YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 5

As of Thursday, players could begin entering negotiations with any team. However, with CC Sabathia safely locked up to hold the rotation together, the Yankees are expected to be fairly quiet on the free agent market. Don't think that means the Bombers are going to have a quiet off-season though; talks about potential trades are slowly but surely heating up and a certain 25 year old ace from Japan names Yu may very well be posted later on this month. More on Yu Darvish in YANKEE RUMORS & BYB: PART 6 on Monday. Anyway, here are some of the latest rumors:Gio Gonzalez: We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue have and affection for the A's young lefthander. He would slide in as a very solid #2 starter behind CC and, like many young pitchers, he's still an unfinished product, so within a few years we could be looking at a new ace.

Granted talk of the Yankees making a run at Gio has been quite limited, but with reports that the Athletics are looking to deal Gonzalez, read HERE and HERE, it is inevitable that it will be on the hot stove's front burner in the weeks to come. Gonzalez's numbers from the 2011 season look like this:

16-12, 202 IP 3.12 ERA, 130 ERA+, 1.317 WHIP, 8.8 K/9, 4.1 BB/9

True, the walks are a bit much. In fact, he led the AL with 91 walks. But again, he's a 26 year old still trying to fully harness his stuff. Stuff wise all the pieces are there; a 92-95 mph fastball, a 2-seam fastball, a change-up, and a devastating 10-4 curve (I'd almost classify it as a slurve.)With the help of Larry Rothschild, one of the game's best pitching coaches, he'd likely be able to get the walks down, and truly make the most of his high strikeout and ground ball rates (47.5% GB in 2011). Also, despite not having great command, he's not missing like AJ Burnett misses. He threw only 6 wild pitches compared to AJ's ridiculous 25 (more like 50 if you count how many times Russell bailed him out), so you don't need to worry too much about adding another Burnett to the rotation.

Gonzalez is a left-handed stud about to enter his prime, and even with the pay raise he'll be getting because of his Super Two arbitration eligibility (MLB Trade Rumors has estimated his 2012 salary at $4.2 million) he will certainly be underpaid for the results he provides. As a result, the asking price will likely be very high. There's little doubt that Jesus Montero will be the first name that comes out of Billy Beane's mouth, a proposal Cashman will certainly reject. While you can never truly predict what will get a trade done, I'd expect the A's to be very interested in a package along the lines of Dellin Betances, Gary Sanchez, Adam Warren, and some filler. Remember that's a team that is trying to rebuild, so they'll value far down talent much more highly than a big market team. If that doesn't work, getting a trade done may come down to whether or not the Yankees are willing to part with Manny Banuelos. I would not be totally opposed, after all it's simply replacing one stud young lefty (plus an offensive prospect we may never have room for) with another. However if it comes to that and they opt to keep Manny, there's still another good 26 year old lefty on the market who could likely be had for much cheaper...
John Danks: While he doesn't quite have the sky high ceiling Gio has, Johnny Danks is certainly a great option to have slide either in front of or behind Ivan Nova. With the White Sox looking to cut down their payroll, they are going to have to let go of either Mark Buehrle or John Danks. They have been talking to Buehrle about a 2 year deal and now comes word that Buehrle would be open to pitching in the Bronx. I don't see it though. As much as Casey would like to see Mark in the Bronx, it seems like he's going to be back in Chicago. So, assuming Buehrle's retained, trading Danks is their next option to minimize the payroll, and that's where the Yankees come in. Here are Danks' 2011 numbers:

8-12, 170.1 IP, 4.33 ERA, 97 ERA+, 1.339 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 2.4 BB/9

This season was considered a bit of a step back for Danks after he'd posted a 3.72 ERA across 213 innings in 2010, but seeing as he's young it'll most likely turn out to have been a minor blip. His peripherals were fairly consistent from 2010 to 2011 (the only major rise was H/9 which went from 8 to 9.6, most likely a random change because his stuff has not changed at all), and his FIP/xFIP was 3.82/3.79, which indicates that he may have pitched better than basic stats indicate. He also brings better command and control to the table, walking only 2.4 per 9 to Gio's sky high 4.1.Danks' down year plays out perfectly for the Yankees, as it undoubtedly cuts down the asking price. The White Sox need to dump someone's salary regardless, so unless another team comes along and tries to overpay, the Yankees could net him for a pretty modest price. They'd still probably have to include a prospect on the level of Austin Romine, but he would likely be accompanied by B prospects like Adam Warren and David Phelps, so the Yankees wouldn't take too heavy of a hit to the farm. White Sox GM Kenny Williams has been quoted as saying that he wants major league ready players in return, so it sounds to me like he's aiming for cheap big league alternatives in exchange, not young talent he has to wait on. Of course he'll inevitably ask about Montero, but Cashman will put him on hold, laugh, and then work out some other deal involving experienced B prospects.

I prefer Gio, both in the short term and the long term, but if Banuelos develops as planned, having both Banuelos and Danks could prove more valuable than just having Gio. Frankly I'm open to either trade, it's just Gio is the sexier option and would probably help our chances for next season the most.

--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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