WHY THE RACE IS ON FOR GIO

Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston says the Boston Red Sox are hot and heavy on Gio Gonzalez. Read it HERE. Clearly any time the Red Sox are interested in any pitcher, I usually want to be the spoiler and try to snag that player before the Sox do. In this case though, I really like Gio and want him on our team.Gio is a lefty stud that would fit nicely on the New York Yankees, but after reading about what the Athletics wanted for Gio, both Logan Morrison and Mike Stanton, it's clear they want a lot for the lefty. Oakland is clearly in the drivers seat. They can pretty much ask for whatever they want, after all, Gio's still under contract and they don't need to part with him.The Yankees have plenty to offer, but it's who to offer that is the real problem. There's concern from the Yankee fan base that some of these kids are untouchable, like Manny Banuelos and Jesus Montero.It makes sense. Look, the Red Sox have Josh Reddick and I'm sure they're talking about him being untouchable as well, but when push comes to shove, team's make moves and pitching wins championships. Gio is a pitcher and he can definitely help win a championship.The Yankees and Sox know that and they also know that each team is interested in Gio, so, something is going to happen soon, hell, it may even get nasty.

Bottom line, I don't want to lose out on a good player, especially to a rival team. Sure, the Yankees don't need to trade for Gio, they could spend big money on a free agent and don't have to deal with the aggravation of unloading prospects, but this is the baseball off season... if the Yankees can get 1 pitcher via free agency and 1 in a trade and both players provide stability to our ballclub, you have to go for it. At the end of the day, I'm not just giving up anyone for Gio, but I am willing to part with a few of our guys, especially if it means we're in a race against the Red Sox to land the lefty.

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