With Mark Teixeira now in the fold, it appears the Yankees have more potential starters than they do positions for them to fill. There has been some speculation, though for the most part not based on anything said from within the organization, that the Yankees could shop one of their outfielders. They have Hideki Matsui, Johnny Damon, Xavier Nady, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, and Melky Cabrera all vying for the three outfield and the DH spots. While it stands to reason that they could try to trade one, Tracy Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News says they could shop two.
The Yankees are looking to move two from a group of outfielders of Xavier Nady, Swisher and Hideki Matsui. The Angels, Texas, Oakland and Atlanta are considered to have interest.
Wow. Two from that group. I still say it’s doubtful that they trade Matsui. What you get back for him won’t come close to what he could potentially add to the lineup. If healthy — and that’s clearly a longshot — he could replicate Bobby Abreu’s 2008 numbers. If traded, he’d bring back little more than a C prospect (of course, that’s just my own speculation). It’s tough to foist a 35-year-old outfielder making $13 million and coming off two knee surgeries on another team.
I also don’t think trading Swisher is a great idea. He’s the only corner guy under contract for 2010. Xavier Nady would have the highest value, I think, since he has one year left until free agency and stands to make around $6 million for 2009. He’ll make less next year than Adam Dunn or Pat Burrell, and won’t hav the long-term commitment attached.
The best offensive alignment is obviously Nady-Damon-Swisher. There are plenty of question marks to go along with that, most notably Damon’s ability to play center. In any case, though, it’ll be interesting to see how the Yankees approach their surplus.