Pitcher Talk
Finally some news that doesn’t have to do with Mitchell madness (although I have a feeling Mr. Mitchell will cause some more splashes soon). Dan Haren will not be a Yankee next season because Oakland just traded him to the Diamondbacks as part of a three team deal (the other team was the Astros). The departure of Haren does signify a few things though, including Joe Blanton will most likely be unloaded too; the A’s had said earlier that if Haren goes, so does Blanton. He is certainly a possibility still, but the big trade talks involving the Yankees is for non other than Johan Santana.
We all knew that the Yanks hadn’t actually stopped thinking about the Twins’ ace, but Hank Steinbrenner actually said it to the public this time. He also said that the only way that Santana would come is if the Yanks could trade Matsui somehow. With the Giants no longer in the market for an outfielder, I don’t know if that will happen. But either way, it seems like a dumb excuse. I bet if the Twins offered to accept the Yankees’ original offer of Hughes, Cabrera, and a mid-level prospect for Santana, we’d accept. Bottom line in the Santana trade talks is that nothing has really changed since it all began.
In other news, former Cubs pitcher Mark Prior is currently a free agent and the Yanks are among a few teams interested. Prior is coming off major surgery and seeks only a one year deal, whereas the Yankees want a one year deal with a team option for a second year. Prior certainly has the potential to be great, as he was once expected to become one of the league’s top pitchers. But, that never really happened due to an injury plagued time with the Cubs. The Cubs finally gave up on him this season, but if he gets through rehab successfully he will certainly have a chance at being a good pitcher. Other teams interested include the Mets and Nationals.