YankeesRedSox.com

Hank is not his father's son. Yes, he talks like George once did and he looks a lot like him, but there is a huge difference. If George was in charge, Johan Santana would be a Yankee right now.

It is almost unbelievable to think that this report is true, but if is it, the Yankees could have had Santana for Hughes, Cabrera, Hilligoss and Marquez. That is a steal and the fact that the Yankees didn't do it knowing that it would mean that the Red Sox would get Santana tells you that there is a new order being established in the Bronx.

You can draw two conclusions from this.

First, even the Yankees have a budget. Santana would have cost a ton of money while opening up a hole in center. The Yankees could have simply written a couple of checks to cover up the holes and gone on their merry way, but they didn't. This despite knowing that $65 million comes off the payroll at the end of '08 and a new stadium opening up means lots of new revenue streams.

The other is that the Yankees finally, finally, finally, finally have learned their lesson, you can't just bring people into New York and expect them to star. Santana is a wonderful pitcher, but he is a wonderful pitcher in Minnesota. I mean no disrespect to Minnesota, it's a wonderful place and I have always loved visiting it, but it is not New York. That's not a bad thing, but until you have come and played in New York and had to deal with the media, you just don't know what you are in for. Think of all the papers who cover the Yankees with a beat writer. Off the top of my head, I can name eight and then throw in two 24 sports radio stations with their reporters who cover the team and the tv and you get a circus. If you screw up in New York, you face 15 microphones in your face that night asking you why. Will Santana be able to handle that? Nobody knows, Randy Johnson certainly wasn't able to. And I am not suggesting that the media was the reason Johnson bombed in New York, that was more age than anything. But, the media didn't help.

Santana could come here and thrive under the lights, he could wilt. He probably still would be a very good pitcher, but the Yankees are not looking for good, they want great. Consider how Phil Hughes has been brought through the organization. The non-roster invites to camp, traveling with the team at the end of 2006 to see how things worked. The Yankees have tried to indoctrinate him a little at a time to the ways of New York. It looked like it had worked pretty well in Game 3 of the ALDS when Hughes showed he was ready to step into the spotlight. Brian Cashman knows Hughes, he knows everything about him and he is willing to stake his career on what Hughes does in 2008. The easy thing for Brian to do would have been to make the trade. There is an old adage for mutual fund managers about how .obody gets fired for buying IBM. The implication being that IBM is the smart and safe choice. That was Santana, but Cashman didn't bite and his conviction should be admired.

Whatever the reason, the Yankees have taken a big risk. Put Santana atop the Boston rotation and you have a dominant 1-2 combination that is unparalleled in baseball. Think about having to face Beckett and Santana or Santana and Beckett in the playoffs, not a pretty thought. But, the Yankees obviously believe that Hughes and Joba will at least approach that level. They are willing to bet their ability to compete with Boston on the arms of some young pitchers and the potential of their farm system. If they are wrong, expect plenty of parades in Boston. That is a bold move, but as a fan, I could not be happier.