Three-Team Matsui Deal?

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:

1. They don't give up Hughes, but still land a premium bat.
2. They get rid of Matsui, opening up left field for Holliday and clearing the log jam at corner outfield.
3. 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).
4. 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:

1. This team would be obscenely unbalanced. Try finding a few lefties to fit in between A-Rod, Holliday and Nady.
2. Would they be giving up too early on Cano? Could come back to haunt them.
3. 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:

1. Damon
2. Jeter
3. A-Rod
4. Holliday
5. Posada
6. Nady
7. Hudson
8. Miranda/Betemit?
9. Gardner

It's better than the currently constructed lineup, but it would look a lot better if they got Teixeira too.

1. Damon
2. Jeter
3. Teixeira
4. A-Rod
5. Holliday
6. Posada
7. Nady
8. Hudson
9. 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?