Wednesday’s Bits: CC, Posada, Trade Deadline, Aceves

Here’s a quick batch of bits before I head to bed:

• Jon Heyman has an interesting read out. According to Heyman, while it’s no secret that CC Sabathia loves the west coast (he lives there), that doesn’t mean that he’s willing to forgo his payday. A few baseball figures believe that Sabathia will chase the money (probably to the east) instead of following his heart, however noble that may seem. To be honest, if he were to follow his heart he would have stayed in Cleveland. Yes, CC loves the west coast but he’s not going to provide any discounts to the Dodgers or Angels (he didn’t even do that for Cleveland). Heyman also notes that the Yankees are gearing up to woo CC in the offseason (tell us something we don’t know Jon).
• Next up, Jorge Posada needs surgery on his shoulder. He has a torn labrum and a tear in his rotator cuff. That’s some serious stuff and he’ll need at least 6 months of rehab after the surgery is completed, so obviously his season is in jeopardy. Jorge is currently pondering what he should do and what’s best for the team, either rehab or have the surgery. He wants to help the ball club this year but knows that surgery would remove him from the 2008 season. Jorge thinks that if he rehabs for a few weeks, he could possibly return as a DH or a 1B. While I’m impressed by Jorge’s resiliency and his desire to help his team, I think it would be best for him to swallow his pride and have the surgery, now. He has to understand that he has signed a 3-year deal and he needs to be at 100% next year. Also, Posada won’t be able to go on and off the DL every few weeks. It makes no sense at all. Go home, have surgery and get ready for next year. The team will survive without you.
• Moving on, Jon Heyman actually included some interesting tidbits in his article about CC. In that article, he suggest that the Yankees could take a look at Adam Dunn, especially since he’s owed a lot of money and will be a FA after the season. Therefore, the Reds can’t really ask for too much. It’s a similar situation for Jarrod Washburn (except for the FA part), who the Yankees are reportedly interested in because he’s so cheap (a salary dump for Seattle) and would require a package that supposedly includes Kei Igawa (take him, please). However, George King III also says that the Yankees aren’t too impressed with Washburn, so we’ll see how that turns out. Heyman also notes that the Yankees could target Casey Blake of the Indians, who is hitting well with RISP. Regardless of who the Yankees may try to acquire, you can believe that the Yankee brain trust is working hard on bettering the team.
• Maybe the answer isn’t via trade? The Yankees are currently grooming Alfredo Aceves in AAA and he’s been doing a good job. I’ve written about Aceves before and he could be an answer to the Yankees’ pitching problems if Rasner or Ponson implode (likely).
• Finally, may I commend Robinson Cano (who owes a lot to his father) and our stellar bullpen? Both have been phenomenal for the Yankees and will probably continue to impress. What a great feeling for Yankee fans. We’re finally proud of our bullpen and won’t cry or curse when we see one of those BP arms trot to the mound.