Yanks get Granderson in deal with Tigers, D-backs
Photo credit: Getty Images | Detroit's Curtis Granderson hit 30 home runs last season and is only 29 years old.
Curtis Granderson
Top MLB free agents: A different spin
INDIANAPOLIS - The Yankees, the kings of last year's winter meetings and, consequently, the reigning World Series champions, took control of the baseball world once again Tuesday, acquiring All-Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson in an explosive, three-way trade with Detroit and Arizona.
Granderson, who will turn 29 in March, came to the Yankees in return for lefty reliever Phil Coke and young outfielder Austin Jackson (who will go to the Tigers) and young starting pitcher Ian Kennedy (who will go to the Diamondbacks).
None of the clubs formally announced the trade, as the teams still were reviewing the medical records of the players involved. But, as one insider put it, "It's happening."
The deal had everyone talking here at the winter meetings, with Yankees officials receiving congratulations from other clubs' front-office personnel, and it sends a ripple through the Yankees, as well, regarding the rest of their offseason plans.
In short, the trade means bad news for Johnny Damon and Roy Halladay regarding their desires to be part of the 2010 Yankees, and it could mean good news for Hideki Matsui and Mike Cameron.
With Granderson bringing pop to the centerfield position from the lefthanded side - he totaled 94 homers the last four years - the Yankees have less urgency to re-sign Damon, 36, who is asking for far more than the Yankees want to give. Whereas the Yankees have a two-year, $20-million deal in mind, Damon wants a three- or four-year commitment for about the $13 million he earned from the Yankees each of the past four seasons.
Instead, from here, the Yankees could plan to keep Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner while considering Cameron - who could also play centerfield - and Xavier Nady. If the Yankees retained Cabrera and Gardner while bringing back Damon, they could turn Damon into more of a designated hitter.
Matsui looks to be an option only if he takes a significant pay cut from his $13 million. Sports Nippon reported that Matsui has begun a two-week "minicamp" in California, during which he'll try to play the outfield and display his skills for interested teams. The Angels have confirmed an interest, although manager Mike Scioscia said, "We have a lot of balls in the air."
On the pitching front, with the Yankees dealing from their pool of young players to acquire Granderson, given how much general manager Brian Cashman understands the need for a deep reservoir of young talent, it appears unlikely that the Yankees would trade more high-ceiling prospects for Halladay.
As they continue negotiations to bring back Andy Pettitte, the Yankees will investigate other options to boost their starting rotation. They'll stay in the loop on John Lackey, but their desire to trim payroll means they'll more likely go for a reclamation project such as Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden or Ben Sheets.
The Yankees' Granderson pursuit began in earnest last month at the general managers' meetings, when the Yankees learned that the cost-cutting Tigers would be interested in such a deal. Granderson's athleticism, power, youth, well-regarded personality and controlled costs appealed to the Yankees; he has $5.5 million coming to him in 2010, $8.25 million in 2011, $10 million in 2012 and a $13-million club option (with a $2-million buyout) for 2013.
