http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3493648

3 Because they need to get some offensive help and win games.

2 Excellent. Phase one of upgrading the bench nears completion. Now, who gets tossed from the 25-man roster: Traber, or Moeller?

3 I'll let my fellow Bonds-wanter williamnyy23 provide anything I miss, but:

What's more important, doing something that could help the Yanks win this year or worrying about a record that A-Rod is going to destroy in 6-7 years anyway?

Why not? It only costs money, his legal issues won't get in the way, its not like people will stop going to Yankee games (in the last year of the Stadium? HA!), and its not like the Yanks aren't hated 'round the world anyway. Oh, and the sunuvagun can hit, which the Yanks desperately need.

Worst-case scenario if the Yanks sign Bonds: Yanks miss the playoffs.

Worst-case scenario if the Yanks fail to sign Bonds: Yanks miss the playoffs.

What's the downside?

What a laughing stock of an offense. Good Lord a-mighty.

DH him, or put him in LF and use Gardner as a LIDR. There are ways to make it work.

And while Bonds is certainly not a humble man, if this deal was true, I believe he would honestly be greatful not only to be able to play again, but in Yankee Stadium.

And it would really take the heat off ARod.
Imagine, the current and future greatest HR hitters in the history of the game batting back-2-back! Awesome!

7 Well, one of those guys (Matsui) is out, another one (Giambi) does a good enough job (and with ground ball Wang out does it matter?), and the last guy (Posada) ought to just catch already.

Besides, on days Posada or Giambi or even Damon need a day at DH, Bonds could always play LF - and Brett Gardner could replace him come the late innings.

If Sexson can keep up his split against left-handed pitchers, I suppose he keeps Jose Molina out of the lineup on those days.

That's the only positive thing I can say about signing Sexson. He's just not a good hitter anymore. And he's not a good fielder either, as his ZR is about the same is Giambi's in more innings.

The Yankees just signed Shelley Duncan, age 33 version.

14 That's the only good news. the Yankees are only responsible for the pro-rated minimum salary; the M's are still on the hook for the rest.

14 Prorated league minimum is all they spent.

There is one thing that does concern me. If they sign Bonds - after picking up Sexson - that pretty well insures that they won't make any other big moves before the trading deadline. I'd rather see them pass on both of these and, perhaps, try to solve a problem in a more long-range way. I'm not sure what that would be, but these signings would mean that Cashman won't even be looking.

They need a good young RH power hitter in the OF, preferably one that's not scared of fly balls. Sexson is a poor hitter and an even worse defender.

(Yes, I'm still missing Jay Buhner)

This is fantasy baseball roster shuffling.

I say trade Jeter.

http://www.bb-ref.com/pi/shareit/gZUm

That said, if the rumor is true--and I'm still not buying it--then I say that they should put him LF every damn game until he breaks. Then, make DH some sort of platoon between Betemit (unless they find yet another lefty bat) and Sexson (unless they find yet another righty bat), with Posada rotating in.

It also means DFAing Moeller and at least one pitcher, to make room for the bats.

If this team wants to make a run, they need to start scoring a lot more runs, and that means maximum offensive line up as often as possible--with minimum PT for the likes of Molina and Gardner.

Sexson (.218/.315/.381) likely replaces Molina (.226/.263/.311) or Betemit (.243/.268/.411) against left-handed pitchers. Yay?

Unless, of course, Girardi continues his MUST HAVE RIGHTIES AGAINST LEFTIES campaign and sits Giambi against all lefties, despite his .903 OPS against them this season...

For some reason, and call me silly, I don't think much of importance is ever kept completely under wraps. There are big-time offensive holes on this team, which, additionally, isn't aging well. And so far the rumors of what Cash is thinking to fix the team are to pick up Marte or Fuentes, Nady, and Bonds or Sexson. Color me unimpressed.

I don't care much for Sexson either.

I think chances are the Sexson move is inconsequential, but I give Cashman a plus-mark for doing it.

And cannot be moved. What team is going to want to take Abreu or Damon, for instance? Cashman has to look for little, quick fixes for now, because after this season, there's a good chance the roster will be overhauled.

It's his one remaining skill (even if his stats this year have been flukey good - .344 average, IIRC).

Compare those numners to Molina.

RIYank is right - its all about risk/reward.

And right now, there is no guarantee that Sexson is crap.

My other point is: I agree with you, what the Yanks really need is a young, cheap, big bat - a long term solution. Like, say, a Matt LaPorta. BUT the only way to get one of those is to give up something of immense value (Hughes or Jackson), which the Yanks also need.

So that is clearly not going to happen.

In the meantime, the young-ish big bats available on the trade market are 29 year old Jason Bay, 28 year old Adam Dunn, maybe 28 year old Mark Teixiera, and 28 year old Matt Holliday. But outside of Bay - who is the Pirates best player and will cost a fortune in prospects - the other guys have good reasons to NOT trade for them (Dunn and Tex are free agents in November, Holliday can't hit for crap outside of Coors).

So, given all that, throwing a bit of money at a temporary solution is a better way to go, IMHO. Even if it doesn't work out, the Yanks aren't about to run out of money.

As for longer term solutions that tougher. Jackson could be that solution but he's still a couple of years away, or at least middle of next year away. Montero seems to be legit but he's down at Charleston, so that's not going to help any. The only thing I could see them doing is trying to trade a pitching prospect for a position prospect at the minor league level. That might not be a bad idea, but I haven't seen any realistic trades proposed. As an aside, what is Josh Hamilton's status? Is he under Texas control and if so for how long?

The Rangers currently have him signed to a one-year ~$400,000 contract, and he's not even eligible for arbitration until after the 2009 season.

As for Jim Dean, we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of his passing. I hope the Yankees make some moves that would make him proud.

Speaking of Montero, as someone was, here's a theory I just dreamed up. It's common to take a great-hitting catching prospect and decide he's too good a hitter and not enough of a catcher and make him a 1B or something. I hear that's a possibility for Saltalainfinitelylongname, and the Yankees talk about doing it with Montero. But look around at catching talent these days. Outside of Mauer, where are the next wave of Posadas, Variteks, etc.? It's a desert. So my theory is that smart GMs will carry below-average defensive catchers rather than switch them to another position, even though this means you get less total offensive productivity out of them over their careers with the team, because as catchers their VORPs will be huge.

Thoughts?

I don't know. This is a middling team, with a middling GM, and middling positional/offensive prospects. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about our pitching prospects and the potential rotation next year, but I'm downright scared about the offense. Though I think Ajax is closer to being ready than most people think.

Note - Bradley is a free agent again come this November. He isn't a long term solution (he'll be 31 next year), but he'd be a damn fine placeholder for a couple of years (3 maybe 4?).

Hopefully, the Yanks offer some folks like Bradley some big money but short-term deals (a la the Dodgers a couple years ago and Furcal). Its a way for them to leverage their financial advantage while minimizing risk. And avoids paying for (too much of) free agents' decline phases.

http://deadspin.com/5026320/jason-giambi-eschews-your-petty-shot-glasses

No, I can't do it. Maybe dianagramr will make a suitable pun involving "JD" and "Giambi's lips".

(apologies to George Thorogood ...)
Wanna tell you a story,
About the homerun blues
I come work one Friday,
Had to tell Girardi I'd-a lost my stroke
He said that don't concern me,
Long as you get some ribbies this Friday
Now this Friday come I didn't get the runs,
And out the lineup I went

So I goes to the manager,
I said, "You let me slide?"
I'll have the ribbies for you in a month.
Next I don't know
So said let me slide it on you know people,
I no