The Sheffield Trade

Give your last compliments to the Sheff, because his time in New York is over. Gary Sheffield was traded to the Tigers on Friday for three pitching prospects, after a one sided battle of words between Sheffield and the Yankees. After some harsh remarks about the Yankees and his replacement Bobby Abreu, Sheff seemed to sing a very different tune after his trade became final. "I had a wonderful time there. I generated some excitement. I had a fan base other than anything I'd experienced," also stating that the only thing he was disappointed in was that he couldn't help get a ring for the Yankees. Because of the trade, the Yankees picked up three very promising pitchers, including Humberto Sanchez, who was considered the Tigers' second-best pitching prospect. Sanchez went 10-6 with a 2.63 ERA in 20 starts in both AAA and AA last season. He also struck out 129 in 123 innings, and gave up only 97 hits and 47 walks.

Everyone seems to be very happy with the trade, but Cashman isn't depending on any of these players to contribute much for this upcoming season. Despite this fact, Cashman said that he was proud, mentioning how the Yankees minor league system used to be a joke, but now not only have they traded for some big prospects, they also have kept big names such as Phillip Hughes and Eric Duncan. If a starting pitcher gets injured during the season, it gives the Yankees an option they haven't used with much confidence the past few seasons, which is bringing up a minor leaguer. Of the three pitchers Sanchez is the only starter, but Hughes has a very good chance to be called up in case of injury. Hughes is only 21 and Sanchez is 23, both are still extremely young, but both of them seem to be ready for a start in Major League action. Now don't get too excited, the decision to bring either of them up would be a last-case scenario, only if someone gets injured for a prolonged period of time, and if the Yankees can't make a suitable trade to fill in temporarily. They are young, and bringing them up too soon can be an extremely bad idea, so the Yankees will want to take their time and get these two plenty of experience in AAA before bringing them up. The other two pitchers from the trade are two right handed relievers, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett, who are both 22 years old.

The Yankees made out pretty good on this trade, looking to the future instead of concentrating only on next year, and it seems Cashman has focused on nothing but pitching. As early as Monday or as late as Tuesday, the winner of the Matsuzaka bidding will be announced, and we will see who wins the best pitcher on the market, and whoever wins, we will see how it affects the Yankees.