Curtis Call; Grand Opening at Winter Mettings for Yanks

The New York Yankees took part in a 3-team trade which teams swapped the likings of Curtis Granderson, for young phenom outfielder Austin Jackson, right-handed pitcher Phil Coke. The Detroit Tigers would then go ahead and send, now journeyman, Edwin Jackson to the Arizona Dimondbacks for starter Max Scherzer. The D-Backs would also acquire right-handed pitcher Ian Kennedy from the Yanks. This is the first big move of the offseason for Major League Baseball.

When breaking down the trade, it looks like the Yankees made a bad deal on the surface, but once one looks into it, it is a very sensible trade. Austin Jackson has great potential to be a very good, exciting outfielder for years to come. However, even if Jackson is successful, he might be able to reach the level that Curtis Granderson is already playing at. Granderson is known for his uncanny ability to cover serious ground with his legs in the field and on base, not to mention the guy hit 30 homeruns last year. Granderson, who turns 29 in March, is coming off an all-star season. Mr. Granderson struggles against lefties quite a great deal, however he absolutely tears up right handed pitching. He only hit .249 overall last year, but with words of wisdom from hitting coach Kevin Long, and the short porch in right field, Granderson should not have a problem being a major contributor to the defending world champions. He will join the outfield cast that includes Nick Swisher, and for now Melky Cabrera. As for Phil Coke and Ian Kennedy, it was nice knowing you and seeing what both of ya'll brought to the table, not much, outside of Coke's dominant September in 2008.

The New York Yankees are now focusing on the hunt for Halladay. It will be interesting to see what the Yanks do considering Toronto is looking at Phil Hughes and/or Joba Chamberlain among others. Halladay, 32, is arguably one of the best pitchers in the game, and would make the Yankee rotation murderers row. However, Halladay has never pitched in another uniform outside of the Blue Jays, and has never necessarily pitched in a "big game." It would be hard to imagine him not performing up to par, however he is on the other side of 30, and the Yanks already had a good enough rotation to get them rings. Don't forget New York has former 2-time 19 game winner Chien-Ming Wang on the mend who could add some serious flavor to the rotation. That is still a huge question mark when a pitcher is coming off of the injuries he has dealt with. Plus the Bombers must decide if they will renew his contract. The Yanks must decide whether Hughes and Chamberlain are rotation guys, relief men, or trade bait. The smart idea would be to not trade either of those young guns.