Yankees Boost Their Offer
According to this, Phil Hughes is now part of the package to land Santana.
Now, if I am the Twins, I turn to Boston and say ok, now you guys have to give us Buchholz or Ellsbury. If they do, I turn around and say to the Yankees, ok now you top that offer.
That's the problem with this negotiation in my mind, the Twins control it all and the longer they draw it out, the better it is for them. So, if I am the Yankees, I set a deadline. You tell the Twins, this is our best offer and not only are we not improving it, we are pulling it by Monday.
I am pretty torn about this rumored offer. Someone once said the best way to judge a fair trade is if it hurts on both sides. This one would hurt, Hughes, Melky and something else. Part of me wonders if we all overvalue Hughes because for awhile there, he was our only prospect. Think about it, in early 2005 most people knew about Hughes and didn't know about Cano and Wang. That's the one thought that comforts me. Anything you read tells you about the wealth of arms in the system right now. Most experts say the Yankees are the deepest team when it comes to pitching depth. And, the Yankees are getting the guy who is generally considered the best in the business at the age of 28.
I think the problem is we have all learned these past few years to be wary of pitchers coming to town. Randy Johnson, Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano.....I am sure I am not the only one who thought Javier Vazquez coming in at the age of 27 off of a dominating 2003 would be amazing and look how that turned out. I think those collective experiences make us look at this trade with a wary eye instead of saying, we are getting an ace!
Who knows if it happens or doesn't, but it certainly sounds as if the Yankees have upped the stakes tonight.
Comments
Two question marks. Who is the third player to be traded? If it's Alan Horne then the Yanks are losing two very good prospects.
Also, is Johnny Damon moving back to centerfield? Or are we dropping 60 million for 5 years of Rowand who had a career year at the age of 31.
Posted by: Tripp | November 30, 2007 10:44 PM |
Great questions Tripp. I would imagine the answers are "probably" and "yes to Rowand" but we will see.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 30, 2007 11:24 PM
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Buster Olney is speculating that perhaps neither the Yankees nor Red Sox are really that interested in making this deal but are just in it to run up the stakes for the other team.
If so, the Red Sox just won round 1. If Hughes is indeed part of the deal, I HAVE to imagine that Buchholz or Ellsbury would have to be part of a deal to land Santana.
Otherwise, they say thanks but no thanks. I will be really interested to see what happens with this deal.
Posted by: andy![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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November 30, 2007 11:42 PM
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Andy
Let's be honest, the only way the Yankees or Red Sox win anything in this whole fiasco is if Santana stays with the Twins or, better yet, goes to the National League. Otherwise, one of them has to give up a ton of prospects and money for a pitcher while the other team then has to face that pitcher.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 12:10 AM
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if the Sox give up Buchholz or Ellsbury in a deal I give up my membership to RedSox Nation.
Lester, despite the great feel good story, is expendable.
Lowry and others are as well in my mind.
If the Twins think they will get the big dogs from the Sox, I hope they are wrong.
As for the Yankees giving up Hughes? I would if I were a Yankee fan, you still have the depth of Kennedy and Joba. You do the deal with Hughes you win in the long run and the short run.
Some of you may enjoy this time, I personally would rather it be done one way or another and then let the sparring begin on who will win in 2008
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 08:46 AM
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Peter and blmeanie, you are right.
It is a no-win for the team that gets him. Tough to let him go to the other team though.
The Red Sox (and Yankees) have worked too hard to unload all of these guys in 1 deal.
Posted by: andy![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 09:03 AM
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My hatred of this deal cannot be expressed in words.
The Yankee organization has been bent over a table repeatedly this off-season. A-Rod, Rivera, and Jorge have all taken them to the cleaners. A-Rod has the added benefit of basically crapping on Brian Cashman's head. Add to that Torre and Mattingly leaving... and now this.
I am quickly developing a hatred for Hank. This is just a bad deal all around.
Posted by: Jim Johnson | December 1, 2007 10:57 AM |
Yeah Jimmy, can't say I am a fan either. The thing is, if it happens we will have to wait to judge it. In my mind the criteria for whether or not it's successful is if the Yankees win a World Series with Santana as a key part of the team. If they do, I think the Yankees made a great deal.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 12:13 PM
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Jim,
I hear you. But, the Yankees have only themselves to blame for being taken to the cleaners. I've been pretty vocal in my distaste for the way Hank conducts himself, but we can't heap all the blame on him. The Yankees are reaping what they have sown over the course of many years. They have undervalued player development for far too long, and these contracts to Posada, Rivera and and A-Rod reflect the desperate situation in which they placed themselves. They will stay mired in these dire straits until the organization fully embraces a long-term approach based on sustainable player development. When they start churning out home-grown talent like, say the Twins, then they will be in an enviable position because they will sign, develop and field the Santanas and the M. Cabreras themselves and they will be able to afford to sign the ones they want to keep (when their contracts are up), and replace the ones who overvalue themselves.
Peter,
As much as I love Santana, and as much as I'm not quite sold yet on Hughes (2007 wasn't really that great for him, but he is still so young) I'm beginning to feel that I don't want to give up Hughes or even Kennedy for him. If the Red Sox get him, so be it. And I definitely would not give up Cano. That would be madness.
Posted by: Greg | December 1, 2007 12:30 PM |
ESPN is reporting that if the Yankees have to include Melky, the idea would be to switch Damon back to center.
Posted by: andy![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 01:27 PM
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Interesting, that would lead me to believe that Austin Jackson is not part of the deal and the Yankees will use Damon in center with the hope of Jackson being ready for 2010.
Posted by: Peter![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 1, 2007 02:57 PM
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