Rosenthal And Morosi On Yankees, Vizquel, Bradley

*are the answer.

And of course, Jackson would have more time to develop and could take over in left if Cameron is still on the roster. I wouldn't even mind giving him a two- or maybe three-year deal if the base salary is low enough, considering he could move to left if his defense fell apart.

bruntlett, i spell like bruntlett hits

Eh idk about Cameron. I like Damon in the 2 hole. I don't see anyone offering Damon what Boras wants so Boras will drop his price for him.

What do you think about getting Dunn to play LF and sign Damon to DH and switch around with him or when someone needs a day off bla bla you no the deal. What do you think it would take to get him from the Nats?

Is this the first "Chinese water torture" reference on mlbtraderumors.com?

What do you think about getting Dunn to play LF and sign Damon to DH and switch around with him or when someone needs a day off bla bla you no the deal. What do you think it would take to get him from the Nats?

Posted by: Yankeeboy11 | November 11, 2009 at 10:09 PM

Dunn would not play the field. Period.

He'll match the runs he produces with the runs he'll give up, making him a replacement player.

No to him unless he plays DH.

I like Damon in the second spot but not if he wants a multi year deal. Plus, he's a bad fielder too.

"Is this the first "Chinese water torture" reference on mlbtraderumors.com?"

It must have come up in a Brian Roberts / Cubs story at some point...

It makes zero sense to trade Pat Burrell for Bozo Bradley.

The Rays made a statement when they dumped Elijah Dukes and Delmon Young, and the team took a massive step forward after that. Why on earth would they take on Bradley, who has to be the biggest PR nightmare in baseball today (now that Bonds is officially in the past)? They would have been better off with Dukes, who was cheaper and who the team could demote when he acts out.

If I were the owners of the Rays, I wouldn't take Bradley if you gave him to me for FREE. He's a cancer in the clubhouse, a distraction to the team and manager, and a spit in the face to the fans. And that doesn't even factor in his tendency to miss games and his so-so offensive production.

I don't know if all this so-called interest is generated by the Cubs spinmeisters, but I can't imagine anyone interested in Bradley, unless the Cubs took back twice as much in dead money...and then the receiving team could just cut Bradley and save whatever the difference was in the deal.

I still say the smarter move would be Damon and Cameron vs Cameron and Matsui. Damon can flourish as a DH and be a better offensive weapon rested as a DH vs an everyday LF.

On a completely different note. I was watching the MLB special about 1086 and the matchup of Boston vs the Mets. They were talking about the game where "Oil Can" Boyd was lit up by the Mets. The reporter actually said that the Mets "beat the tar out of Oil Can Boyd". Is that not the most borderline racist comments to fly under the radar? Beat the tar?????

YFS78: Racist? Really? It was a joke about his nickname, as tar is a byproduct of oil. You are a moron. Everything today is racist, isn't it?

Devlsh: Why take Bradley? Because he's not the same as Young or Dukes. They were both terrible people in the minors and in TB. Bradley was fabulous in the smaller media market that Texas is. He is great in terms of production.

He isn't a bad teammate or a bad person, he just doesn't deal well with media scrutiny, and the Chicago media gave him a short temper and compounded his problems.

I still say the smarter move would be Damon and Cameron vs Cameron and Matsui. Damon can flourish as a DH and be a better offensive weapon rested as a DH vs an everyday LF.

On a completely different note. I was watching the MLB special about 1086 and the matchup of Boston vs the Mets. They were talking about the game where "Oil Can" Boyd was lit up by the Mets. The reporter actually said that the Mets "beat the tar out of Oil Can Boyd". Is that not the most borderline racist comments to fly under the radar? Beat the tar?????

Posted by: YanksFanSince78 | November 11, 2009 at 10:46 PM

But, the cons are that Damon will cost more in dollars and probably in years too. (You also lose Matsui's Japanese advertisements)

Even if you play Damon now and then, he's still a terrible fielder. It's probably better if he DHs full time.

You also won't get the two draft picks as a type A free agent.

I really don't want him if it takes more than 1 year to sign him. You have Ajax almost ready, you have a guy like Matt Holliday who is available and Carl Crawford who will probably be a FA after next year.

Everyone talks about Matsui's knees but Damon also has persistent back and leg issues. No multi year deals please.

As much as I'd absolutely hate to see it.....Omar Vizquel would make sense for the Red Sox.

If they can't work something out with Gonzalez, Omar would be a nice backup plan. They can let Lowrie try and start and have Omar back him up/spot start. He's as good or better defensively as Gonzalez and showed he can still hit some when in a hitters park.

There are better overall SS options, but Omar would still be a good backup in Boston.

And just for the record. It may not have bothered you (if you're white) but it may offend someone else. I also think it's silly to argue against Native Americans who may have been offended by some of the marketing used by the Braves, Indians and Redskins. We (non-Native Americans) may not find it offensive but then again why would we? Maybe we need to be more sensitive to how THEY may feel about. Just a small departure from the topic at hand. GAME ON!!

heres a new argument, how about the al looses the DH

As much as I'd absolutely hate to see it.....Omar Vizquel would make sense for the Red Sox.
----------

Omar would make for a good back up but what is his range at this point of his career? He would have to cover a lot of ground since Lowell isn't as spry as he was pre-hip surgery.

ericbrat20: That's exactly what happened to Wang in 08 and look at the lasting effect it's had on him. I feel the same way every time I saw CC or AJ swing the bat or run the bases. I almost wanted them to strike out looking just to avoid a potential injury.

"I can easily see him posting a .290/.375 25 hrs, 35-40 dbls and 20-25 SB line. Not to mention w/o him there's a gaping hole in the #2 spot. No one can argue that Jeter/Damon is better than Jeter/Swisher."

Yeah, it's tough to complain with how the Jeter/Damon top of the lineup has worked out, that's arguably the best one through four in baseball, with Damon around.

I still think that he ends up back in New York, maybe they concede and give him two years, but honestly, I just don't see Damon getting three or more years in this economy.

NO DH!! Seriously what does it really take to manage in the AL??

dude, who wants to see a pitcher have 3-4 ab's and swing like a girl?

only a few good hitting pitchers.

Is it really that more difficult to manage in the NL? When the pitchers spot comes up...pinch hit. Make a double switch when it calls for it. Not exactly brain science.

I had a friend back in high school, a good looking, charismatic quarterback of the football team type who basically had his pick of any girl he wanted. And he had some beautiful girls on his arm. But, for some strange reason, he seemed to be obsessed with this one particular girl, an unattractive little obnoxious thing that earned her the nickname "the gargoyle." None of us could understand his obsession, but he persisted in this irritating chase. We tried to figure it out, maybe look at it as this poetic thing- think Jake from Sixteen Candles. But nobody could get it; she was just such a zero in every conceivable way. Truly an enigma. Luckily this infatuation never came to fruition. And with that I offer the Yankees' unseemly obsession with fricken Mike Cameron.

Remember when the Yankees had this similar, panting obsession with Rondell White. WHen they almost lost Bernie to the Red Sox, their offensive go-to alternative was going to be Rondell White. Then, when they did sign him a few years down the road, the did so at the expense of letting Damon go to the Sox. What did WHite do as a Yankee? Exactly.

Mike Cameron, soon to be 37 with his .250 batting average, .342 on base percentage, and fielding percentage three thousandths of a percent higher than Abreau's who the Yankee's got rid of partly because of his fielding. And Cameron can't carry Abreau's jock strap of offensively.

For the love of god Cashman, give up this mancrush.

1st- Carl Crawford in LF from 2011 on would be awesome, so no long term contracts to LF
2nd- Look at Cano's numbers when he batted the 2 hole, he was awesome with Tex and ARod following.

I'm a Yankees fan as well and that's exactly why I hate seeing pitchers bat. The injury to Wang has forever turned me off to the idea of letting pitchers bat anymore. That is always going to be my argument against it and there is no way to dispute seeing as it has happened before and can happen again. They aren't paid to hit, they are paid to pitch. Let hitters hit and pitchers pitch.

Posted by: ericbrat20 | November 11, 2009 at 11:25 PM

Wang's injury was a freak thing. Using that to defend the DH doesn't make sense. It'd be like saying position players should never pitch just b/c Canseco had to have TJ surgery after he pitched in a game.

or johnny damon throw, come on dude your a mlb baseball player, that just pathetic!

"god forbid a guy has to retire because he can no longer move to his left or right, if you can't catch the ball you shouldn't be allowed to hit the ball...watching a pitcher hit isn't as bad as watching a guy like adam dunn field "

And you can eliminate having to see either by creating a DH. So what's your point? I'd like to see you try and hit the way those guys do even if you could field better.

"A pitcher is akin to a QB."

I really hate any football/baseball comparison. Completely different sports. If it goes on I'll have to start quoting George Carlin's baseball versus football routine. As a fan of an American League team and likewise a person who calls National League teams a load of sissies, I'm not a huge fan of the DH. It comes down to a matter of the tradition which is something I firmly believe about baseball, while the sport evolves over time I tend to find large scale evolutions like the DH a little too much in the way of rewritting the rule book. It takes away from the elegence of the small ball, hell some teams don't have anyone who can bunt and bunting is purely art.

"I'm a moron, huh? Forget about his nickname for a second. Ask any black friend you may have and tell him you'ld beat the tar out of him and see how he feels about it."

Dude they made that comment in refrence to his nickname " oil can tar w/e"

If his nickname was not oil can then we could consider their comment "racist"

"Cabrera is another one of those who was underated this year. Has to me way more upside than Cameron.
"

True, i would'nt mmind Cab in CF this year, but cameron would be a little better.

Defense, he will pop 25-30 HRS.

only bad thing about him is he will strike out 140-150 times and a low average.

but he can run, has power and his defense is great.

ericbrat: Really? The NL may be the only league that doesn't DH, but the AL is the only MLB league that DOES. I mean, heaven forbid the $10-20 million dollar player runs in a sport...that's like saying Shaq and Dwight Howard should get designated free throw shooters.

Almost every DH is an overpaid old person that is too injury prone to field or too bad at it. On top of that, they can't run the bases, they can't steal bases, they can't hit for average, and they KO a lot.

If the NL has to have a DH, then all DH players have to play at least 500 defensive innings per year. I'm sick of watching Jim Thome flounder every year.

"Defense, he will pop 25-30 HRS."

Melky Cabrera? When has he ever show evidence of this?

"He was talking about Cameron not Melky."

Big difference. But still, the guy is 37 and ven if baseballs act like super balls in new yanks stadium, I have trouble believing he'll get 30 hrs, 15-20 I can believe.

"Regardless as a Yankees fan I would say stay away from Cameron."

Alright, let's say you're right. I come back in time and say Cameron hits 25 hrs and provides spectacular defense (let's face it, ay FA every fan says they'll be perfect), in other words does everything you'd expect. Why would you stay away from Cameron?

Low average with 25 HRs...sounds a lot like Swisher.

The only thing Cameron does well is bring good D .His offensive numbers are across the board average.A .250 hitter who strikes out a ton .If you look at his splits he's a .250 in virtually every category.The Yanks can ill afford to carry Cameron and Swisher at the backend of the lineup ,neither have proven to be very clutch both are extremely erratic offensive players.

It's true Melky is not yet a 20 HR a yr type but he's still young enough to develop into a solid .280 15-20 HR 75-80 RBI corner OF.Of course this still remains to be seen.

Pitchers getting hurt running the bases or batting . Big problem , But another thing if the NL had the DH . you would allow 16 more great hitters , be able to continue the hitting after they can no longer play the Field . What if Cliff lee got hit in the hand and ,broke it and was never able to pitch again . great loss to baseball as a whole

Mets should sign Vizquel and then trade Castillo for Milton Bradley...and sign Figgins, Molina, Harden, Sheets, Brett Meyers, Nick Johnson

SS - Reyes (Vizquel)
2B - Figgins
3B - Wright
CF - Beltran
LF - Bradley
RF - Francouer
1B - Nick Johnson
C - Molina

SP:
Johan, Pelfry, Harden, Meyers, Sheets

ok now looking back that just got out of control...but otherwise I feel like the mets would just be wasting money (their normal style), if they only go half in...why not just jump off the deep end...

Oh one more thing. I could care less about his "pop" wow he can hit 6 more hr's than Melky !.

Big deal. His pop means nothing when he starts K'ing in the playoffs

Which team wouldn't do it and why?

1- just say no to cameron - he's a small market player. he couldn't handle the scrutiny of the NY media and fans as a Met, what makes you think he will as a Yankee?

2- I think I have to agree, the DH HAS to go... pitcher's batting is so last century. I like the football QB analogy.... sure, when football players stayed on the field for offense and defense it was nostalgic, but the game evolved, it's really silly having the DH in one league and not the other - look at the HUGE advantage Philadelphia had this year as the MVP of the World Series was only able to bat once a game in the NL park. could you imagine if the AFC had to have their QB play both sides of the ball while the NFC didn't? While watching Pettitte get a base hit was fun, what would happen if CC broke a leg sliding into second base? Is it going to take what happened to Wang to happen to Johan or Stasburg or Lincecum for baseball to finally wake up? Wang being on the Yankees who have the money to replace him and bear the brunt of losing him by only losing one season from playoff contention was one thing, but what would happen if a small market team lost their ace - especially in the case of Strasburg when he'll be paid about half of their entire payroll - that kind of injury can kill a francise. I'm surprised the DH is still around as ownership certainly does not want a $100 million arm getting hurt hitting or running the bases and the players association should be in favor of another 16 major league roster spots - roster spots filled by everyday hitters getting starting player salaries and extending the careers of higher priced veterans. Everyone loves a good pitchers duel, but more offense equals more fans in the seats too and the really good pitchers will be able to go longer into games. the only drawbacks will be the bunt will probably become just about completely obsolete and there will be a lot more brawls as pitchers will be more inclined to pitch inside knowing that they won't have to take their turn behind the plate.

Starplot and Jjbraden, here are some WAR numbers for the past two years:
Bobby Abreu - 3.7
Melky Cabrera - 1.7
Mike Cameron - 8.3 (!)

Such is the power of outstanding (or in Abreu's case, terrible) defense. Mike Cameron will be a steal for whoever signs him, even if the (common) numbers aren't as flashy.

Posted by: NYYanksCaptain23 | November 12, 2009 at 12:06 AM
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WAR is a great tool to use but it has to be used within the context of the team's need and design. I am NOT anti-Cameron, but I am anti Cameron w/o bringing back Damon as well. Cameron makes the Yanks better defensively but absolutely weakens them offensively, especially if they fail to acquire someone to fit comfortably into Damon's spot at the top of the order.

Which lineup is better?

Jeter
Swisher
Tex
Arod
Matsui
Posada
Cano
Cameron
Cabrera

or

Jeter(DH/LF)
Damon
Tex
Arod
Posada
Cano
Swisher (RF)
Cameron (CF)
Cabrera (LF)

????

I think the lineup with Damon is better as the Yanks would have the best 1-4 in baseball. Swisher has great obp BUT he strikes out too much and isn't as good of a contact hitter behind Jeter AND is a base to base player. In my opinion he slows the lineup down. Batting him 2nd sporadically is one thing. For an entire season is another. Also, for whatever reason he can't hit HRs in NYS while Damon thrives there.

With Damon as the DH/LF and an OF of Cabrera/Cameron/Swisher then the Yanks don't lose a step offensively when they play the NL as Damon can slip into the LF role and you send Melky to the bench. Damon is a sub par Defensive LF but I wouldn't say he's costing us games because of it. He's no Adam Dunn.

BennyG

The cubs are not going to move zambrano for oliver perez, no matter how bad they want to get rid of bradley! If there's any way for him to be moved (looks like texas has real intrest) then they'll do it and get what they can. The bullpen is already weak enough without destroying the rotation just to add perez, and castillo. Don't forget, for all the outcry from the fans and comments from teammates, the cubs could still hold onto bradley until the trade deadline. These are the moves the cubs should explore.

Address CF, trade for granderson or sign crisp
Address SS/2b, try to sign figgins or trade for phillips
Address the bullpen, find a reliable 8th inning guy to get the ball to marmol

"The cubs are not going to move zambrano for oliver perez, no matter how bad they want to get rid of bradley"

They're not moving him for Perez. They're moving him for Perez and $42 million over three years (saved on Bradley, Zambrano and Miles) that they can use towards signing John Lackey, whose numbers are at least as good as Zambrano's, who may have a longer career despite his age (Zambrano has said he's done after '12), and who may be a more welcome clubhouse presence.