Trade Rumors Surrounding Rich Harden, The Wisdom in Playing Bad Contracts, The Tigres Covet The Bravos' top prospect, Calling Out Joe Torre, and 2006 Free Agency Catchers

Time To Cut Bait On Harden?

Here’s a rumor that just will not die (no, not the Aaron Rowand for Scott Linebrink trade, though that one is certainly getting aggregating.)  No, this rumor is one that drives me apeshit, mostly because of the name and the fanaticism that seems to follow the player.

Rich Harden.

Harden’s name first came up during the winter meetings as a target of the Mets, who would have been interested in swapping Lastings Milledge, a long coveted Billy Beane target, in exchange for the pitcher.  The name was later changed to Dan Haren and the package was changed to Lastings Milledge, setup man Aaron Heilman and pitching prospect Phillip Humber.  The Mets wisely said no.  That hasn’t stopped Buster Olney from resurrecting this idea in a recent blog post.

Realistically, if I were Oakland, I would see what the interest is around baseball for Harden.  Billy Beane has shown that he’s not willing to take risks as far as trading valuable commodities.  He robbed the Cardinals blind when he traded Mark Mulder for stud pitcher Dan Haren and slugger Daric Barton.  He got a good return in swapping Milton Bradley for Andre Etheir.  The only real bust that Beane has made was trading Tim Hudson away for a lot of nobodies. 

The point is that Beane has shown that he’s willing to roll the dice even when it seemed to be in his best interest not to.  He was willing to sacrifice Barry Zito at the trade deadline, even though Oakland was tied for first with the Rangers at the All Star Break and the loss of Zito could have hurt big time for an Oakland staff that needed his innings eating ability.  And if I were Beane, I’d start to see what the price would be for Harden while he’s still got some value on him, especially since the market for starting pitchers is very much a sellers market.

Harden’s certainly got all the things needed for success.  He’s young (25), cheap (is going to be paid $6.5 million for this and next season, plus he’s got a sure to be exercised $7 million option) and his arsenal is great (works in the upper 90’s with his fastball and has two plus secondary pitches.)  The only real flag (and the only one that keeps Harden from succeeding) is his health.  Harden has not worked 200 innings ever, has landed on the DL already this year after missing a good portion of the season last year and is beginning to gain a reputation similar to that of Mark Prior (I would say Carl Pavano, but many feel his problems are more mental as well as toughness.)

Hence, that’s why I would trade Harden as quick as I could as soon as he’s able to pitch for at least a decent stretch of time.   His value will never be higher and once all their pitchers come back healthy, Oakland would have a solid rotation, one that’s good enough to make the loss of Harden negatable.  Here’s what the Oakland rotation would look like:

• Dan Haren (Already the Staff Ace and is everything that Harden will never be)
• Esteban Loaiza (A Solid 2)
• Joe Blanton (Innings Eater, could be a 200 inning monster similar to Zito)
• Joe Saunders (Decent Lefty as a four)
• Chad Gaucin (Underrated Pitcher that seems to be benefiting from a change of scenery.)

All in all, it’s a solid staff and Beane would be able to obtain the successor for Saunders after this season, as he’s going to be a free agent and will be paid more than Oakland is willing to pay.  All Beane has to do is dangle Harden out there and some team with prospects to burn will make a bid for him.

Olney mentions Tampa, but I wouldn’t if I were them.  The injury concerns worry me and partnering him up with Scott Kazmir looks better on paper than it probably would in real life.  Tampa could have Harden if they wanted to, especially since they have prospects to burn and the majority of the team’s future starters already locked up.

If I had to come up with a deal for Harden if I were the Devil Rays, here’s what I would offer:

• Jorge Cantu – Still has service time and could benefit from a change of scenery.
• B.J. Upton – Tampa is running out of spots to play him as prospects begin to come up.  Plus, Tampa would be able to fill the hole offensively and improve defensively if they were to slide Akinori Iwamura to second, move Ty Wigginton to third and play Elijah Dukes permanently at first base.  Upton would look great in centerfield for Oakland.
• Jonny Gomes – Piazza’s the DH, but Gomes can play the outfield corners and could always be flipped in another deal for a pitcher. 

Other suitors could possibly be the Diamondbacks, who are starting one of the older staffs in baseball and have a surplus of position players, the Dodgers, who also have more prospects than you can shake a stick at, the Mets, who would be willing to offer Milledge and may be more inclined to move a pitching prospect now that it looks like John Maine is the real deal, and the Yankees, who need explosive pitching and have some pitching prospects to be able to move, though they do lack any significant prospect goodness as far as position players, plus maybe…MAYBE…the Boston Red Sox, who have some talent and may want a better option as the fourth man in the rotation than Tim Wakefield, who would slide over to the fifth starters role and kick Julian Tavarez to the bullpen.  The Rockies are another possible suitor, as they have some prospects that are roadblocked, much like Ryan Shealy was last season, and may want a better option in the rotation than the mighty Josh Fogg.  Kenny Williams loves to buy players low and he could be interested, as adding Harden would allow Williams to send John Danks back to Triple A, where it’s clear he needs more time, though because of the lack of position players in the White Sox system, I don’t know if there would be enough here to make a deal. 

Actually, yes, there is one way.  Get the Angels involved.  The Angels have some prospects, particularly position players, and Kenny Williams has made it clear that he covets Angels’ utilityman Chone Figgins.  A trade could possibly be made to send Harden and Figgins to the White Sox, prospects to the Athletics, and Joe Crede, a player Arte Moreno has coveted and will be sure to make a bid for once he hits free agency, to the Angels. 

The possibilities are endless, but only if the Athletics are willing to dicker.  We’ll see what happens in the coming months.  If Harden is pitching healthy and effectively, July 31st figures to be a lot more interesting.

What’s The Wisdom In Playing Bad Contracts?

The Cincinnati Reds appear to be on the verge of something neat with their team, as for the first time in a long time, there appears to be a steady nucleus of young talent to build around and the farm system appears poised to produce it’s first crop of adequate major leaguers in years.  GM Wayne Krivsky has made some brilliant moves, acquiring OF Josh Hamilton (Rule V Draft), Brandon Philips and Bronson Arroyo (Trade) as well as building up the bullpen with some adequate to decent regulars.

There’s just one thing that’s keeping the Reds from taking the next step to success,

Eric Milton.

No, not his performance.

His taking up of a roster spot.

For some reason or another, the Reds are fanatically dedicated to the idea that if they grant

Milton enough starts, he may suddenly provide a return on their investment and become an adequate starter.

That’s not happening and you know it.  Milton’s had two years to do so and all he’s doing is costing the Reds wins, a roster spot, and bullpen fatique every time his turn to pitch comes up.  The Reds are in fact far more productive when he’s on the DL, because then they don’t have to worry about Milton giving up wins.

In fact, they need to do what another team did last year when they realized that they had an expensive pitcher that would cost far more if he remained on the team than if he was just cut immediately.

The Arizona Diamondbacks then cut Ramon Ortiz, realizing that Ortiz did far more damage with the team than he would if he were off of it.

The truth is, the money is already spent, budgeted and taken into account as far as the luxury tax is concerned.  Milton costs the Reds the same amount tomorrow if he were off the roster than he does on the roster today.  The only difference is that now he’s costing the Reds wins in the standings.

The Reds need to hurry up and cut their losses by cutting Milton and sliding Kirk Saarloos into the rotation.  As a fifth starter, Saarloos would provide some good inningfs and, best off, gives the Reds more of a chance to win than Milton does.  And best off, like Milton, Saarloos is already budgeted on the payroll, making it all the better to use him.

Trust me.  Milton won’t be coming back to haunt the Reds anytime soon.

If ever.

Tigers Covet Saltalamacchia?

The Tigers, according to the Detroit News, have been looking for a catching prospect for at least a year now and have inquired about Braves' prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who at this time is unavailable. 

Salty is a solid catcher that looks like he's going to be a reasonably good catcher that can hit for average and some power, similar to Brian McCann.  However, McCann has a firm grip on the job in Atlanta and, unless Salty is moved to the outfield or first base, he's roadblocked.

The Tigers have some quality pitching to spare.  Chad Durbin isn't attractive enough for a dela and it's likely that Jeremy Bonderman, Justin Verlander, and Kenny Rogers aren't going anywhere.  So maybe a deal involving Nate Robertson or Mike Maroth could be involved, possibly even Zach Miner.  Of that trio, Robertson is the most attractive of the bunch, as he's got great stuff and innings eater capability.  He would look great as the Number Three behind John Smoltz and Tim Hudson.

Calling Out Joe Torre’s Lack Of Bullpen Management

The onus of the implosion of the Yankees' pitching and bullpen staff belongs on one man:  Joe Torre.

Torre has had a good run in New York, but he's had two common trait that's been a part of his managing style.

• He doesn't like to let a starter struggle
• He always loses confidence in relievers and has a select group of trusted arms he overworks.

This has been a trait that's gone as far back as during the championship run, where Torre would pull struggling starters and work the bullpen early. 

During the championship years, you saw a massive amount of work done by a select group of relievers, Mike Stanton, Paul Quantrill, Ramiro Mendoza, and Mariano Rivera.

In subsequent years, we've seen other relievers such as Steve Karsay, Tanyon Sturtze and Tom Gordon all fall victim to Torre's butchery.  And now the same thing is happening to Scott Proctor and Luis Vizcainio, two arms that are being overused because Torre is afraid of using Kyle Farnsworth or some other reliever.

Realistically, how long can Torre do this before Proctor or Lizcainio's arms explode?  How long can Torre keep using Andy Pettitte on his throw day.

Torre's not only got to use all of his tools around him, and not just his favorites, but he also needs to know that sometimes, in a blowout loss or a game that's going south, you might as well keep using a starter and have him go the full seven or eight innings, just to give the pen a break. 

Maybe Torre doesn't see it that way.  Maybe he feels that as manager of the Yankees, it's important to win every game, no matter what.

Maybe that used to work.

But it sure doesn't any more.

2006 Free Agency – Catcher

Overall, this class has some distinguished names in here.  Unfortunately, most of these catchers are going to be on the downside of their careers and most don’t figure to be starters in two years.  More or less, if you need a catcher, you had better have a prospect you are hoping to groom into a starter within that time frame.

• Jorge Posada (Yankees) – [$12 million club option is declined.]  I do expect Posada to hit the market, but he’s probably going to re-sing with the Yankees, as there really aren’t many young catchers out there, nor any that make any sense as far as front of the line starters.  Posada may have one more year left in his bat, but after that all bets are off.  Even worse, New York has no prospect even close of stepping up to contribute, which makes Posada returning all the more important.
• Michael Barrett (Cubs) – The youngest of these backstops, Barrett is in line for a nice pay raise, be it from the Cubs or from someone else.  How much would it take to keep him around?  I don't know, possibly about $12 to $13 million a year for the next three years wouldn't be unreasonable.  Barrett brings a solid bat as well as a solid glove to any lineup and manages a pitching squad as well as he can.  He should be the most highly coveted of anyone on the list. 
• Ivan Rodriguez (Tigers) – [$13 million club option is declined.]  Pudge’s option is actually very reasonable and his defense is still top notch at his age. The real question is how well will his bat transition as he gets older and his body takes more abuse from catching.  I do believe the Tigers will exercise his option, as I believe there is strong interest in the Rangers organization to bring back Pudge to finish his career with his original team, though such a role will likely be in a DH/Backup Catcher capacity.
• Paul Lo Duca (Mets) – LoDuca is another catcher nearing his decline phase and, judging from a few sabermatic services (free and paid for), LoDuca doesn't figure to age well.  Still, a one year dela could make it tolerable to keep him around.
• Jason Kendall (Athletics) – Kendall is another short term option that should figure to age well.  Kendall has been fairly productive for the A's and wants to stay, but they've got Kurt Suzuki waiting in the wings that's a Kendall clone of sorts and will likely give him a shot as soon as next season.

That's all for now!  See you guys next Tuesday.

Let’s see where the hat goes today…

Oh, these guys.

New York Yankees

The Yankees again won their division and again were knocked out of the playoffs.  But instead of splurging on expensive free agents like Barry Zito and others, the Yankees instead showed restrain, dealing Randy Johnson and Gary Sheffield for prospects that are able to contribute soon.  Though they did spend on some nice things (Kei Igawa and Andy Pettitte), this Yankee team seems to be determined to depend more on the youth in the system instead of players from former competitors that would cost a pretty penny to acquire.  Whether or not this will mean a return to the World Series remains to be seen.

Starting Rotation

1. Chien Ming Wang (RHP) – Wang emerged as the Yankees’ ace last season and not only put up a Cy Young caliber season, but he was also very durable and was dominant in the post-season.  Wang will head up the Yankees’ staff this season, but I’m not sold on him staying durable for the entire season.  Expect a missed start or two, but expect a good season from him as well.
2. Mike Mussina (RHP) – Moose returns on a bargain basement contract to help bolster the Yankees rotation and finally win himself a ring.  Moose still can eat up innings and will keep his team in games, but his stuff is starting to decline a bit.  However, his control is still superb, helping to counterbalance the loss in raw power.  Moose should be good to go, but again, as with Wang and new rotation mate Pettitte, Mussina will likely miss a start or two.
3. Andy Pettitte (LHP) – Pettitte returns to New York (he should have never left, but take that issue up with Steinbrenner) after three years in Houston.  Pettitte isn’t the same pitcher he was with the Yankees during the Dynasty, but he’s still very good and will be a solid middle of the rotation presence for New York.  The problem is that Pettitte is beginning to experience some durability issues, making it almost certain he’ll miss a start or two this year.
4. Carl Pavano (RHP) – Depending on Pavano this high in the rotation is a stretch, with the problems that he’s had, plus the fact he hasn’t pitched in over a year at the major league level.  For all I know, he could be a comeback player of the year candidate.  But the odds are a lot higher that Pavano should go back to the National League, in which case the Rockies figure to come calling, a deal that could work out well for New York, as the Rockies have some positional players that the Yankees would need to help replace some of their own soon.
5. Kei Igawa (LHP) – Igawa is the other major Japanese import that got a lot of attention this past season.  Igawa isn't the stud that Matsuzaka is; in fact, there's doubt that Igawa will be anything more than a competent setup man or middle reliever.  But the Igawa did lead his league in strikeouts and posted an ERA in the mid 3 region or so.For now, Igawa is going to be in the rotation as the number five starter.

Bullpen

• Mariano Rivera (Closer) – Rivera enters what could be his final season as a Yankee, as concerns about his age and durability are starting to come into the conversation, despite another season in which he could have been considered for a Cy Young Award.  Rivera should again be solid, provided he’s not abused by Joe Torre after he loses confidence in yet another reliever.
• Kyle Farnsworth (Setup Man) – Farnsworth was less than satisfactory as a setup man, and definitely didn’t provide the security the Yankees hoped for in case Rivera went down.  
• Scott Proctor (RHP) – Proctor was a solid reliever, but he’s absolutely abused by Joe Torre last season, leading relievers in innings logged.  He’s going to have some setback this year as the fatigue from last year comes back to bite him, but that’s not a reason to give up on him.  He’s going to have a bright future, possibly as Rivera’s heir (unless they make the incredibly stupid decision to go after Frankie Rodriguez when he hits the market.)
• Mike Myers (LHP) – The bullpen’s lone lefty is really only a one out guy.  That’s bad.
• Darrell Rasner (RHP) – Ranser was pretty good in some starts, but was also very good in relief.  The Yankees hope that this former Nationals farmhand will eventually be a fifth starter/swingman.  Stuffwise, Rasner gets decent movement on his 90-mph fastball and showed an improved curve last season. 
• Luis Vizcaino (RHP) – Vizcaino joins his fourth team in four seasons, as Arizona acquired him in the December 2005 deal that sent Javier Vazquez to the White Sox.  Vizcaino is a power pitcher who can struggle with his command at times and could help bolster the setup corps.
• Brian Bruney (RHP) – Bruney was obtained off of the Diamondback’s scrap heap and was dominant in 19 games last season.  I like him to make the squad, as I think that he could be a great setup man in the future.

Starting Lineup

1. Johnny Damon (CF) – Damon was a solid presence in the Yankee lineup last season, hitting well at leadoff while showing some power at the top as well.  Damon was also solid at centerfield last season, vastly improving the outfield defense that had been declining for several years as Bernie Williams began to decline.  Damon should be solid, but his terrible September bears some notice, be it from the toll that his style of play takes on him or from nagging injuries.  Hence, it’s best that the Yankees be careful with him, as he’s not getting any younger.
2. Derek Jeter (SS) – Jeter had a solid season last season, staying in contention for a batting title as well as an MVP award for most of the season until a pair of Twins made off with both.  Jeter would have sacrificed them both for a chance to go to another World Series, which didn’t happen.  Jeter should again be solid at the second spot, and his defense will again be Golden (pun intended), but the A-Rod situation bears watching, as I firmly believe that Jeter should have spoke up last season to defend his teammate, as he did with Chuck Knoblauch and Jason Giambi.  There comes a certain point in time where you have to put some animosities behind you and do what you have to in order to help the team.  That’s what comes with being a Captain.  And that’s precisely what Jeter failed to do.
3. Alex Rodriguez (3B) – In Rodriguez’s defense, he had a solid year last year, hitting. 290 with 35 Homers and 121 RBI’s.  However, his defense slipped last season, whether it was due to psychological issues or something else and he’s got to strongly work to get himself back to where he was on defense.  He’s still a capable offensive player and is in his prime, but Yankee fans are hard on Rodriguez, largely because they view him as a mercenary type player and not a “True Yankee” (whatever the #### that means.)  A lot of Rodriguez’s flak he causes himself (life coach, his OCD like desire to keep a squeaky clean image), but some of it could have been diffused by Jeter, which wasn’t.  Regardless of all that, Rodriguez will be under a bigger microscope this season because of his agent, who put in an Opt Out Clause that would allow him to opt out of his contract after the 2007 season (which I fully would have expected him to exercise had he remained in Texas.)  We’ll see what happens…
4. Jason Giambi (DH) – This is one contract New York would want back.  When signed, it was hoped that Giambi would be able to provide the offensive firepower to replace Tino Martinez at first.  Five years, one return of Martinez, a stomach parasite and a mysterious apology later, Giambi is now a DH, as his defense has regressed from “bad” to “horrific.”   A .253 hitter in 139 games for New York last year, Giambi is also starting to wear down and hasn’t played a full season in years.  Though the Yankees hope he’ll become their version of David Ortiz, it’s likely that Giambi will play 120 to 130 games, the other 32 games being interleague or games where Matsui or Abreu are in the lineup to allow Melky Cabrera to play. 
5. Hideki Matsui (LF) – Matsui may actually be better suited in right, as his arm isn’t the strongest, but this is where he’s listed and where he’s likely to remain.  Matsui was limited to 51 games after a fluke wrist injury, but he came back and hit well.  He’s not a guy who has a ton of power, but another 20 homer season with over 100 RBI’s in the lineup isn’t unreasonable to expect from him. 
6. Bobby Abreu (RF) – A classic throwback to the Yankees of the 90’s, Abreu works the count, takes walks, hits for contact and some power and plays a good right field, plus has some speed on the baselines.  In Philly, Abreu was depended on to be a run producer.  Here, Abreu is allowed to do his thing.  The best part is, the Yankees got him for pocket change.  He’s a steal and another solid bat in the linep.
7. Jorge Posada (C) – Posada had a solid year least year, putting up his best numbers since 2003.  Posada is still a solid defensive catcher, but at his age, the Yankees need to start searching for his successor, as he’s going to start declining seriously after this year.  As far as his long term future is concerned, Posada could switch to backup catcher/DH, but the DH spot filled by Giambi, meaning that the Yankees are going to have to make a hard decision as soon as the year is up.
8. Robinson Cano (2B) – How often do you find a guy hitting 8th in the lineup contending for a batting title?  Only in New York.  Cano has become a solid young player, playing a solid second base while looking like a player that will hit over .300 for his career.  Cano also has some thunder in his bat, plus can steal a few.  He should be hitting toward the top of the order.  But in this lineup, he adds some much dreaded depth.
9. Doug Mientkiewicz (1B) – Minky was brought aboard to play first mostly on his defensive skills.  While the decision remains questionable, as Mientkiewicz has regressed a bit defensively over the years, the question remains whether or not he’ll hit and be no better than the pitcher at the 9th spot.  Plus there’s the injury factor to take into consideration as well.  We’ll see how this works out.

Bench

• Melky Cabrera (OF) – Cabrera was a revelation last season, stepping in after Gary Sheffield, then Matsui went down, and provided a spark of life not seen in the Yankees in some time.  Cabrera doesn’t hit for a ton of power, but he’s got some solid hitting ability and is good in the field.  The Yankees will keep him with the big club because he can play all three outfield positions, but long term, he’s going to be a regular in one of the corners.
• Miguel Cairo (UTIL) – Cairo can’t hit worth a damn, but his main value is that he’s so versatile.  Cairo can play second base, shortstop and third base well, while is a passable defender at first and in the outfield. 
• Josh Phelps (1B) – Will likely make the team, or New York wouldn’t have spent the money on him during the Rule V Draft.  Phelps has the potential to hit for some power and can play a decent first base.  He’s at the very least a better option over perennial underachiever Andy Phillips.
• Wil Nieves (C) – The favorite to win the backup catcher job, Nieves is a powerless hitter that can hit for average while performing well above average behind the bag.  But he’s not an heir to Posada by any means.

Down On The Farm…

The Yankees have managed to acquire quite a bit of talent in recent years, mostly due to their spending big on talents that have fallen in the draft due to signability, plus some good scouting on the international market.  The recent trades have also bolstered their pool of talent, which is now regarded to be some of the best in the majors.  However, there’s a problem; most of the talent is pitching.  Outside of Jose Tabata, who is years from contributing to the big club, there are almost no hitters.

• Philip Hughes (RHP) – Hughes is the best pitching prospect in the game.  He’s not only got size, but he’s got the mound presence to go with it.  His stuff is ace quality, starting with a mid 90’s fastball with good movement and a hard curveball that is major league ready.  He’s got a decent changeup and his mechanics are almost flawless.  He hasn’t proven that he can handle a major league workload yet, as the Yankees have been careful with him, but Hughes was dominant last year, enough that all of baseball has now taken notice of him.  Though the Yankees want Hughes to spend at least one more year at Triple A, a dominant Spring Training could make one of the starters expendable.  And even then, he’ll be in the Stadium by September.
• Chris Britton (RHP) – Obtained for Jaret Wright from the Orioles, Britton will likely become a part of the Yankees’ future bullpen.  Britton has a low 90’s fastball and a nice, tight curve and throws for strikes.  The only problem is that he’s been injury prone in his career and is a big man, if you know what I mean.  Still, he’s got a future with the Yankees as they try to get young and save up their pennies for some of the bigger free agents coming down the road (cough *Johan Santana* cough.)
• Sean Henn (LHP) – Henn isn’t looked at as a starter anymore, but he could be a solid lefty reliever and could displace Mike Myers if Henn is able to strikeout righties as well as lefties.
• Russ Ohlendorf (RHP) – Obtained from the Diamondbacks in the Randy Johnson Trade, Ohlendorf went 10-8, 3.29 with a 125 K’s and 29 walks in 27 starts at Double A Tennessee. He’s got great size and his stuff isn’t bad.  He throws a hard 89-94 mph sinker, a solid changeup and a decent slider.  Lefties murder him, and because of his slider, he may be better off in the pen.
• Stephen Jackson (RHP) – Another good sized right hander that has some solid stuff.  However, unlike Ohlendorf, who can at least entertain notions of being a starter, Jackson’s future is definitely in the pen, as he’s got four pitches, but only two, a sinker and a slider, are major league worthy.
• Eric Duncan (1B) – Duncan was a first round pick that New York may have ruined due to their aggressive promotion of him last year.  Duncan should have remained in Trenton instead of being sent to Columbus last year and getting demoted and the prospect that returned to Double A was shell-shocked enough that he needed time to recover from the experience.  Duncan is still young and the power potential is still there, but it’s beginning to look like he may be a bust.  Duncan will remain in Triple A, but a solid season could earn him a call up, be it as a regular or as a possible trade piece.
• Humberto Sanchez (RHP) – A big pitcher, Sanchez was the jewel of the trade that sent Sheffield to Detroit.  Sanchez has good arm strength and his stuff is great.  His fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97-98, and his slider gives him a second plus pitch.  However, Sanchez has some durability issues, as he’s never thrown more than 123 innings in a season due to various injuries and conditioning issues.  Sanchez will be a Triple A, but could get a look as the season progresses.
• J. Brent Cox (RHP) – Another possible heir to Rivera, Cox is a polished college reliever who dominated Double A as a closer.  Cox induces groundballs thanks to his 88-92 mph sinker and hard-tilting slider, and he’s got a quick delivery as well.  However, many feel that Cox lacks pure dominating stuff and he may be better off as a setup man.

In Conclusion…

The Yankees have enough talent to win the division.  Whether or not the talent is enough to advance to the next round is a difference story…

Final Standing:  First In The American League East.

The Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees both have problems.

For the Bravos, they just lost Mike Hampton for a month, maybe more.

For the Yankees, they've got no catcher.

Yes, I know, Jorge Posada is still on the roster.

But how much longer do you think he'll be effective.  He's in his late thirties and he's clearly entering the decline stage of his career.

Worse, the Yankees have no heir apparent ready.

The Braves, on the other hand, have Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a stud catching prospect, roadblocked in the minors.  There is some doubt whether he'll remain at the position, but he can hack it in the majors for a few years until the Yankees can draft or trade for someone else.

Plus, the Braves had someone watching Pavano's last start in Spring Training.

Here's what I would do.  I would offer the Braves Pavano, with a good deal of his contract paid for, something the Yankees can swing, in exchange for Saltalamacchia, who I would groom in the minors for this year.

In the meantime, I would stick with Posada in the majors this year and possibly next year, with Saltalamacchia entering the majors next year as a part timer, where he would be groomed into the successor for the Yankees.

It could happen if the Yankees and Braves are willing to pull the trigger.

Plus, it's not like Phil Hughes can't provide Pavano-like production for this year.

Just a thought.  The next team preview will be up shortly.

Friday Morning Closer

Having problems with the internet, so the post is later than usual.  So, here’s my five-pitch outing for the day:

It’s Going To Be COLD in Minnesota

Minnesota lawmakers gave final approval Sunday to a financing plan for an open-air stadium for the Twins. The new $522 million ballpark, paid for mostly by taxpayers, is scheduled to open in 2010.  While I’m glad that the Twins have a new ballpark (hopefully they’ll actually spend some money to keep guys), it’s going to be pretty cold there once fall sets in.  I also wonder if it’s going to be a pitcher’s park or a hitter’s park too.

Jesus!!!!

This should be in the Rangers Report, but I’ve got to comment on this.

After Kevin Millwood got destroyed, Texas made an incredible comeback to win 8-7 over the Oakland A’s.  The Bullpen was great, shutting down the Oakland offense after Millwood was pulled.  And the Texas offense finally came alive, with Ian Kinsler picking up where he left off, Rod Barajas having a Grand Slam, and, of course, Phil Nevin’s monster homer off of Huston Street, who has dominated Texas since he became the closer. 

On the news of that, I’m hoping that the Rangers can actually keep Nevin beyond this year as the regular DH. 

God The Royals Suck!

The Royals had an 8-5 lead going into the eighth, with the likelihood of them snapping their losing streak becoming almost a given.  Leave it to the Royals, then, to #### defeat from the jaws of victory.

Ivan Rodriguez (Former Ranger!) came into the game, and drove in five of the runs that destroyed the Royals.

Jim Rome must be giddy.

El Duque Returns To The Big Apple

The Mets traded Jorge Julio, who actually was lights out in May, to the DBacks for Orlando Hernandez.  At the moment, this is the best they can do as far as a trade, as none of the big name pitchers are going to be available until perhaps the trading deadline.  Anyhow, El Duque should be okay as the fifth starter, just don’t expect any lights out performances.  Hernandez is 41 (yes, he is.  Look up Orlando Hernandez Divorce Papers on Google and you’ll find out) and was knocked around quite a bit last season.  He should be better than Jose Lima, to say the least.

More New York Trouble

If Jorge Posada's torn hamstring develops into a long-term problem, the Yankees will finally have to deal for a catcher.  The problem is, there isn’t much to deal with, unless the Yankees deal one of their productive players.  Gary Sheffield has some trade value as a DH, he’s their only moveable player as most of the other players are either signed up for ridiculous contracts that no one will take or are younger players that the Yankees will not let go no matter what.

As for the trade value, options available are Javy Lopez, Greg Zaun, and Toby Hall, but neither will be sent to a division rival.  Jose Molina may be available, but he’s offensively challenged.  Rod Barajas may be available, but Texas would insist on pitching, specifically Philip Hughes or Chein-Ming Wang, which is not going to happen.