Hideki Matsui took a positive step in his journey back to the Yankees yesterday, taking 45 swings off of a tee. Afterwards, he reported that he was pain-free. The Yankees can certainly use Matsui’s bat and he stated that he could be back after the All-Star Break. We’ll see how he feels later today and hopefully his body will respond well. Matsui and Joe Girardi have not, however, ruled out surgery as an option if his knee continues to bother him.

From Ed Price:

Colorado lefty reliever Brian Fuentes has drawn interest from the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, among other teams, according to an official from another American League team. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not directly involved, said the Rockies have scouted the Yankees system; one player of interest could be Double-A reliever Mark Melancon.

The Yankees have used just two left-handed relievers this year, Billy Traber and Kei Igawa. Lefties were hitting .318 against Traber going into tonight’s game, and Igawa is back in the minors.

Fuentes has held lefties to a .217 average in his career, including a .200 mark this year, and has not allowed a homer to a lefty since 2006.

I’m a big Brian Fuentes fan (the stats at the end of Price’s post say it all), but I doubt the Yankees would ship Mark Melancon to Colorado for Fuentes. Melancon is a highly regarded prospect that could be a future closer for the team. The Yankees are in a good place right now as their bullpen has really come through for them. They don’t necessarily need Fuentes at this point, especially with Farnsworth having a respectable year, so Melancon is probably safe in the system. However, I do believe that they’ll still go after him (you can never have too many strong BP arms), but for a lesser package or player.

Andy Pettitte pitched 8 shutout innings today, holding the Rays to just 4 hits while striking out 5. He really needed to step up against the Rays and he certainly did that, as he took the kids to school and showed them how it’s done. In fact, Pettitte even outpitched a dominant Scott Kazmir, who went 5 innings, while striking out 9 (2 ER). He can have the strike outs though, we’ll take the win. Credit the Yankee offense as well. Bobby Abreu, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Jose Molina and Derek Jeter all chipped in and did their part, allowing the club to set the tone for the series by scoring 5 ER off of the Rays’ pitching staff to get the win.

Whenever you beat a team’s ace, you have to feel good about the rest of the series (tomorrow’s game). The club will face Edwin Jackson tomorrow, with Sidney Ponson opposing him. Look for the Rays to try and score early and often, as they’ll jump on Ponson’s meatballs. They know the Yankees tend to lay down after a lead is given up, so I’d expect to see them come with some high octane energy in the first inning (if Jose Molina is behind the dish, he’ll help to counteract their running game). Jackson tends to be a little wild at times, so the Yankees will probably try and be patient with him (at first).

OK, so it looks like my random RF idea won’t work now. The Cubs have traded Matt Murton (ARGH!), Sean Gallagher, Eric Patterson and Josh Donaldson for Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin, of the A’s. Talk about countering the CC signing, huh? The Cubs just picked up an amazing arm and if Harden can stay healthy, then he and Zambrano, along with Ryan Dempster, will be a tough 1-2-3 (let’s not overlook Ted Lilly). This of course will probably snuff out my idea to grab Matt Murton on the cheap, as he will likely become an everyday player (and an effective one at that).

Meanwhile, here we sit, waiting to watch Sidney Ponson pitch tomorrow…

As you know, I’ve been contemplating the future of RF for the Yankees recently and have been somewhat taken aback at how few options the Yankees have for next year. It’s basically either bring Bobby Abreu back (which could be difficult depending on his performance or the market for his services), or pick up a FA, although the better OF FA’s are older and not the best defensive candidates. Of course, there’s always the trade route, which could be a smart idea if the Yankees, depending on who they look at.

Matt Murton from the Chicago Cubs would be a great pickup by the Yankees, as it would be a daring and intelligent move by the team’s front office. This is a random thought, I know, but Murton is a very talented corner outfielder and could be a great player for the Yankees in 2009 and beyond (he’s only 26). The Cubs have blocked him and haven’t given him the chance to really show what he’s capable of doing (his 2006 campaign is a small sample of his abilities). Fukudome in RF and Soriano in LF (with an assortment of players in CF), are signed to longterm deals and Murton doesn’t really have a major league job outside of being a 4th outfielder (he’s getting some playing time now with players injured). The Cubs have reportedly been listening to inquiries about Murton and the Rays are said to be interested in him.

So, why not pursue Murton? He’s got a great skill set. He gets on base and can hit for power (gap, home runs), but is a contact hitter and should put up similar numbers to Bobby Abreu (AVG/OBP/SLG wise) although he could possibly blow up for more home runs (something that Bobby cannot do). He’s nothing spectacular in terms of his speed (10 SB?) or defense (arm, range, routes), but he’s still pretty solid in those two categories and can run the bases fairly well.

Trading for Murton could be a smart investment by a team that’s looking to get younger because after Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu leave, who will play the OF for the NY Yankees, especially if Tabata, Jackson, and others aren’t ready or don’t pan out? If someone like Tabata is ready soon (which doesn’t appear likely), once Damon leaves, Tabata and Murton could possibly man the corners. The only way I could see the Yankees signing Abreu for another year (1-year deal, which he probably wouldn’t accept), is if they fully expect to sign Matt Holliday after his contract is up in Colorado (2010).

ESPN conducted another one of its infamous AS polls yesterday, and the results are pretty ridiculous. While I agree with some of the results (Jermaine Dye was snubbed), fans voted Derek Jeter the least deserving of a starting AS spot (despite being voted in by the fans). Jeter received 52.1% of the vote and Alex Rodriguez was actually in second place with 39% of the vote. OK, I guess I can understand the Derek Jeter vote since Michael Young could be seen as a better SS this year, BUT, to say Alex Rodriguez doesn’t deserve to be a starter is simply ridiculous. Even after spending a few weeks on the DL, A-Rod is absolutely raking. He’s got a .323 AVG, 18 HR, 50 RBI, 52 R and 13 SB. Manny Ramirez only received 0.5% of the vote and his numbers are virtually identical and, for the most part, aren’t as good as A-Rod’s (.281 AVG, 16 HR, 54 RBI, 52 R, 1 SB). In terms of OPS, Manny’s got an .872 and A-Rod’s got an otherworldly 1.014.

These ESPN polls are so very humorous. The poll also states, according to the fans that voted, that Tim Hudson deserved a spot in the AS Game over Cole Hamels (wow, seriously?).

Here’s an interesting tidbit from Jack Curry regarding the CC trade:

In adding Sabathia, the Brewers beat out the Phillies, who were also willing to make the trade without requiring a window to negotiate a contract extension. The Yankees had discussions with the Indians, but were unwilling to make a deal unless they could sign Sabathia beyond 2008. The Yankees will probably be serious players in trying to sign him when he becomes a free agent after the season.

Sabathia could ask for an extension that is close to what the Mets gave Johan Santana (six years, $137.5 million), so the chances that he will remain with the Brewers are slim. Melvin was realistic about the future and said, “Most trades in July are going to be rentals.”

The Sabathia trade, as Melvin states, is a rental. I doubt the Brewers will be willing to take on the gaudy salary that CC will likely command after 2008, but the Brewers don’t really mind. They have a booming farm system that is teeming with position players (e.g. the ex-Brewer, Matt Laport or even Fielder, Braun, Hart, Hardy, etc.). In terms of prospects, Milwaukee could afford to make this trade, even if it is a 1/2 season rental.

This obviously wasn’t the case for the Yankees.

The Yanks have been stockpiling pitchers for years now, trying to rebuild a barren farm system, and largely, they have succeeded. However, assuming that Cleveland wanted Phil Hughes (our best young pitcher) and then maybe Jose Tabata or Austin Jackson, and then another valuable pitcher, an extension window was a must for NY. Why ransack the farm for a few months of CC when the Brewers won’t sign him to an extension (Jayson Stark told us this a few weeks ago)? That’s simply irrational, as the Yankees will likely sign Sabathia after the 2008 season anyway, so there’s no need to burden a blossoming farm system.

Cashman was smart about this one. He was willing to part with what were probably some of his best prospects, however, he would only go through with the deal if the team was granted an extension to keep Sabathia beyond 2008. That’s smart baseball. While the club is struggling for pitching right now, this wasn’t a “now” decision. This was a non-move that spoke volumes about the future.

(Props to RAB).

From the AP (via Yahoo):

“With what we’ve got in place right now, we still should be able to make a run,” team co-chairman Steinbrenner said Monday night. “We’re without Wang, our 19-game winner. That’s the biggest blow. We’re without Damon for a little while, but he’ll be back. Matsui wlll probably be back. It’s been a bad year for injuries. The fans got to remember that. Don’t get discouraged. Injuries do happen.”

The Yankees are 8 1/2 games behind AL East-leading Tampa Bay, which opens a two-game series at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. New York started Monday four games back in the AL wild-card race.

“We have been decimated by injuries,” Steinbrenner said. “I don’t remember a year this bad as far as injuries. It’s had a huge affect, it really has. Nobody wants to make excuses, but it’s reality.

Hank seems pretty calm and collective right now. While the Yankees have been hurt by injuries (that’s a big part of it), they’ve also been playing well under their expectations, and that goes for everyone except for maybe Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui (when he was healthy), Jason Giambi (he’s tapered off somewhat) and Alex Rodriguez. Jeter, Abreu, Jorge, Melky, Cano, and our assortment of bench players haven’t really done much to help the Yankees (Cano has recently turned it on). So, while injuries have played their part, let’s not forget the actual performance issues that have been prevalent throughout the year (hits with RISP).

Here’s a fun video (a promo for Powerade), featuring two of the best hitters in the game, Ryan Howard and Vladimir Guerrero, as they both attempt to hit a 500 foot shot (at a golf course, yes, a golf course).

Evan Longoria is reportedly in the lead, but he’ll have plenty of opportunities to get into the Midsummer Classic, later on. Let’s get Giambi in there as this will probably be his last shot. He’s personally autographed 5 baseballs that will be provided to 5 fans who vote for him, and he’s also stated that he’ll participate in the Home Run Derby (along with Dan Uggla, Lance Berkman, Josh Hamilton, Chase Utley, Grady Sizemore, and others) if voted into the AS Game.

Seeing a Yankee, especially one we call the Giambino, in the HR Derby at Yankee stadium will be pretty cool, so let’s keep at it. There are no limits to voting, as far as I can tell, so once you’re finished voting, feel free to close the box and do it all over again (and again).