Me: “Two packs of skittles, please.”
Clerk: “You like that candy, huh?”
Me: “You have no idea.” As I count my change, I realize that this is the same person with whom I talked about the parade a month ago “By the way, you know the Yankees got Granderson, right?”
Clerk: “Wha? I heard about the Bruney thing…”
Me: “Yeah. Curtis Granderson for Coke, Jackson and Kennedy.”
Clerk: “No way! We’re getting 28!”
******
So yes, the Yankees have, pending physicals, acquired Curtis Granderson for Phil Coke, Austin Jackson and Ian Kennedy. Granted, the physicals are not guaranteed–and Arizona is also a player in the deal (they get Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy and give up Daniel Schlereth and Max Scherzer)–but the clerk’s reaction, wide eyed and “OMG MY LIFE RULES” seems to be a fairly common one amongst Yankee fans.
How do I see the trade?
It’s a little hard to contemplate Austin Jackson not being in pinstripes after we’ve kept talking about him for so long, but Granderson is, as of right now, better than Jackson. He (Granderson) had a bad 2009 so there’s a little risk in hoping that 2009 was an off year and not a downward spiral, but what it does mean is that the Yankees have that much more leverage in negotiating with Johnny Damon.
I’ll miss Phil Coke’s postgame interviews, but I will rest easy knowing that he won a ring with the Yankees.
The part of the deal that strikes me most is that Arizona is giving up Max Scherzer–who is young and with tremendous upside–for the inconsistent Edwin Jackson.
In fact, netting E. Jackson and Kennedy, it’s hard to see how Arizona benefits–although Kennedy, at least, might find much more success in an NL environment.
The other big news of the day is that Peter Gammons is leaving ESPN.
That’s pretty big. Also, one that came out of basically nowhere. However, it does mean that he is trending above Tiger Woods on Twitter, and that is, given recent revelations, a testament to just how big a name Gammons is.
Regardless of any perceived bias, Gammons is still an institution, and helped nurture the talents of many we read today. No word on if this is a retirement or if he is moving on to another gig, but wherever he goes, I do wish him well.
2 Responses on Who says the offseason is boring?
when I first heard the Yankees were interested, I came down very strongly against acquiring Granderson on a couple of blogs, but something Sam Borden wrote today made me go back and look a little harder
through his age 28 season, Curtis Granderson hits an ugly .210/.270/.344/.614 against lefties
but through his age 29 season (when the Yankees got him), Paul O’Neill hit .217/.273/.327/.600 against lefties. He improved substantially against lefties after that, and wound up with a career OPS of 700. Still not good, but that also included a couple of seasons where he hit very very well against lefties (1994–.304/.439/.552/.987)
I think he will be a frustrating player at times, but if either A) he learns to hit lefties a little better (distinctly possible) or B) Ajax doesn’t pan out (distinctly possible), then this might be a steal
and what the heck was Josh Byrnes thinking?
[Reply]
My reaction was similar to JGS before the trade. I had and still have considerable concerns about Grandy’s K’s and problems with lefties. That said, he is very good defensively. His combination of speed and power will fit very well in Yankee Stadium. He can get slotted into various places in the lineup. Plus, he is a very smart, good guy whom people like. He will fit into the club and fast, and the fans will gravitate toward his personality and hard-working attitude quickly.
I am not big on trading prospects, but combining Jackson with two decent but expendable pitchers was fine with me. They upgraded the OF defense right away, got younger, and added talent. Strong move by Cashman.
[Reply]
Leave a comment on Who says the offseason is boring?
RSS feed for comments on this post