MY BASEBALL BIAS

While we wait for the Mets and Santana to dot the i’s and cross the t’s of a contract extension, I thought we’d take a look at what people are saying about the trade and what the future holds for the Yankees after abstaining from obtaining the Cy Young lefty.

I find it interesting that Jim Callis of Baseball America, the one guy who actually follows the minor leagues, is not getting more press this morning in the papers and the blogosphere. Here is what he had to say about the package of players the Twins are getting:

Minnesota might be better off if those talks collapse, giving new Twins GM Bill Smith a chance to find a better return for Santana. While he’s going to command possibly the richest contract ever given to a pitcher, Santana is the best pitcher in the game. And Smith didn’t get enough for him.

Guerra (No. 2), Gomez (No. 3), Mulvey (No. 4) and Humber (No. 7) all ranked prominently on our Mets Top 10 Prospects list. But there’s simply too much risk involved in this deal for Minnesota.

The two best prospects in the trade, Guerra and Gomez, come with high ceilings but also lack a lot of polish and have a long ways to go to reach their potential. The odds that they both will do so are slim.

Guerra has an 89-94 mph fastball and a promising changeup and he’s only 18. But he also has a below-average breaking ball, has yet to pitch more than 90 innings in a season and while he has held his own, he hasn’t dominated. Gomez had the best package of tools in the Mets system, but his bat is still extemely raw as evidenced by his career .273/.331/.384 averages in the minors.

Mulvey has an arsenal of four average pitches and throws strikes. He’s not overpowering and he’s most likely a No. 4 starter. Since having Tommy John surgery in 2005, Humber hasn’t fully regained the stuff that made him the No. 3 overall pick in the 2004 draft. His curveball is his best pitch but his fastball now sits at 87-91 mph. He too projects as a No. 4 starter.

So let’s see here, according to Callis the Twins received two guys with “high ceilings” who lack polish and two guys who don’t project out to be more that “No. 4 starters”? When I read Callis’s post yesterday I felt like calling Omar Minaya myself and congratulating him for finding a sucker to take those players. Guerra and Gomez seem like they have a better chance of success than Humber and Mulvey, but still, Bill Smith did a bad job here in my opinion.

Aaron Gleeman give us a glimpse from the perspective of someone who follows the Twins closely:

…getting Gomez, Guerra, Mulvey, and Humber from the Mets likely beats keeping Santana for one more season and taking a pair of draft picks when he departs as a free agent. A toolsy center fielder who hasn’t shown much offensively, a very raw 18-year-old pitcher, and a pair of MLB-ready middle-of-the-rotation starters is no one’s idea of a great haul for Santana, but it’s not a horrible one and Smith may have backed himself into a corner by not jumping on better offers immediately.

The end result of a bad situation handled poorly is a mediocre package of players that has no one excited, but even acquiring Hughes or Ellsbury wouldn’t have made losing Santana easy to live with. Trading away one of the best players in franchise history while he’s still at the top of his game is a horrible thing and doing so without getting the best possible return for him is extremely disappointing, but the Santana trade still has a chance to work out in the Twins’ favor. It just could have been better.

If the reports are accurate, that the Yankees really did have a package of Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera and a prospect on the table and the Red Sox had two packages, one centered around Jacoby Ellsbury and one around Jon Lester, then yes, the Twins really could have done better. Hughes, one of the top three pitching prospects in all of baseball, was dangled out there before the Winter Meetings, ripe for the taking. All Smith had to do was check with the Red Sox and see if they wanted to up there offer. But he overplayed his hand. Yes that’s right, I said it, he overplayed his hand. You can say he was patient or just fielding all the offers, but the fact is he held on to Santana too long and interest from the Red Sox and Yankees waned.

The Yankees, well, more like Hank Steinbrenner, was quite desperate to make a splash for Santana. I believe he would have pulled the trigger on a deal back before the meetings began because he wanted a big name. Having to wait like he did gave GM Brian Cashman and his brother the Hal the chance to talk him out of it from two different fronts - don’t trade the young talent we’ve developed (Cashman’s argument) and let us have some financial restraint (Hal’s argument). In the end, Hank held on and I think he Yankees will be better for it. Certainly if the Mets are winning Championships across town and if the Yankees are playing second fiddle to the Red Sox and if the prospects don’t live up to expectations, then sure, maybe you should have made a deal. But isn’t that a lot of if’s?

Sanatana, when it comes down to it, is one player who is commanding a huge price. Is he worth it? I believe yes, but some will disagree. Could the Yankees have afforded him? Of course. In fact, they could have probably afforded five Santanas. At some point, however, you have to realize that other teams are winning without the high-priced talent that the Yankees have come to covet over the last eight years.

I’m certainly no expert on the Yankees farm system, but even I can see that the talent, especially in the pitching corps, is overflowing at the moment. There are guys like Ohlendorff, Horne, Bettances, McCutchen, Brackman, Sanchez, Marquez, Kontos, Whelan, Cox, Robertson, McAllister and Jackson that if you don’t know already, you better get a subscription to PinstripesPlus.com, Baseball America or Pending Pinstripes and start learning about them. Go to Chad Jenning’s Triple-A blog or Mark Ashmore’s Trenton Thunder blog and read what they’re saying about the future of your team. Both are indispensable resources. Google their names for God’s sake. The future of the Yankees isn’t players with $150 million dollar price tags, it’s guys that are currently growing in the back yard that cost next to nothing in the Yankees financial universe.

To put it bluntly, the Yankees won the Santana sweepstakes by not spending and not giving for which future rewards will be reaped upon them. It’s quite biblical.

After months of offering little on his role within the new Steinbrenner regime, GM Brian Cashman - while attending a round table discussion for the “Hot Stove, Cool Music” concert on Sunday night in Boston - finally gave us a glimpse into how much his responsibilities have changed:

“Things have changed here in the third year,” Cashman said. “I’m learning as I go along, too. But it is different. But one thing is that I’ve been with this family, the Steinbrenner family, for well over 20 years. So I’m focused fully on doing everything I possibly can to assist them in their emergence now as decision makers.”

Clearly Cashman has been pushed to the side. He was the one that used to be the “decision maker” on baseball matters for the Yankees. Now it’s the Hank and Hal show, with a sprinkling of Randy Levine. And make no mistake, Levine is clearly involved in this shift within the organization. The change was set in motion when Levine was the one announcing in a mid-October conference call that Joe Torre turned down their offer to continue managing the team. Torre even mentioned that Cashman was one of the few who really wanted him back.

And so began a new direction, a new chain of command. Cashman was probably thanked for his two-years of total control, then asked to take a back seat to Hank, the new de facto head of the Yankee empire.

Here’s more from Cashman:

ON SANTANA

“Mostly, especially in our big markets, you get challenged on the short-term stuff so much you can make a mistake if you get caught up in the winds of the pressure of making a [trade],” Cashman told the audience.

“Like right now, the Red Sox and Yankees, at least, are in the middle of this Johan Santana stuff. What’s the right thing for the now? What’s the right thing for the future? These are the wrestling matches that go on in the organizations and you have very spirited conversations about what’s right and what’s wrong.”

ON THE FARM

“At the end of the day, if you have an opportunity to build something and be a leader in that situation, you stick to it. It’s your way and you find a way to stick to it, despite the media pressures, the ownership pressures, the fans’ pressures and realize, ‘You know what? I believe in what I’m doing and I’ll stick to it as long as you give me the opportunity and then get judged on the results at the end of the day.’”

ON THE STEINBRENNERS

“Everybody has their own style, And Hank has obviously taken charge on behalf of his father, along with his brother, Hal. They have different styles. Hal is more quiet and Hank is very available, but my job is to continue to line up the structure of the organization that can find the amateur talent.”

Is this the beginning of the end for Cashman? It could be. I doubt he feels much loyalty toward Hal or Hank. I think that ended with Big George and Torre. He could decide to just walk away at the end of season, believing that the club is built for the future. The last thing he would want to stick around for is the dismantling of his grand plan.

And if Hank deals away Hughes and a few prospects for Santana, Cashman’s tenure will probably come to an end along with his vision of winning another championship with a club built, in part, on home grown talent.

Hank-Stein makes it clear who’s running the show in the Bronx these days:

“I always told him (GM Brian Cashman), `I’m going to make the final decisions because when you’re the owner you should,”‘ Steinbrenner said. “He is the general manager, and he has the right to talk me out of it and he has talked me out of some things.”

What a clever thing to say. Hank really puts Cashman in his place. Remember, when Cashman signed his current three-year deal in 2005, he essentially had final say on all player moves. It seems to me that Hank, his brother Hal and Randy Levine decided after this past season that Cashman had too much power, thus creating a power vacuum we have witnessed all off-season.

And Hank again speaks on Santana:

“Nothing is really decided at this point,” Steinbrenner said Friday night outside Legends Field at the team’s spring training complex. “I’m still leaning towards doing it. There’s others leaning not to do it. There are some others that are leaning to do it also. Disagreements within the organization. Nothing major, but just different opinions. I’ve changed my opinion a couple times.”

“I’m very happy with our young pitchers,” he said.

Of course, we believe you. Now just hang on to them… all of them.

I must admit, the Winter Meetings took a lot out of me. The plan was to wake up on Friday morning at start blogging away. I couldn’t even look at the computer. The constant Johan Santana updates simply burnt me out. But, I’m recharged, and ready to get back to some Yankee news, of which there is never a shortage.

Here’s the latest:

• In case you missed it, Selena Roberts of the NYT’s wrote a rather unflattering piece yesterday about Alex Rodriguez’s real estate empire. Turns out he’s quite the slumlord. The guy can’t catch a break.

• There was a report the other day on SI.com that Yankees ownership had tried to discuss a contract extension with GM Brian Cashman, who’s current deal expires after the 2008 season. Hank Steinbrenner, however, told Newsday that there have been no negotiations.. This will be an interesting story line next season. Cashman has gone to great lengths the past few years re-building the farm system. In the end, the success of the system will probably decide his future with the organization. I believe Hughes, Chamberlain and Kennedy all need perform well in 2008 if we hope to see the return of Cashman in ‘09 and beyond.

• The Yankees could get back in the Santana sweepstakes again if they can find a way to cut payroll says Bill Madden. A few possibilities would be trading Hideki Matsui who is reportedly being pursued by the Giants, or moving Mike Mussina and the $12 million he’s owed this season. Madden thinks the Phillies might be interested due to the fact the Mussina is from Pennsylvania. Even if the Yankees did trim payroll, you’re still going to have to give up Hughes and package of prospects to get him. Hank-Stein will be tempted, but I think he should stick to his word. And I’m already on record about Matsui: DON’T TRADE HIM.

• The Yankees will be asking a lot from their their three young pitchers next season writes Joel Sherman.

• First baseman Andy Phillips became a free agent on Friday when he refused an outright assignment to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Yankees no longer had a use for his services which is sad, because he’s a really nice guy. I wish him good luck. Also, Bronson Sardinha has been DFA’d to make room for Any Pettitte on the 40-man roster according to PeteAbe. Abraham also muses that Carl Pavano could be the next Yankee to lose his spot 40-man.

• Turning to the bullpen, Ken Davidoff writes that the Yankees have interest in Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori. Fukumori, 33, went 4-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 34 appearances with the Rakuten Golden Eagles before having season-ending surgery on his injured elbow (bone spurs). My only comment on this is… who aren’t the Yankees looking at? They’ve been rumored to be in on just about every free-agent reliever. LaTroy Hawkins is still a possibility, but the Yankees won’t sign him unless he agrees to a one-year deal. It looks like the end for Luis Vizcaino in pinstripes writes George King. The Yankees not have contacted him about a return to the Bronx reports his agent. Free agent lefty Ron Mahay would be a great addition in my opinion. He’s also wanted by the Royals.

• And finally, Tony Massorotti of the Boston Herald says the Yankees and Red Sox have the two best offers on the table for Erik Bedard. They very well may, but there is no way Oriole’s vice-president Andy McPhail is stupid enough to trade Bedard within the division. As attractive and affordable as he may be to the AL East rivals, give McPhail a little credit, will ya? He’ll listen, but I can guarantee it won’t happen.

Okay, that’s it for now. Check out my sidebar if you get a chance. I’ve tried to add a lot of features you might like. As always, check out the YANKEE BLOGROLL as well.

From PeteAbe:

Just spoke to a Yankees Exec Who Can Be Trusted and learned this:

The YEWCBT said that Brian Cashman has made his final offer and will not toss in Ian Kennedy, Alan Horne or Austin Jackson. That would seem to favor the Red Sox but the Dodgers and Angels are now getting in the mix with the Yankees on the outskirts.

Hughes, Melky and a mid-level prospect. Take it or leave it.

The Angels have now entered the mix for Santana as well reports Buster Olney.

Here are a few other rumors:

• Dan Haren’s name has been linked in two deals today. First with the Diamondbacks that would include Connor Jackson going to the A’s and a second deal with the Detroit Tigers. The A’s have asked the Tigers for both pitcher Andrew Miller and outfielder Cameron Maybin, but the Tigers seem unwilling to trade both of them.

• The big rumor today is Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis being shipped to the Tigers for Miller, Maybin and a few other prospects. Stay tuned on that one.

• The Dodgers may be close to landing Erik Bedard from the Orioles for Matt Kemp and Jonathan Broxton. The Orioles are crazy if they trade Bedard.

Back with more in a bit.

Here’s the latest from Jason Stark of ESPN:

With the Yankee’s self-imposed deadline approaching, the Twins and Yankees were getting nowhere Monday night in their attempt to complete a deal for Johan Santana. So the Yankees were again making noises that they might pull out of the Santana talks for good.

“I want to get it done by tonight, one way or another,” Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said, according to The Associated Press. “I’m waiting for a meeting in Nashville, and then Brian will give me a call.”

According to baseball officials who were aware of the talks, the Twins again asked the Yankees on Monday night for pitcher Ian Kennedy — a pitcher the Yankees have insisted for several days that they wouldn’t trade — as the third player in their proposed deal. The Yankees apparently turned down that proposal immediately.

If any deal includes Hughes and Kennedy, Cash has to walk away.

I’ll keep you updated through the night if anything further goes down.

Bob Klapisch, whom I enjoy reading, was totally off-base today in his ESPN column entitled “Hank Steinbrenner eclipsing GM Cashman”.

Here’s a snippet:

While George would lord over the Yankees, threatening Joe Torre and the players like a guillotine waiting to be loosed, Hank acts and sounds more like a general manager than an owner. And that begs the obvious question: Is GM Brian Cashman being marginalized as he enters the final year of his contract?

Both parties insist that’s not the case.

Hank Steinbrenner on Cashman: “Brian’s been with us for, what, 16 or 17 years? I can’t make any guarantees, but considering he’s been a lifelong Yankee, I don’t see any reason to make a change.”

Cashman says, simply, “My job has not changed at all” since Steinbrenner began eclipsing him. In fact, Yankees insiders say Cashman is still running the day-to-day operations, answering to Hank and Hal as he once did to George. The only difference is in visibility — or in Cashman’s case, his invisibility. The GM is rarely returning phone calls these days, deferring instead to Hank.

A few thoughts.

Hank-Stein hasn’t said much about the day-to-day operations of the ball club. Most of his comments are off the cuff, pure verbosity. The only demand he’s made had to do with not wasting Joba Chamberlain in the bullpen and not trading the young pitchers, something the whole organization seems to agree on. If Klapisch wants to take those two examples as an “eclipse” of Cashman’s authority, I think he’s reaching.

There’s nothing wrong with Hank-Stein being the mouthpiece of the organization while Cashman plays it a bit more low-key. The demands of the New York media can be exhausting and if Cash-money is locked up in 8X8 cell somewhere formulating ways to make the Yankees a better team, so be it.