IF YOU TRADE FOR IT...THEY WILL COME

What is a good lefty worth? Well, right now, it is definitely a coveted prize that the Yankees have been searching for, and spent a heavy investment on with no big return. Last year I was ecstatic when we signed Pedro Feliciano. I liked how durable he was; he set the MLB record for appearances three years in a row and I loved how effective he was, he really defined what a “loogy” was. Well, he did until he came to the Bronx and spent the season on the disabled list. The Yankees have Boone Logan , but you never know what you are going to get with him... it is like doing a coin toss. I am not going to rip on Logan, but fact of the matter is he is paid to get lefties out, and he can't always seem to do it. The Yankees need another lefty, Casey's been screaming about it for months and there are several free agents out there but who are they and how much will they cost?

There are only 2 free agents that I would even consider adding to my roster:

• Darren Oliver: Oliver has his good points and his bad points. He has posted an ERA under three every season since 2008. He is a Type-B free agent. Oliver is also 41 years old, another fact that scares me. That being said, he would be helpful.
• Dontrelle Willis: Time to face the facts, he is not a starter anymore but he is still a valuable weapon to a team as a reliever. He is pretty dominant against lefties posting 10.6 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9, good for a 10/1 K/BB ratio in 75.2 innings in 2011. His lack of experience as a reliever scares me a little, but not enough to shy away from a minor league contract and give him a shot.
  

While there are other names on the Free Agent market this year, none of them excite me like last year. So instead of spending a lot of money for nothing….like Feliciano’s $8 million contract, let’s play “let’s make a deal” with another team and use some of our resources.
If I were Cashman, I would pick up my phone and start talking to the Twins new Interim General Manager Terry Ryan about an overlooked pitcher named Glen Perkins. We wrote about him in YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 9... check it out. Perkins posted a 9.49 K/9, and 65 strikeouts in 61.2 innings pitched. His walks were a little high at 3.1BB / 9 however; the great mentoring of Larry Rothschild could fix that. Perkins is arbitration eligible and would not be an expensive investment. With the right offer, the Twins could move him.

The Twins are in the process of rebuilding their team after losing 99 games and not claiming the central title after two years of being on top. So, what would it take to get him? Not much, possibly just a lower level minor league player and throw in some cash to go with him….and that sounds like it would benefit both sides.

The Yankees don’t need to focus only on signing free agents to be successful this off season; they have a large amount of resources to tap into including the farm system and they can be smart not giving away to truly valuable pieces. Plus, There are no lefties on the free agent market that I would want to throw a lot of cash at at this time, let’s save it for the big fish. It's the off season... and it's getting good!




--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor



Please comment and let me know what you think and follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue on Facebook, just type it in.