HEY CASH, GO GET STRASBURG!

The rumor mill has started circulating as the MLB offseason gets under way with some surprising and big name targets being mentioned. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said essentially anybody is up for grabs if the deal is right. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Brendan Kuty of NJ.com have reported that a Stephen Strasburg for Andrew Miller trade may make sense for both clubs. If that trade is offered, Cash better jump on it!

I saw some comments on different Yankees blogs and sites saying that trading Miller would be ridiculous. That's not even close to true. Trading Miller for a less than favorable return would not be smart, but for Strasburg it makes perfect sense and here's why:

First off Stephen Strasburg has front of the rotation stuff. No questions there. He is also just 27 years young and has some of his best years ahead of him most likely. The Yankees have made it a point over the past 12 months to inject youth into the rotation and this would add to it. For it to make sense the Yankees would have to sign him to an extension, but with lots of money coming off the books following the 2016 season, that's reasonable.

Some may argue that it will deplete the back end of the bullpen. That's true to an extent but perhaps not for long. The Yankees can go talk to the Padres organization and try and grab Craig Kimbrel for a package headlined by Brett Gardner. Plausible, but not that easy, just like everything else in professional sports. A prospect or two may have to be included, but the Yankees have built up the farm enough to offer up a middle of the road to above average prospect.  So who would be the left fielder then you ask?

Easy answer: Jason Heyward. The Yanks can go sign the still young and productive 26 year-old. While his power numbers are not out of this world by any means, his Sabermetrics are fantastic. He can hit for average, some pop, steal bases and plays great defense. He rocked a .293/.359/.439 slash line last season with the Cardinals. The short porch in right will help the power numbers some, as it has many left-handers over the years.

But that's another large contract. I get it. He's probably looking at a 7-10 year type deal for somewhere around $20 million a year. Not a cheap deal but again there is money coming off the books, including Carlos Beltran. That would leave Jacoby Ellsbury and Jason Heyward as the two starters entering 2017 when, if all goes to plan, Aaron Judge is Major League ready and steps into an everyday roll.

There's a solid outfield for the foreseeable future, especially with Ellsbury being pretty much untradeable. When Ellsbury inevitably gets injured, Slade Heathcott, or someone of the likes, could step in and play a good centerfield and provide enough offensively to keep the outfield above average.

If this scenario were to unfold, I think it's pretty much a win for everyone involved. The Nationals get their bullpen help, the Padres get a speedy outfielder, the Yankees essentially replace their aging veterans with much younger ones for just about the same price and they don't deplete the farm. Give it another year or two and some serious talent could make their way to the 25 man roster and the Yankees all of a sudden are not the old rickety ball club they look like today.

So whether it be Andrew Miller or anyone else, Brian Cashman has to listen for deals that make sense. There has been interest from other clubs regarding some current Bombers and the Yankees obviously have their interest. Sometimes you have to give some to get some and when it makes sense, you go get it.

Now go get Strasburg!

By the way, we'll have another take on this from another one of our BYB writers real soon... look for it!

  
--Dan Lucia
BYB Writer
Twitter: @DManLucia

  

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