Giambi doesn't have a no-trade claus? I agree with Helton, it's just a rumor I had heard. I'd rather have Teixeira but I wouldn't give up Melky. I wasn't so high on him this year but the Yankees have really turned around their season when Giambi went down, Damon moved to DH and Melky's moved to center. He's the best center fielder we currently have, but I'd like to see his bat come around some. He's also young and has some great speed. I'd like to get Gagne but not at that price.

There is NO WAY I'd give up Philip Hughes. I don't think Cashman is that stupid either. Mind you I didn't say it definitely, I hope Cashman isn't that stupid. Besides, I think the Yanks are in the drivers seat with Teixiera. He's gonna be a free agent soon. The Yanks could just wait until the end of the year and sign him as a free agent. At least this way Texas would get something for him, much like they did with Soriano who was fleeing Texas as soon as his contract expired, and traded him to Washington just to get something

I wouldn't give up Hughes for Teixiera either. I don't think the yankees need him all that badly. Texas knows he's gone at the end of the season, so I think they'll wait and see what team offers the best package. There may be several teams in the mix.

I agree with what you said klydon but again, I don't think Texas is in the drivers seat. Remember, the other teams don't have to trade for Teixiera. They can simply wait for him to sign as a free agent. The pressure is really on Texas to get some kind of value back in return. I'm sure now they're sitting back and taking offers. But the closer we get to the trade deadline, the more and more they'll need to make a trade or they'll end up losing him with no compensation.

I know this isn't Yankee news but I thought it was a pretty heartless thing to do:

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Hicks: Gonzalez's injuries and early retirement suspicious

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks suspects that two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez may have used steroids.

"I have no knowledge that Juan used steroids. His number of injuries and early retirement just makes me suspicious," Hicks wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday. "In any event, we paid him $24 million for very few games."

Hicks was responding to questions about a television interview in which he was asked about decisions he regretted since owning the team, then mentioned the oft-injured outfielder and steroids.

"Juan Gonzalez for $24 million after he came off steroids, probably, we just gave that money away," Hicks said in the interview, aired June 10 on KTVT-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Gonzalez had three extended stays on the disabled list when he returned to the Rangers for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Sidelined by a torn ligament in right thumb and a right calf injury, he played in only 152 of 324 games, hitting .288 with 32 homers and 105 RBIs.

"That kind of rhetoric does not deserve a response, because it's so irresponsible," said Gonzalez's agent, Al Nero.

Jose Canseco, who played with Gonzalez and the Rangers in 1992-94 before Hicks owned the team, has admitted using steroids. Canseco claimed in his 2005 book that he used steroids with Gonzalez, who was 35 when he played his last major league game and tore his hamstring in his only at-bat for Cleveland in 2005.

Gonzalez, who had 434 home runs, was the AL MVP in 1996 and 1998 for Texas. He was the centerpiece of a nine-player trade that sent him to Detroit after the 1999 season following the Rangers' third AL West title in four seasons.

After only one season with the Tigers and a year in Cleveland, Gonzalez signed a $24 million, two-year free-agent deal to return to Texas, the team that had originally signed him as a 16-year-old free agent out of Puerto Rico.

Back problems limited Gonzalez to 33 games in 2004 after a $4 million deal with Kansas City.

Source: ESPN

The Angels have expressed much interest in Giambi, as well as Bonds. They need a power hitting lefty in their lineup, who can play DH every day.

It has a better chance of happening than the Helton deal. Even still, the Yankees won't give up Hughes; there are plenty of good prospects in their system if they really want Teixiera. Texas can sweat out as many offers as they want. If we can't dump Giambi, its pretty meaningless anyways, because he's an albatross, but if Texas has such a ridiculous asking price, he'll be a free agent in 2008, and has expressed interest in playing for the Yankees/Mattingly.

Ergo,

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerp...e=213576&spln=1

Update on Gagne: The Yankees are among 12 teams that Gagne indicated in his contract that would not require his consent for a trade (partial NTC), which means that a deal can be done without having to offer financial incentive for him to head to New York.

I'd love to see all three - Gagne, Otsuka, and Teixiera in New York, but I'd take the first two for now.

More good news:

-It seems like out of the 12 teams, the only teams with legit interest in taking on Gagne's contract and injury risk are the Yankees and the Mets, and rumour has it that Omar Minaya is more interested in Buerhle and other starting pitching than he is in Gagne. So for the Yankees, a plus.

- Twins are trying to shop Torii Hunter to the team with the best package, and rumour has it Melky Cabrera's name is being mentioned quite a bit. Given that Damon is looking more and more decrepit every second in the outfield, is it too far fetched to think Hunter could come in and take the job? I like Hunter myself, but personally, I'd rather have Ichiro as my over-30 center fielder. Still, Abreu will be gone after this year if they can land Ichiro, so I'd love to see the Yankee outfield feature Matsui, Hunter, and Ichiro. Whoo.

Problem is, of course, we're back in the old style of getting over-30 players with large contracts. Out of the names mentioned, I'd most like to have Ichiro though.

- Yankees are pursuing Tampa Bay first-baseman Carlos Pena (i.e. the player we just let go for nothing a bit ago), in a trade that would send Sean Henn to the D-Rays, in exchange for Pena and Ty Wigginton. My thoughts? I don't know. Henn could develop into a nice reliever, and we desperately need bullpen help. Miguel Cairo should have the first base job until he proves he can't handle it, or Mientkeiwicz comes back.

- Yankees are "very interested" in acquiring Reds' RHP Dave Weathers OR Orioles Chad Bradford.

Bad news:

- Looks like Damon will head to the DL for the first time in his career. He says his "rib is shot." Uh. Makes you think about how signing Beltran would have been a nice move, and ALSO makes you weary of going after outfielders over 30 years of age. I consider Ichiro the only exception because he seems to be a conditioning phenom.

Giradi is a smart individual and doesn't want any part of the mess in Baltimore. I'd rather have him as a successor to Joe

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Girardi declines Orioles' offer to take over team

BALTIMORE -- Joe Girardi declined an offer Thursday to become the new manager of the Baltimore Orioles, saying the timing wasn't right "for the Girardi family."

"Baltimore is a fine organization, a fine team, and I'm flattered that they considered me to possibly be their manager," Girardi, interviewed in the afternoon on The Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio said. "But the timing is not right for my family and I. That's basically it."

The discussions with Girardi began quickly after Baltimore fired Sam Perlozzo early Monday after his two-plus seasons as manager, and there were indications over the last 48 hours that Girardi was poised to take the job. He interviewed with the Orioles on Tuesday and offered the job the same day, ESPN's Peter Gammons reported.

By Wednesday night, the Orioles and Girardi had agreed to work on an agreement, ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney reported. But by early Thursday, Girardi's agent, Steve Mandel, said a marriage wasn't going to happen.

Girardi reiterated Thursday that he intends to manage in the majors again.

"I've made my feelings pretty known that I want to manage again," he said. "I absolutely love what I did last year. I think I'll know when [the right opportunity] comes and I'll say, 'This is the right time for the Girardi family.' "

Girardi downplayed speculation that he would be a strong candidate to replace Yankees manager Joe Torre however Torre leaves the job, saying there are plenty of managing jobs that would be considered good jobs if they were to open. Torre is signed through this season.

"I don't think there is a perfect scenario, but there's a ton of jobs obviously that at some point in your career a manager would love to have," Girardi said. "I'm extremely excited the Baltimore Orioles called me. It's a great job, too, but not at this time."

Girardi was a first-time manager last season, leading the Florida Marlins to a 78-84 record and keeping his youthful team in contention for a wild-card berth until late September.

The former big league catcher was fired at the end of the season following a rift with owner Jeffrey Loria and then was voted NL Manager of the Year -- the first to win the award with a losing record.

A former coach for Torre, Girardi returned to New York this season as a broadcaster for the club's YES Network.

After firing Perlozzo, the Orioles named bullpen coach Dave Trembley their interim manager and hired Andy MacPhail as chief operating officer of the Orioles. MacPhail has run both the Cubs and the Twins.

MacPhail and Girardi overlapped in Chicago during MacPhail's tenure as Cubs president, which began in 1994 and ended in 2006. Girardi was with the Cubs for two stints totaling six seasons, the last from 2000-02.

Source: ESPN

An interesting article on Carl Pavano

Did they ACTUALLY get Farnsworth a pair of glasses so he can see the strike zone?

The way the tides have turned, wouldn't it be some shit if neither the Yanks OR the Mets made the playoffs?

Stranger things have happened

I, for one, think Roger has been worth every penny.

I agree. He had a rough outing today but still managed to get 6 strike outs in 4 1/3 innings

Too depressing to even LOOK at this thread. I really thought that Rocket had brought some new energy and optimism to the team. The problem lately (well, maybe with the exception of today) hasn't been the damn pitching - where are the bats?? They couldn't hit the damn ball in Colorado. Mr. Babe swears it was the altitude.

The Rockies seemed to hit it just fine but I was wondering the same thing myself. They should have been killing it out of the ballpark

Just when we looked like we were startimg to put things together. We get the big broom.

Clemens in 2057

Ahhh the Yankees sucking...is there anything sweeter? How's Clemens working out? I thought that move was a sign of desperation, c'mon 28 million?

I'm glad you took Abreu off our hands, his salary was killing us!

Go Phils!

We'll talk after the season when the Yankees are in the playoffs and the Philies aren't

You know for his first start since May 4th, Igawa didn't do too badly:

-4 2/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 3 BB, 5 SO, 7.13 ERA. He wasn't able to get the ball down in the 5th

-And A-Rod does 4-for-4 with 2 RBI's

-Jeter extends his hitting streak to 16 games (he's already had a 20-game and 19 game hitting streak this year)

Igawa didn't do too badly because he was facing the limp offense known as the Giants. Congratulations to all Yankees fans because after this weekend the Yankees will be well on their way to a confident winning streak thanks to my team, the punchless San Francisco Giants.

Well, being back 10 1/2 games again doesn't have many people
again. And yes, most of us understand that we are playing the big bad Gaints. and don't about taking the win off them

I'd rather him face a team like the Giants first to build his confidence. Same thing with Clemens, that's why I'm glad he didn't face Boston first but rather Pittsburgh.

5-5, bottom of the 10th. At least ARod tied it up earlier.

Btw, with all their freaking money, why does FOX screw up the transmission every single time. Their satellite feed is the worst, and it's always screwing up. As much as I hate My9, it's a pleasure compared to FOX and Joe Buck.

What bothers you more.....Yanks 10.5 games back, or now the BlueJays ahead in the standings?