Deal Would Send Cabrera to Braves, Gonzalez to Yankees; Igawa Deal "Nearly Done"
Quote:
Yankees May Trade Cabrera; Igawa Contract Is Almost Done
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT The New York Times Published: December 17, 2006
The Yankees are in discussions with the Braves and the Pirates about a three-way deal that would send outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Yankees to the Braves, reliever Mike Gonzalez from the Pirates to the Yankees, and first baseman Adam LaRoche from the Braves to the Pirates, according to a baseball official.
The official, who was granted anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss trade possibilities publicly, also said that the Yankees were close to completing a five- year, $20 million contract with the Japanese pitcher Kei Igawa. The deal is likely to be completed tomorrow and is pending a physical.
The Yankees won the bid to negotiate with Igawa, who has pitched in Japan for eight seasons, on Nov. 28 and have 30 days to negotiate a contract with him. If no deal is struck within 30 days, then Igawa will return to pitch in Japan and the Yankees will get back the money they posted.
One hitch in the three-way deal between the Yankees, Pirates and Braves is the Yankees’ concern about Gonzalez’s elbow. Last season Gonzalez, a hard-throwing left hander, had tendinitis in his elbow and was placed on the 15-day disabled list in August.
The Yankees are in need of a left-handed pitcher out of their bullpen. They can part with Cabrera because their outfield for next season is set with Hideki Matsui in left, Johnny Damon in center and Bobby Abreu in right.
With Igawa’s signing, the Yankees would have six starting pitchers under contract for next season. Along with Chien-Ming Wang, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, the Yankees resigned Mike Mussina this off-season and signed Andy Pettitte.
I know Tabata is coming up, but he's still in A-ball. I thought Melky got overrated last year after his D-Day monster catch, but he takes alot of bad cuts at the plate. Still though, I'd feel more confident with Melky as my platoon/utility outfielder than Bernie, who I'd rather see as my backup first baseman/DH. But oh well.
Gonzalez sounds dangerous, both as a pitcher and as an injury risk. We could use another solid left-hander, especially if Villone doesn't resign, but Tabata isn't a sure fire thing. Melky could be a defensive standout. So I'm not sure how I feel about this deal. On one hand, Melky is a decent better with some pop but swings at bad pitches, but he's also a superb defensive outfielder who would be our best reserve option. Do we part ways with the youth movement for a pitcher with a potentially lingering arm injury and habitual DL issues?
