Hot Stove Part II

The Hot Stove is beginning to simmer. The Yanks retained Hideki Matsui at $13M per season ($52M over 4 years). The Padres are nearing the completion of a trade for Mike Cameron in exchange for Xavier Nady, the Brian Giles to Yankee rumors are heating up, and now word is that the Toronto Blue Jays may snag AJ Burnett from Florida with a 5 year deal.

Wouldn't that be something? The Toronto Blue Jays actually participating in an off-season transaction where they're adding, not subtracting talent? What gives? Where has this desire to compete been for the last 10 years? What changed that they can now allocate an extra $20M in payroll for 2006? If I were a Blue Jays fan, I'd be happy that they're deciding to get back in the game but I'd also be pissed that it's taken the franchise this long to wake up and realize that players won't just come to Toronto because there's a McDonald's in the stadium and really good beer on tap (Molson Canadian). If the Blue Jays actually land AJ Burnett, they'll have a 3-man rotation of Halladay, Chacin and Burnett with Lilly and Bush at the back end. That's two lefties (Chacin, Lilly), two power pitchers (Halladay, Burnett) and Bush. Not a bad rotation. Oh, sure, their offense is still crap and they won't run with the Yanks and Red Sox for more than a few months (see Orioles, 2005) but at least Toronto is making an effort.

That's more than I can say for the New York Mets. What on earth are they going to do with Xavier Nady? Mike Cameron may not the greatest player in the game but he's certainly not a bad player. He had more trade value than just Xavier Nady. I can't figure this move out. If the Mets are intent on making a big splash by going after Manny Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano, I'm not sure how trading Mike Cameron furthered those plans along. Both the Rangers and Red Sox are in the market for an everyday CF. The Mets had the luxury of having two -- Cameron and Beltran -- so trading one (clearly, Cameron) made sense. But for Nady? So he can back up Mike Jacobs at 1st base and keep RF warm for one season while uber-prospect Lastings Milledge gets more seasoning in AAA-Norfolk? What the hell is Xavier Nady's trade worth? I have to give Mets GM Omar Minaya the benefit of the doubt since he made the Mets a .500 team again but I just don't see the next move here.

* * * * *

Going back to the Yanks for a moment, a few weeks ago I posted an item about why the Yanks should pursue Milton Bradley for the vacancy in CF. I still stand by that recommendation but I don't know if it's going to happen. The Dodgers may still shop Bradley but if they can't find value for him they may keep him or outright him to waivers. The catch is that the Dodgers won't outright him before December 20th which is the earliest time you can outright a player. By then a lot of the free agents may have already signed. The Yanks might already be set in CF with one of Brian Giles/Joey Gathwright/Nook Logan/Craig Monroe or Bubba Crosby if we stay in-house. My vote is still for Milt. He's cheap, he's reasonably talented and there are no racists in the clubhouse that he'd clash with.