Trade Market Updates

Jayson Stark has two interesting tidbits that could be important to the Yankees. First, the Reds have reportedly taken Bronson Arroyo off the market. Arroyo has been stellar as of late, winning his last 5 starts and upping his record to a respectable 9-7. Last week, I expressed my support for an Arroyo trade instead of a Washburn trade, however, that ship has now sailed and the Yankees have lost some leverage in their game of chicken with the Mariners. Arroyo was often cited as one of their main targets, along with Washburn, and now it appears as though he is their lone trade option. More on that later.

Stark also has another interesting trade bit up, as he reports that the Red Sox are looking at Miguel Tejada to fill their SS void. Tejada (Astros) has been struggling offensively and he isn’t much to look at defensively, but the Red Sox signed Julio Lugo for offense, not defense, so they’ll take whatever production Tejada can offer. Tejada hits well against the Yankees and could make the Sox lineup a lot deeper. IF they do acquire him or if the talks simply heat up between the two ball clubs, then the Yankees may feel some pressure to get something done for another starting pitcher. Of course, the Sox are feeling pressure to respond to the Nady-Marte move so there’s a lot going on in the AL East.

No Worries…

The Yanks missed another opportunity tonight and couldn’t handle Jeremy Guthrie, but luckily for them, the Red Sox and Rays both lost. So, while we didn’t gain any ground in the AL East, we didn’t lose any either. The Rays face Roy Halladay tomorrow (have fun!) and the Sox will go against Jon Garland (who they’ll likely shell). The Yankees will have to man up against the very raw Daniel Cabrera.

UPDATE (11:25) — My mistake, the Red Sox will face John Lackey tomorrow (@ Boston), which is obviously a tough assignment (although Lackey does have lackluster numbers against Boston and at Fenway and he’s reportedly going through a dead-arm phase). Rays face Halladay, Sox face Lackey, Yanks face Cabrera. That’s a must win right there for the Yankees.

Yanks Getting Oriole’d

While the club is getting beat down by Jeremy Guthrie and the rest of the Orioles, here’s a quick update on a few relevant matters. First, there’s no new news on the Washburn front. Basically, the Mariners are waiting for the Yankees to fold while the Yankees are waiting for the Mariners to fold. The Mariners believe that all the pressure is on the Yankees but I feel as though Brian Cashman would be content giving Ian Kennedy and maybe even Phil Hughes another chance (Hughes and Carl Pavano will pitch for Class-A Charleston tomorrow).

Also, even though the Yankees have acquired Xavier Nady, Hideki Matsui is fighting to come back. He took some swings off a tee today and seemed optimistic about a return, stating that he thinks he could come back within a week or two if there are no setbacks. Matsui’s knee has been very touchy though, so I’m not expecting much of a return. However, if he does, somehow, manage to return with Xavier Nady in the lineup, it’ll be interesting to see how Girardi juggles the two.

Finally, Jeff Karstens, who was traded to the Pirates for Nady and Marte, will join the Pirates starting rotation (probably Friday or Saturday). Karstens could have a decent career as a starter in the NL and we, of course, wish him the best.

Posada Done

Jorge Posada will have season ending surgery now that Xavier Nady has been acquired. It’s a good call for Jorge and a very good call for the NY Yankees.

Donnie’s Return

The Daily News has a nice read out on Don Mattingly and his return to the LA Dodgers (as their hitting coach). Our old friend has had a tough year, so it’s nice to see that he’s back to baseball, and that he doesn’t regret losing out to Joe Girardi for the Yankees’ managerial job (he actually considers it a blessing).

Mariners Waiting For Hank

The Mariners are a strange organization. According to Newsday, Seattle is hoping that Hank Steinbrenner will step in and demand that Brian Cashman acquire Jarrod Washburn, even if that means parting with a Melky Cabrera or a Brett Gardner. Hank huffed and puffed and didn’t even demand that Cashman acquire Johan Santana via trade, so what makes them think he’ll have any pull here? Remember, Hal Steinbrenner, Hank’s other half, has been the guy who seriously considers the financial ramifications of any deals. What do you think he would say about trading a top prospect (or Melky) along with the eating all of Washburn’s salary? I don’t think he’d be pleased with that concept. Enough is enough. I think the Yanks should take a longer look at Bronson Arroyo. We don’t have to do the Mariners any favors.

Washburn Watch

Just a quick Washburn update before I hit the hay. The Yankees aren’t “desperate” for Jarrod Washburn, notes an inside source for George King III (NY Post). Joel Sherman likens the deal to the Abreu trade from a few years ago. In that trade, the Phillies were looking to dump salary and initially asked for Phil Hughes in the deal, taking a stance similar to Seattle. However, Philadelphia quickly rebuffed as the deadline approached and gave up on Hughes while even tossing in Corey Lidle to help bolster the Yankees’ rotation. Sherman believes that a deal will be made by the deadline and it’s only a matter of time before the Mariners give in.

Also, on a totally random note, the Sherman article disses Sidney Ponson a good amount, but is inaccurate in its information.

For now, the Yanks are portraying themselves as not starter-hungry. Their starters, after all, worked at least five innings in 17 straight games before Sidney Ponson navigated just four last night. Ponson surrendered 10 hits and seven runs, and did not get a single swing and miss in 77 pitches as the Red Sox rolled 9-2 to break the Yanks’ eight-game winning streak.

Actually, Jason Varitek, the AS catcher (yes, you can laugh), struck out once against Sir Sidney. He was, in fact, the only Red Sox player to go down via the strike out in last night’s game.

Missed Opportunity

The Yankees missed a chance to tie the Red Sox in the standings and gain a game on the Rays, but this loss was still very significant for New York. While you can’t be too negative when you’re team has gone 8-in-1, you can certainly look at Sir Sidney and his spot in our rotation as an obvious flaw. The Yankees have been able to back the terrible Ponson with a bevy of run support, but today, when up against a tough lefty (Jon Lester, who idolizes another tough lefty), Ponson’s performance was seen for what it was–an absolute dud. It was a clunker if I’ve ever seen one and it couldn’t be masked through a win. Of course, the Yankees will work to address this problem, as it was only a matter of time before he imploded and this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

Many may think that the Yankees will now be forced to make a trade with the Mariners for Jarrod Washburn. Unlike Ponson, Washburn pitched a gem today against Toronto (8 IP, 2 K’s, 1 ER, 2 BB). It was probably the worst case scenario for the Yankees, since it would have been better for Brian Cashman if Sidney Ponson had pitched well and if Washburn had pitched poorly. Maybe it could have lowered his value, just a tad, causing the Mariners to think that he was regressing. Either way, this won’t force Cashman’s hand at all. He’s smart and he won’t go crying to Seattle after Ponson’s start. He’ll simply talk up his other options (e.g. Kennedy, Arroyo, Padilla, Bannister, Aceves, Hughes, Pavano, Mighty Mouse, etc.) and hold steady on his stance with Seattle. The Mariners don’t have other suitors for Washburn (maybe the White Sox?) and by the time the deadline rolls around, later this week, they’ll probably be ready to deal Washburn as a salary dump.

At the end of the day, the Yankees have internal and external options (an assortment of them) to replace Ponson or Rasner. They’ll try to work with one unknown for a while longer (Rasner) and will try to fix their Ponsonian rotation slot now in order to stabilize things a bit. When Hughes or Kennedy are ready, they can then take Rasner’s spot down the stretch.