Dear Yankees and Red Sox
Cashman and Epstein, you guys are bonkers. I don't care how great you think Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, Clay Buchholz, or Jon Lester is going to be, none of them are likely to so much as carry Johan Santana's backpack in 2008. For every can't-miss prospect of the last 10 years, I'll show you another 10 guys who got hurt and never became better than replacement-level players. Johan Santana won 15 games last year for a Twins team that couldn't hit its way out of a papier-mache hat, and unless he gets hurt may end up being one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time. His bread-and-butter is a low-stress changeup, so health worries are smaller for him than for others. I mean, Buchholz was already hurt last year, right? Hughes couldn't stay on the field for half the season, and Kennedy was shut down in September. Say the words "Future Star" to me and I will say the words "Mark Prior and Kerry Wood back to you." TINSTAPP people. There Is No Such Thing As A Pitching Prospect. And don't talk to me about all the wasted money if Santana does end up getting hurt or becoming ineffective. Y'all can afford it. The Yankees are particularly crazy here. Send 'em Hughes, Kennedy, and Cabrera, go throw some money at Aaron Rowand, and win 110 games. I think baseball has gone a little nuts over-valuing young talent, because the reality is that most of these guys are going to miss. Remember the Josh Beckett trade? Yeah, the Marlins got Hanley Ramirez, but half of that ballyhoed package they got in return was named Anibel Sanchez, who barely pitched at all last year after blowing out his arm. So let's say that only Hughes or Kennedy turns out to be a very good major-league pitcher. Is he going to be better than Santana?
On a different note, has Keith Law ever met a trade or signing that he likes?
On a different note, has Keith Law ever met a trade or signing that he likes?