WasWatching.com

Tim Redding, Darrel May, and then Shawn Chacon and Aaron Small.
It's amazing how much luck plays into waiver wire pick ups and mid-season acquisitions.

Amazing.

"When the invisible man Carl Pavano makes the "Top 10" of games started for you,"

Does it? Is Pavano a bad pitcher? Sure, his injury issues are.. well documented. But, you want this list to be short, not long, right?

These hand waving arguments are silly. Look at the merits of the specific situation. Santana and a huge contract taking him out to his age 36 season potentially for at least 1 cost controlled high ceiling pitching prospect. That's a pass.

I think the Santana (non-)deal just gives more fuel to the hatred Steve feels toward Cashman (and, no doubt, Hughes). So apparently the answer to the awkwardly phrased "We didn't get Santana because of why?" is: because Brian Cashman sucks when it comes to pitching.

whoever "WW Staff" is you answered your own question by contradicting your point. look at all 36 pitchers...do you know why the number has gotten to that many minor leaguers, no names and guys past their prime? BECAUSE NONE OF THEM WERE YOUNG, RELIABLE, HIGH-CEILING TALENT OR COST-CONTROLLED PITCHERS! They are all either old guys, bad free agent pick ups or too young, not ready minor league arms who the yanks had to bring in and rely on heavily because they traded their farm system away in previous years. with it being impossible to build teams via free agency now, cashman is developing cost-controlled valuable arms in house so they dont have to rely on guys like tim redding or kevin brown anymore. just open your eyes already

I guess we could set up a list of those starters we picked up from outside our system via trade or free agent signing and see that it hasn't been fruitful to go that route and a counterpoint similarly simple would be made.

File this one under: We didn't get Johan Santana because of why?
------------
Because with the Yanks luck, Santana will blow out his _______ and be out for a season.

We didn't get Santana because of M-O-N-E-Y.

IPK + Melky for Johan + huge contract is a no-brainer. You make this deal every time. Cashman really blew this one.

The last time the Yanks got a pitcher in their prime was Musinna. That turned out rather well.

I love the way some fans are so willing to spend a team's money.

I think Steve has latched on to bashing Cashman as a way to drive traffic (and it works...most of my comments are usually to refute outlandish claims slamming Cashman). As one who developed an irrational loathing of Torre toward the end, I guess I can understand it. Of course, it's not the best way to be taken seriously.

IPK + Melky for Johan + huge contract is a no-brainer. You make this deal every time. Cashman really blew this one.
----

Onley says the deal was actually IPK plus Wang as the starting point. That changes things dramatically. It's interesting that the Twins thought the Yankees favored Hughes over Wang.

IPK + Melky for Johan + huge contract is a no-brainer. You make this deal every time. Cashman really blew this one.
=============================================
Who would play CF? Scott Podsednik?

It's not just that the Twins came off Hughes, it's the issue of how such a trade affects the 2008 roster. The Mets didn't lose anyone important off their 2008 25-man roster. Think about it that way and you'll see why the Yanks and Red Sox couldn't make this deal.

I favor Hughes over Wang, not by a little either.

in the long term I'd prefer Hughes over Wang too, but for 08? i'll bet you the house that Wang will be significantly more valuable for the Yankees in 08. and that the difference between him + Kennedy and Johan for the team will be fairly minimal.

A number of pitchers on that list lost time to injury. Of course with Wright and Pavano, they should've seen it coming...