Yesterday, the Yankees apparently acquired Curtis Granderson in a three-team trade. I have to admit. I’m having a little trouble whipping myself into a frenzy over this move. When I saw the headline that the Yankees were involved in a “blockbuster” I was, naturally, nervous. Which star player had they managed to wrestle from an underachieving team? When I realized that is was Granderson going to the dark side, I was actually relieved. It wasn’t Halladay, or Hernandez, or Gonzalez, or Fielder, or Ramirez, or any one of a dozen of names that flew into my head. It was Curtis Granderson. Phew.
Does the move make the 2010 Yankees better than they were three days ago? Yes. Of course, three days ago their outfield was Swisher-Gardner-Cabrera. Does it make the Yankees better than they were in 2009? I don’t see it. Sure, Granderson is a better player to have on the team going forward than either Damon or Matsui. But, Damon had a great year last year. So, the Yankees don’t look any more formidable than they did last season. Now, since Granderson in now playing his home games in a Little League field, his number will improve. It will look like a much better deal than it is, and that’s too bad.
Some Sox fans are pretty angry over this deal. I admit. It’s a little annoying when your team holds a press conference to introduce Marco Scutaro, and their main competition is trading for a former all-star. But, the Sox aren’t done. They didn’t “need” Granderson. The improvement over Ellsbury wouldn’t be staggering. Both are really more exiting than good. I’d much rather save the chips for a move that actually fills a need. Focus on filling holes. That’s what the Yankees did. They didn’t get a guy just because he was available. They needed a young quality centerfielder. The Sox already have one. If they want to make a move, a pitcher, or a shortstop, or corner infielder would make tons more sense. Heck, even a power hitting left fielder would make sense. Trading for Granderson would have been very disappointing. Especially since the Yankees apparently gave up a couple nice players in the deal.
I still wouldn’t call it a blockbuster.
The Yankees won the whole thing last year. They have proven they can win it all with that core of players. Now they are just tweaking the engine to make sure that the team can run for more than just one year. The Yanks signed a younger version of Damon, and they are refining what is already a World Champion Team. Sounds good to me!
ReplyDeleteGranderson just doesn't do anything for me.
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