Grand Theft: Yankees Get Curtis Granderson from Tigers

Brian Cashman stunned the baseball world Monday night, when he revealed that he was en route to closing a deal with the Tigers and Diamondbacks that put Curtis Granderson in pinstripes. Immediately, every good Yankee fan, wraught with glee, took a moment catch their breathe. In that moment images of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Jesus Montero in another uniform started to sour their excitement over the trade. But then, moments later, when each of those fans realized that Curtis Granderson would be donning pinstripes for the miniscule price of Ian Kennedy, Phil Coke, and Austin Jackson, their eager aniticipation for 2010 resumed.

After years of disappointment spurring from 200 million dollar payrolls worth of faded, broken, overpriced and arrogant stars like Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Randy Johnson and Carl Pavano, the Yankees' front office has been determined to extend it's recent streak of good trades and signings. Transactions that netted them C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, A.J. Burnett, Nick Swisher and a shipment of shiny, new, diamond-studded 2009 World Series rings. This latest trade for Curtis Granderson, is an eager attempt at securing a shipment of 2010 World Series rings, and a vivid illustration of how good a General Manager Brian Cashman can be when given some breathing room.

Cashman has long been booed by Yankees fans and the baseball world for his insufferable attempts at exhausting the Yankees near-infinite revenue on overpriced, underachieving and often, downright dispicable players, in meager hopes of returning the franchise to the World Series. Now that the geriatric Steinbrenner has finally quieted down, and has allowed Cashman to use the franchises' money wisely, the Yankees are looking better than ever.

The winners of the three way trade: 1st Place, Yankees, 2nd place, Tigers, last place, Diamondbacks. The Yankees landed Granderson for a package of players that certainly won't be missed in New York. Trading Ian Kennedy for anything of value is sheer brilliance by the Yankees' Brass. Kennedy barely has the stuff to pitch in Beer League softball, much less the MLB. 85 mph fastballs, rolling curveballs in the dirt, and eye-level vulcan changeups should be a challenge for the Diamondbacks to use in a rotation that needs some stability--especially when half of Kennedy's games will be played in Arizona's unforgiving dry air. Kennedy's attitude won't be missed in the Yankees clubhouse either.

Trading Phil Coke is far more painful for the 2010 Yankees than trading Ian Kennedy, but that's not saying very much. Coke was a useful and durable arm for Girardi's bullpen in 2009, and his ability to get out good lefties certainly helped the Yankees toward the World Series. But Coke's lack of a sharp breaking ball, and his low ceiling make him expendable--even if he is a durable lefty and is a gamer.

Austin Jackson, arguably the Yankees top prospect (in my view he's far behind Jesus Montero) was the blue chip Detroit needed in return for Granderson. Although Jackson's baseball intellect is sub-par--striking out far too much, walking little and exercising average baserunning abilities despite top-flight speed-- he has the tools to win a Gold Glove in center, and could hit in the realm of .275-.280 with 15 homeruns and 20 stolen bases once he gets comfortable in the majors. Frankly, it's unlikely that he'll every be more than a decent everyday center fielder.

So, for very little, the Yankees netted a very good outfielder. King Curtis does have his shortcomings however. First of all, he's coming off a year where he hit .249, and his career batting average against lefties is barely .210. He plays good defense, but isn't fabulous, and will probably spend far more time in left than in center. Still, if the Yankees can land a lefty-mashing right-handed outfielder, or make use of Melky Cabrera, then they have a relatively cheap All-Star caliber outfielder under their control for at least three seasons. Granderson's power will transfer well to Yankee stadium, so netting an outfielder that will easily hit 25-30 homers annually is worthy of a pat-on-the-back for Brian Cashman.

Second Place

The Tigers did a decent job of dumping fairly pricey players for cheaper talent, with this trade. Max Scherzer is fragile, and may end up in the bullpen, but the Tigers will have control over Scherzer for a half-decade. Max has top-tier stuff, and if he can stay healthy, he could be a cheap AJ Burnett, or a lesser Jon Papelbon.

Dan Schlereth and Phil Coke are both useful lefties in the bullpen. Both pitchers throw hard, with Coke' average fastballs at about 92 mph, and Schlereth sporting the ability to hit 97-100 mph. Dan Schlereth, the son of former NFL meathead Mark Schlereth, could be a future closer if he can harness his control. Coke is durable, and if he can avoid the long ball in his now spacious homepark, facing AL Central opponents, he could be a top-tier lefty middle reliever and palatable spot starter.

Austin Jackson won't be a star, but he will be a cheap replacement for Granderson in center. Jackson's defensive potential is far beyond that of Granderson's, but his lesser power and lackluster approach at the plate keep the possibility of his future as a 4th outfielder open. If he reaches enough of his potential, Jackson could be a top fielder with a David DeJesus bat and Curtis Granderson speed.

The Loser

The Diamonbacks made some serious mistakes this offseason. First, they traded for Aaron Heilman, an overpriced choke artist with marginal value in the pen. Then, they traded away one of their most valuable pitching talents in Max Scherzer, for a pitcher that may be on the verge of busting. Scherzer had his drawbacks, true, but his stuff gave him the ability to be a top starter or top closer--even in Arizona. Scherzer could have gotten them much more in return, and now they lost a cheap, productive arm.

Edwin Jackson has shown flashes of brilliance with his 95-96 mph fastball, but his lack of control and polish got him catapulted out of Tampa Bay. He pitched well in Detroit for the first half of 2009, and was on the fast track to a Cy Young Award when he pulled a midseason 180 and started stinking up the mound. Pitching in Arizona, and calling a bandbox his new home park should send him right back to the stat lines he produced in Tampa.

Ian Kennedy, the other arm that Arizona received in return for Scherzer has previously been touted as a top pitching prospect on par with Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain. He's not. I tried my best to like Kennedy after his promising 2007 debut. After all, he had a nice Irish name, a USC Pedigree and scouting reports that made him sound like the second coming of Greg Maddux or Mike Mussina. Watching him for 2+ seasons has driven this point home though, Ian Kennedy stinks, and he won't be a decent MLB starter, much less a Hall of Famer. Scouting reports claiming that Kennedy threw 92 mph fastballs were bogus, and his one above average pitch is his vulcan change which he's going to need to live off of, if he wants to survive for a few more years in the majors. Kennedy's fastball is usually clocked in the 86-88 mph range, hitting 90mph just a little bit more often than it hits 85. He has good control of the pitch when he throws it at MiLB speed, but lousy control when he dials it up to a passable MLB velocity. It's also straight. Kennedy's curveball could be passable with work, but currently it doesn't have a sharp enough break to strike out the average MLB batter.

Kennedy's control had previously been touted as plus to plus-plus, but he hasn't lived up to this aspect of his scouting reports either. When using his AAA repetoire, he does have good control, but its far too hittable. His lack of stuff forces him to over throw and pitch around every batter he faces, resulting in high pitch counts and high WHIP numbers. Overall, Kennedy has an outside shot of becoming Denny Neagle with some serious development, but its is becoming more and more likely that he's nothing more than a fringe player.

So, overall, the Yankees made a fantastic trade, while the Tigers didn't realize anything spectacular from trading Granderson and Jackson, but manage to accomplish some of their mission for 2010. The Diamondbacks are the clearcut losers here, and likely gave up one of the few promising young players they have in exchange for a pitcher that is on the verge of becoming a serious bust.

What's Expected of the Yankees in 2009

No Clutch No Glory

With by far the largest payroll of any team in both leagues, the Yankees are always a favorite to make the playoffs in the AL East. With C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett (Carl Pavano Deux), Chien Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, they arguably have the most formidable rotation of any team. Their offense isn't as good as it once was. Xavier Nady played beyond his potential in 2008 and likely will come back to earth with .280 and 20-25 homers in 2009. Jorge Posada wasn't a good defensive catcher before his arm fell off, and now after shoulder surgery he'll have burners walking (running) all over him. Even though we still think of him as Baby Yankee, Derek Jeter is getting old and simply doesn't have the tools to lead this team. 11 home runs, a little over 20 doubles, an unacceptable amount of GIDP's, a handful of stolen bases and a barely .300 average along with his piss-poor defense makes Jeter an above average hitter-nothing more.

Statman and Austin in the Outfield

Who knows what A-Rod will bring? The Statman had an MVP year in 2007, but then took 25-30 games off in 2008 and once again stopped hitting in the clutch. A cleanup hitter who grounds in to double plays and strikes out with men in scoring position is frustrating at best. Melky Cabrera is still a very good defensive outfielder with a Mark Kotsay offensive upside- he should be the one starting over Mr. Gardner. Brett Gardner is an exciting guy to watch, but he shouldn't be more than a pinch runner/4th outfielder. He has absolutely no power, and might never hit one out of the park. Gardner's contact hitting ability also doesn't look too promising-- a burner that strikes over a 100 times a year doesn't fit in the lead off spot. His only value is his speed, and his somewhat effective patience but the minor leagues are littered with these type of players.

Billy Beane's Former Love Interest

Nick Swisher was a good pick-up for the Yankees. His lousy year last year seemed to be a combination of his poor relationship with Ozzie Guillen and his general misery playing in Chicago. Still, Swisher will never hit for average, but his upside is very Adam Dunn. He can walk at a Kevin Youkilis rate and he can spank 30 homeruns a year-- a Jason Giambi with some defensive value,

The 'Pen is Mightier

Perhaps the Yankees biggest question mark at the beginning of last season was their bullpen. Now that Girardi has replaced the mentally incompetent/too-soft Joe Torre, the bullpen has pulled a .180 to the point of being one of the bets in the MLB. Jose Veras is a fantastic set up man, able to pitch in big games and get big outs. Edwar Ramirez gives up the long ball but in the 7th inning he's generally very effective-- especially against lefties. Rivera is still Rivera. David Robertson deserves a spot in the pen. The guys a top prospect as a reliever and showed flashes of Scott Shields last year. Phil Coke is hittable but solid and can fill the long reliever role pretty well. Damaso Marte provides some stability and veteran leadership and another lefty arm-- he can get out righties too. In the minors Mark Melancon has torn apart AA hitters, and the big fatty Andrew Brackman is too fragile to start and his 95 mph fastball could make a conversion to MR very easy.

The Million Dollar Man and A.J. Burnout

The starting rotation obviously looks like the Yankees strongest area. C.C. Sabathia will give the Yankees a quality start almost every time out. A.J. Burnett, unspectacular and very injury prone will atleast give them 140 winnable innings. Chien Ming Wang is consistent and a winner, and is the best third starter in the AL. Joba Chamberlain is lights out, but after his arm tiring last year its hard to say how much of a load he can carry. The Steinbrenner's don't want him pitching more than 27 games this year. Phil Hughes was all but forgotten after two injur-filled years with the big boys. Still though, he's only 22 and he has the stuff and control to be an Ace. The question mark with Hughes is always his health, but a strong bullpen and a deep rotation will take some of the pressure off of his shoulder. Ian Kennedy doesn't look like he'll every be a reliable starter. He could be a decent 5th starter if he learns another pitch, but as of right now he can't scare MLB hitters at all.

The Young Guns

The Yankees minor league teams are extremely polarized. They have nobodies, career AAA players and then some very good prospects. Dellin Betances could be closer to the big team than he should be, but his stuff is incredible, his big frame looks sturdy and being a student of the game he looks like a future ace. Austin Jackson won't be a god, but a Tori Hunter/Adam Jones looks very possible. At the very least, his defense will get him a job. Mark Melancon, already mentioned above, throws fire and has recovered from T.J. surgery quickly. Francisco Cervelli looks like a very solid backup, and on many teams he would have a starting job. No power, but Cervelli's contact and plus defense will give him a roster spot somewhere. Zach McAllister shows flashes of brilliance and mixes above average stuff with very good control. You never know, he could disappear in the minors but he looks like he has a shot at a starting spot somewhere--probably not with the Yankees...trade bait.

Pride of the Baby Yankees

Jesus Montero, the pride of the Yankees' minor league system looks like the next Ivan Rodriguez-- with even more power. The kid is a beast and at 19 (20 in 2009) he's hitting 450 foot bombs to the opposite field. Austin Romine is another young Yankees catcher with an extremely high ceiling. He has power to all fields, makes contact and has a cannon for an arm-- he should be a better hitting Lou Marson in no time.

Past their "Sell by" date

Alan Horne is complete garbage. Shelley Duncan, an old, fat and hideously ugly pseudo-prospect is running out of time. His completely unacceptable defense has left him positionless and his low average and high strikeout totals have kept him in the minors.

Andrew Breakman

Finally, Andrew Brackman is coming back from T.J. surgery. The NC State product was overrated form the day he was drafted but he still has considerable upside. He throws hard, hes big and he has a good breaking ball. The only problem is that he never seems to be completely healthy. The front-line starter hes projected to be is a very big stretch for a guy that has done nothing in the minor leagues, and didn't have especially intimidating numbers at NC State. However, a top reliever or a decent middle of the rotation type starter looks very possible.