What Would You Do-ooh-ooh For A Hall-A-Day?

I read yesterday on MLBTradeRumors that per Jon Heyman, the Yankees have contacted the Blue Jays about Roy Halladay. Well duh. I could have written that and had a 99.9% chance of being right. This isn't anything to salivate over or get worked up about. Not yet anyway. The Yankees have to do their due-diligence and at least check in about Halladay's availability, especially now that the new Jays GM has said he'd trade Roy within the division. It wouldn't be good business if the Yankees didn't call and ask about it. I'm sure it was likely a routine call, something I'm sure Cashamn has done several times this offseason with different GMs. Until I hear something more substantial about it, I'm dismissing it as fodder.

I think the Yankees will become major players for Doc. There's no doubt that the Yanks will make competitive offers, if for nothing else, to drive up the price for everyone else. I think it's something they'll actually focus on sooner rather than later, especially if they want to be players for John Lackey. If the Yankees sign Lackey, I don't see them making a run at Halladay. That would be rather costly. But if you're going to make an offer to Lackey, why not go after Halladay, as their respective salaries will likely be in the same ballpark. I guess what the Yankees need to decide is if it's worth giving up players in addition to the salary or just go with the salary. Think of it as acquiring Johan Santana and CC Sabathia. The Mets had to trade top prospects for Santana in addition to paying him $100 million plus. The Yankees waited a year and signed CC as a free agent, thus keeping their prospects. Right now, it would obviously cost more to acquire Halladay as opposed to Lackey since Halladay can only be gotten via trade. You can roll the dice and hope Roy hits the free agent market next year but i think there is zero chance of that happening. Bottom line: if you want Roy Halladay you have to pony up the players.

I personally would love to see the Yankees land Halladay. But I don't want to see them pay through the nose for him. But if they want him I think they're going to have to. This will probably go down pretty much the same way things did when the Yankees were looking at trading for Johan Santana. It's going to cost at least 4 prospects. The Jays will probably ask for both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes. If that's the case I walk away. i am fine with one of them going but not both. The Yanks would be wise to hold onto one of the youngsters. Trading both is a dealbreaker for me. If one has to go I hope it's Joba. I am really high on Hughes and I think he is now, and will always be, a better pitcher than Joba. I'm fine with them dealing either, but not both.

The 2nd piece of the puzzle is going to definitely be Austin Jackson. As high as I am on A-Jax, I'd be OK with him being included in a package. There's no guarantee that Jackson will ever materialize. And I think OFs are much easier to come by than stud starting pitchers.

The 3rd piece of the puzzle would probably have to be Jesus Montero. I'm not a fan of him being included but the Jays would be stupid not to ask for him. He's arguably the Yankees best prospect and he's a catcher. I'd like to see the Yankees find a way to hold onto him but I think it'll be tough to do, especially if they get in a bidding war with another team, namely the Red Sox. Perhaps Cashman can talk the Jays down into taking Austin Romine over Montero. The Yankees are going to be in need of a catcher very soon as Jorge Posada isn't going to be around much longer. The Yanks would be wise to keep the better of the two if at all possible.

The 4th piece, and I'd assume there will be a 4th piece, is probably going to end up being another pitching prospect. Someone like Ian Kennedy, Zach McAllister, or Andrew Brackman. Maybe the Jays would want a guy like Juan Miranda. The Yanks don't have a huge need for him with Mark Teixeira being on the squad.

So barring any creative deals, say where the Yankees take on a guy as a salary dump (Vernon Wells), i think it's going to take at least 4 guys to pry Halladay away from the Jays. I'm fine with that if it's the right 4 guys. I could live with it if the Yankees dealt Joba, Austin Jackson, Austin Romine and any of those pitchers. I could even live with it if they threw in Juan Miranda. I'm not as big of a fan of the deal if it includes Montero but I can probably live with it. There's no guarantee that any prospect will materialize. There is a guarantee that Roy Halladay kicks ass. If the opportunity arises I hope the Yankees go for it.

I'm still undecided on whether or not it's better to deal the guys and pay the contract (for Halladay) then to just pay the contract (Lackey). I prefer Halladay to Lackey but I'm not 100% sure I prefer they deal the prospects and pay the cash for the better pitcher as opposed to just paying the cash for a great but not as good pitcher.

What do you guys think? Do you want to see the Yankees go after Halladay? If so, what can you live with them dealing? What's a dealbreaker? You think they'd be better off signing Lackey as opposed to dealing for Halladay? Lay it on me.

The Hot Stove is heating up. Tomorrow marks the 1st day teams can sign other teams' free agents. Let the games begin.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

So, Who's The Better Player?

The other day I posted the 2009 stats for 2 players asking the question who would you prefer based on their stats. For those who didn't check it out, here were the stats:

Player A: 27 year old RH (7 mos. older than player B)
2009 Plate appearances: 724
AVG: .286
OBP: .330
SLG: .499
2B: 37
3B: 0
HR: 36
Total bases: 340
RBI: 108
R: 103
K: 98
GIDP: 17
Fielding %: .991
Zone rating: 4.842
Career ABs: 2402
Career AVG: .285
Career OBP: .337
Career SLG: .434

Player B: 27 year old LH (7 mos. younger than player B)
2009 Plate appearances: 674
AVG: .320
OBP: .352
SLG: .520
2B: 48
3B: 2
HR: 25
Total bases: 331
RBI: 85
R: 103
K: 63
GIDP: 22
Fielding %: .984
Zone rating: 5.362
Career ABs: 2855
Career AVG: .306
Career OBP: .339
Career SLG: .480

Both play the same position and one is a current Yankee. Ready for the big reveal? Drum roll please.....insert drum roll sound here............

Player A is Toronto's Aaron Hill, winner of the 2009 Silver Slugger award for AL 2B. Player B is the Yankees' Robinson Cano. The comments from the original post all picked player B (Cano) as the guy they preferred. I'm in 100% agreement.

Several months ago, while in Toronto for a Yankees/Jays series, a friend of mine made the comment that the Yankees needed to deal Cano for Aaron Hill. I told him he was on drugs and tried so hard to convince him that Hill over Cano was stupid but I failed. My buddy also wanted the Yanks to deal Joba or Phil Hughes for Ricky Romero, but that's for another day.

I actually wrote about it months ago and was left a comment regarding my choice of Cano over Hill. The comment read, "Cano over Aaron Hill?It is nice that you are able to drink so much and still write such complete posts. Usually when people are that intoxicated they pass out, or vomit, or drunk dial their exes." I stand by that choice. Those that commented also seem to agree. I think the stats back it up.

There is no way that Aaron Hill is a better ballplayer than Robinson Cano. I'd even argue that Cano was more deserving of winning the 2009 Silver Slugger. Hill may have a little more power and his RBI total is a little inflated because of where he hits in the order, but that's really all he has, and the only time he's had it over Robbie was last year. Now that I think about it, I definitely think Robbie got robbed.

Both have played in 5 major league seasons. Cano has hit over 300 3 times, with 1 of the below 300 seasons finishing at .297. Hill has never hit 300, topping out at .291. Hill's OBP has never topped 350. Cano has eclipsed that plateau 3 times. Cano has slugged above .450 4 times while Hill's done it twice. Cano has slugged over 500 twice. Hill never has. Both have identical career fielding percentages. Cano is younger and he's also a lefty. The choice between a lefty and righty in Yankee Stadium is a no-brainer. And despite all of that, I couldn't convince him. And honestly, if you put these guys in neutral parks, I'm still taking Cano.

So am I the one on drugs? Am I intoxicated because I will prefer Cano to Hill? If there's anyone out there who wants to make a case for Hill, I'd love to hear it. Whether it be as who's the better player or who should have won the Silver Slugger. And if you're going to come at me and say I'm drunk and whatnot, back it up with something. Tell me why if you disagree.

If anyone's interested, last year I did a similar comparison on my other blog, Elect Mike Mussina, comparing Mike to a slam-dunk HOfer. For my money, Mike was the clear-cut winner. Give it a look.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Shall We Play A Game?

Earlier this past season, I got into a healthy debate about 2 players with a friend of mine. He preferred the Yankees have one and I preferred the Yankees had the other. I'm curious who you would prefer to have if you solely look at their stats. I don't want to give away their identities until later. All I will say is that they play the same position and one is a current Yankee. I'm sure you can figure out who is who if you tried but no cheating. Just go off of what's below and make the call. I'm curious to know who the majority prefers solely based on what's below.

Player A: 27 year old RH (7 mos. older than player B)
2009 Plate appearances: 724
AVG: .286
OBP: .330
SLG: .499
2B: 37
3B: 0
HR: 36
Total bases: 340
RBI: 108
R: 103
K: 98
GIDP: 17
Fielding %: .991
Zone rating: 4.842
Career ABs: 2402
Career AVG: .285
Career OBP: .337
Career SLG: .434

Player B: 27 year old LH (7 mos. younger than player B)
2009 Plate appearances: 674
AVG: .320
OBP: .352
SLG: .520
2B: 48
3B: 2
HR: 25
Total bases: 331
RBI: 85
R: 103
K: 63
GIDP: 22
Fielding %: .984
Zone rating: 5.362
Career ABs: 2855
Career AVG: .306
Career OBP: .339
Career SLG: .480

If you want any other statistics let me know and I'll be glad to get them for you. I kind of talked about this earlier in the year and someone left me a comment saying I was drunk for preferring my choice. I'll reveal that later.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Curtis Granderson In Pinstripes?? Color Me Intrigued

It's been reported that the Tigers have made it known that Curtis Granderson is on the market. The Yankees of course have interest. When don't they, right?

Bringing Curtis into the fold intrigues me. He's one of the best CFs in the game and can pretty much do it all at the plate. He is one of 4 guys (I think) who have pulled off a 20-20-20-20 season (2B, 3B, HR, and SB). What's not to like about that? He's also relatively cheap if you look at his salary. He's under contract until 2012 with a club option for 2013 Over the next 3 years, he's owed a base total of $23.75 million ($5.5M in 2010, $8.25M in 2011, $10M in 2012). His 2013 team option is for $13M with a $2M buyout. That's a bargain if you ask me.

I think the Yankees will and should explore trading for Curtis. You'd have to assume that The Tigers would want one of the Yankees young SP (Phil or Joba) and probably some other prospects. I don't think the asking price would be too high. Grandy had a down year in 2009, hitting only .249 (23 points below career average of .272) and his OPS was only.780 (about 48 points below his career OPS. Personally, I think Curtis would do well in NY. I wouldn't mind seeing Curtis patrolling the OF with Melky and Swisher. He's definitely an upgrade over Damon. The lower salary wouldn't hurt either. I think if Cash gets the opportunity, he should try to make it happen. At the right price of course. I wouldn't give up Hughes/Joba and Austin Jackson. I don't think I'd give up Jackson at all. I think Joba is expendable and wouldn't be surprised if his name comes up in trade talks. I also wouldn't be surprised if Cashman could wrangle CG away from the Tigers for a group of other prospects. We'll have to see.

Am I the only one out there who'd like to see Granderson in Pinstripes? Right now there's not much to this. It's pure speculation. But it's fun to talk and think about. Just one of the many reasons why I love the Hot Stove.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Silver Slugging It

It shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone that Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira won the Silver Slugger Award for their respective positions in 2009. It's hard to argue that either one was not the best offensive player at their position.

You could probably make a case that Teixeira wasn't the best offensive first baseman, but I wouldn't be on your side. Tex lead the league in HRs (39) and RBI (122). That alone makes picking someone else tough to do. His OPS (.948) was 2nd to only Kevin Youkilis (.961). Had Youk played a full year maybe this discussion would be different, but he didn't, so I wouldn't think anyone would have an issue with Tex winning.

I don't think anyone can make a case for Jeter not winning the award. He led all AL shortstops in average (.334), OBP (.406), hits (212) runs scored (107), and HR (18). His OPS (.879) was 2nd to only Jason Bartlett (.879). Bartlett had a good year, no doubt, but I wouldn't put it up there with Jeter's numbers. Like Youkilis, Bartlett suffered from having missed time in 2009. I think you could have made a case for him winning had he played more. Now that I think about it, Bartlett probably could have won.

Both Jeter and Tex have now each won 2 postseason awards (Gold Glove & Silver Slugger). Both should also be in the running for the AL MVP award, which will be awarded on Monday 11/23. Personally, I don't think either will/should win. I think Joe Mauer has it in the bag. I'd be shocked if Mauer didn't win, but when it comes to the BBWAA, you never know. I'm more interested to see who finishes higher, Jeter or Tex? My money is on Tex, but I can see it going either way. If you're anti-Mauer and want to try and convince me that someone else should win, lay it on me.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Derek Jeter Is A Bum

As a Yankee fan I never thought I'd utter these words: Derek Jeter is a bum.

Before you jump all over me, please read on. DJ is playing a bum in Will Ferrell's upcoming movie titled "The Other Guys." I was listening to MLB on XM and they mentioned it on their morning show. I googled it and found this article, posted today, over at the NY Post. The movie sounds absolutely hilarious. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play cops and Wahlberg's character shoots DJ, who is playing himself, in the leg. The article has pictures of a "down-on-his-luck" Jeter. They're pretty funny. What's funnier is to think that a bazillionaire like Jeter could ever be "down-on-his-luck."

The article doesn't mention when the movie will be released but it's definitely something to keep on the radar.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

To Wang Or Not To Wang

Joel Sherman, has an interesting blurb about Chien-Ming Wang in his Hardball blog today:

But I am getting a strong vibe from Yankee officials that the intention is to non-tender Wang and, perhaps, not even offer him a small base with incentives to return.

I am not sure how many of you guys out there like Joel Sherman. Personally, I'm not a fan. I take everything he says with a grain of salt. I think a lot of the time he "says" stuff just to say stuff. I'm not necessarily buying this but I don't doubt for a second that the Yankees have soured on Wang. But I can't see them not trying to bring him back. I think it's a huge leap to think the Yankees don't think he can get it done anymore. In 2.5 seasons, from 2006-2008, Wang was 46-15 with a 3.74 ERA. He had a horrible 2009 but how much of that can be attributed to the injuries to his foot and to his shoulder? I don't think 42 injury-riddled IP over 12 appearances is enough to go on.

The big question has to do with the health of Chien-Ming's wing. How healthy is it and will he be able to bounce back from the surgery? According to Sherman, Wang got a "very encouraging report" from Dr. James Andrews. The Yankees docs still need to give it a look. If they end up sharing the same opinion as Dr. Andrews, I'm not sure how they pass up on CMW.

You can never have enough starting pitching. I find it difficult to believe that they'd bail on CMW with the current makeup of the starting rotation. Let's face it, Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain can't be relied on to pitch well as a starter. Keeping Wang around can definitely make sure there are enough bullets in the chamber. Of course, it only makes sense at the right price.

The Yankees love the low-risk, high reward contracts. I can't see them offering deals to Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre and not to the Wanger. I'd be surprised if the Yankees don't try to offer him a deal, even if it's for a low guarantee with incentives. I don't know how they could pass on him at the right price.

I like CMW. I've been a big Wang supporter over the years. Personally, I hope the Yankees work something out with him. But I trust Brian Cashman. If he decides not to offer Wang a deal, I'm sure it would be for a pretty good reason. I don't know what that would be though. Every year the Yankees seem to pull these below average pitchers out of the woodwork to fill in for several starts. Sidney Ponson, Mitre, and Gaudin quickly come to mind. I'll take Wang over those guys any day.

I'm filing this blurb from Sherman in the trash. I'm predicting Wang will be back. Thoughts? Anyone?

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

Getting Love For The Glove

The 2009 AL Gold Glove winners were announced today and the Yankees, as expected, had 2 winners. Congrats to Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter on picking up the honors.

For my money, both were no-brainers. Teixeira was just amazing with the glove. Tex ranked 2nd in fielding percentage for all AL 1Bs, .001 points behind Lyle Overbay. Tex also had the 2nd highest zone rating @ 2.907, trailing only Carlos Pena whose rating was 2.922. Pena had a much lower fielding percentage though @ .991. Tex's ZR was much higher than Overbay's (2.627). Is it me or did it seem like Tex was making an outstanding play every game? He definitely saved many a run with his glove. How awesome is it having a stellar glove at 1B? I like Jason Giambi and all but every time a ball was hit to first it was an adventure. Something tells me Tex will this award several more times before all is said and done.

There's been a lot of talk in recent years that Derek Jeter is the worst defensive SS in all of MLB. I think that notion can officially be dismissed. DJ had arguably the best defensive season of his career. He led all AL SS with a .986 fielding percentage. The .986 fielding percentage is a career-high, tying his % from 1998. DJ also typically gets knocked for his lack of range. He led all MLB SS with a 6.480 zone rating. I wanted to look up his ZRs from prior years but I'm lazy and didn't find it right away. I'm sure it's up there. This award, Derek's 4th, was definitely well deserved. Even though people will try, you can't front on that. All you haters can suck it.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

The Hot Stove Starts To Simmer

The November installment of the GM meetings started yesterday and as expected not much went down. The real fun is at the December GM meetings. So if you're expecting some juicy stuff this week, you're going to be let down.

The "big news" yesterday was that both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui filed for free agency. Nobody should be surprised by this. The Yankees have a small window to negotiate with them exclusively before other teams can enter the mix. I believe that window closes on the 19th and I'd be surprised if the Yankees do anything with them before the deadline. There's a lot of question/debate going on as to whether the Yankees should bring back these guys back. A lot of people seem to think that they will sign one of them, but not both. Most people seem to think Damon will be the one returning. I see positives to bringing both back, but I don't see it happening. I think it's possible that neither return.

If you put me on the spot and asked me to pick which one I wanted back, I'd pick Damon over Matsui. I think Johnny can bring more to the table because he can still play the field. I also like him at the top of the order batting behind Jeter. He still has some decent speed and again he can play the field. Right now the Yankees OF is pretty weak with Swisher, Melky and Gardner. Even if you put Austin Jackson in that mix (I don't think they will) it's still weak. Johnny is a viable option. I also think if Matsui isn't on the squad that Damon can get some DH time and that should help him with his leg issues.

I think Matsui has a lot to offer as the guy hitting behind A-Rod but I think his bat can be easily replaced. The Yankees should be able to find a LH power bat for the same kind of money. I'm also not a fan of the full-time DH. But that's just me.

I wouldn't mind seeing both guys return but neither should get more than a 1-2 year deal if they do return. I also wouldn't pay them as much as they were paid in their last contract. I also wouldn't sign either until I explore bringing in other free agents, namely Matt Holiday and Jason Bay, to take their place. Cashman would need to move quickly though because you don't want to wait too long and end up with nothing. I'm sure Cash-Money is looking ahead at who will be available in a few years. It may make more sense to bring Damon back for a year and go after a 2011 free agent than to go after Holliday or Bay. Cash is a smart guy. I'm sure he'll make the right moves. I think we'll see Damon back in Pinstripes before it's all said and done.

You guys have any thoughts? Who do you prefer they sign if given the choice between Matsui and Damon? Do you even want those guys back? The Hot Stove is starting to simmer. Can't wait for it to be roaring. There's no better offseason in sports than baseball's hot stove.

The other Yankees who have filed for free agency include Andy Pettitte, Eric Hinske, Jerry Hairston, Jr., Jose Molina and Xavier Nady. In the next day or two I'll be posting my thoughts on the open roster spots and who I think should fill them. Assuming I can find the time of course.

Peace, love and Pintripes,

J-Boogie

The Season Ends With A Trip Down The Canyon Of Heroes

I just got finished watching the 3 hour parade down the Canyon of Heroes on my DVR. I didn't want it to end because I knew when it did that the 2009 season would officially be over. But as they say, all good things must come to an end. What better way to wrap it up then with a parade honoring our boys as the World Champions of baseball? The New York Yankees are the World Champs. I can never get tired of saying that.

The parade was pretty fun to watch. It looked like it was insanely good time. Man, I would have loved to have been there. Someday maybe. Two of the things on my "bucket list" are to see the Yankees win the World Series live and in person, and to take in one of those parades. Who knows? Maybe that will be next year. If I had listened to my wife I would have been able to knock one of those of the list. When I was debating between getting tickets for game 6 or game 7, she said to with 6. I went with 7. Just goes to show you should always listen to your wife. She occasionally reads the blog so I have to say that.

What was up with A-Rod's hat? For those of you who didn't see the parade, here's a photo:

Nice lid, eh? He was also sporting it at a Knicks game. It's not my cup of tea, mainly because I can't pull it off, but I guess it works for Alex. When it comes to Alex, I really hope all Yankee fans fully embrace him. I wrote this the other day: And though I think this happened long ago, we can now make it official. A-Rod is a 100% true Yankee. Don't even try to tell me he's not. You won't win that argument. Alex had an awesome season when you consider where his season started (steroid use admission) and where his season ended (World Champion). I'm excited because he's a Yankee through 2017. I have a feeling these next 8 years are going to be huge for Alex. Absolutely huge.

I always hate when the season ends. I always liken it to the end of a school year. You spend so much time with a group of people and then it all comes to end. You see a few people occasionally but for the most part everybody goes their separate ways. Months pass and then everybody reconvenes and we do it all over again. The big difference is that everyone is usually happy when school ends. I hate when the baseball season ends. Like most of you, I spend 6-7 nights a week watching the Yankees. Then one day, poof, it's gone. There's always a little period of adjustment to go through after the games end. Thank God for the Hot Stove. I don't know what I'd do without that.

Not sure what the coming days will bring for the blog. I definitely plan on blogging, just not sure about what. I'm planning on doing a few look backs at the 2009 season. There's the postseason awards. I've got a few books to read for the Boogie Down Book Club. I also plan on doing some work on my other blog, Elect Mike Mussina. This blog will remain active though the posts may taper off here and there. Rest assured there will be blogging.

I want to thank everyone for stopping by to check out blog this season. It still boggles my mind that anybody actually takes the time to read it. I sincerely appreciate it. Hopefully you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it. Again, I really do appreciate it. It was a fun season and I thank you all for helping to make it great. I'll be here holding down the fort as the Yankees make a run at #28. I hope you continue to come around. You know where to find me.

Peace, love and Pinstripes,

J-Boogie

photo courtesy of Getty images @ Yahoo.com