Sean B. Fitzgerald It doesn’t go something like this, it goes exactly like this.

Yankees off season, thus far

Let me preface this post by asking one question:

Did anyone expect this many moves from the Yankees this off season?

I certainly didn't. I expected them to hold firm following their 27th championship. There really wasn't much that needed to be done, right? Sure, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui were becoming free agents, Andy Pettitte's future was up in the air, and the Hughes/Chamberlain debate was put on the back burner. These were small issues. Issues easily fixed within the first few weeks of December. At least that's what I expected.

Now it's December 22nd, 2009, and Brian Cashman has made three of the bigger deals this off season. In fact, he seems to be the only general manager in baseball making moves.

Disclaimer: Please excuse the syntax of the rest of this post. When discussing the Yankees in any form, my thoughts become jumbled, convoluted, and I start ranting. When there is any type of trade, signing, or call-up, I look for ripple effects throughout the organization. So for instance, I may or may not discuss how the trading away of Melky Cabrera will have a positive effect on the focus of Robinson Cano. I worry about everything. And this results in gibberish and subsequently, spelling errors. But I'll try my best to avoid them.

Anyway, I've already stated my opinion on the Curtis Granderson trade. In short, I'm for it. He's an above-average fielder, can steal bases, hit for power, he's cheap and is a great chemistry guy. Those of you who point out his numbers against lefties are just looking for problems. And don't get me started on the "upside" of Austin Jackson. He's 23-year old and had a .759 OPS, four home runs, and 123 strikeouts in 132 games in AAA. That's really not much to hold on to. He's Curtis Granderson-lite. I'd rather have Curtis Granderson.

In terms of the Nick Johnson signing, there was one main gripe from the Yankees fans. Which was, "Why sign Nick Johnson for $5.5M for one year when you could have signed Hideki Matsui $6.5M for one year?" It's a fair concern. But to be honest, and I have nothing to back this up, I don't think Matsui wanted to come back to the Yankees. With the Angels, he is able to split time playing the outfield as well as designated hitter and he's closer to home. And money is no option for Matsui. With the amount of endorsements he receives from companies in Japan, what could the Yankees have offered for him to come back? $12 million? $13 million? If it came to that it wouldn't be worth it. And granted, Nick Johnson will probably tear his ACL walking to the on-deck circle, but I'll hold my breath until then. With a .400 career OBP, I'm more than okay to have him spell Teixeira and play DH.

And as of today, Melky Cabrera, Mike Dunn and a minor leaguer was traded to the Atlanta Braves for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan.

Javier Vazquez as you know, had a previous stint with the Yankees in 2004 where he was average at best. Vazquez at the time, was 27 years old and had played previously in front of nine fans a night in Montreal. Since leaving New York, Vazquez has had five straight seasons of at least 200 innings and at least 180 strikeouts. On opening day, he will be 33 years old and in the last year of his contract. Contract year anyone?

I loved Melky when he was here. He was a terrific fielder and clutch hitter. But honestly, can anyone convince me he wasn't overachieving? He was a product of a tremendous lineup and low expectations. He'll plateau out at .270/.330/.420 in the National League. The Yankees had to cash in when his value was the highest. And after next season, he'll be offered arbitration for about $3-4 million. I guess the Yankees felt Vazquez was worth more value.

Another thing to chew on: The Yankees project Vazquez to be a Type-A free agent following next season. So if they were to offer him arbitration and he were to reject it, they would receive two high draft picks in next year's draft.

Finally, for those of you who consider yourself an optimistic Yankee fan, Vazquez has changed his arm slot since 2004 which aided his sinker. There is something to hang on to.

Obviously the Yankees are not done making moves. With Cabrera on his way to the Braves, left field has no occupant. Unless you think Gardner is an everyday player (which he isn't). Hypothetically, New York is in the market for Jason Bay, Matt Holliday, Johnny Damon, Marlon Byrd, and Jermaine Dye. But with their announcements that they wish to stay under a $200 million payroll, there is a small chance they sign one of them.

Whew, I'm spent. Was it good for you?