What’s brewing today in the crazy world of General Managers meetings and attempts to create plausible off season rumors?
Starting us off, Mark Feinsand says that the Yankees chances to get San Diego’s Jake Peavy are getting better and better.
The Yankees could put together a package built around Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson, according to a source, although they would likely have to include two or three more players, one of which could be Ian Kennedy. The Padres, according to the source, have no interest in Robinson Cano. Hughes was the closest thing the Yankees had to untouchable last year during the Johan Santana saga, but after the righthander’s subpar 2008 season, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Yankees would move the 22-year-old.
Inexplicably, Feinsand doesn’t mention that the Yankees would have to give Peavy more years and/or more money to waive his no-trade clause and come here, and that apparently he only added the Angels and Yankees to his list of places that are okay if the Padres could absolutely get nothing done within the National League. I really highly doubt that the Yankees would move both Hughes and Austin Jackson in a deal with Ian Kennedy included especially if you take into account the money that would be involved, so I think this is reaching of the extreme variety.
Both Joel Sherman and Ken Davidoff agree with me, take that as you will I guess. Davidoff addressed the article directly, even.
Speaking of those two, Sherman says that the Brewers and Yankees might make a Cameron-Cabrera swap.
The Yankees New York Yankees have inquired about the availability of Mike Cameron and the Brewers are weighing whether to deal the center fielder.
Brewers officials have been asking around about Melky Cabrera, trying to determine why he struggled in 2008. The Yankees are willing to deal Cabrera and pitching to land Cameron.
Earlier this week the Brewers picked up the $10 million 2009 option on Cameron. Nevertheless, Milwaukee believes its lineup is too right-handed plus it needs pitching. Cabrera’s numbers as a lefty were not great (.267 with a .361 slugging percentage), but were far better than his stats as a righty. The Yanks also have talked to several teams about Wilson Betemit, another switch-hitter like Cabrera who is superior from the left side.
I’m not sure what constitutes “pitching”, Jose Veras? Cameron would be a one year thing for a variety of seasons (including his contract), so I doubt any significant pitching would swap hands for him. Certainly not any starter that has much projectability unless they are going to give up completely on say, Alan Horne.
Trading Betemit wouldn’t bring much in return sadly, but it’s probably the best thing to do right now. The Yankees do need to address their bench, and while he was originally meant to be a big part of it he is clearly not in their plans right now. He hasn’t hit well enough to be a good bat off the bench and his fielding isn’t good enough to keep around as a utility guy. He’ll land somewhere and probably do a decent job. I was pretty high on him going into the season (and so were the Yankees) but so much went wrong with him from needing glasses to careless fielding that he doesn’t have a spot anymore.
There’s also some wild speculation that the Yankees are going to trade Robinson Cano for Matt Holliday. There is no way that is true (though I find it amusing Cano and Hughes are getting traded for every good player ever, either together or separately). Here are the base reasons for that:
- Sure the Yankees will trade Cano for the right deal, but that isn’t one year of Matt Holliday. Holliday is exceptional, for sure, but he is a Boras client and is not coming over with a guarantee of extension.
- The Rockies have a young second baseman they are very invested and high on in Ian Stewart. He was the 10th overall pick in 2003 and held his own when he got at bats this year. An IsoD of 100 is very good if he can keep that up, and honestly makes him more valuable than Cano unless Robbie suddenly decides it’s not against his religion to take a free base.
- Aside from Ian Stewart being at second for them already, the Rockies have made it clear that they want pitching in return for Holliday as they currently only have one starter they can really count on in Aaron Cook. Robinson Cano is not a pitcher.
Lastly for laughs, check out Scott Boras’ book on Oliver Perez. Here are my favorite chapter names: “Perez Is One of Baseball’s Top 5 Left-Handed Starting Pitchers” and “Perez Eats Innings”.
