Granderson Will Shore Up the Yankees Outfield

Finally, the first big blockbuster of the MLB off-season has taken place. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and the Tigers shed some payroll. In a three team trade, the Yankees have acquired Curtis Granderson to shore up their outfield. Meanwhile, the Tigers managed to acquire Max Scherzer, and a bevy of prospects for Edwin Jackson. The Diamondbacks come out of the deal with Jackson and Ian Kennedy. While many analysts were quick to jump on the Yankees bandwagon, I think the AL Central just got a lot more interesting.

Before we analyze this deal, let’s look at all the players involved.

• The New York Yankees receive- CF Curtis Granderson
• The Detroit Tigers receive- SP Max Scherzer, RP Daniel Schlereth, RP Philip Coke, and CF Austin Jackson
• The Arizona Diamondbacks receieve- SP Edwin Jackson and SP Ian Kennedy

Right off the bat, it is easy to love this deal for the Yankees. Granderson shores up the Yankees outfield, and costs less than Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. He is capable of playing centerfield (which neither Bay nor Holliday can do), and he plays it pretty well. There are a few things to be cautious about with Granderson, however. The most important of which is Granderson’s struggles with LHP. Over the past three seasons, Granderson has hit .301/.378/.562 against righties, and .202/.261/.309 against lefties. The other issue of note is that Granderson turns 29 in March. For a player who relies on speed and defense, there is a decent chance that he won’t age well. However, the Yankees are only committed to Granderson until 2012 the earliest (he has a club option for 2013). Basically, the Yankees should get some solid years out of Granderson and should avoid his decline. He should probably be platooned with someone that mashes lefties, but I’m not sure I see the Yankees platooning their new toy.

Verlander and Scherzer are a Tough 1-2 Punch

While the Yankees made out well, I like this deal a little more for the Tigers. Where do I even start…? Well, every player the Tigers acquired is under contract for at least 5 more seasons. Max Scherzer, the prize of this deal for the Tigers, is cheaper, under control longer, and better than Edwin Jackson. That alone makes this deal worth it for the Tigers. To replace Granderson, they received Yankees prospect Austin Jackson. Call me crazy, but Jackson seems like a poor man’s Curtis Granderson. Think Curtis Granderson with less power, but with no platoon split. The issue with Jackson is that his approach to the game is still a bit raw. However, he’s only 23 and still could develop as a player. Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth are major league ready relief pitchers with some upside. If the Tigers can cut down on the walks, these two pitchers can be extremely valuable. By my count, that’s a better starting pitcher, two relief pitchers with upside, and a young centerfielder with less power. I would say that’s a pretty good deal for the Tigers. Based on the upside of Jackson, Coke, and Schlereth, this deal might look better for the Tigers as the years pass.

Conversely, many analysts are trying to figure out what the Diamondbacks are doing here. Edwin Jackson had a tremendous first half in 2009 (2.52 ERA), but struggled badly after the All-Star break (5.07 ERA). His second half performance is much more indicative of his true talent. Ian Kennedy is probably anywhere between a number 3-5 starter. He is a command and control pitcher, that won’t blow anyone away with his stuff. He also missed most of last season recovering from an injury…so there’s that. The biggest question I have here is: What happened to Josh Byrnes? A few years ago, he was supposed to be the next young, savvy GM. After some bad contracts (Eric Byrnes), and some questionable trades (this one), I’m thinking he may have been overrated.