Cubs VS. Yanks?

The Yankees may play the Cubs in an exhibition game, or a series of exhibitions games in the weeks prior to the new Stadium’s official opening in April. I remember seeing the Cubs play the Yankees a few years ago and it was one hell of a time. There’s no official agreement yet, but the two teams are reportedly working on it.

Peavy To The Braves? Probably…

From Joel Sherman (NY Post):

The Braves, on the other hand, have the base from which to make a deal and a history of packaging youngsters to get veterans they crave such as Mark Teixeira and Tim Hudson. They also are willing to move quickly, as exhibited by the Oct. 29 deal made last year in which they obtained Jair Jurrjens and Gorkys Hernandez from Detroit for Edgar Renteria, the first major trade of the past offseason. And the Braves appear more motivated than the Cardinals, Cubs or Dodgers to jump out for Peavy.

“Don’t discount the (Braves manager) Bobby Cox factor,” an AL GM said. “He is a veteran manager. He is used to winning. His team hasn’t made the playoffs for a few years now. He is influential in the organization. And he wants players who can win now. So I can see him really pushing to get a Peavy deal done.”

The executives spoken to say they anticipate a Braves package being built around pitcher Tommy Hanson and outfielder Jordan Schafer, who both peaked at Double-A last year, plus a middle infielder, either shortstop Yunel Escobar or second baseman Kelly Johnson.

Another AL GM said, “That is really a good deal if San Diego can make it.”

Sherman isn’t the only guy talking about a Hanson, Schafer and Escobar/Johnson deal. It’s been outlined by a variety of sources and it would be a phenomenal coo for the Padres. Hanson’s (21) stuff is just nasty, as he has collected 373 K’s in 323 minor league innings, and featured a 2.73 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP through AA ball. To top it off, Schafer is solid and if the Padres can nab Kelly Johnson, they’d be set (Escobar is fine, too). Essentially, this would be like the Yankees trading Phil Hughes, Robinson Cano and Austin Jackson, so I’m assuming that would be the package the Padres would ultimately want from the Yankees. I’m happy to say that I don’t think the Yankees would ever offer such a package, anyway.

And, while that’s a very steep price to pay for Peavy, if you’re an NL team, you know Peavy can deliver for you and his contract is very reasonable. The Braves are also the group that he seems most willing to play for, which means that they won’t have to overcompensate (financially) if a trade occurs.

Wednesday’s Bits: The Morning Edition

Here are a quick batch of bits to begin your day:

HUGHES & A-JAX RISING

1. Phil Hughes and Austin Jackson will be featured in the Arizona Fall League’s “all-star” event. It’s called the Rising Stars Showcase and it basically includes the more heralded prospects within the league. Phil Hughes has been granted the honor of starting for the National Division and he’ll face off against the American Division’s, Tommy Hansen (Braves), who has some filthy stuff (hopefully Hughes will show up and do his thing). What’s really interesting about this matchup is that both players, Hughes and Hansen, have been rumored as potential trading chips for Alabama boy, Jake Peavy.

THE FUNDAMENTALS ARE WEAK

2. The Yankees are catching a lot of flack, as of late, as they amount of taxpayer dollars being funneled into the construction of the new Yankee Stadium has actually forced an “informal” investigation by a congressional board. Apparently, the Yankees have lobbied in Washington (yes, like the cigarette and oil industry, the Yankees have lobbyists) and, in response, the IRS has “…approved special rules that allow the Yankees to use additional tax-free bonds to pay the skyrocketing costs of the team’s new stadium” (Daily News, 10/21/08). The congressional committee will investigate if there was any wrongdoing by the IRS, the city or the Yankees as they continue to use taxpayer dollars during an economic crisis. On a happier note, the committee will be headed by U.S. Rep, Dennis Kucinich (D-Oh), who has a hot wife (I’m just saying, she’s way hotter than you’d think after seeing Dennis Kucinich).

LOSING CARLOS PENA

3. Did you know Carlos Pena was once with the Yankees? While some people know about it, many fans forgot or simply failed to notice. The Daily News has a brief writeup that outlines Pena’s extremely brief Yankee tenure and his subsequent departure which ultimately led to stardom with the Rays. Pena signed with the Yankees in 2006 after spending a few years in Detroit, as he failed to regain the success that he had in 2004 (a 27 homer campaign). He never saw time with the major league team and played first base for AAA. In 105 games, he hit 19 homers and drove in 66 RBI, which was bolstered by his .260/.370/.454 line. When the Yankees didn’t move him to the 25-man roster in August, he left and signed with the Red Sox, hitting .459/.523/.865 for the Pawtucket Sox in 11 games (and he saw some time in Boston for 18 games). Then, the Rays gave him a chance in 2007 (due to an injury) at the age of 29, and he finally delivered on his talent, hitting 46 HR.

Knowing that Pena credits Kevin Long for helping him find his stroke again, is awfully painful, especially since it would have been nice to have him around now instead of speculating about the amount of money the Yankees will throw at Mark Teixeira. Wasn’t 2006 the year we had Andy Phillips, Craig Wilson and Gary Sheffield playing at first base, too? Oh wait, that’s right, it was. Yikes. Interestingly enough, Brian Cashman is quoted in the Daily News article saying that the Pena of 2006 and the modern day Pena are two vastly different players. But, considering the depth at first, at that time, I’m still surprised he didn’t see one AB (another “solid” Cashman move, as Andy Phillips started 49 games there). I’m sure the Red Sox are somewhat annoyed that they missed out on him, as well. They could have dropped the aging Mike Lowell, moved Youkilis back to third and had a huge power threat, with solid defense, at first.

WHAT ABOUT BOWA?

4. For whatever reason, the NY media seem to be enamored with the idea of Larry Bowa, possibly returning to the Yankees. Now, I wonder why, exactly, would Bowa return? Yes, he has an out-clause in his contract with the Dodgers, but, as the Post points out, he is considered to be one of the better third base coaches in baseball (if not the best), so why would the Dodgers let him get away? Also, Bowa went there to be with Joe Torre and seemed miffed at the Yankees for treating him the way that they did. Why would he return? It’s clear why the Yankees want him back, whether it’s to deal with Cano or simply to erase the memory of Bobby Meacham (and quickly), yet I don’t see the reasoning for Bowa to want to come back.

DEREK JETER’S SAD & LONELY LIFE

5. Finally, check out this article from the Post if you want to see Derek Jeter doing what he does best during his offseason—that’s right, hanging out with pretty girls (Texas cheerleaders). He’s also seen with some alleged steroid user that used to play for the Yankees (he was pretty good, but I forget his name since he wasn’t mentioned during that closing ceremony at the Stadium… Ha!).