SHOULD THE YANKS BE SUITORS OR SPOILERS FOR TORII HUNTER?

There has been a ton of talk about the Yankees maybe making a play at Torii Hunter.  Then again, the Yankees have an offer out to Nick Swisher. Oh yeah...and the Yankees also have a guy like Ichiro Suzuki waiting in the wings. In other words, there are options.

But let's not forget one team revving up to make a comeback in 2013...the Boston Red Sox.  The Sox have shown some interest in Hunter, that's if you read WEEI. Hunter and David Ortiz are apparently friends... who knew?  Read that HERE. Hunter said: "I'm open to anybody, especially if David is there...David is one of my guys. We were roommates in Minnesota and he's one of my brothers.”

So what does that mean? Ultimately... nothing.  Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia were tight in Cleveland, but Lee wasn't exactly "moving in" with CC in the Bronx when the opportunity arose.  Sure, Hunter and Ortiz could reunite like they did in Minnesota, but baseball is about business first, friendships are second.

But there is another scenario in all of this as well... The Yankees being the spoiler here.  If the Yankees truly DON'T want Torii Hunter, it's my opinion that they shouldn't show their hand. Instead, they should do what they brilliantly did with Carl Crawford when he was in his Free Agent year.  Cashman met with Carl, and in the end, he drove up the price, read HERE. The Red Sox bit and ended up on the bad end of one of the worst signings in Red Sox history. Crawford was hurt and also couldn't handle the pressure of a big market team.  Not to mention that Carl Crawford is now a Los Angeles Dodger. I think it's safe to say that the Yankees were apart of that mess...the spoiler worked then, but can it work again?

Look, I'm not dismissing Hunter's talents, I like the guy, but I do wonder if maybe Ichiro Suzuki isn't a better option. Sure Suzuki's power is tiny compared to Hunter, but his ability to get on base is huge.  Plus, he has plenty of Gold Gloves, just like Hunter, and we may be able to get Ichiro a hell of alot cheaper. After all, that's Cashman's plan and staying within his framework, Ichiro is the right guy.

But what if the Yankees were serious suitors for Hunter and could they be? What would they offer? What would Hunter take? All are great questions, I just don't have the answers. Anyway, you can read another Torii Hunter opinion from Jeana Bellezza's piece titled WHY TORII HUNTER MAKES SENSE.  A great piece you need to check out!

And let's have a vote, what the hell, right? Who do you want to see in right field for the Yankees in 2013? You can vote on the top right of BleedingYankeeBlue.com's homepage.  Do it and once the results are concluded, we'll write about it.  Have fun.

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