[sylar]

[ QUOTE ]

1)a CF who's two years have produced OPS+'s of 95 and 89, with not much hope of power developing in the future

2)a middle-back of the rotation guy in an organization filled with potential pitching prospects,and which has the ability to sign high-priced FA's

3)an outfield prospect who hasn't shown power OR even reached AA yet

[/ QUOTE ]

1) it would be nice to have a BJ Upton or a Curtis Granderson or a Grady Sizemore at CF, but it probably won't happen. the choice is Hunter or Rowand, who will be 32 and 30 at a premium price. hell, even trading for Gary Matthews will probably cost you an every-day player and another AAA prospect plus CASH. you can include that money into the miggy cabrera trade, b/c that's what it's going to cost. noone else is available.

2) who? who can the yankees sign to even be the middle-back of the rotation guy this offseason? it's not quite fair to compare them monetarily, but let's set a reasonable limit. $50M/4yr contract to Freddy Garcia (age 32) or Casey Fossum (age 30) is not the same thing as a cost-controlled prospect. i understand the argument that you can't pen the guy for any SP slot after 5 starts, but you can't write him off either. there aren't many pitchers who have done what he's done in the minors. he's not quite joba, but he's good.

think of it another way, all the starting pitching money the yankees will save this year, will go to Johan one-year later, when Pettite and Mussina really will be off the books.

3) tabata will start in AA next season. who knows, he could get to AAA by june/july and become a callup. and he is 19, you've got to see if he'll be humiliated before you let him go. it seems you can always go and spend $15M/yr on a free agent OF.


i am not arguing that the yankee lineup won't be better for 1 season with Miguel instead Melky. i am saying, you've got to look at your organization, and what's available, and figure out what's best for your organization.