According to reports, the Red Sox have allegedly moved ahead of the Yankees in the Johan Santana Sweepstakes.

Whoop-de-doo. (yawn.)

Something tells me that the Twins are going to keep Santana until sometime in July, when it’ll be determined if they’re in the race for the American League Central Pennant. If they’re out of it by then, they’ll be looking to unload him for some talent. By then, they’ll be willing to part with him for a whole lot less than they’re jockeying for now.

So don’t worry, fans… the Twins asking price is ASTRONOMICAL. They won’t trade him until July unless some team out there is willing to mortgage it’s future with some jaw-dropping deal.

I don’t think it’s gonna happen… at least, not yet…

GO YANKEES!

The Yankees and Twins are talking about a possible trade, the main prize being Johan Santana.

Any trade involving Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy or Robinson Cano is ridiculous. The Yankees would be mortgaging too much of their future pitching prospects for Santana, great pitcher though he is. Robinson Cano WILL be a batting champion one day. The Twins really don’t care about winning next year; they just want to unload a high-priced player for several cheaper ones.

It’s much easier to replace position players than pitchers; that’s why I wouldn’t be opposed to moving Melky Cabrera in a deal that lands Santana. It does appear that the Twins asking price is going to be astronomical, even if the deal doesn’t involve the big three pitching prospects.

The Yankees would be well advised to remember a trade from a different sport made in the same town between the Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys for a great, proven player named Herschel Walker. We all know how THAT one turned out.

This might be a trade that the Yankees might be better off missing. The initial asking price just seems to be a bit too high…

GO YANKEES!

The Yankees made three equally good moves within the past week, showing that they still think that they can win in 2008.

Today the Yankees exercised the option on out-fielder Bobby Abreu, keeping the perennial 100 Ribbie guy in the Bronx for another year. Although he slumped a bit last season, he is pretty much a sure 100 walks, 100 RBIs player. Good move.

Then there’s THIS news: A-Rod allegedly asked for an extension totaling $350 million, or some ridiculous number. Personally, I wouldn’t care if A-Rod was the Lord and Savior Incarnate (and he is most certainly NOT); he IS NOT WORTH that utterly INSANE sum. To pay him that much, or anything remotely close to that amount, would have hampered the Yankees ability to be competitive financially in the foreseeable future. It’s blatantly obvious to me that he lied, and never wanted to stay a Yankee. Another good move.

So, if we add up the moves this off-season, we count on the positive side these three things:

1. Picking up the option on Bobby Abreu
2. Saying "GOOD RIDDANCE" to Alex Rodriguez
3. Signing Joe Girardi

On the negative side, it was hard to say good-bye to Joe Torre and Don Mattingly.

Cheer up, Yankee "Doom and Gloomers"! The good still out-weighs the bad! Hang tough! Keep the faith!

GO YANKEES!

The Yankees and Diamondbacks have reached a deal concerning Randy Johnson.

The Diamondbacks get Randy Johnson, while the Yankees get Luis Vizcaino along with minor league right-handers Ross
Ohlendorf and Steven Jackson, and shortstop Alberto Gonzalez. The Yankees
also will pay between $1.5 million and $2 million of Johnson’s $16
million salary this coming year.

From the (Dis)Associated Press:

Vizcaino, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 4-6 last season with 3.58
ERA in 70 games. He has a 25-23 career record with a 4.24 ERA in eight
seasons, playing for Oakland, Milwaukee, the Chicago White Sox and
Arizona.

Ohlendorf, a 25-year-old who went to Princeton, was 10-8
with a 3.29 ERA at Double-A Tennessee last season and 0-0 with a 1.28
ERA at Tucson.

Gonzalez, a 24-year-old right-handed hitter,
batted .290 in 129 games with Tennessee with six homers, 50 RBIs and 20
doubles. He also hit .200 (3-for-15) in four games with Tucson.

Jackson, 24, was 8-11 with a 2.65 ERA in 24 starts at Tennessee.

Johnson
was 17-11 with a 5.00 ERA last season, and the 43-year-old left-hander
is coming off back surgery on Oct. 26. Although he has gone 34-19
during the regular season in two years with the Yankees, he is 0-1 with
a 6.92 ERA in three post-season appearances.

I was never really anti-Big Unit, as he won 34 games in his two seasons here. That being said, he never really fit in well in New York. He is not the power pitcher anymore that the Bombers expected to get when they  traded for him two years ago.

The Yankees won’t miss his moody, irritable attitude inside the clubhouse, but he should do well back in Arizona, pitching in warm weather all season long. However, I’m always a bit nervous when trading away seventeen game winners without a known replacement.

This opens the door for the possible, if not probable, return of the Rocket in Yankee Stadium; a sight that we’ll ALL be thrilled to see.

It’s going to be a wild ride in the American League East this year. I can’t wait!

GO YANKEES!

The Yankees appear to be very close to signing free-agent first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.

According to NewsDay:

Meanwhile, on the first-base front, the Yankees appear to be closer to
signing free agent Doug Mientkiewicz. The plan to platoon the
lefthanded hitter with the righthanded-hitting Josh Phelps or Andy
Phillips would further squeeze out Bernie Williams, whom the Yankees
have effectively placed in limbo.

On the upside, Mientkiewicz is a solid defensive player that will greatly help the Bombers’ infield defense. If he hits too, then that’s a terrific bonus.

The downside of this signing is that it’s going to be a NIGHTMARE writing his name in the score books this season.

Ah well… the sacrifices that we must make sometimes as Yankee fans…

GO YANKEES!

The Yankees are on the verge of trading Randy Johnson to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Yankees would get some young arms with loads of upside potential, while the Diamondbacks would get the Big Unit at a discount price. It just depends on how much of Johnson’s salary that the Yankees are willing to cover.

More details to follow.

GO YANKEES!

UPDATE(1/3/2006): Padres still in contention to land the Big Unit!

So much for the rumors about Barry Zito coming to the Big Apple.

It seems as though he’s signed with the San Francisco Giants.

Control tower to the Yankees: Mission to Planet Zito Aborted!

We had better not trade the Big Unit just yet…

GO YANKEES!

Kei Igawa has signed with the New York Yankees.

He is a versatile arm that will fit in well with the Yankees, be it as a left-hander out of the bullpen, or a spot-starter in the fourth or fifth slot.

I believe that he will surprise some of the so-called "experts", the way that Chien-Ming Wang has done.

Another job well done by the front office.

GO YANKEES!

The Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered catcher Toby Hall.

Hall batted .259 with 8 homers and 31 RBI in 278 AB with the Devil Rays and Dodgers in 2006.
He has a career  .991 fielding percentage.
He has a strong throwing arm, throwing out 44% of attempted base-stealers in 2003 and 42% in 2005. He slumped to 27% last year partly because he was in a new league.
He would be an excellent addition to the Yankees and a solid stop-gap until the Bomber’s youngsters are ready.

If the Yankees pursue and land Hall, it would prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Brian Cashman is the best GM in baseball.

GO YANKEES!