McCarried Away

Anthony McCarron of the Daily News adds to the annals of hack writing today by drumming up the sale of newspapers via insinuation designed to stir the passions of Yankee fans everywhere. Here's a representative piece of the article for you to chew on:

"Other White Sox players who could be available include free-agent-to-be Mark Buerhle, Paul Konerko and Jose Contreras. Texas first baseman Mark Teixeira's name will come up in trade talk all summer. Milton Bradley is available after being designated for assignment by the A's last week, but a Yanks executive said the team wasn't interested in the hot-headed outfielder.

The Yankees had inquired about Reds first baseman Scott Hatteberg (.286 average, seven homers, 23 RBI) and were told earlier that the Reds didn't want to trade. That could change, however, because Cincinnati is in sixth place and Hatteberg is 37 and unlikely to return.

In trade talks that the Yanks have been involved in, teams are targeting their young pitchers, but the Yankees are reluctant to deal Phil Hughes. According to a report on SI.com, the White Sox and Yanks talked about Buerhle, who would presumably take Kei Igawa's place in the rotation, and Chicago brought up Hughes, Joba Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy, three prospects the Yankees are high on.

While Yanks GM Brian Cashman considers Williams one of his best friends among fellow GMs, they're not that close."

One of the most ridiculous things that McCarron does here is give his readers the impression that the Yankees have been in discussions with Chicago about bringing in Buerhle, Konerko, or Contreras with someone among Hughes, Joba, and Kennedy going back in return. He never draws the line directly, but you know what he's up to. Cashman has been boneheaded on a few occasions in the past. He is far from being that short sighted or stupid. Who among those three players is worth the money they are being paid or the type of prospects that are being bandied about in this conversation? Hughes is so far and away better than those three players combined, is paid nothing, and will be back sometime in August. Oh yeah, he's still just learning to shave and drink beer. Joba is currently the best pitching prospect in the organization and not all that far from the Bronx. He has university experience, is also cheap and young, and will eventually be better than both the pitchers named in the deal. Kennedy is also advanced and rising on the organizational charts. Everything I said about Hughes and Joba is true of Kennedy as well.

If you are going to trade Hughes, you'd better be getting Johan Santana in return. If you are trading Chamberlain it had better be something like Sabathia or Zambrano coming back. Kennedy is worth more to me in two years than Buehrle or Contreras in 2007, and 1st base is the least of our worries. If we don't have enough on this roster to make the playoffs, and it means the difference between keeping our treasured young arms, I say play golf Derek Jeter. Hang out on the beach Alex Rodriguez. Cashman is not that stupid.