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No offense, Steve, but you're nuts on this one. Shea IS a huge upgrade for us. And while Green is gone as soon as Cano gets back, there is one superfluous guy on the team right now: Bubba Crosby. You have to have a backup infielder, but you don't three fourth outfielders, which Bernie, Bubba and Guiel basically are. I know Damon is having calf and foot issues this year, and that Joe puts in Bubba every now and again for him late, but Damon would just have to rough it out a bit more and Guiel would be Bernie's defensive replacement in rightfield.

If the Yankees could get Shea and don't, they be insane. Hillenbrand is a better hitter than Phillips and (when Cano gets back) would really lengthen this lineup.

Agree 100% with Bailey. We must pursue Shea. This could be a big steal for the Yanks. I don't see how he gets past waivers. The team will get along just fine with him, esp. when he helps win us ballgames.

And who's talking about trading or cutting Cairo? We could do just fine withot Green or Guiel, etc.

That should have been "they'd be insane." Just in case anyone thought I was kickin' some jive talk into our baseball discussion.

Looking over their numbers, Shea has about one hundred more ABs, which means their home runs and RBI are fairly comparable, but the biggest different is in OBP. It's not even close.

Shea Hillenbrand is basically Andy Phillips, only better. Although Bubba does provide a great glove in the OF, we really need better options off the bench. Otherwise, Torre will keep using Bernie as a PH in close/late situations. If he can be had on the cheap, I see no reason not to make a deal for him. The Yanks, as bailey said, be insane if they don't try to get this guy

Wouldn't Shea just cost a prorated league minimum? Isn't Toronto on the hook for the rest of his salary?

And it sounds like Cano isn't coming back anytime soon.

Wouldn't Shea just cost a prorated league minimum? Isn't Toronto on the hook for the rest of his salary?

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That's the case if the Jays can't trade him within the 10-day DFA period and have to release him. That's what happened with Ponson - nobody wanted to give anything up for him, so the Cards had to release him and eat most of his salary.

Rich nailed it.

Shea Hillenbrand = Andy Phillips
If you have one, you don't need the other
plus, Andy's attitude is off the charts whereas Shea is a whiner.

I'll keep Bubba for his PR and defensive help. And, when you have Posada, Giambi and Bernie in your line-up, a PR can be very useful.

Think Dave Roberts.

I think the bad attitude thing is overblown. What happened in Toronto won't necessarily happen here. Plus, if we're willing to take a fat alcoholic with an anger management problem, it would be inconsistent to not take a guy that simply didn't see eye to eye with his bosses. If it makes the team better, you take a guy like Hillenbrand knowing that it's probably going to chap his ass at how he was treated by his former team and he'll take it out on them in August/September.

Plus, as you wrote yesterday about the problem with waiting until July to build a bench...well, here's the Yanks' shot to significantly improve their bench depth.

I agree with Steve here. I don't see it worth adding him, especially since it will mean having to send Phillips to the minors. Plus, Hillendrand is not going to clear waivers. He's an attractive enough offensive option that I imagine the Jays will work out a deal for him within 10 days. And that deal is not going to be with one of their division rivals.

An aside, if the Yanks added Kevin Mench (giving up Chacon) who'd be sent away to make room for him?

If we trade Chacon for Mench, Chacon is who would be sent away.

I'm coming down on the side of getting Hillenbrand, especially with Robbie being another 2 weeks away. We need a .300 hitter with pop in the lineup. This would be a cheap way to cut off all the insipid trade talk. Or at least most of it. I don't want Abreu, BTW.

Another thing in this mix, Phillips can play 2nd base since that's where he started. I'd let Green go, start Cairo at 2nd and maybe even platoon Giambi and Hillenbrand at DH with some first base, plus he can play 3rd. This is all speculation that we can get him cheap. I'd even do a low level trade. We don't want RSN getting him back.

Scott, you know how Torre and the Yanks operate. They always feel the need to have a gazillion pitchers. They trade Chacon and they'll bring up a pitcher from the minors soon after. Which offensive player is sent down in that inevitable case?

Steve, he said he was Andy Phillips, only better. Listen, Andy is a nice hitter (though his below-.300 OBP won't do) and a great glove, but Shea drove in 82 RBI last year. He is an improvement. There's no guarantee we can get him -- in fact, I think a team will gladly give up something for him and the chance of the Blue Jays trading him to us is slim -- but we have to try.

Nick mentions Kevin Mench. I know he's having a down year, but this guy always seemed to kill us when he played against us, and I'd much rather him than Abreu (because of the money), Reggie Sanders, and all the other scrubs mentioned. And if all Texas wanted was Chacon -- wow, how can you go wrong? I think the Yankees are close to cutting Chacon. They don't even pitch him anymore. If Mench is out there to be had, he should be plunked down in rightfield immediately.

Plus it's another give-away day on the schedule: Kevin Mench Over-sized Batting Helmet Day. It's a natural. And kids under 14 can share a helmet!

Scott, RSN doesn't want Shea back (and I've heard this from several BoSox fans). He called Theo a fag before he left Boston. He was buddies with Carl Everett if that tells you anything. I don't think Theo is anxious to scoop him up again. And personally I don't want a douche like that in the Yankee clubhouse.

Randy Johnson may be a surly old man, but he seems like a team guy. Shea apparently wrote "This ship is sinking" on the clubhouse black board, after ripping the Canadian flag patch off of his uniform. The Yanks don't need that kind of drama queen.

Aren't we past judging a batter's worth from his BA and RBI totals?

"He called Theo a fag before he left Boston."

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Certainly not the first time Theo has heard this. There's nothing wrong with taking on an obnoxious piece of garbage like this for half a year. The Yankees won a World Series with Canseco on the team. So anything is possible. Plus Shea seems like the type of guy that will take this slight -- which has something or other to do (apparently) with not getting congratulated about his recent adoption -- as motivation and go on a tear.

Take him on for half a year and then next year we can sign his former teammate Frank Catalanotto.

Nick, you are right, they will want another pitcher. Even with Dotel coming on board this weekend there will be changes made.

Jen, you are aware of information I do not have. I don't know these things so I can't comment on them.

I do know that Shea Hillenbrand has been tough on the Yankees and I would rather have him than face him. That may be another Canseco reference! LOL!!