Kepner’s Q & A With Jackson

Melky Cabrera, watch out.

Tyler Kepner caught up with Austin Jackson while interviewing Mark Melancon a few days ago and sat down with Jackson for an abbreviated Q & A session. Jackson, a top prospect for the Yanks, tells Kepner that he’s becoming a better, smarter ballplayer while getting his work in at the minor league level (he has some great numbers so far this season).

This kid has a bright future ahead of him.

Hank Backing Cashman

From Ken Davidoff:

“I appreciate the fact that is on board with everything we’re doing, 110 percent, to the point where he’s recognized that making the move for Santana would not have been the right move,” Cashman said. “He told me, in hindsight, looking back on that situation and where we’re at right now – with the offense, the way it’s been doing – having another starter here wouldn’t have necessarily made any difference. He would’ve had X amount of losses because we wouldn’t have scored as many runs up to this point as you would’ve expected, either.”

Interesting stuff (click here to read the rest). The text seems to indicate that Cashman and the Steinbrenners will ultimately remain a functional unit after the season is over (e.g. extension granted). Cashman is pretty vocal about his feelings for the club and doesn’t appear willing to throw in the towel just yet.

Trade Necessary?

From Joel Sherman:

The Yankees are trapped between objectives. They are the $200 million-plus team that is playing or tomorrow. They are doing on-the-job training — and restraining — of young pitchers while targeting World Series victory No. 27 in 2008.

It is at these cross purposes that the Yanks move toward the trade season. To win now, they must address their (plural) weaknesses.

Though not obtaining Johan Santana continues to hover over the organization, the Yanks do not view the rotation as a major priority. Sure, they would love to add an ace. But the best starters that could be available — Cleveland’s C.C. Sabathia, Milwaukee’s Ben Sheets and Toronto’s A.J. Burnett — are in their walk years. The Yanks will not give up big prospects for a rental (nor should they), and the health risks on all three are too great to do a trade-and-sign.

And rather than use assets on a middle-rung type (think Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo or Detroit’s Nate Robertson), the Yanks instead will hope that Mike Mussina and Darrell Rasner keep on keeping on, that Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang get their acts together, that Joba Chamberlain transitions well to the rotation, and that Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy get healthy and straightened out to provide depth.

I see the Yankees needs as: 1) lefty pitching; 2) bench, specifically a righty hitter who can play first base or corner outfield proficiently; 3) a setup man to Mariano Rivera. Let’s delve into these:

Sherman goes on to name some interesting candidates that Brian Cashman could try and deal for, from Matt Holliday to Huston Street. Sherman seems like a big proponent of trading for Garrett Atkins of the Rockies, although he’s not a bench player (the Yanks would have to give up a lot to get him) and with Giambi’s reemergence at first, it seems unlikely that they would pursue Atkins (especially with the DH spot belonging to Matsui). Some of the more realistic options presented in Sherman’s article include Huston Street for a setup man, Ty Wiggington for the bench (depends on how the Astros perform), and either Damaso Marte or Brian Fuentes as lefty relievers or setup men. Sherman outlines a bunch of guys beyond those included here, but the most interesting guy, to me anyway, is Hong-Chih Kuo.

Kuo plays for the Dodgers and he’s been considered a great work-in-progress for a while now, although his control has been suspect over the years. He finally seems to have settled in this year and has really cut down on his walks while keeping his K/9 up there (this guy can rack up the K’s and he’s a lefty). However, he has excelled for the Dodgers this season when they’ve needed him, especially in the long-relief role (where he has thrived). Kuo would be a nice pickup for any team, but at the same time, you have to ask yourself how realistic he would be for the Yanks. Either way, nice suggestion by Sherman.