Price for Doc Halladay Remains Too High

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

The Yankees would have to part with quite a bit if, as Peter Gammons reports (MLB Trade Rumors), the Red Sox would have to part with both Casey Kelley and Clay Buchholz. I can only imagine that the Yankees would have to give up Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy, and maybe one other prospect to get Doc and then an additional $20 million a year to keep him. That is a really hefty price to pay and while I do love the idea of having Doc in our rotation losing three top prospects is not easy to stomach. Add onto that the fact that the Yankees made three blockbuster deals last year and it seems a little unreasonable that they would need to sign Doc. The rotation is far from set but resigning Pettitte while tinkering with Hughes and Chamberlain as well as with a healthier Chien-Ming Wang sounds like a perfectly reasonable option. After all, the Yankees won the world series doing just that.

Would I love to have Doc? Absolutely. But is he worth giving up three top prospects and 20 million a year? If that is the case, Doc might not be the Yankees huckleberry, even if he wants to be.

Talk About Something All Yankee Fans Appreciate...

PHOTO BY JACOBSON/NEWS

Sources are saying that the Yankees longtime PA announcer Bob Sheppard has officially called it quits and is retiring. Sheppard took the helm as Yankees PA guy in 1951, and is known as "The Voice of God" amoung the Yankee Universe. Yankee stadium hasn't been the same without him in the recent seasons, and it would've been nice to have heard him at the new Yankee Stadium. Mr. Sheppard is one of the greatest Yankees who ever lived and even at 99 years young we wish him another long 100 years. We have held at hope he'd come back but now reality has set in and a new era will have to begin.

What do you Appreciate?

As I thought of what to do for the blogs first real ThanksGiving...I realized: I shouldn't do anything!

This blog is for the readers and only the readers (and the occassional forum for me to vent my baseball opinions)

So heres what I want you, the readers, to do:

Tomorrow there will be NO POSTING here at The Pinstriper.

INSTEAD this will be an open forum for you to comment anything that you appreciate in life.

I will be checking in every hour to see the comments and reply and I will also post my own things that I appreciate.

PLEASE COMMENT ANYTHING THAT YOU APPRECIATE...anything...can be your family, your sports team, ANYTHING!

Thank you so much and one thing I definitely appreciate are you, the readers!

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #1 Andy Pettite or #8 Luis Sojo

Roger Clemens defeated Jason Giambi 11-2 in the last matchup.

Song of the Day: Joker and the Thief by Wolfmother

**Since there will be no posting tomorrow, please excuse the 2 days of voting for this better Yankee of the Decade post.**

Montero and McAllister named Top Organizational Players

RHP Zach McAllister and C Jesus Montero were named the Yankees' top organizational players of the year. Montero had an outstanding year at FSL Florida and Double-A Trenton, hitting .317 with 17 HR and 70 RBI, along with a .562 SLG and .951 OPS. McAllister went 7-5 in 22 starts at Trenton, and had an organization-best 2.23 ERA. In 121 innings, he allowed just 98 hits, 33 walks and 4 home runs. McAllister was called up to the Triple-A SWB Yankees for their playoffs. Both players were named EAS All-Stars this year.

photo from MiLB.com

Also a quick congrats: Class A Charleston RiverDogs manager Mike Williams was named South Atlantic League Manager of the Year.

Shelley Duncan Becomes a Free Agent

Reported by MLBTradeRumors.com: MLB.com's Bryan Hoch posted on his twitter account that NY Yankees utility man Shelley Duncan has elected free agency after being outrighted to the minors the other day. Shelley a fan favorite during his few stints with the Yankees will likely not return to the club and we hope he finds success wherever he may land!

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #2 Roger Clemens or #7 Jason Giambi?

#6 Orlando Hernandez upset #3 Scott Brosius 9-8 in the last matchup.

Song of the Day: Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #3 Scott Brosius or #6 Orlando Hernandez

Chuck Knoblauch upset Ruben Sierra 13-8 in the last matchup.

Song of the Day: Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne

MY MVP Voting

Photo courtesy of SI

Here is how I would have voted for the MVP:

1. Joe Mauer C- Minnesota Twins

2. Derek Jeter SS- New York Yankees

3. Mark Teixeira 1B- New York Yankees

4. Kendry Morales 1B- Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

5. Kevin Youkillis 1B- Boston Red Sox

6. Ben Zobrist SS- Tampa Bay Rays

7. Alex Rodriguez 3B- New York Yankees

8. Michael Young SS- Texas Rangers

9. Aaron Hill 2B- Toronto Blue Jays

10. Ichiro CF- Seattle Mariners

Big question: Why no Miguel Cabrera?

You may have heard that he had a fight with his wife the night before one of the last games of the season. He was busy getting drunk while the rest of the teammates were working hard to make the playoffs. I don't care about stats, that is the poorest excuse of a teammate I have ever seen and that shows no respect for your teammates or your team. No value in that at all.

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #4 Ruben Sierra or #5 Chuck Knoblauch

Mariano Rivera defeated Kyle Farnsworth 21-2

Song of the Day: We Will Rock You by Queen

Vance Wilson is still in the MLB?

A report by MLBTradeRumors.com mentioned MLB.com's Dick Kaegel said the Kansas City Royals have REsigned catcher Vance Wilson. I must be honest y'all I wasn't even aware the ex-Metropolitan was still playing baseball.




Just sayin'.

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #1 Mariano Rivera or #8 Kyle Farnsworth

I think I know who will win this one!

Song of the day: TNT by AC/DC

Yankees Finalize 40-Man Roster for 2010

MLB teams finalized their 40-man rosters Friday. Only teams with spots still remaining can partake in the December 10th Rule 5 Draft, where teams can basically steal players from other organizations that are not on their 40-man roster, to give these players a fair chance. In this case, the Yankees filled up 7 of their 8 remaining spots on the 40-man, leaving one empty, giving them one selection in the Draft. The 7 players added to the 40-man from the Minor Leagues were OF Austin Jackson, right hander pitchers Ivan Nova, Romulo Sanchez and Hector Noesi, and 2B Reegie Corona, SS Eduardo Nunez and 2B Kevin Russo; keeping them all safe for another year.

Austin Jackson is now safe, which is most important, because it would ensure him a spot on the 25-man roster in the event that the Yanks don't sign another long-term outfielder. Note: DH/OF Shelley Duncan was dropped from the 40-man roster, making him eligible to be drafted by another team. After winning IL MVP with 30 HR and 99 RBI, it is likely that we can say goodbye to Shelley.

Better Player of the Decade for the Yankees: #2 Tino Martinez or #7 Bobby Abreu?

Who was better for the Yankees this decade? Vote!

Alfonso Soriano defeated Mike Stanton 32-20 in the last matchup.

-Thanks to MLBTradeRumors and Big League Stew for mentioning us!

-Walk Up Song of the Day: Hurt by House Carpenter *This song was suggested by Stephen A. Crociata*

Nick Swisher's Appeal Ranges Beyond His Baseball Skills

Photo Courtesy of Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Trading Nick Swisher would be a poor choice by the Yankees brass. Recent rumors about making Swisher available have been dismissed by the management but Swisher's place on the Yankees is clearly not set in stone. He is not the greatest player but his positive externalities have a lot of impact. Clearly Economics 120 has taught me a lot. Swisher definitely had a positive impact on the Yankees this year and no one is denying that. Those who defend Swisher primarily point to his help off the field first and his abilities second. People who think Swisher is overrated are saying that his abilities, average by all accounts in the field, good at the plate, and his mythical clubhouse appeal, are not necessarily worth keeping if he is a part of a trade that might bring Curtis Granderson or Roy Halladay to the Yankees. In the end it comes down to determining just how important Swisher is to the Yankees. The only problem is that externalities are exceedingly difficult to measure. So while his talent alone might not justify keeping him, it depends on whether his positive impact on the team justifies keeping him. Since we will never know just how much he helps, it is not easy for management to make that determination.

For me, however, the choice is very clear. KEEP HIM. Does any Yankees fan remember the team ever being this upbeat or together? Make fun of the pool tournament and pies all you wish, those things are great to see. Could you ever imagine the 2007 team hitting each other with pies? I feel like they would have started fighting each other. Swisher played an integral role in changing the culture of the Yankees from a group of players to a team and that, in my mind, is the difference between missing the playoffs and winning the World Series (getting three of the best free agents doesn’t hurt either). The point is, Swisher might not be the best player in the world, but he is important to the Yankees in other ways than just on the field.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to club house morale, it’s important or it isn’t. Pundits absolutely crushed the 2004-2008 Yankee teams for being too business-like or a collection of 25 players rather than a team. But, as soon as the Yankees become a fun team rather than a bunch of stiffs with the additions of CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, AJ Burnett, and most importantly Swisher, club house morale is suddenly overrated. I don’t quite see how this works.

I feel that the answer is that a happy club house helps but in the end talent is what determines a team’s success. In that case it would be a mistake to trade Swisher for anyone other than Halladay. He is the only person that the Yankees appear to be targeting that has the talent to justify the removal of Swisher’s swagger if talent is what wins out in the end. Is talent the key to winning and happiness overrated? Or is talent important for success and good team morale important as well? What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.

The Nick Swisher Rumor

Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Bob Nightengale of USA Today posted on his twitter the other day that the Yankees were making Nick Swisher available, and this morning Yahoo! Sports Rumors said the Yankee brass are claiming Swisher is not on the trading block. Mark J. Miller who wrote the Yahoo! Sports Rumors article also mentioned some people thought Swisher would be in a package deal for Roy Halladay. Personally I can't see Toronto taking any package that includes a player 29 years of age. Either way my question to the fans out there is: Can you at all justify any trade of Nick Swisher?