Notes From Hot Stove, Cool Music: Cashman, Santana, Varitek

A point was made on another site that Kei Igawa has entered the discussions as the 4th player in a Johan deal from the Yankees.

At first glance, this would be a throw-away news story... who in their right mind would be interested in Kei Igawa?

and we all know that Kei Igawa was horrendous in NY last year; but he could be at least a serviceable 4/5 starter for most teams around the league.

But, what got my attention, was that Minnesota would be interested in taking Igawa and his salary. Even though his posting fee was upwards of $25 million, he is only getting a base salary around $5 per season.

Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner have reportedly said they are very hesitant to take on Johan's expected contract if they can not move any salary from the current roster. But, if the Twins agreed to take on Igawa's salary, now you're starting to find a compromise between the Twins and Yankees, as well as between Cashman and Hal with Hank Steinbrenner and others in the organization.

this would signal to me that the Twins think Hughes is the prime prospect to get back, not Lester or Ellsbury or some crazy 6-for-1 package with Gomez, FMart and Mulvey. If the Twins agree to take on some salary in return, they are ultimately guaranteeing the player they want in return.

maybe looking into this too much? probably... but its at least a new thought to throw out there...

"The guy drafts amazingly well..."

Aaaaah the ignorance. For all you know, Cashman has nothing to do with the draft.

Baseball fans might be the dumbest group of people on earth.

I really find this all quite stupid, sure Yankees throw in Igawa, who is a cheap option, but is down right awful whether for 5M, 2M or league minimum...

Igawa is 29, so what you see is what you get... and what you get is a pitcher who served up 15 hr and an era of 6.25 with 47 er in 67.2 innings...

Unless the Twins are looking for someone to pitch during the HR Derby at the All-Star game, it really makes no sense at all.

Just for the record - I want all of you Brian Cashman fans who say he has done a good job with the draft to take a peak at the last 10 years of the Yankees drafts - I am having a tough time picking out more than 3 or 4 really good picks in 10 years

Has Kenji Johjima even considered playing somewhere other than Seattle? I doubt the Red Sox would try to sign another catcher unless Jason's production completely drops off. Then again, Boras might try to over price him and that may also cause Theo to look elsewhere.

Arod - for you to assume that I should look into the Yankees draft history is an interesting statement. Take a peak at Cashman's history in the draft. It is absolutely horrible. Most years teams draft between 50-70 players - and the simple fact is the Yankees "swing and miss" a lot more than other teams - Until this latest Cashman class of your so called "can't miss" prospects - the Yankees have been one of the worst farm systems in baseball - why all of a sudden is he the guru of talent? Because he might have hit a home run with Hughes and Chamberlain?

regarding you "knowing/understanding the Yankees draft responsibilities" comment - how ignorant is that statement - if you think that Cashman doesn't have a SERIOUS input on who they select - you have zero clue about what a GM's involvement in the draft is all about