The Jays definitely need someone to catch... ...the ball at every position. Anyway, I would really like Halladay not to wind up in Boston. I'd like to have him, but if not, I'd rather him out of the AL East (and preferably not in LAA.) Don't get me wrong, I want Mauer, no question. I'd just like to have Halladay too. I'm greedy, and I don't care. As far as Hernandez, I haven't watched him pitch enough to say I'd bank on him. I'm extremely reluctant to trade Jackson for anyone. I want a good center fielder. I wonder about Joba's and Cano's values. Joba is a very, very effective reliever, but he's been streaky as a starter. I believe he's got the talent to start, but I wonder if the Yankees would be fleeced with him right now in a trade scenario. Cano is streaky as well, and while he has ridiculous potential, I worry he wouldn't garner fair value on the trade market. I can't wait for February. Honestly, I want baseball back more than the Jets right now. At least when the Yankees let me down I don't feel like the ride wasn't worth taking. I think I'm finally back to my pre-strike adoration of baseball.
I'm not moving Cano. Guy batted .320 with 25 home runs this year and I still say he hasn't reached his full potential. Would I like Halladay? Sure. But I think the organization has shown its very much willing to just spend the money on an alternative rather then do the double whammy of giving up prospects and saving the money. I hope im wrong but i think you'll see Lackey in a yankee uniform before u see halladay.
Actually, I really like Aaron Hill, the 2nd baseman of the Jays. Picked him up as a free agent in my fantasy league, and his 30+ HRs helped me on my championship season (getting A-Rod at the end of the 2nd round helped too). Felix Hernandez is the real deal. He's ultra-talented and only 23-years-old. The knock on him pre-2009 was inconsistency. He'd show flashes of brilliance for a game or 2, then walk the ballpark in his next start. Of course, he was barely of drinking age at the time. This year he was absolutely dominant (once again, on my fantasy team...woot!). I assume, though, that if Seattle is open to dealing him, he'd cost an arm and a damn leg.
To make me deal Cano someone would have to absolutely knock my socks off. But Felix Hernandez is the definition of a franchise cornerstone; I'd give up pretty much anyone for him. And don't forget that the team who got caught trying to pull off a trade for him at the deadline was Boston--imagine if the Yankees had gotten Pedro instead of the Sox. This time we can pull it off. On another note, here's an awesome analysis of Mariano Rivera's value. It's rather long, so for the less statistically inclined I'll quote the main conclusion:
I'm not trying to knock Hernandez. Again, I haven't physically watched him pitch enough to decide how I feel about him overall. There's no question he's a stud. The question is, is he going to be a bigger stud over his career than Joba and Hughes? Because you need to give up at the very least one, if not both, plus a metric shit ton of prospects to get him. As mj said, Cano is a hitter who has yet to reach his ceiling. He can be frustrating to watch at times, but when he finally "gets it" he's going to be ridiculous to watch play. I'm not a Lackey fan, so I don't really want him. Honestly, I'm not really looking to acquire anyone right now. I brought up Halladay because he's publicly on the trading block. Sans Halladay, I wouldn't object to the Yankees going into next year with a front 3 of Sabathia, Burnett and Pettitte, then putting the back two up for grabs to Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy, and Wang. Look around during FA, and see if there is something worth making a small investment in. Randy Wolf is an option. Otherwise, save the cash and prospects. Unless next year's rotation is CC, Halladay, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, I'd rather it were just CC, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, Kennedy, with Joba back in the pen. I'm not convinced that Wang is going to be able to come back. I still prefer Joba as a starter, but until Andy is gone, that rotation spot is his. Kennedy isn't a reliever, and I would really like him to finally have success at the pro level. I really wouldn't mind finally putting in a 6-man rotation. CC, Burnett, Pettitte, Hughes, Chamberlain, Kennedy would be fun to watch, and everyone could get some rest for October and the Young Guns would keep their innings down.
You should watch him pitch more, because the answer to your question is very likely, "Hell, yes!" With one caveat: If Joba finds his old fastball, he could give Felix a run for his money. But without that, no way.
Frankly, the answer to your question is yes. He's one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball and he's only 23 years old, well before his prime. I like Joba, love Hughes and love Cano but I'd give 2 of the 3 for King Felix without a second thought. If Hughes or Chamberlain can have a season like Hernandez's '09 campaign 2 or 3 times in their entire careers then I'd be thrilled. Felix just did it at 23 years old. That said, I doubt that they actually do move him. At the end of the day, no return is going to be enticing enough for such a young sure thing. In other news, both Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira won gold gloves today.
Okay, so the concensus is that Hernandez is the real deal. (Honestly, thinking about it, the only time I can remember him pitching against the Yankees that I was following the game, I was in the car, and it was on the radio. I'm not sure I've ever actually seen him pitch, and John Sterling isn't exactly the most reliable source of information on a player's performance.) Is he real enough to sacrifice Joba, Hughes and prospects? I'm assuming, based on what I'm seeing here, and the few things I've heard about "King Felix" here and there, that he won't come cheaply at all. Again, having not seen him, I can't make a fair determination of what I think he'd be worth; whereas, in the cases of Mauer or Halladay, I've seen them enough to say I'd give up talent to get them.
Yes, he's real enough. He's basically Joba before he lost his fastball, and Felix is a year younger. Joba and Hughes would be the beginning of a package to get him. Toss in Cano and Montero, and you might have a deal.
If it took Joba AND Hughes to get Felix....I'd bite the bullet and just do it. He will certainly cost more than Halladay as far as talent, since he's 9 years younger. He's been a blue-chip prospect for as long as I've heard his name. He went 4-4 with a sub-3.00 ERA when he first came up to the bigs as a teenager. As I mentioned before, he was always a bit erratic prior this season. As far as "stuff", he's always been regarded as maybe the most talented SP in baseball, certainly top 3. He was on my fantasy team this year, so while I didn't necessarily watch all of his starts, I watched plenty, and was at least checking his stats after every one I didn't see. Dude was a beast, plain and simple. 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA. 2nd in the league in starts, 3rd in innings pitched, 4th in strikeouts....at 23-years-old. He's a franchise ace for at least a decade. He's really the type of pitcher you give up the farm for, and that's probably what Seattle will want.
^^^ Totally agree. I'd prefer not giving up that much (obviously), but if that's what it took, I'd be cool with it. CC, Felix, AJ, Pettite. Holy lord, that'd be sweet.
Here's what we have to figure: Joba and Hughes have both shown that they have the talent to be front of the rotation pitchers... but haven't put it together for a whole season yet. Felix has already proven he can be one for an entire season, and he's the same age! So what would the Mariners need to get back in order to make the deal? This isn't like trading the typical proven veteran to get prospects with high upside (like the Santana trade). It'd cost a ton.
Just FTR, I did say Joba, Hughes and prospects. Going on what I think I know about him, he's high-value, and this thread is basically confirming that. I'm not sure I want to do that. I'd part with Joba and Montero easily enough, but I see Hughes as a long-term answer in our rotation, even a #1 or 2 (though CC probably relegates him to 2 the entire front end of his career.) I don't really like the idea of giving up Cano either. If the package were Joba, Montero and Cano and that's it, I'd probably pull the trigger, but otherwise, Cano would leave a significant hole to fill. As frustrating as he can be, he's a better 2B than we often give him credit for, and he's a helluva hitter when he's on. Obviously I don't want to give up Joba who has a higher ceiling than any other pitcher on the team, or Montero who is a fantastic prospect, but who knows if Joba will ever pan out as a starter, and Montero's spot belongs (hopefully) to Mauer. I'm just not sure if a package that large is worth it for any pitcher. I was willing to do Joba, Hughes and some prospects (not Montero or Jackson) for Halladay. Joba, Hughes, Cano, Montero seems an awfully high price to pay for any player.
Fortunately the Yankees are not in a position where they HAVE to trade for anyone, never mind potentially over-paying. However a 23-year-old ace doesn't become available very often (if he's even available at all). I would be cool w/ Joba/Hughes/Cano for Felix. That pitching staff would be untouchable for a while. Of course, the Yankees could just wait until after 2011, and if he hasn't signed an extensoin w/Seattle by then....Cha-ching!! FWIW, the seattle Times reported that the M's rejected a 3-way deal between them, San Diego, and Boston that would have had them getting Adrian Gonzalez, Clay Buckholz, and prospects for Felix.
