The Nationals, for reasons known only to the voices in their heads, signed Dmitri Young to a two-year deal even though they still have Nick Johnson on the roster. Seems to me that there’s a deal to be made to bring NJ back into pinstripes where he belongs, and he’d be a huge upgrade on Eyechart.

I’d love to get Nick Johnson back…perhaps he’d come at a discount as he is coming hip surgery.  The only problem with him is keeping him on the field.  Here’s a link about his progress:

http://www.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071019&content_id=2272919&vkey=news_was&fext;=.jsp&c_id=was

and he’d be a huge upgrade on Eyechart.

For the 20 games he plays before being injured again…poor OBP Jesus.

I also like the Betemit/Ensberg platoon idea, especially since there is always the chance Ensberg remembers how to hit righties again and/or Betemit figures out how to hit lefties.  Although I would be open to trading Hughes for Cabrera so long as not much else goes to Florida in the deal.

As to the bullpen, isn’t Kerry Wood a FA now?  I would definitely look to sign him, seems like he could be lights out for 60IP or so.

I haven’t looked into possible trades, but the free agent market for 1Bs is bleak

—Tony Clark: A switch hitter who hits a bit better as a lefty. He’s only viable as a platoon partner, and he’s not a particularly enticing option, with a .249/.310/.511 (103 OPS+) line last year. He’s 36, so I would expect him to decline rather than improve. This year was preceded by an extremely crappy year (48 OPS+) and an extremely successful one (222 OPS+), both with limited playing time.

—Eric Hinske. Um, no. He doesn’t seem to be able to hit anymore. His OPS+ numbers the past two years (83 and 97) are unacceptable for a first baseman.

—Mike Lamb: He has played a decent amount of first base in his career. As a backup/platoon guy the last couple of years, he’s hit above average (OPS+ of 112/113). He hit .289/.366/.453 last year. He bats lefty. A possibility as a platoon partner for someone else, and he can also play 3B.

—Mike Sweeney: He probably can only give a team about 200-300 DH plate appearances a year and would probably struggle to give an average performance in that slot. He seems to be done.

—Ryan Klesko: Before this year, he might have been a viable short-term option, but his power outage last year suggests he might be done going into his age 37 season. .260/.344/.401 is barely decent for a shortstop.

The only player who seems to be a viable option is Mike Lamb. Earlier this year, I had been thinking along the same lines as Keith—that the Yankees should reacquire Nick Johnson, injury prone or no. It probably wouldn’t take top-line talent, and he’s one of my favorite players. When he’s healthy he’s a hell of a hitter, and before his myriad injuries, he was a pretty good fielder too. Anyone else have a line on who’s available in the trade market?

The free agent relief corps is a bit better than the 1B crop:

—Eric Gagne (right): I would sign him to a one-year prove-yourself contract if possible. While his ERA with the Sox was atrocious he has a 22/9 K/BB ratio. He could be a steal, although a very risky one in terms of both injury and performance.

—Kerry Wood (right): Who knows? My guess is he’d at least be somewhat effective. If the Yankees sign Gagne, I’d rather they sign another less risky reliever.

—LaTroy Hawkins (right): He’s been decent the last few years (ERA+ of 140/102/104), but he’ll be 35 next year, and I don’t see him being much better than some of the Yankees’ current options.

—Jeremy Affeldt (left): Yes, he’s a lefty, and yes, he had a very good year last year (137 ERA+), but his 46/33 K/BB ratio suggests it was largely luck, especially since he was atrocious the previous two years.

—David Riske (right): This guy, I like. He’s been consistently good-to-great over the last three seasons (191/122/135 ERA+).

—Scott Linebrink (right): He’s not the monster middle reliever he was three years ago, and I’d much rather have Riske over him. A viable consolation signing.

—Troy Percival (right): Intriguing, but he’ll be 38 next year. He was spectacular in limited playing time last year and, of course, he has a great track record.

I’d like the Yankees to sign Riske and Gagne, with Linebrink and Wood/Percival as backups. I’m assuming, of course, that Francisco Cordero will insist on closing, and that Rivera will resign with the Yankees. If Rivera doesn’t resign, Cordero looks like he might be able to give a somewhat Mariano-like performance in the closer’s role ...

In the Gagne blurb above, it should be “had a 22/9 K/BB ratio.”

The Yankees would be in a good position to mitigate the affects of a Nick Johnson injury.  Giambi, Matsui (or Damon), Betemit, and even a couple of games from Posada could all handle 1st.  If it’s a season ending injury, and the Yankees are in the hunt for the playoffs, the Yankees could trade for either a 3rd baseman or 1st baseman.

Nick Johnson should be really, really, really cheap considering: he’s coming off a big injury, they sign Young to a 2 big year contract, the Nationals are stupid enough to sign Young to a big 2 year contract.

Besides, Ca$hman owns him one. Yeah, he might not be the solution… but this is more from my heart than my head.

Nick Johnson should be really, really, really cheap

I agree that he should come cheap, but this is the Nationals…Jim Bowden. He’d probably start off asking for a package of Hughes and Kennedy, and not be willing to move far off that. He’s a terrible GM who does a disservice to his team by being so inflexible. I’ve read that other GMs hate dealing with him, so most often, they just don’t.

Speaking as a Washingtonian, and a Nats season ticket holder, the re-signing of Young isn’t as stupid as its being portrayed here.

First, he had a very productive season in DC.

Second, and perhaps equally important: he’s popular among fans and not to put too fine a point on it - he’s a pretty outgoing, gregarious and “fun” face of color in a city that’s predominantly black. That stuff counts, especially when you’re courting the African-American sporting dollar in a new ballpark.

As for Nick Johnson - there are strong whispers he’s never going to make it back. He’s had some serious setbacks in his rehab, including at one point similar hip problems to Bo Jackson. Never a good comparison.

At any rate, really the best solution for our first base situation - Matt Stairs - just re-signed for two years in Toronto.

Nick Johnson should be really, really, really cheap considering: he’s coming off a big injury, they sign Young to a 2 big year contract, the Nationals are stupid enough to sign Young to a big 2 year contract.

if he is healthy enough to play, he won’t be “really, really, really cheap”.  if he isn’t, the yankees wouldn’t want him anyway.

if NJ can play, why do people think that many other teams wouldn’t be interested?

Francisco Cordero of the Brewers is a FA.  He’d be my choice as the Yanks’ primary set-up guy next year - especially as he has a track record of success in the AL (with Texas).

Imagine if Posada and Molina both walk?  Urgh.

What would suck about that is that the Posada/Molina combo is probably the best starting/backup catcher combo in all of baseball. Posada is projected to be the best hitting catcher in 08 by most accounts, and Molina could probably find a starting job somewhere.

There’s not much on the free agent front though.

There’s really only Cordero, Affeldt, Wood, Linebrink and Vizcaino. Cordero will probably want to close somewhere, Wood will probably stay with the Cubs, Linebrink isn’t good enough for what he’ll cost, and we’ve been there done that with Vizcaino.  I still wouldn’t mind seeing L-Viz back. All told, he was a good reliever for us last year, at a lot of innings, and if used better could be an important part of the pen in 08.

he’d be a huge upgrade on Eyechart.

It’s also worth mentioning that NJ is very strong defensively, when he’s healthy that is.

My post vanished into thin air. Oh well, second try, how about:

Yankees get Nick Johnson (and his contract, $5.5M in 08, $5.5 in 09)

Nationals get Kei Igawa and (Darrell Rasner or Jeff Karstens).

Yanks ends up with what they have been looking for at 1B for a few years now, at the risk for $1.5M/year for 2 years (if you assumed that Igawa wasn’t projected to contribute at all in 08 or 09 and was going to make $4M)and the Nationals get 2 young starters who can probably hold their own in the NL and a lot of press coverage from the Japanese media. Win-win.

And, yes, I know, Rasner is a DC throw away. But I’m sure if Bowden has half a brain cell he would see that that was a mistake. Rasner’s a good pitcher who can contribute to some MLB club’s 5-man.

if NJ can play, why do people think that many other teams wouldn’t be interested?

Well, which teams would be? And which what would they have to offer Bowden that he needs? He needs pitching.

Plus, who wouldn’t be scared of an $11M commitment to a guy who didn’t play at all last year?

Well, which teams would be? And which what would they have to offer Bowden that he needs? He needs pitching.

right. so he doesn’t really need Kei Igawa or Darrell Rasner. 

my guess is that the Nationals currently collect some sort of insurance on NJ.  they probably have little incentive to dump him for the Yankees’ garbage.

they are better off holding him in case he recovers and then trading him for something good.

unless you are suggesting that the Yankees should trade for him knowing he is still very unhealthy. 

basically if Nick Johnson was the exact same player but was named Fred Smith and was never a Yankee prospect, no one here would want to trade for him unless he proved there was a chance he’d be healthy.  it would be like trading for Carl Pavano.

and for the record, i would LOVE to see a healthy NJ back in pinstripes.  love it.

i just don’t see the nationals giving him away.

if NJ can play, why do people think that many other teams wouldn’t be interested?

Well, that’s it, right?  Nobody will REALLY know if he can play until he does.  So, if you want him, you need to move early, before other teams show an interest.  What it will take to get Johnson, I don’t know.  But j’s suggestion I would do - would the Nationals?  I have no idea.  I think it is definitely something Cashman should pursue however.

One idea I particularly like is trading Seattle for Beltre/Sexson, assuming Seattle treats it as a salary dump and doesn’t ask for much in return.  Beltre looks like he may be worth a win or so above an average 3B.  Sexson is just a stop-gap, but does add some right power.  I would also expect something of a rebound from him.  Certainly not up to the 2002-2004 level, but maybe closer to 2006.  If Seattle takes some rejects/low level prospects, it is probably worthwhile.

Oh, and in case nobody noticed, it looks like this site is still on Daylight Savings Time.

it would be like trading for Carl Pavano.

I wouldn’t go that far. Pavano had 1 good year and then was for some reason made out of gold. Nick Johnson is going to be 28 and put up 2 impressive seasons with the Nationals, before which, we all got to see him in a part time role and knew that he was valuable. So, while it’s probably true that NJ might not be on many people’s radar as a solution to 1B, the Yankees (and Yankees fans) sort of have the inside track. NJ when healthy is All Star caliber, and I’m not sure how many people outside of NY, DC and by extension, the NL east, know that.

That said, the Nationals are also opening a new stadium.  Stable pitching for a player who you know you have no room for? They wouldn’t have signed Young if there wasn’t a plan to move NJ, that’s my speculation at least.

So, while it’s probably true that NJ might not be on many people’s radar as a solution to 1B, the Yankees (and Yankees fans) sort of have the inside track. NJ when healthy is All Star caliber, and I’m not sure how many people outside of NY, DC and by extension, the NL east, know that.

i would guess that 30 out of 30 MLB front offices know this.

i tend to agree with yup. johnson’s certainly been under the radar due to his terrible injury but i’m certain washington has been keeping tabs on his recovery in order to get him back on the field or use him as bait. he was the best player on their team. also he’s larry bowa’s nephew. which is awesome.

i would guess that 30 out of 30 MLB front offices know this.

True, but you said something up there to the effect that the people here are only suggested NJ because he was a Yankee, and if he wasn’t and he had a different name, he wouldn’t be mentioned.  GM’s who can afford the risk are probably waiting to swoop in on a NJ deal, but I haven’t seen much in the way of “NJ to _____” rumors, and its probably because he’s just been off the scope for such a long time.

Sean- It’s Young’s best season in a long time, and he carries way too much weight. No player is a lot of “fun” if he sucks, and winning tends to bring out fans better than anything.

About NJ’s health, no one “knows” for certain if he’s going to be healthy next season or not. It’s a decent gamble for the Yankees, and it’s a good gamble for the Nats to ship him away.

The thing about Johnson is that he can’t be “the solution” for any team right now.  Anyone who gets him would be taking a flyer on him being able to play next year.  The Yankees are one of the few teams that could afford to trade for and pay Nick Johnson and also carry on their roster another starting first baseman that they hoped would be relegated to the bench at some point during the year.  That said, I wouldn’t really want Cashman to get NJ and then stop looking for an upgrade at First so I’m hopipng that Cash has a better first traget in mind.

It’s a decent gamble for the Yankees, and it’s a good gamble for the Nats to ship him away.

if the payoff of the “gamble” is getting Igawa/Rasner, i’d sooner gamble on holding onto him in the hopes of increasing the payoff later.

Nick Johnson? No thanks.

http://www.billjamesonline.net/fieldingbible/2007-plus-minus-leaders.asp

Does it make any sense whatsoever that Melky is at the bottom of James’ 2007 +/-?

yup, I have no idea what a deal for NJ looks like.

j —  I was just going to post that about Melky. I see that Andruw Jones is still up there on the plus side, confirming what my eyes were watching.

BTW….... The ‘clock’ here has not been adjusted for EST but is still on DST.

anybody know if mariano duncan will stay in LA to coach under joe torre?

NJ is the kind of risk I think the Yankees should be willing to take if they had a more solidified roster.

As it is, I think he would cost too much for too little certainty.

You want a solution for 1b?  Sign ARod, play whoever you want at 1b.

I can’t see the Yanks pulling a trade for Cabrera.  Somehow, I don’t see a workaholic like Girardi wanting a young but talented lazy player.  Especially if it costs one of the big three (joba, ian, phil).

In fact, I don’t see the Yanks swinging any deals that include the big three.  It would be completely counterproductive, unless they got a good young pitcher or two in return.

I can only hope Heyman from SI is correct and Damon has a market value greater than Crede straight up.  Of course, that might not be saying much since Crede has a bad back.

Well, Girardi has already managed Cabrera… what has Joe said about the kid?

LAte to the party as always…

Tapeworm’s Gagne pitch is interesting. I personally hope he signs on with an NL team, because he’s a lock to be better than he was in Boston. His problem with us was command, but his pitches looked quality when he could locate them. Definitely an undervalued asset. Sox fans (at least the talk radio/pink hat types) would howl if you guys picked him up, but they likely wouldn’t get the last laugh… unless Gagne can’t handle the limelight.

I’d guess getting Sexson or Beltre won’t be dirt cheap. Ms need a face-saver in return.

I’m in L.A. (Don’t ask.)  Local media eating up Joe Torre . . .

http://www.baseballmusings.com/archives/023891.php

The comments leaves a little something to be desired, but I don’t think it’s so far fetched to think that the Yankees were among the strongest defensive teams in 2007, in terms of the range of their players on the field.  Maybe not number 1, but with Abreu, Damon, Rodriguez, Cano and Mientkiewicz, those are all plus range guys. Mix in Abreu who is probably slightly below average and Jeter who is ... something.. and they’re right up there. This is just the range, which probably means something we knew all along = if we can get guys on the mound who aren’t throwing pitches that end up as screaming line drives or home runs, we’re probably in good shape. Although now without ARod, this may take a hit as Abreu, Damon, and Jeter are now a year older and who knows what will be going on at 1B next year.

The comments leaves a little something to be desired

Actually, if you read on, it gets better. Just one clown in there. Maybe his dog got run over by someone in a Yankees hat or something.

And, I’m talking to myself, again.

J.. Im here for you.

Ok, thurm. Play GM for an off season. What are your moves?

As per Pete Abraham, Pettitte just declined his option for 2008 although that doesn’t mean he’s retiring.  He apparently needs a lot of time to think things over but the Hendricks Bros. said they are confident they can negotiate a deal within 24 hours if he decides to play next season.

If I’m GM, by the way, I try to trade for Ensberg and I platoon him with Betemit.  I wouldn’t touch Crede with a 10 foot pole unless he came basically for free.  There’s absolutely no way I would trade Damon for him.  In terms of 1B, I would certainly kick the tires on Sexon - but another option has to be moving Matsui over there.  If it turns out he’s awful, that’s one thing - but it’s too easy a solution not to at least ponder.  Obviously, Posada and Mariano need to be re-signed and I hope for the best with the young starters.  Also, I would throw the bank at Francisco Cordero to see if he’d accept being the team’s 8th inning setup man.

Pettitte just declined his option for 2008 although that doesn’t mean he’s retiring

While that statement certainly leaves the door open for Pettite to still be a Yankee in 2008, that makes things very sticky for Cashman and his dealings right now. His 2008 rotation is currently Wang, Chamberlain, Hughes, Mussina, Kennedy (in no particular order). Lots of promise, but lots of question mark as well. 3 rookies going into the year, two of them with innings caps.

Wow, things are sort of coming apart at the seems here. I was sure there was no way ARod would opt out. I was positive Pettite was going to enjoy being the veteran of the staff and teaching the young guys and, combined with his comments about how good his elbow felt, that he would exercise his option and come back.  Am I the only one afraid of the news when it comes about Mo and Po?

Wang, Chamberlain, Hughes, Mussina, Kennedy

So, what I meant by that is, you can basically kiss any deal involving any of those guys good bye. They all now have huge roles in 2008.  After the 5th guy in that list (whoever it is) is a whole lot of mediocrity at best.

Which means no Miguel Cabrera trade is even worth talking about. Perhaps Santana, Kazmir or Bedard (who I hear is being shopped now), but even so, I’d imagine that’s still not going to happen, as it would probably involve 2 of Joba, Hughes and Kennedy for those guys.

Maybe it’s a good thing. I irrationally want all 3 of those guys on the team for a long time.

Sorry for the delay J. IE kinda hasit in 47 but I think Crede is viable. Not for alot but the Chisters aint gonna get squat for im even best case scenario. I’ve been trying to figure out ways to use Wang inna productive trade because I’m really down on him. I know how good he is, but we all know how bad he is too. I’m not even sure I want Joba starting.It was nice to have 2 RP that could get outs. The one thing I forbid is Phil , The hutt , and wee Ian Cennedi involved in any trades.

Although I suppose this can be a handshake type thing, Pettite is a stand up guy and maybe the Yankees are using this a way to manuever some roster space?

Well if Bedard is available I could consider stupid sounding deals. My Katt thurman and I both have a serious man-crush on his arm.

If I’m GM, by the way, I try to trade for Ensberg and I platoon him with Betemit.

I honestly don’t know why we’re spending so much time on 3B. Betemit is the current 3B as far as I’m concerned, and while an upgrade would be great, I would spend every resource I have exploring bullpen options first. Maybe Cashman can pull off a deal where he gets a 3B and a relief arm for Damon, who knows, but the drop from ARod to Betemit (while huge) is, in my potentially irrational opinion, not as much of a glaring problem in 08 as the bullpen.

46 on the squad in 08 is almost as needed as Mo and Po. Crucial indeed.

Are we not seeing the forest through the trees?

Joe turns down an offer and calls it an insult. His foot was basically out the door during his Game 4 press conference.
ARod left.
Pettite declines his option.
Rivera met with management and still hasn’t been signed.
Posada hasn’t even been mentioned other than a rumor of an offered deal here and there.

Is this a sinking ship that we’re just not seeing?

RB.. That Chitown trip of yours in the summer was tres kool. nice work.

J. did you really think Nim-Rod and Remora were not gonna whore out. It is about the friggin money. The last player I recall not going for the benjys was Puckett in the early 90’s. I know there have been a few but Kirby stood out. I always liked him.

I think this just has to do with Petitte needing his own amount of time, and not letting the option deadline define it. But if the answer is anything but ‘yes’, how can Cashman be doing his job and assume it’s anything but no? Without Pettite,  things get a little more bleak.

Well Trachsel and Bensons Ole lady are available.

Eelz it’ 2200. You should be here by now. How much did the last 8 minutes of that game suck yesterday ?