Yankees To Target Tigers’ Curtis Granderson for 2010 Outfield
November 12, 2009 · Doug Rush · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Let the baseball rumors begin!
In a story reported late last night by the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, the Yankees will apparently look to upgrade their outfield situation by inquiring and possibly looking into make a deal for Tigers center fielder Curtis Granderson.
Here is some of the article that will be featured today in the Post from Sherman:
“In a cost-cutting frame of mind, the Tigers have let teams know Curtis Granderson could be had for the right package, an NL executive told The Post.
The Yankees will almost certainly push to the front of the line when it comes to Granderson. He obviously would be an upgrade on the Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner duo. In addition, the Yankees could quickly face a need to restore lefty power if Johnny Damon and/or Hideki Matsui leave to free agency. Granderson hit a career-high 30 homers last season, the fourth most by an AL lefty.
Brian Cashman met with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski at the GM Meetings, which concluded yesterday, but it is not believed the two did any more than discuss needs and available players. However, they have a good relationship and have made significant trades before
Granderson is an attractive player who would draw interest from many suitors. The Yankees, though, would have the ability to build a package around a potential long-term center field solution in touted prospect Austin Jackson.
Granderson, who will be 29 before next season, is owed $25.75 million over the next three years and has an option in 2013. He is not a player Detroit truly wants to trade.
But the Tigers are supporting a top payroll in one of the cities hit hardest by the economic downturn, and they have many long-term commitments to players who are just about untradeable, including Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson. In all, the Tigers have 10 players under control for next season at $100 million with arbitration-eligible ace Justin Verlander due a raise to about $7 million, and Edwin Jackson and Gerald Laird also in line for big raises.”
No city took a worse hit from the economic crisis than Detroit, especially with the General Motors problem and with one of the highest payrolls in baseball, Detroit General Manager Dave Dombrowski may have no choice here but to move Granderson.
Granderson in 2009 only hit .249, but did hit 30 home runs and 71 RBI with 20 stolen bases as the lead off man for the Tigers, which would be a major upgrade from Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner, the two players currently in the center field position for the Yankees.
An upside to trading for a player like Granderson is his age. He’ll be 29 in March and could be locked up long-term. Plus, with his power and speed, Yankee Stadium could be the perfect fit for the speedy outfielder to call home.
Granderson does have somewhat of a downside, though. He isn’t a strong hitter against left handed pitching, (.182 in 2009) and he does strike out a lot, (141 times in 2009.) But that wouldn’t scare off Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long from making the proper adjustments to Granderson’s swing to make him cut down on the mistakes. After all, Long did make major improvements to Robinson Cano’s hitting technique.
With the Yankees interested, some might wonder if a package would start with Yankees outfield prospect Austin Jackson. If the Yankees are going to take care of their center field problem with a trade, then there may be no need for the Yankees to keep Jackson around and find a way to deal him to a team that could use him.
From what scouts have said, Jackson still strikes out a lot in the minor leagues and still has a lot to work on with his speed, fielding, and hitting overall, so it’s not exactly like the Yankees were going to see Jackson in 2010.
Before the 2009 season, the Yankees nearly pulled off a deal to fix their center field situation short term by dealing Melky to the Milwaukee Brewers for center fielder Mike Cameron, but the deal fell apart. If the Yankees are still looking to make an change, Granderson would most certainly be a major upgrade over Cabrera and Gardner, and he would certainly be a more logical and understandable choice to trade for than Cameron.
Unlike free agency, which officially begins on November 20, teams are free to talk to other general managers and work trades out for players.
Cashman and Dombrowski have had a trading history with each other. Cashman sent Gary Sheffield to the Tigers in 2007 for a couple minor leaguers, and they also traded Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez at the trading deadline of 2008.
The biggest issue for the Tigers will be the money. While this is a guy Detroit would love to keep, his contract makes him favorable to deal off, especially with a minor league center fielder like Jackson in the Yankees system who makes a lot less money.
Now comes the big question. Does this rumor and potential trade become a reality or does it get classified into the many stories of the 2009-2010 baseball rumor mill that many of the fans will read before the next season begins?
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