Bonn1997 wrote:Haren has a 4.60 NL ERA. That's pretty bad.

That and the fact that he's given up 23 dingers already are the big concerns for me..But I agree with TMS -- dude knows how to pitch. He throws a lot of innings, usually always allows less hits than innings pitched (this year looks like a bit of a fluke for him), he strikes out a lot of batters which is always good (I'll take a strikeout pitcher over a guy that allows the opp. to put the ball in play everytime--a strikeout pitcher's a big weapon that can take matters into his own hands throughout the game), is still shy of 30 years old and he's had good success in the AL before with Oakland. That last part is key -- unlike a Javy Vasquez, we know for a fact Haren can pitch and even thrive in the AL.

As long as we don't have to give up too much I say pull the trigger. I'm a little concerned about this though -- the Yanks aren't the only team talking to him supposedly which tells me there may be a bidding war in progress PLUS Arizona knows that Pettitte's hurt so they may be looking for a king's ransom from the Yankees. If we can get him w/o giving up any of our top 3-4 prospects though, it's a score..

nyk4ever wrote:

TMS wrote:Haren to the Angels for Saunders, Patrick Corben, Rafael Rodriguez & a player to be named

what are the dbacks doing? haren is a bonafide ace and this is the package they got for him?

pretty much a salary dump, same way we got Bobby Abreu.

here's a little more info:

http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/yankees-were-never-close-to-deal-for-dan-haren.php

Just hours after Diamondbacks president Derrick Hall told Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com that the Yankees were not the front-runners for Dan Haren, a source told Jayson Stark of ESPN.com that the Yankees were "never close" to acquiring Haren on Friday.

According to the source, the teams did exchange names, however the Yankees rejected a proposal that would have sent Joba Chamberlain, 23-year-old right-hander Ivan Nova and two more prospects to Arizona. In turn, the Diamondbacks rejected a proposal that consisted only of prospects.

This is where I start to get a little bit confused. Stark writes that another hurdle between the teams, according to the source, is how much of the $33 million remaining on Haren's contract the Diamondbacks are willing to pay. Arizona's proposal would have required the Yankees to assume all of it. Meanwhile, the Yankees (and other interested teams) want the quality of the players included in the trade to be based on how much of Haren's remaining contract the Diamondbacks are willing to pay.

lol... if that's what the D'Backs were asking for i'm glad we passed up on that deal.

VDesai wrote:I think the Yankees should get in the running for Scott Downs. Downs has been excellent for Toronto for the last 3-4 seasons. My only concern is the cost of acquiring him in the division, but there should be no doubts whether he can get it done in the AL east. He'd be a huge boost in the setup role. I think Robertson is your 8th inning guy untill we acquire someone. He's been a heckuva lot better lately. He definitely has the stuff and he showed he can get the job done last year. It'd be ideal if we could platoon him with someone like Downs.

See where you're coming from V -- I just think we're OK with Marte when he comes back & Boone Logan as the lefties. Marte's proven he can neutralize tough lefties in big spots (it took him long enough but this dude finally got my respect after the WS. You can't possibly do it on a bigger stage than that) and Logan has a dynamite arm (dude hit 97 the other night)..To me, Logan's thing is he doesn't really have a great slider to compliment that plus heater. If he had a little bit better breaking ball, he'd be among the top situational lefty relievers in the game. I think Logan's on par with Phil Coke, and I'm talking the Coke from a couple of years ago that had the better fastball (there was a time when Coke was 95-96 consistently when we first brought him up before he lost a couple of ticks)..If I'm Dave Eiland, I'd be working everyday with Logan to refine that slider...I don't see Downs as a big-time upgrade over either guy to be honest..

I agree with you on Robertson -- Joba's been terrible and I hope Joe going to Robertson in a big spot the other night serves as a wake up call for this young man because we need him..He should've felt embarrassed the other night when Joe went to Robertson in a big spot. I hope he did anyway. He's got to dig down deep & find it...If we can get Marte back soon (he's progressing--already long tossing off flat ground) and Joba on a little bit of a roll, I think the pen might be OK. I read recently that Ace might be back soon too so that's good (looks like his rehab has finally reached the point where he's progressing with no setbacks, knock on wood)..I like what Joe's doing right now -- I say go with Joba in the 6th & 7th innnings for a stretch and see if he starts pitching better..I wanna see Joba pitching mad right now, trying to regain his 8th inning role..He's gotta pitch like he wants it..

Looks like Houston's gonna break it all down now...Oswalt dealt to the Phillies, Berkman may be coming to the Yanks...I wonder if they're taking offers for Matt Lindstrom? I mean if your gonna break it all down and start over, why hold onto a 30-year-old closer? Lindstrom's 97 MPH fastball would be a real nice addition for our bullpen..

Finestrg wrote:So apparently we're "on the verge" of getting Lance Berkman. What do you guys think? I don't know man, is this move really necessary? I don't feel like the offense is a problem..Can't hurt though I guess --- having an everyday DH in there with his track record, even with the down year he's having, only makes our lineup that much more powerful (kinda why I wanted them to retain Matsui in the first place). Cervelli's time is gonna get cut with this move. No way around that... If this goes down, we're gonna be seeing a lot of Posada 6, Berkman 7 I would think (Kay's saying on the broadcast that Berkman could even hit 2nd if he winds up coming)...It'll allow Joe to give Jorgie full days off here & there where we can catch Cervy and DH Berkman while not losing much offense at all...My only question -- what's the cost? Anyone know what prospects are being discussed? I'd welcome the addition but I'm not really interested in giving up too much for this guy..Definitely none of our top chips, that's for sure. This guy might wind up being a rental (next year's a club option I believe).

Looks like Houston's gonna break it all down now...Oswalt dealt to the Phillies, Berkman may be coming to the Yanks...I wonder if they're taking offers for Matt Lindstrom? I mean if your gonna break it all down and start over, why hold onto a 30-year-old closer? Lindstrom's 97 MPH fastball would be a real nice addition for our bullpen..