WasWatching.com

I'm not so sure Oakland is going to become sellers. They're .500 and have a potentially good to great staff if Harden comes back strong. Anyway,

Dan Johnson's career line:
Age: 27
MLB: .258/.349/.779 in
(Career) ZR @ 1B = .851

Andy Phillip's career line:
.238/.280/.681
(Career) ZR @ 1B = .862
Age: 30

Johnson also bats left (although he splits just about evenly between LHP and RHP.)

So, as I see it, unless you're giving up a bag of balls, an ironing board, and one of those monkey dolls that you wind up and claps (I love those things), then why not just keep Andy Phillips?

Woops, looks like I missed the 70 point difference in the OBP. Still, what are you willing to give up for a player who gets on base 1.4 times more out of every 20 AB's than Phillips? I just don't see this as anything but a bandaid on a gun shot wound.

Look at Johnny Damon since the end of May. His OPS is around .600

That's who Johnson would replace, not Phillips.

According to Buster Onley, the Yankees are actually interested. When I read this post, I thought you were just throwing a trade idea out there.

What do you give up for him, though? The writer at MLBTR suggested the Twins might offer up Scott Baker. Baker has been horrid this year, but I think he still has the status of a decent pitching prospect. Since Beane always wants the world from the Yankees, would you be willing to give up Clippard? Or what about Brett Smith/Jason Jones and Chris Britton?

I wouldn't give that up. So while Johnson might be an upgrade, you know that Beane would never give him to this team for cheap.

After the article about Johnson, they mention that the Braves are trying to get Mark Teixeira from Texas. They are apparently willing to give up Saltalamacchia.

Right there you have two players the Yankees need. They should pursue both of them. Either one would be worth giving up good talent for. If the Braves are willing to give up Saltalamacchia, the Yankees should see what they want. They don't have a slugger to give away, but the Braves' pitching sucks right now, too. If the Yankees could get Salty, they have Posada's replacement, a backup catcher right now, and someone who can also play first base. It would probably also ease the re-signing leverage Posada has this off-season.

I don't think the Yanks have a shot to get Saltalamacchia from the Braves. The Braves need a firstbaseman (since theirs are hitting .211 this year, and we thought the Ynaks had it bad) and they also need major league ready starting pitching.

I would love to get him, but whom can the Yanks trade for him, Bailey?

I would trade Chris Britton for Johnson in a heartbeat. Clippard? Never.

Saltalamacchia? I would offer almost any Yankees pitching prospect, one-up, outside those with the names Hughes or Chamberlain. Yes, maybe even Clippard...given the few decent catching prospects at the level of Salty.

Look at Johnny Damon since the end of May. His OPS is around .600

That's who Johnson would replace, not Phillips.

For how long - a month? Two months? And then we have a team with 4 DH's on it next year? (Johnson, Giambi, Damon, Matsui)

We need to start getting multi-dimensional players, not 1 dimensional players. Johnson is most certainly a one dimensional player, as evidenced by the fact that he can be replaced by Andy Phillips if he has to be put in the field, and he would likely come at a cost of Tyler Clippard. No thanks.

Now, that's not to say the trigger on a deal like this wouldn't be pulled, but I'd be surprised if it did, and upset after it happened.

The Yankees should only worry about filling the Damon hole this year. Heck, it could rain everyday next year and then next year doesn't matter.

"multi-dimensional" players? Great, that would be the perfect excuse for Torre and Cashman to carry a roster of 9 Miguel Cairos. Hey, he can even catch in an emergency. And, look, he's been working on a knuckleball during infield practice.