Will this guy still be a Yankee after this week? Courtesy of Getty Images
(The following is being syndicated from An A-Blog for A-Rod)
The Winter Meetings started this week, and while I still believe the Yankees are entering them in a position of weakness and don’t have a lot of faith that they are going to pull off a deal, this is their best chance to make a splash and start filling the holes left in their lineup. To come away from these meetings without an answer in right field or behind the plate would make for a very stressful remainder of the offseason and most likely lead to those positions being filled by subpar players. And with the Yankees’ refusal to get really involved in the free agent market, their best bet at getting an impact player in those positions of need will be through a trade. Cash has made some good ones before, and some bad ones, and always seems to use the meetings to line something up. If that’s the route he’s going to take this year, he’s got plenty of potential trade chips at his disposal.
David Phelps- SP
Why He Could Be Traded: Young; showed potential in his rookie year; can start or relieve; full complement of team control years remaining
Ivan Nova- SP
Why He Could Be Traded: Young; improved stuff; unknown how or where he fits into future team plans; plenty of years of team control remaining
Phil Hughes- SP
Why He Could Be Traded: Lower ceiling in New York; could thrive in a National League park; has experience but is still in mid-20s; upcoming free agency after 2013 and unknown if Yankees will want to re-sign him
Boone Logan- RP
Why He Could Be Traded: Lefty relievers are always unpredictable; coming off career high in appearances; Yankees have plenty of LOOGY depth
Adam Warren- SP
Why He Could Be Traded: Young; full complement of team control years remaining; didn’t impress in his Major League debut; might not have a future role on the Yankee roster
Eduardo Nunez- SS
Why He Could Be Traded: Young; plenty of years of team control remaining; toolsy; probably no longer looked at as an everyday replacement for Jeter, but could still generate interest in other teams
Why He Could Be Traded: Yankees unlikely to re-sign him after 2013; lot of teams looking for CF help; plus power; good clubhouse guy; still in his prime; could bring back multiple pieces
Tyler Austin- RF
Why He Could Be Traded: Prospect value skyrocketing after great season; highest-level Yankee hitting prospect; could play multiple positions; trade value probably not getting any higher
Mason Williams/Slade Heathcott- CF
Why They Could Be Traded: Value increased after good seasons for both; presence of one makes the other a bit more expendable
Robinson Cano- 2B
Why He Could Be Traded: Free agent after 2013, and will be very expensive to re-sign; may make or break the $189 million payroll goal for 2014; could bring back a haul in prospects and young players
Why He Won’t Be: He’s the best offensive player on a team of declining offensive players, and the Yankees don’t usually let their great homegrowns go.
It wouldn’t be the wisest move in the world to trade from their cache of starting pitching, but without any high-level prospects to deal the Yankees would have to include someone like Phelps or Nova in most trades if they hope to get a player of significance back. It also wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense to move C-Grand or Cano seeing how weak they already are offensively at the moment. But the offseason so far has shown us that the front office is dead serious about the payroll goal, and getting rid of another big chunk of money helps that goal.
There’s a lot of things that could happen and a lot of pieces the Yankees can play with if they want to. Now it’s time to sit back and watch everything unfold.
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10 Responses to Looking At The Yankee Trade Chips
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TIQ IQ
“Curtis Granderson- CF
Why He Could Be Traded: Yankees unlikely to re-sign him after 2013; lot of teams looking for CF help; plus power; good clubhouse guy; still in his prime; could bring back multiple pieces”
The only thing I may disagree with is he could bring back “multiple pieces”. I would think he could bring back one legit prospect, teams simply aren’t looking to trade multiple good pieces for one year of control from a player on the wrong side of 30.
If any team would send multiple pieces for Granderson though you’d think it would be the Phillies. They make a ton of sense for Granderson, they have been looking everywhere for CF help, the market has sort of dried up with Upton and Pagan off the boards and Span being traded. They also seem to be making Vance Worley and possibly Trevor May available in deals, May being their top pitching prospect. If the Phillies are willing to trade May for Granderson that’s a deal you have to listen too, either to strengthen a farm system who’s top of the rotation pitching prospects have been weakened or to flip him. If you could get them to throw in Dominic Brown, despite his struggles, and maybe Erik Kratz you have to pull the trigger.
That’s a good point, Chris. And I agree that Granderson wouldn’t bring back multiple “good” pieces. I was thinking of it more as a package of 2-3 useful ones but not big names or big prospects. Probably should have specified that.
That makes sense, I guess that means the question is what is more valuable 2 or 3 average pieces, one good prospect, or the draft pick they’d get. Because if we’re trading Granderson to stay a float at C, RF, and 3B but not really getting better it may be better to just punt on 2013 and trade Cano and Granderson for prospects.
It would not be wise to trade those young pitchers…agree 100%…but I would not trade any of those young hitters either…the 2012 season was a riddle…set a new home run team record, scored a lot of runs…yet did not win a game all year when losing after 8 innings? Not one comeback? Is that just a small sample size…and all those 1 run losses when they had 1-10 with RISP or worse? Low team BA. And still having the best record in the league? Strange season.
More and more I’m thinking just take a season or 2 off and rebuild. Don’t trade ANY of the young guys. Or at least make a list of untouchables.
(Trade Granderson, rebuild, save money to buy something nice)
How bout Granderson, Logan, Warren, Nova, Williams, Heathcott, Betances, and Bichette for Stanton and Morrison. Could work for both teams. Yanks can put Nunez at third, Romine and Cervelli behind the plate, and sign Ichiro. Marlins would get some very talented young prospects/major league ready studs.
Lineup:
Jeter SS
Ichiro LF
Stanton RF
Cano 2B
Tex 1B
Nunez 3B
Morrison DH
Romine C
Gardner CF
Morrison could also play 1st if they need him to. Jeter would of course occasionally DH and Nix could fill in at short. If and when Arod comes back he could be DH most of the time, occasionally using Jeter. They could use Cabral to replace Logan and Phelps would take Novas spot in the rotation. This might even be able to help get the payroll down under 189M this year.
By the way, according to http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2012/12/report_marlins_open_to_trading.php Marlins did say they would trade Stanton if they could get a good deal for him. They wouldn’t be getting 3 top prospects like they mentioned, but would be getting about 10 very good young players in the trade I proposed. They could also add another team into the mix that would get Granderson and the other team could give up a prospect or two.
Stanton’s a pipe dream not even worth discussing and that package doesn’t have close to the upside to lande Stanton. Another team would outbid that package in hours.
I agree Brad, chiefly with the Cano part.
Go Yankees!
I would either go very cheap and sign Brandon Inge and hope for the best or trade for a legitimate, young third baseman like Mike Moustakis of KC. KC seems desperate for starting pitching and might bite at a package including say Hughes, Phelps, and a prospect. Moustakas is coming off a “bad” year where he hit only .249 with 20 homers and could be expected to do better in the Yankee lineup at Yankee Stadium. His numbers are not too different from Granderson’s the year the Yankees acquired him for a similar package (.249/24). With just two seasons in MLB, Moustakis will be a cost control delight.
Another low-risk gamble for DH or possibly even the outfield is Travis Hafner. He was once a very good player and is not terribly old even though the Indians have seemed to give up on him. Maybe he will thrive in a new environment.
There is nothing on the scrap heap for catchers with the best being aging, not very productive veterans like Rod Barajas, Yorvit Torralba, and Matt Treanor. I am not so sure that either Boston or Toronto would trade a useful catcher to the Yankees even though they seem to have a surplus.
Cody Ross may be the best low price free agent although his numbers may have been blown upwards by Fenway. The Red Sox are throwing money around like crazy and have not re-signed him which is not a good sign. As you remember, they passed on Jason Bay while the Mets bit.