Ok, you're the GM for the Yankees. Your team is struggling (14 and 1/2 games out as of this morning). You need a spark. You also get the sense that your third baseman is opting out of NY at the end of this year. To boot, said third baseman is now supposedly involved in a scandal (he was seen hanging out all night with a blonde woman...they went upstairs at the hotel in which he was staying).
Do you trade him?
Now, that might seem insane at this point, but also sane. What do I mean by this?
The insane part is that the Yankees are still not out of it, this early. But do they need a scandal on top of all their woes? They already seem to have one with Giambi's comments. I would venture to say that the ship is teetering on the edge of taking on just too much to bail out.
They need a change.
Remember that Nomar was terribly unhappy. The Sox were flat. The FO in Boston traded a Red Sox god. The new players lit them on fire...the rest is history.
Now, what would be a good deal? It is fairly common knowledge that A-Rod and Piniella are very close. The Cubs are only 6-games back in the NL Central. What about Aramis Ramirez for A-Rod? What if they could swing a deal that let A-Rod play SS?
I am not looking for the Yankees to get better or to make a huge run. Somehow, reading about the scandal thing this morning (and the fact that the Yankees are probably looking for a fall guy now), makes a trade of a huge contract seem to be a reasonable assumption.
I think something like this becomes a lot more likely if our Boston Red Sox sweep this weekend.
Hey, maybe the Yankees can pick up Carl Everett???
Not sure if Carl Everett is going to come out of retirement, but that would be TOTALLY sweet.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I couldn't help myself, so I'll save you all the trouble. Here is the ARod scandal as published by the New York Post. Hehe, they wrote "Yankee Doodle Randy".
Good times!
As for the Trade, I have my doubts. Unless they can actually get pitching. That being said, didn't the Rangers sky rocket the year after they traded ARod?
ReplyDeleteFunny, I was thinking the same thing about the yanks last night - if they fall hopelessly out of it, what moves could they make. You can pretty much forget about an an A-Rod trade. He has a complete no-trade clause.
ReplyDeleteAnd pretty much every other moveable piece has a no-trade as well (Giambi, if you took salary, Abreu). Jeter, Posada and Mo are 10/5 guys (not to mention franchise icons). Cano and Cabrera are young and cheap. Damon and Matsui are pretty useless. Pettite and Moose are cheap options for one year (in 2008) so you figure they would not move them.
About the most the Yanks could move would be Farnsworth, Proctor or Meyers. They could even get a decent prospect or two for one of them.
Right, but don't you think (if the scandal really starts to haunt A-Rod) that he would want out of NY and welcome a trade, providing (of course)that he could still walk at the end of the year to seek another deal?
ReplyDeleteI do. And I think the Cubs would do it, too.
I am suggesting that he might want out of NY, and might suggest to Cashman to trade him to Piniella's team.
Well, if there is a scandal involving another woman.... A big if, hell it could have been Damon he was seen leaving the lobby with. I would imagine that A-Rod has bigger issues to deal with.
ReplyDeleteI would put the odds on A-Rod getting traded at about zero. He is not going to ask for a trade. Not after spending the entire winter saying he wanted to stay in NY. Plus if he asks for the trade, you know that will get leaked to the media and all of NY will claim he couldn't handle NY. Well, they claim that now, but then it would be confirmed. A-Rod and Boras likely won't approve a trade without an extension - if NY is out of the picture, that eliminates the deepest pocket from some very expenseive negotiating.
Here is a list of things as likely to be seen this summer that I would put ahead of A-Rod being traded:
1. Manny getting traded
2. Milwaukee in first place at the ASB
3. AJ Pierzynski giving a hug to an opponenet
4. Johnny Damon throwing a runner out from normal depth in CF.
5. Curt Schilling saying "No comment."
6. Julian Tavarez on the cover of GQ.
7. Barry Bonds being cheered anywhere but SF.
A-Rod won't get traded. Neither most of the rest of the Yankees. No-trade clauses and the fact that almost no other team can afford to pay the inflated salaries most of these guys have signed for.
ReplyDeleteMost are slumping and/or beaten up. For that reason, I don't see the Empire trading away any youth (Cano or Melky).
If you're looking for a trade, it would be someone who's performing going to a contender that needs that one piece. I think the Yanks are in a real bind this year.
Aw shucks, it breaks my heart.
Yeah, the only pieces that the Yanks could/would trade are Farnsworth, Proctor and Meyers. that is about it. Villone if he proves he can pitch in the ML (not likley) Maybe a Brian Bruney if they felt the return was worth it. Although he is still cheap.
ReplyDeleteI think Abreu has a no trade so even if NY paid almost all the $$, he is likely to veto it.
When A-Rod left Seattle he was looking for the money.
ReplyDeleteWhen he left Texas, it was to allow them to free up money to become a contender again (that was the spin, anyway).
He wouldn't care about his NY perception if he was viewed as a savior in Chicago...The last piece to help the Cubbies bring it home!
Even though the Cubbies still wouldn't bring it home...
ReplyDeleteI just don't see it happening. The Cubs don't even have an owner right now and as a result are having trouble getting Zambrano signed - and Zambrano has agreed to a well below market contract.
ReplyDeleteI agee A-Rod cares less about public perception than money, but you noted it would be A-Rod suggesting to Cashman that he deal him to NY. That would get to the media and he would be absolutely destroyed in the papers.
And for A-Rod top waive his no trade, he would ask for the extension up front. That might be the only scenario that would work - if the Angels came to NY and said they will give NY Howie Kendrick and Brandon Wood (or whomever and whomever) and that A-Rod gets to negotiate a 4 year $100MM extenstion before the trade - thus preserving the $30MM TEX still owes on the deal.