LaTroy is In

The Yankees and LaTroy Hawkins agreed to a one-year deal worth $3.75 million.   I guess they thought they had to move fast so that the Brewers wouldn’t scoop him up.  Hopefully, next year, we won’t end up writing about how bad Brian Cashman is at building a bullpen while LaTroy Hawkins sits on the bench with some sort of injury.

Yankees Close to Signing LaTroy Hawkins

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the deal is for one-year at $3.75 million.  I guess it’s a low cost solution right now.  Hawkins did an okay job at Coors and his walks are respectable.  I guess the Yanks just need some sort of veteran presence in the pen.  Again, at least it’s a one year deal.

What I don’t understand is, doesn’t Hawkins have somewhat of an injury-riddled history?  In Baltimore (2006) he never looked too good primarily because he had a sore groin that he was pitching through the entire year (and he re-aggravated it a bunch of times).  He also had nerve issues in 2005.  Plus, even this season with the Rockies he was placed on the 15-day disabled list with elbow soreness (inflammation).  Strange to see you spend money on a guy like that, although, to the Yankees, almost $4 million is almost toilet paper.

Matsui Faces Reality

From the Daily News:

Hideki Matsui made his first public comments Saturday since the Yankees and Giants began trade talks involving the outfielder, and what Matsui didn’t say might have been as revealing as what he did say.

Matsui, in an interview with Sankei Sports, the Japanese sports daily, surprisingly did not insist that he wanted to remain with the Yankees. Matsui holds a no-trade clause.

“I have not heard anything from the Yankees and my agent,” Matsui told the paper, in remarks translated by one of its reporters. “I cannot comment about any reports or rumors. I am going to think about (whether to waive the no-trade clause) only when the team or my agent calls me.

“All I can do right now is to prepare for the next season. Especially I have to rehab for my right knee during this offseason.”

It’s unclear which team initiated the talks. A Yankee official said the Giants approached them, but there are reports in Japan that the Yankees have shopped Matsui to the Giants and other teams, possibly the Indians and the White Sox.

Matsui is a classy dude and he’s an honorable type of guy (if there is such a thing).  As I’ve said before, he would be one of the more missed components of this lineup, as his production is solid every year despite some streaky play.  Remember the tear he went on during midseason?  That was phenomenal.

Here’s a great analytical defense of Matsui at Canyon of Heroes, as it emphasizes his offensive abilities while discussing some defense and clutch performance.  Matsui, like Jorge Posada, could be one of those guys you don’t really miss until he’s gone.  He does his job almost everyday, works hard to be great and fails to truly wow you.  I’m sure the residual effects of trading Matsui could be felt for a while, lingering on, long after he’s gone.  Everytime you see Giambi, everytime you see him strikeout, everytime you hear Damon talking about a nagging injury, everytime you see Shelley Duncan or Wilson Betemit jogging out to left, you’ll wonder about Matsui and why we traded him.  Check out the other teams interested at the end.  The White Sox and the Indians?  What would the return be on those deals?  How bout some midges from Cleveland?  Oh no?  It’s okay, I’ll just go grab some off Joba’s neck, I think they’re still there.

COH states that if you were to trade Matsui, you need to receive a solid return.  If the Yankees could somehow fleece the Giants out of Lincecum, by all means, go ahead.  We’re sorry if names like Noah Lowry scare us into keeping Matsui for the rest of his career.  You’d need great stuff in exchange for guaranteed production.  Lincecum would be great, but it’s of course unlikely.  However, some people have started saying “why not throw Kennedy into the deal?”  Remember, Lincecum’s delivery can prove to be somewhat “fatal” in the future.  It does have a slight akwardness to it.

However, here is an excellent review of Lincecum and his delivery/mechanics if you’re a fan.  I just got out here at the University of Washington and just missed watching him play in person.  Hell, I should’ve went to Grad School earlier.  With that said, I’d still trade Kennedy and a rehabbing Matsui for the kid.  I know what I’ve said about Matsui and how great he is and how much I like Ian Kennedy, but Lincecum’s talent is undeniable.  He could be a top pitcher in the future.

Also, in other Yankee-related news, Dan Haren is apparently on the rader for the club, although he probably won’t yield a package of Hughes or Kennedy.  Check out George King’s article.  It’s actually very contradicting, as it starts talking about how Hughes or Kennedy won’t be provided in any deal for Haren, but by the end it winds up convincing itself that it could be a possibility, despite Steinbrenner’s (Hanks) previous assertions.

Remember, if the Yanks trade Melky then they’d have to keep Matsui regardless.  But, apparently, the A’s aren’t interested in him, for whatever reason (OBP, SLG, etc, etc.).  Why do so many people hate on Melky?  I love how these teams treat him like he’s the plague when their CF situation isn’t looking any better.  Maybe the A’s will go and get Jeremy Giambi for a few more years and slot him in at CF.  That’d be a fun way to get people back into the ballpark.

Bottle of Plight Worth Some Money

The can of bugspray from the Cleveland-Yankees series was auctioned off for $673 dollars.  Wow, what a waste of money.  I wonder if a Red Sox fan bought it.  He/She will probably douse themselves in it whenever they have a formal occasion.

Sorry for the lack of posts the past few days.  Business has been slow (not much news) and its a busy weekend for me in terms of work.  I’ll be done Monday though, so expect more then.