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You don't think with Lee last season they would have won? Interesting. I think it very well could have given them a championship and on a roll.

We'll never know, and while Nova is having a tremendous year would the loss of Nunez be bothersome? Really?

I think you are dismissing Lee's capacity to control a game. He has 6 NL shutouts and a SO/9IP of 9.0 which in the AL might be 7.x

Plus, as a lefty in Yankee Stadium for half his starts, he would at least minimize the opposition from loading up lefties trying to hit the porch.

I think you understated it solely because some Yankees (Garcia/Colon) have overachieved expectations.

Montero - I get your hesitation.

BL

That's what makes this fun!

I guess I still see a team (The Giants) with outstanding pitching of their own in their way of winning it all. Lee would get them into the Series, but remember he didn't win a game in the real 2010 World Series.

Nunez has some big flaws (glove) but he has given the Yankees solid production around the infield. If they didn't have him in 2011 they would probably have given 200 AB's to Ramiro Pena and that isn't a good thing.

Add in the fact that in my alternative universe the Mariners have two additional candidates for the ROY race (Montero and Nova) and that's why I make my guess.

I had a friend (still is a friend in fact) that played youth hockey and his father was a longtime hockey referee. My friend told me when his father picked him up after games/practices he would often hear "gotta shoot to score, can't score if you don't shoot" over and over again. Became kind of an inside joke for us all these years whenever a situation was missed we'd remind the other one "gotta shoot to score, can't score if you don't shoot". Imagine how many times we recited that after nights out at the bars...

anyway, I digress:

Can't win the World Series if you aren't in the World Series...

saw Kennedy won his 19th, what did you get for him again?

In hindsight? I'm glad that deal fell through. I am still trying to determine if I would swap Granderson for Kennedy today.

Also, I'm watching CM Wang and wondering if he would be a decent risk for the Yankees to take on.

By the way, we need to pause for a moment and reflect on the "going away" event of Igawa. What to do with the newly freed up $4 MM per year? Hmmm... Wang maybe? Or was his shoulder really that destroyed and still a disaster waiting to happen. I wonder ...

BL? What we got for Ike was a pretty decent CFer - named Granderson.

BL

I don't think you can crack on the Yankees for that trade. It certainly wasn't Ken Phelps for Jay Buhner. Ike is having an awesome year, but so is Granderson.

Mitchell

Yankees have around $35 million coming off the books, but there are a lot of arbitration eligible players like Martin, Hughes, Logan and Robertson who may eat up a big chunk of that.

I would probably stay away from Chien-Ming Wang. His strikeout rates have fallen off the map and his groundball tendencies are weakening.

But you bring up an interesting question, what exactly will the 2012 rotation look like? Right now we can say that Ivan Nova is in it and nothing more. Sabathia might not be back (probably will but you never know) I suspect AJ will be traded along with a big cash payment. Hughes? I don't know. I don't think the Yankees will bite on Bartolo or Freddy part 2. Hmmm, it's going to be interesting.

Quick to jump on me...I really didn't remember who the trade was for and it was in the spirit of the original post regarding needing a pitcher.

As long as you and Mitchell profess praise on CG put this whatif into play: if you knew Kennedy would perform the way he IS but it was before CG's "breakout" year (this year) would you have made the trade?

BL

Tough one. Since Granderson hit 30 HR's in the bigs already, I probably would. As good as Kennedy is, it is worth remembering that he is doing it in the NL and not the AL. I think he would have been a good starter for the Yankees, but not a great one.

BL? It's always good fun to jump on a Boston Sox fan lurking in (no longer Boston) Braves territory. No harm or slight meant though.

If I had the crystal ball working, I would probably have made the trade of Ike for Granderson. Ike's arm could fly off tomorow (gotta love pitchers and how brittle they are) and Granderson seems like a moderately decent, every day kind of player .

Peter - I'm hoping that the wunderkinds (ManBan and Betances) can step up, plus I think Nova can stick and yeah, I haven't given up on Brackman yet (he's got talent but his consistency still is absent). I'm also thinking that Joba is lurking somewhere in the future - stronger than before. Noesi also seems to be developing in a pretty linear fashion, which is impressive consdiering his age. CC, Nova, one or several of the Bs, maybe Noesi and/or some PTBNLs.

And, yes, it would be wonderful if we could offload AJ somehow or maybe he's the new No. 5 guy.

No question that Granderson is a better investment than Kennedy -- and I liked Kennedy even before he won 19 games.

Granderson is in his prime, has 40 home run power, fields a skill position, has speed, and has the kind of personality to be a leader on this team.

Much more valuable than a starting pitcher who has had a good year. Remember, you could say that about A.J.

For this year anyway, Granderson is the more valuable player. To me, the question is simple: Would the Yankees be better off today with Kennedy and Austin Jackson, and without Granderson? Clearly not. Again, I am talking about this year. Now, over the next 5 years, I don't know. But, as Peter pointed out, Kennedy's doing this in the NL, not the AL. Heck, it's the NL West -- how many starts has he had against the Padres and Giants? Those guys don't it like the teams in the AL East.

CC will be back. The Yankees will grossly overpay, giving him too many years and dollars. Here's a question for you all: Would you sign him for the huge $$$/years he'll surely receive, or let him walk? I wouldn't -- too many years, too old now, too many miles on the arm. But then again, I wouldn't have given him the contract he first got from the Yankees, which means no WS victory in 2009, so what do I know?

Greg

I would not either. I agreed with the original deal, but I don't want to extend it in any way. (Then again, I wouldn't have extended A-Rod after '07 and you can kiss that '09 title goodbye without him as well.)

Here's how I would respond to CC opting out: I would add an extra $3 - $5MM per year through the end of his current contract's duration. In other words, more $ per year, ending in 2015.

Mitchell

That's a very smart approach. More money-no more years.