Yankees After Griffey?
By
Amanda
Posted at 2:24 pm
Jon Heyman of Newsday.com suggests that the Yankees might find Ken Griffey, Jr. their best option to fill in for Gary Sheffield, who has suffered a potentially season-ending wrist injury.
In his article Griffey Could Be Most Likely Big Name for Yanks, dated tomorrow, he says:
Griffey's whopping salary ($37 million through 2009) means the Yankees wouldn't have to give up anything of note to get him. The Reds' previous ownership rejected the Yankees' bid for Griffey last year, but the Reds have a new owner, Bob Castellini, and a new GM, Wayne Krivsky, who isn't afraid to deal if they fall out of the race.
Number one, the Yankees went after Griffey last year?
Number two, what is it with people who act like the entire league is just the Yankees' ice cream shop where they can sample any flavor that they please? You know, just because Griffey might suit the Yankees' needs doesn't mean the Yankees' can meet the Reds' needs.
Number three, isn't it a little premature to be talking about the Reds falling out of the race? Right now they're second in the NLC, a game and a half closer to first than to third. Especially now that the Cardinals have lost two in a row to the Cubs with Jim Edmonds and Albert Pujols both injured, I'm liking their chances of sticking with the race beyond the time that Griffey would be irrelevant to the Yankees.
In fact, I think he's already irrelevant to the Yankees. If they're interested in a high-priced catcher, on the other hand, we might be able to give them a taste spoon.
Typical misinformed New York media. My favorite is that the Yankees would not have to give up anything of note to get him. Um, it’s not like they’re trading for Kevin Howard again.
Griffey isn’t going anywhere so long as this streak of him delivering the lineup to the umps corresponds with this current winning streak.
And I agree about the misinformed NY media: Yes, the Reds have new ownership, but the Reds have new ownsership that wants to win NOW. If the Reds are looking to [i]trade[/i] an outfielder, it will be for proven major league pitching, and Kearns or Dunn will likely be who teams go after. If the Yankees want Griffey, they have nothing to offer in return, and I don’t believe that dumping Griffey’s salary is in Castellini’s plans, especially with the free agent market the way that it is in terms of pitching (assuming that he’s waiting until the off season to acquire a pitcher).
But hey! If the Yankees want Quinton McCracken, I’ll be cliche and say that I’ll take a bag of balls and a couple boxes of sunflower seeds in return.
When Posada got hurt last week I said in ASBCR that as far as I was concerned, the Yankees could have LaRue for a bag of used balls and an autographed picture of Thurman Munson.
There are some cities where the baseball beat writers are on top of things more than they are in other cities, and the trade rumors you hear coming out of such places sometimes have some merit.
New York is most definitely not one of those places. This is the third year in a row I’ve seen “Griffey to the Yankees” trade rumors coming out of New York. There might be a reporter in New York who’s jonesing to see Junior in pinstripes, but…I dunno, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
HMZ
Oh, by the way –
Freel hitting two dingers in one game, including a two-run shot in the 11th inning to give the Reds a sweep over the Astros: $1,300,000
Kearns also homering twice in the same game as Freel: $1, 850,000
Pujols going on the DL just as the Reds travel to St. Louis for a three-game series against the Cardinals: PRICELESS!
HMZ
No offense, but the MasterCard PRICELESS thing is about as stale as it gets. I wish it would just go away, and take the tired expression “at the end of the day” with it.