YANKEES: What the Padres Were Offering

Padres were reportedly offering the Yankees reliever Scott Linebrink and their best 3B prospect Chase Headley (who was a 2nd round pick in 2005). Linebrink is a clear upgrade over Viscaino and, whether you like to hear it or not, the 3B prospect could be just a couple years away from replacing A-Rod. Padres scouts say Headley is all there except his power, which they expect to develop.

Back in November, the Red Sox were on the hunt for reliable relief pitching, often inquiring about Linebrink from the Padres. According to RotoWorld, "The Red Sox could potentially move either Coco Crisp or Wily Mo Pena for Linebrink" but the deal never happened. This failure on the Yankees' part to acquire Linebrink might be an open window for the Red Sox, who recently acquired Pineiro. Pineiro seems to be nothing close to a sure deal so it looks in the Sox's best interests to keep pursuing.

Clearly, this package is stronger than the package offered by the D-backs.

On the up side of not trading with the Padres, the Yankees kept Randy Johnson happy by moving him back to the team that is closest to his home. Also, Headley is still only 22 years old and he only has one minor league statistic (he hit .291 in Single-A), though he is regarded as a great prospect.

The big reason the Yanks did not lean in this direction is because the Johnson trade was mainly a salary dump. To get the two players from the Padres, the Yanks would have had to pay roughly $7.5 million of Johnson's 2007 $16 million salary. I understand that the players might be better but $2 million for 4 players opposed to $7.5 million for 2 players seems good if you have the mindset that the prospects haven't fully developed yet and you are not yet fully sure of what you are getting. Cashman seems to think that the more good prospects you have, the better the chances of one of them growing into a major league player. Also, there is $5.5 million more to throw at Clemens.

One thing is for sure: The Yankees have a lot of options for Johnson's spot and it is more likely than not that they have that option already in their system. An acquisition of Linebrink over Vizcaino would have seemed smart because it would give the Yanks the option to move Proctor into the starting role, but I don't think the Yanks are looking for more young, unproven starters. For now, Johnson's hole will seem to many as the Yankees' demise given Boston's strengthened rotation. Honestly though, how much worse is the Yanks rotation from last year with Johnson now gone? Not much if at all considering all their options. And as for Boston, Beckett wasn't pretty last year, Schilling is showing signs of old age, Matsuzaka has still yet to throw a pitch in the majors (though Red Sox banter would have you believe otherwise), Papelbon will start to realize that he is more hittable given that hitters will start to see him two, three, maybe even four times around, and left are Wakefield and Lester. Wakefield has given the Yanks some fits but he isn't lights out and Lester is still recovering from last year. Let us not even make a comparison of the two bullpens.

One thing that scares me is Clemens' interest in Boston last season. If the Sox were to get Clemens then the Yanks have a world of worries, but Johnson wouldn't have made any difference. Getting rid of Johnson only improved the Yankees' chances of getting Clemens, so WHY NOT?!