NoMaas

He was hurt for much of the second half in '04 too if I'm not mistaken.

He claims he was hurt, and I would assume we should believe him, considering he had 10 wins and a 3.50 ERA in the first half...then just fell apart.

If wishes do indeed come true, Vasquez will be another Pavano; a fluke in the trade will send Melky to Boston where he'll hit walk-off homeruns, most notably against his former team.

I miss Melky already. Gardner contributed nothing noteworthy to last season to reward him by bringing him back.

I wish they traded Gardner instead he sucks, can't hit, and didnt steal a base all post season.

How is having an innings eating NL ace (who should transition back nicely to the AL) with great durability "stupid?" Seriously, do you realize that the Yankees basically had three pitchers in the postseason last year, and that you can't depend on guys like Burnett and Pettitte to stay consistently healthy?

This was a great move. I'm sorry to see ... See MoreMelky go, but the more I think about this, the more I like it. Vasquez is a solid #2 who will be our #4, we've really improved our rotation, and ensured that we have four competent starters and a fifth in Joba/Hughes/Gaudin that is either developing or serviceable.

I think you GROSSLY underestimate the sheer pressure he is going to be under returning to Yankee Stadium. I get that he has had the most quality starts among Any pitcher since 05 (i think) - still my gut doesn't like it. Your argument it is valid - in fact i agree with everything you just said - but why Javey? why him? why now? There are other Ace's that the Yanks could have gotten for the same players they dealt.

Exactly. No one seems to mention this when discussing his disaster of a year in New York. He had like a 3.50 ERA and 10 wins in the first half. His numbers with the Sox were not that impressive, so that might concern you about him coming back to the AL. But in the end, once again, he is not the ace of the rotation. He is the forth starter. With this lineup, all he needs is a sub-5 ERA, and he's getting 12 to 15 wins, because you know he is gonna make more than 30 starts.

Actually his numbers with the Sox were pretty good. He posted FIPs of 4.05, 3.72 and 3.85. If he repeats that kind of performance as a #4 starter, that would be ridiculous.

Meh, with Lee hitting the FA market next year, I think the Yanks could stay put at this point and wait until next year to splurge on the FA. Carl Crawford will also be available, and unlike Holliday, has a proven track record in the AL.

Not that I'm anti-Holliday, I just think that we're not too shabby as constructed, and that Holliday's stint in the AL has tainted me a bit. Small sample size, I know, but nonetheless, if the Cardinals want to blow their wad on him, they can go ahead.

Incidentally, to clarify, I mean Cliff Lee. I think if they spend that kind of $$$, it should be on another elite pitcher, and he seems like the best of the bunch come 2010 hot stove.

He has always raised his game? Really?

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/matsuhi01.shtml#batting_postseason

Jed, well if you factor that in with the fact that the Mariners got a lot stronger, the Rangers being relatively the same team as last year, and the wild card team coming out of the East, well I count them out, Scioscia or not.