Yankees Acquire Curtis Granderson in Three Team Deal...

[DK_MaluNYMets]

The New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are on the verge of the first major trade of baseball's winter meetings, a deal that would send Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson to New York, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

 

In the trade, the Diamondbacks would obtain Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, while the Tigers will pick up Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth, Phil Coke and outfield prospect Austin Jackson.

 

Curtis Granderson

 

Granderson

 

Max Scherzer

 

Scherzer

 

The speedy Granderson would displace Melky Cabrera as center fielder on the Yankees. Cabrera, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, batted .274 last season with 13 homers, 68 RBIs and 10 steals. He could shift to left, depending on whether New York re-signs Johnny Damon or designated hitter Hideki Matsui.

 

In return, the Tigers would get a hard thrower in Scherzer and a well-regarded prospect in Austin Jackson, while the Diamondbacks get a pair of starting pitchers in Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.

 

"There's a lot of noise out there. Clearly I can't speak to the noise," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.

 

Granderson, a left-handed batter, was a first-time All-Star last season, when he had 30 homers, 71 RBIs and 20 steals. His batting average has dropped from .302 in 2007 to .280 in 2008 to .249 last year.

 

Law: Grand deal for Tigers

 

Law The Tigers would come out as winners despite giving up Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, writes Keith Law. Blog

 

Granderson could shift to left, depending on whether New York re-signs Johnny Damon or designated hitter Hideki Matsui.

 

Cashman spoke last weekend with Damon's agent, Scott Boras, and met Tuesday with Matsui's agent, Arn Tellem. Cashman also met twice with Randy Hendricks, an agent for left-hander Andy Pettitte.

 

"You always want to get younger, especially when you have an older team," Cashman said before adding: "Just because somebody is younger doesn't mean they're actually better."

 

Detroit, which failed to make the playoffs following a late-season slide, may be looking to cut payroll after a big attendance drop this year at Comerica Park. Granderson is owed $5.5 million next year, $8.25 million in 2011 and $10 million in 2012, and his contract includes a $13 million club option for 2013 with a $2 million buyout.

 

Kennedy, who turns 25 on Dec. 19, impressed when he came up from the minors at the end of the 2007 season, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts. But he struggled with injuries in each of the last two seasons.

 

He strained a muscle near his right rib cage and had bursitis in his right shoulder blade in 2008, when he was 0-4 with an 8.17 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance. He pitched in just one big league game this year, when he was sidelined by surgery May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right biceps.

 

Coke was 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 72 relief appearances. While he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the AL playoffs, he gave up two runs over 1 1/3 innings in the World Series.

 

Austin Jackson, 22, is considered one of the Yankees' top prospects. He hit .300 last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 23 doubles, four homers, 65 RBIs and 24 steals.

 

Scherzer, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft, is a 25-year-old righty who went 9-11 with a 4.12 ERA in 30 starts for Arizona last season, striking out 174 in 170 1/3 innings.

 

Schlereth, a 23-year-old lefty, was the 26th pick in the 2008 amateur draft. He made his major league debut this year and went 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA in 21 relief appearances with 22 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings. He is the son of former NFL offensive lineman and current ESPN football analyst Mark Schlereth.

 

Edwin Jackson was 13-9 with a 3.62 ERA this year and is eligible for salary arbitration after making $2.3 million, including $100,000 in performance bonuses. He can become a free agent after the 2011 season.

 

Kennedy, who turns 25 on Dec. 19, impressed when he came up from the minors at the end of the 2007 season, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts. But he struggled with injuries in each of the last two seasons.

 

He strained a muscle near his right ribcage and had bursitis in his right shoulder blade in 2008, when he was 0-4 with an 8.17 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance. He pitched in just one big league game this year, when he was sidelined by surgery May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right biceps.

 

"We just went through a very rough season, and so for us to turn down any way to make our team better would be irresponsible," Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch said.

[aZyOuThInKeYeIz]

Trading Max Scherzer is retarded.

 

Matter fact, the deeper I look at this trade..

 

What does Arizona get? Edwin Jackson ???? HAHA

 

Detroit and New York make out pretty good, and Arizona gets an overhyped piece of garbage..

 

Scherzer is amazing. Granderson is fast as lightning. Arizona is stupid.

[Xx-CHURCHY-xX]

D'backs also get Ian Kennedy. He hasn't had that good of a career in the majors, mainly because he had surgery a few times, but he was a Yankees 1st round draft pick and one of the Yankees main pitching prospect for years.

[aZyOuThInKeYeIz]

Xx-CHURCHY-xX ]

D'backs also get Ian Kennedy. He hasn't had that good of a career in the majors, mainly because he had surgery a few times, but he was a Yankees 1st round draft pick and one of the Yankees main pitching prospect for years.

 

 

That's why I left him out. He means nothing. Until he proves himself as Scherzer and Granderson have done, he's nothing. Arizona got a nothing pitcher and an ineffective one for the pitcher I personally think would have overcame Haren and Webb for the top spot in that rotation within two years.

 

I hate when prospects are hyped for trades, because 95% of the time, they don't pan out to the expectations a trade warrants. Scherzer proved this year he was ready for more action in their lineup, and then they trade him. That was my main point about them getting nothing. They just took three steps backwards. The three years they spent building Scherzer, and then give that up for a prospect who isn't panning out.

[DK_MaluNYMets]

How is Granderson defensively? Is he a good defender because he's fast like Bernie Williams use to be or he is a naturally talented defender?

[o-BacklasH-o]

Yeah I'm finding a hard time figuring out what, if anything, Arizona gains out of this deal. The Tigers dump salary and build for the future, the Yankees stack up further, and the D-Backs get a former highly touted prospect and Jackson for a possible future Cy Young winner...I read that the Tigers are going to be BIG spenders in 2011. Chicago SunTimes today speculated on a deal in which the Cubbies dealt the Tigers Bradley in exchange for Dontrelle Willis. Yikes.

[Xx-CHURCHY-xX]

BacklasH ]

Yeah I'm finding a hard time figuring out what, if anything, Arizona gains out of this deal. The Tigers dump salary and build for the future, the Yankees stack up further, and the D-Backs get a former highly touted prospect and Jackson for a possible future Cy Young winner...I read that the Tigers are going to be BIG spenders in 2011. Chicago SunTimes today speculated on a deal in which the Cubbies dealt the Tigers Bradley in exchange for Dontrelle Willis. Yikes.

Talk about a lose-lose situation.. haha

[Prane]

I would rather take my chances with Dontrelle Willis than Milton Bradley. Bradley was the worst free agency move ever for the Cubs. Although kudos to the Cubs for letting their best pitcher walk to free agency this year.