Done Deal

The AP sums it up quite nicely:

The Yankees just found out what $209 million can buy: Fourth place.

The Yankees got shutdown by Ryan Feierabend. Feierabend is a nobody, and while that has nothing to do with his talent or stuff, it seems unacceptable that the Yankees could have such a poor outing against him. What’s worse is that they faced Miguel Batista, who is absolutely awful, while being down by 2 and couldn’t get anything going. The team is cooked. If the Red Sox, Rays, White Sox and Twins suddenly start losing every single game from hereon in, then maybe they have a chance (have fun waiting for that). At this point, the Yankees should just call up Phil Hughes (who pitched well today) and maybe even Ian Kennedy (call it a season for Ponson and Aceves). Let those guys pitch and see what they can do in these last few weeks, as the Yankees play out what’s left of a disappointing season.

If you’re looking for a shining light, remember, Mike Mussina is still looking for his first 20-win season, so that’s definitely something to keep an eye on.

What To Do With First

I was perusing posts at WW and read the following:

The last time the Yankees had a need at first – due to an aging former-star leaving the team – they went out and made a trade. You remember that one, right?

On December 7, 1995, New York sent Russ Davis and Sterling Hitchcock to the Seattle Mariners for Jim Mecir, Jeff Nelson, and some guy named Tino Martinez.

I would love to see the Yankees make a move like this again. In his feature, Joel Sherman suggests a Phil Hughes for Joey Votto type deal. I’m not sure, as much as they need pitching, that the Reds would deal Votto. But, there are other young guys that the Yankees could target to play first base for them, next season.

These players include: James Loney of the Dodgers, Adam LaRoche of the Pirates, and Chris Davis of the Rangers. Or, the Yankees could look at some other young players, from other teams, who could be converted to first base. These players include: Kevin Kouzmanoff of the Padres, Corey Hart of the Brewers, and Mark Teahen of the Royals.

From these players mentioned, Chris Davis of the Rangers excites me the most. He’ll only be 23-years old next season. He bats left-handed. He’s good around the bag at first – as he’s a converted third baseman. And, he’s got a great track record of hitting. I know that he’s a local boy for the Rangers – as he was born in Texas. And, when you have a local kid with star potential, those are hard to trade. But, the Rangers need pitching – and pitching prospects.

If I’m the Yankees, I would offer the Rangers Ian Kennedy, Zach McAllister, and Brian Bruney in exchange for Davis. And, if that didn’t work, I would then offer them Phil Hughes, George Kontos and Jose Veras.

If the Rangers reject those offers, then I would start talking to the Dodgers about a Hughes for Loney deal – straight up.

And, if L.A. was not interested, then I would start to target Adam LaRoche and Kevin Kouzmanoff – offering some package along the lines of Ian Kennedy, Alfredo Aceves, and a relief pitcher from the bin of Brian Bruney, Jose Veras and Edwar Ramirez.

And, if that failed, I would start talking to the Royals about Mark Teahen in exchange for Ian Kennedy, Phil Coke and Brian Bruney. Next, I would start talking to the Brewers about Corey Hart – just to see if he would be available.

I wonder if the Yankees would take this same approach?

Steve makes a great point in regards to giving Tex a longterm, big money deal. I wrote a similar post a few weeks ago and suggested that the Yankees nix the Teixeira run and go after someone like Joey Votto, of the Cincinnati Reds, who Steve also brings up in his post. While he loves Davis, and why not, Davis is a strong and powerful hitter, I’m a huge Votto fan. Votto is just starting to earn respect from the higher ups in the Reds organization after platooning with Scott Hatteberg for much of last year. With Adam Dunn gone, the Reds have given Votto more opportunities and he’s certainly delivering on the season. He’s similar to Davis (maybe not as powerful), however I think Votto is further along in his development and he’s a bit more versatile, as he’s also able to play the outfield if necessary (which could help give our cast of regulars a break on given days).

Steve also suggests James Loney and Corey Hart (an outfielder), who are two great, young players. Loney is an RBI machine for the Dodgers, although I don’t think he’ll ever be as powerful as Hart or even Votto. Hart is a great player with a ton of power and great speed. If the Yankees could somehow wrangle either player away from their respective teams, I’d be very pleased. Of course, why either club would want to trade them (the Dodgers could sign Teixeira in order to replace Manny’s output, which would make Loney expendable)? The Yankees would definitely have to offer up some of their premium pitching prospects. The Brewers have actually wanted to lock Hart up for a while now (longterm), and it’ll be interesting to see what they do with that this offseason. Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder are reportedly available, but I haven’t heart anything on the Hart front.

Steve’s other suggestions aren’t as bulletproof as these guys. Adam LaRoche is miserable in the first half, but a great hitter after the AS Break (we already have a guy like that on our team). Kouzmanoff could benefit from a new home ballpark as he’s been handicapped by Petco and, in regards to Mark Teahan, eh, he doesn’t really excite me as much and hasn’t developed into the hitter people projected him to be after his solid 2006 campaign.

Matsui & Damon Willing To Play First

Tyler Kepner notes that both Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui have expressed their willingness to play first base next year. While it’s not their preference, they understand that the Yankees will probably be on the lookout for a new first baseman. At this point, I doubt either would see substantial time there. Matsui’s got bad knees and Damon will be in his final year with the team. Why not get a younger and better player now, while there’s one available (Tex)?

I’m A Coke Head

The Yanks won tonight, which allows them to inch their way up the standings. They gained a game in the AL East and also gained a game in the WC chase. On top of that, Sidney Ponson pitched well (wow) and the offense clicked when it needed to (Abreu, Giambi), so it was a solid win, all around.

A quick note from the game. I was hanging out by the left field foul pole and I saw the BP guys throwing a bit. Directly under me, I could see Phil Coke, who wasn’t getting much love from anyone in the crowd (they were too busy yelling at Joba, who failed to acknowledge anyone that I saw). I yelled at Phil and screamed, “Phiiiiiiiiil Coooooooooooke, Phiiiiiiil”. He then looked around and seemed confused. I yelled, “Yo Phil Coke,” and he looked at me and waved. A moment later, he came over to the wall and called to me. He then said, “Hey man. Nobody has ever said my name before. People usually think I’m Phil Hughes. Thanks,” and walked away. While he’s essentially a nobody in the Yankee universe, it was a cool moment for me, as a fan, and I think it was equally cool for Coke.

Back with more, tomorrow.