...but here we are, getting all worked up about a figment of Jon Heyman's imagination. From "New stadium, new look: Next year's Yanks will be very different" at SI.com:
Might Robinson Cano be traded? He appears to be not only the biggest headache for Girardi but also the Yankees' best trade commodity. Folks around the team suggest Cano's old manager, Joe Torre, has a strong interest for the Dodgers. A Cano-for-Kemp trade would be intriguing, and one AL official said he believes the Dodgers might consider moving Kemp (though it isn't known whether they'd entertain that very trade idea).
This is almost as bad as the Varitek-to-the-Dodgers rumor Peter Gammons inexplicably started a few weeks back. Just a quick comparison of some career stats:
| player | age | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| Matt Kemp | 23 | .299 | .340 | .472 |
| Robinson Cano | 25 | .301 | .334 | .467 |
Both players purportedly have attitude issues, but Kemp is younger and has more upside, especially in his power numbers. Keep Kemp.
AP photo
3 comments:
Trading Matt Kemp away would mean Torre would have to play Juan Pierre or Andruw Jones. With Manny in left field (I hope he's still there in the future...for his bat not his glove) we really can't afford to have the water pistol or human breeze playing center. Keep Kemp is right!
If we trade for Cano, that means Blake DeWitt plays third or goes to the bench. Our other options at third are (in order of realisticness):
* take our chances with Nomar
* O-Dog at 2B
* Mark Ellis at 2B
* sign Joe Crede
* Morgan Ensberg
* try to trade for Adrian Beltre (that may cost us McDonald if their new GM isn't terrible)
* see if the Braves want a fire sale and trade Chipper Jones (that may cost us Kershaw)
* try to attract Teixiera and play him at 3B (that may cost us Manny)
* try to send Proctor back for Betemit
Cano is arb eligible, so we wouldn't save but so much vs getting Ellis or Hudson, and trading for Beltre might be an attractive option if the price is right.
But here's the bottom line: Cano is also having a terrible year at the plate with a Berroa level .299 OBP while Kemp's stock is soaring. Even Ned Colletti isn't stupid enough to do that. Kemp's upside is clear - he's younger, and this is his first full major league season - Cano has had four. Clearly, Heyman is full of shit.
Great analysis, SM86. I especially like your conclusion.
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