I first saw this one on
MLBTR, apparently
Tim Brown is reporting on a possible three-team deal that would send Hideki Matsui to the Mariners and Robinson Cano to Colorado, Seattle would send a young pitcher, possibly Ryan Rowland-Smith, to Colorado and the Rockies would send Matt Holliday to the Yanks.
My take: Do it. They'd have to extend Holliday, but in terms of 2008 dollars, Matsui and Holliday are a wash and they could probably replace Cano with Orlando Hudson for similar money. Cano is due $6M this season, Hudson would probably take a contract a little more hefty than the one the Mets gave Luis Castillo last year (4 years, $24M).
Several good things from the Yankee perspective in this one:
- They don't give up Hughes, but still land a premium bat.
- They get rid of Matsui, opening up left field for Holliday and clearing the log jam at corner outfield.
- The money would be basically even assuming they can sign Orlando Hudson, and sign him to a fair contract. This means no free agent door would be closed (read: Teixeira).
- Holliday would add speed and power to the lineup, last year he hit 25 bombs and stole 28 bags in only 139 games. The year before, he was an MVP candidate.
And, on also a few negative points that need to be made:
- This team would be obscenely unbalanced. Try finding a few lefties to fit in between A-Rod, Holliday and Nady.
- Would they be giving up too early on Cano? Could come back to haunt them.
- Where would the payroll be in 2010?
Say this deal isn't a figment of Tim Brown's imagination. Assume it happens and the Yanks are able to add Orlando Hudson, here's their starting lineup:
- Damon
- Jeter
- A-Rod
- Holliday
- Posada
- Nady
- Hudson
- Miranda/Betemit?
- Gardner
It's better than the currently constructed lineup, but it would look a lot better if they got Teixeira too.
- Damon
- Jeter
- Teixeira
- A-Rod
- Holliday
- Posada
- Nady
- Hudson
- Gardner
It's fun to speculate, but at some point you have to realize that the Yanks do have a payroll limit and there are probably another 10 teams or so out there who have some money to spend. I have the feeling that if a trade like this happens, Teixeira will be headed somewhere else, maybe Boston. If that's the case, the question then becomes, are the Yanks a better team with Teixeira, Matsui and Cano or Holliday, Hudson and a warm body at first? I guess it depends on who that warm body is.
Oh yeah, one other thing. Why in the world would Seattle trade a viable prospect for Matsui?
I like the trade. Still not sold on Holliday (I would rather have Kemp) but if we can unload Matsui as well I would not be mad at that.
If you're going to get another corner outfielder, you need to move one. I'd be happy with this one, but a little worried about the lack of lefties in the lineup.
Why in the world would Seattle trade a viable prospect for Matsui?
Does Seattle have a large Asian population? Because I know their owner is Asian, and, obviously, they love Ichiro. Maybe Matsui would help with attendance or something.
I believe they do have a large Asian population, and that's the only possible reason I could think of. Still, I think Ichiro is probably enough of a draw for that segment of the fanbase. The rumor sounds like BS to me, but it's still fun to play what if.
Halliday's a decent option for the Yankees but his production may drop coming to the AL and playing in a less hitter-friendly park. But if Seattle would be dumb enough trade away a good prospect for Matsui then the Yanks should jump on this one.
A daily handbag can hold all your particular possessions, but what can superbly make you shine is a designer handbag. There are so many diverse kinds of makes out there like Prada and Juicy Couture. They are very modern and is critical to any woman's wardrobe.