It's officially the holiday season with Thanksgiving and Black Friday passing this weekend, and I hope all of you had a wonderful time with your friends and families.
During this time, baseball news appears infrequently.
But now that Thanksgiving has passed and we're heading closer to Christmas, teams will start to get back into their offseason plans.
And for the New York Yankees, that means upgrading their starting rotation.
On Thanksgiving, the Yankees re-signed Freddy Garcia to a one-year deal worth around $5 million.
Right now, the Yankees have CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Phil Hughes and Garcia—all of whom can be in the rotation for 2012.
That's pretty much exactly how the rotation looked in 2011. It was good enough, but in no way was it going to win a championship.
Buster Olney of ESPN tweeted today that many teams feel that Cubs starter Matt Garza will be on the block this winter, and that Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer will be listening to and entertaining offers from teams.
If Garza is on the block, the Yankees need to be interested and make a move.
Back on November 2, I wrote a story saying the Yankees should inquire about Garza and find out what his price is.
And here on November 28, almost four weeks later, I feel the same exact way I did then—maybe even more strongly.
The Yankees cannot just stand pat with the rotation because it is not a championship-caliber rotation.
Hughes is way too injury-prone to ever be counted on, and I feel as if he should be traded this winter.
Burnett is too inconsistent to ever rely on—it wouldn't shock me if the Yankees also dealt him this winter.
As far as Garcia goes, he was good in 2011, but will he be good in 2012? Will teams figure him out and shell him, or can he continue to fool hitters?
These facts mean the Yankees need to make a move for a starter—and Garza may be the best realistic arm out there.
The 28-year-old Garza had success with the Tampa Bay Rays before he was traded to the Cubs last winter and would be under control for 2012 and 2013. He has a contract that is very affordable for the Yankees.
If the asking price is Dellin Betances, then I would start a package around Betances and go from there—but I would not include Manny Banuelos or Jesus Montero.
If Montero were to be in any deal, it would have to be for someone like Felix Hernandez, Tim Lincecum or Clayton Kershaw.
That's the type of impact bat Montero has. Only a young, dominant ace pitcher would be a sufficient return for Montero.
But for Garza, I'd start a package leading with Betances and go from there.
There was some chatter that the Texas Rangers might be interested in Garza as well, but with the Rangers recently signing Joe Nathan to be their closer, they are expected to move Neftali Feliz to the rotation in 2012.
Plus, you have to take into consideration C.J. Wilson's future and whether the Rangers will bring him back or not.
At one time, I thought the Rangers getting Garza could make sense, but now I think the Yankees might be the team to beat for him.
The Yankees can't have another winter of missed opportunities—like they did with Cliff Lee last year.
You can even count not trading for Zack Grienke last winter as a missed opportunity.
If they have the opportunity to make a deal for a pitcher such as Garza, then the Yankees need to pounce on it and do it as soon as possible.
Now it all comes down to Yankees GM Brian Cashman getting together with Hoyer and Epstein and working out a deal that makes sense for both sides.
Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.
St. Louis Cardinals Washington Nationals Jonathan Albaladejo Andrew Brackman A.J. Burnett Steve Garrison
0 件のコメント:
コメントを投稿