? so you're a bandwagon fan?

[IronMexican]

yankees fan and sox fan? so you're a bandwagon fan?

I was trying to reel in DoK, but if you're that retarded, sure.

[djohn14]

Go Braves!