Do the Cubs have anything remotely interesting to offer the Yankees? Trading Zambrano would hurt the Cubs far more than A-Rod would help, I think we can all agree on that. Do the Yankees really care about Rich Hill, or think that his extreme gopher ball tendencies are going to hold up well in the AL East? Anybody else even worth mentioning? If the question becomes "What can the Yankees get from the Cubs for A-Rod to spin off to another team" the prognosis looks better. Other teams would likely have interest in guys like Rich Hill, Felix Pie, Donald Veal.

1-In a heartbeat. It's a no-lose situation - Come to Chicago, where there are no expectations of winning. Oh, and if you do win, you'll be revered forever.

2-If I were Jim Hendry, I'd skip talking to Cashman and offer Mark Prior directly to The Boss, along with enough young/prospectoid bodies to make the numbers look good. I'd also offer to pick up the entire contract. But that's just the cynic in me talking.

3-For starters, that the Cubs take Pavano as part of the deal.

4-I have to believe that Sweet Lou wouldn't be taking the job without some serious assurances of money being spent - like, say, on retaining his 3B.

1. Yes. It'd be a no-brainer to go back to shortstop and play for Lou.

2. Aramis Ramirez and a pitching prospect. Zambrano should be untouchable. With Prior you have to cross your fingers he returns to 2003 form. His trade value is zero; might as well stick with him one more year.

3. We know what Cashman will ask for, but he might as well be whistling Dixie. Only a fool would give up a #1 starter, like the fool pro-yankee bloggers out there talking up Peavy and the like. If he wants the Cubs to take a salary dump like Pavano, it's worth considering.

4. Probably opts out for a bigger payday.

I just don't see how the Yankees could get even close to equal value for A-Rod. I definitely think that they should listen to trade offers, but it'd have to knock their (collective)socks off to make a deal for one of the greatest players ever. I also think it's critical to remember that A-Rod didn't have a bad year; he had an up-and-down year. It's not like he tanked the entire season- He was very good-to-great in April, May and September, with some horrendous dry spells in between.
The Yankees are better off waiting a year to see if A-Rod dominates again (I'll bet he does). If he has another up-and-down year, it might be time to part ways. I just wouldn't want to be Brian Cashman if he ends up trading the 2007-2010 NL MVP.

As a Yankees fan, the Cubs have literally nothing I want... except Carlos Zambrano. I know that's not going to happen. I wouldn't trade A-Rod for Aramis Ramirez, Rich Hill, Mark Prior, AND Kerry Wood.

The Yanks don't expect to get equal major league value for A-Rod, but they need a ready pitching prospect (i.e. Ervin Santana or Chad Billingsley) and a future replacement at third base. The Yankees aren't going to take washed major leaguers like Buerhle or Prior. That's simply not going to happen.

Aramis Ramirez and a pitching prospect.

I believe that the Cubs cannot trade A-Ram, as he is almost for sure going to exercise his right to become a free agent, meaning that even if the Cubs re-sign him they cannot trade him until May (I think?).

But they maybe able to trade him if they renogiate his current contract, though I am not sure. But I would assume that A-Ram would be assured that he would not be traded if he re-negotiates his deal.

A 5th and very important question--

If Alex Rodriguez is traded to the Cubs, will Lou Piniella steal his wallet? ;)

I'm another Yankees fan and again Zambrano is the only player I'd be remotely interested in on the Cubs, but you'd have to worry about future injury.

If pitching "prospects" like Billingsley and Santana are the best the Yankees can do for A-Rod there is absolutely no reason to make this trade. Both those guys are bums. It gets even crazier when you throw in the fact that trading A-Rod negates the money Texas kicks in on his salary and the Yanks would probably have to pick up a portion of his salary to move him.

1. Yes. I think the Cubs and Sweet Lou represent the only legitimate "out" for Alex Rodriguez. Going to any other club, for any other reason, would appear like an admission that he couldn't handle the pressure of New York. The exception, perhaps would be Boston, but no way Cashman's going to want to face A-Rod 19 times a year in a Sox uniform.

2. If I were Jim Hendry, I'd offer prospects. The key for the Yankees is dumping the salary and having some more spending room to get a top-notch third baseman. The Yankees can't possibly get value for the best player of his generation, so they'll have to settle for a salary dump.

3. See #2. Steal the top two prospects in the Cubs system and replenish the Yankees version of Phillip Hughes and the Seven Dwarves.

4. Since Aramis Ramirez has almost NO incentive to stay with the Cubs without first testing free agency, it's fair to assume that if A-Rod is out, the Yankees will outbid all comers and land Ramirez. I think the Angels may try going after another Ramirez...

(http://outskirtsofredsoxnation.blogspot.com)

I highly doubt the Angels would consider moving Ervin Santana anywhere, even for A-Rod. 24 year olds with #1 stuff don't get traded. The Yankees would be lucky to get Adenheart.

1. Will Alex Rodriguez waive the no-trade clause in his contract and agree to a trade with the Cubs?

No, even though Lou is now in place, he wants to go to a contender and even though the NL central is very weak i can't for the life of me see him putting on cubbie blue, not after a 96 loss season.

2. If you were Jim Hendry, what would you offer for A-Rod?

It would have to start with Zambrano and Prior, and by doing that the cubs have assured themselves a 100+ loss season, defeating the purpose of getting Alex.

Aside from that Zambrano has shown a propensity for getting eaten alive in the AL, where he can't bean/walk the #7 hitter to get to a weak hitting catcher and an even weaker hitting pitcher to get out of a jam. Infact i would go so far to say that Zambrano to the AL would make him the second coming of Josh Beckett.

Zambrano's '06
ERA 3.41
WHIP 1.29
BAA .208
IP 214
115BB/210SO with 9HBP
20HRs
GO/AO 1.28

Beckett's '05
ERA 3.37
WHIP 1.18
BAA .234
IP 178.2
58BB/166SO with 7HBP
14HRs
GO/AO 1.14

Outside of that the cubs farm is very weak: the cubs having nothing of value to intrest the Yankees, Pie? the Yankees OF is locked up till 08 and 09 and they have Tabata who is light years ahead of Pie. Pawelek? another injury risk 21yr who hasn't advanced past SS? and they've got Hughes and Clippard. Patterson? they've got Cano at 2B.

3. If you were Brian Cashman, what would you ask for in return?

First i wouldn't be dealing with the cubs and secondly i would be asking for a ML 3B Joe Crede / Wilson Betemit or someone who would be ready to step in like Josh Fields of the Chi Sox or Andy LaRoche of the Dodgers, along with a proven starter, Freddy Garcia / Jon Garland or Brett Tomko. Depending on the route each organization wanted to go it would depend on the level of talent coming back, if your getting a player like Crede or Betemit and a ML #3 starter, you won't be get B+/A prospects back, but if you go for a Fields/LaRoche you can get that and a young talented arm.

4. Will Aramis Ramirez opt out of his contract and sign with the Yankees? Or the Angels? Or will he stay put in the Windy City?

Yes, i could see him getting 13-15mil a year for the next 4-5, basically what they offered Konerko and then some. Going to a contender like the angels, seems more than appealing. Aramis is only 28, and even though he appears to be lazy at times he has still puts up the numbers for the past 3 years. '06 appears to be his break out year(AVG .291 | HR 38 | RBI 119 | OBP .352 | SLG .561 | 50BB/63SO), and thats after hitting .197 in March and April and .266 in may and being in a very weak cub offense.

I think if the Cubs are interested in going after A-Rod, which they very well should be, they are probably going to hit a roadblock. The reason being, of course, that many of the players they could offer are huge conundrums:

Rich Hill - Great in IL, great second half, but that was really his first taste of ML success. The Yankees would really have to believe in his 2nd half to acquire him in the deal.

Felix Pie - Wouldn't even make sense for the Yankees, but if you're trying to bring in a 3rd team, trading Pie is selling low. Pie just had probably the worst season of his career (relative to expectations).

Mark Prior - Obviously, the largest conundrum of all.

To expect the Yankees to make the leap of faith necessary to acquire some of these players and get a deal done is a bit pie-in-the-sky, if you ask me.

And by the way, if you want to get a good laugh at Yankees fans, consider that "Kevin" said this: "I wouldn't trade A-Rod for Aramis Ramirez, Rich Hill, Mark Prior, AND Kerry Wood. The Yanks don't expect to get equal major league value for A-Rod, but they need a ready pitching prospect (i.e. Ervin Santana or Chad Billingsley) and a future replacement at third base."

Kevin, pretty sure landing A-Ram would be better than a "future replacement at 3b" and 3 pitchers with upside better than a "ready pitching prospect." C'mon dude.

1-Probably not. The NL would surely help pad his stats, and A-Rod, Lee, and Ramirez would be potent middle of the order. But it's all for naught because...

2-Hendry has nothing to offer Cashman, because...

3-Cashman needs pitching, and Hendry has too many questions in his rotation to give up Zambrano. If I were Cashman, I'd want at least 1 quality arm and 1 position player from any team I'd be dealing A-Rod to. (I'd take any combo of top prospects and under-30 major leaguers.) But with the Cubs bereft of anything resembling a prospect, Zambrano and, say, Murton would not be enough to get the deal done. (And the Cubs couldn't make that deal without shooting themselves in the foot.) So I'd keep talking to the Dodgers, White Sox, and Angels. Maybe see if Arizona is interested, too.

4-If A-Rod stays in NY or is somehow traded to the Cubs, I'd stay in the windy city. Otherwise, I'd test the market.

For conjecture purposes only:

A-Rod for Chipper Jones, Mike Hampton & Kyle Davies.

Money works out closely.

Yankees get pitching and 3B -- a possible HOF'er.

Braves rid themselves of having to find a position for Chipper to play costing another young player a chance to get better and contracts.

Jones switch-hitting in the middle of the myriad of bashers in the Bronx causing problems for opposing teams.

A-Rod back to SS and contibuting to the "rebuilding" (Shhhh!) in Atlanta.

Remember: The Braves have said they were going to spend $$$.

Joshua-

Those players do NOTHING for the Yankees. People seem to be under the delusion that the Yanks need to replace A-Rod with another excellent offensive player. Without A-Rod, the Yankees will still have an excellent offense in 2007. Plus, I want to change the Yankees lineup. Having 9 power hitting super offensive players hasn't worked for them. Aramis Ramirez is essentially a less good version of A-Rod. He doesn't provide anyhting different in terms of speed, defense, or contact hitting.

Why would the Yankees want Prior or Wood? Not only do would they have to pay those guys, there's no guarantee that either will ever pitch in the majors ever again. Give me the young pitcher anytime.

On this list, whose the last player you would choose 99.999 times out of 100? That plus his inability to get even NL hitters out is why I would NEVER touch Rich Hill.
-Rich Hill
-Ervin Santana
-Jered Weaver
-Brandon McCarthy
-Chad Billingsley

Even with Piniella in Chicago, A-Rod won't be going to the Cubs. They have little to offer the Yankees, and the team is far from being a winner.

A trade may not happen until spring training. If A-Rod and Jeter get along like the Hatfields and McCoys combined with things like injuries, and it could be a better climate for swapping.

Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano or no deal.

"I think the Cubs and Sweet Lou represent the only legitimate 'out' for Alex Rodriguez."

i respectfully disagree. whether fair or not, the only 'out' for a-rod is to step up in the postseason and bring his town a championship. the chicago cubs don't appear to offer a good opportunity to achieve that, and from what i understand that's all a-rod really wants. after all, he has nothing to prove in the regular season. his legacy as an inner-inner-circle hall of famer depends on a ring.

In answer to #4, I have to think that it makes this whole Ramirez getting traded talk a moot point...in other words, unless the Cubs assure beyond any doubt that Ramirez won't get traded, why would he not opt out of his contract? He seems to have enough incentive to leave as it is...wouldn't the added uncertainty of trade talks make him even more likely to leave?

As for the Yankees...in response to the comment by june bug, that's a RIDICULOUS amount of talent. Money aside, those four players are an excellent combination, and Rodriguez isn't worth close to that much, even with injury problems and such.

If I were trying to make this deal work for both teams, I think building a deal around Prior makes the most sense. Zambrano is a lot to ask, and for a team that has lacked reliability in the rotation for years, the Cubs need him. Meanwhile, Prior has been a headache because of his injuries for both the fan base and management...he probably needs a change of scenery. On the Yankees's side, it helps that this is a franchise that can take the risk of Prior...while they would need to make sure they have no fewer than six SPs, in case Prior gets hurt, don't forget that a healthy Prior has a virtually unlimited ceiling...and why wouldn't NY be willing to get a SP who could be the best in the league.

Consider this: the general consensus is that Rodriguez needs a change of scenery, and also will come at a discount compared to his actual value...isn't that also the case with Prior? If Prior comes out healthy next year, a year from now he could be virtually impossible to trade FOR, and his value could be at its lowest. Why not have both teams take the "risk"...the Cubs start with Prior, and include the necessary prospects and/or a relief pitcher, and go with that?

Of course, if Cashman uses his Jedi Mind Trick stuff like he did with Philadephia at the trade deadline, perhaps he will get Ramirez, Zambrano, and prospects.

No ones mentioned Derek Lee, A gold glove first basemen is exactly what the yankees need. Well that and pitching. It would possibly be an even better line-up. Only concerns would be can
1. Giambi hit at DH? (where he should be at)
2. Who can the yanks and the cubs get at 3rd?
3. Injury concerns about Lee

Cubs sign Schmidt, trade Pie and Zambrano for A-Rod and Pavano.

Probably won't happen but you can sing the above proposal in metered fashion better than most of the other scenarios here.

If the Yankee's trade Arod wouldn't you expect them to move Cano to 3b and sign Soriano to play 2nd thus giving them still the best offense in baseball freeing them to trade Arod for pitching pitching pitching.

As a Dodger fan I'd love to see the Dodgers trade Furcal to the Blue Jays for Vernon Wells and then trade for Arod to be their SS. They'd have to sign Schmidt, Zito, or Lilly to have enough pitching to make it happen but something like (Penny or Lowe), Hendrickson, Tomko, and (Elbert or Broxton) might be enticing.
A staff of Johnson, Lowe, Mussina, Wang, and Hendrickson with Tomko helping out in the bullpen and Hughes banging down the door by July to replace Johnson should be enough for the Yankee's with that offense. If McCourt ever wants to see that 4 million in attendance he's dreaming about he might get it with Arod on the team. I'd be more then happy to take back Pavano and see how he does at DS.

I just don't see a match with the Cubs cause they can't afford to deal Zambrano and still be competitive but if Arod is traded I do expect it to be to the Angels but I can dream of him in Dodger blue.

People have to understand the Yanks will not just trade A-Rod for anything. I want him gone badly, but it's important they get YOUNG TALENT in return. An oft injured expensive Mark Prior doesn't fit the bill. Players like Brad Penny and Derek Lowe don't fit the bill. A major league ready YOUNG starter and a top flight position prospect (preferably to play third) can get it done.

Chicago has little to nothing to offer. unless they trade Zambrano and A-ram, which makes 0 sense for Chicago anyway, unless they want to do A-ram + Hill for A-rod + Pavano, then we might have something, but still...

Like Kevin said, the Yankees don't need a established 3B in return, for all they care they could move Cano to 3rd (where he played in the minors for a long time anyway) and find a 2B and/or get a 2B in return. but they will abosalutely need very good pitching in return.

the best overall deal I can think of is still...

Dodgers for

Kuo / Laroche / Brazobon

for the Dodgers this seems a bit more less painful than Billingsly / Broxton for obvious reasons that Kuo and Brazobon and both more injury risky. but their upsides are roughly the same, and Kuo's left handedness is more useful for the Yankees. Laroche is obviously a no brainer.

"I want him gone badly, but it's important they get YOUNG TALENT in return. An oft injured expensive Mark Prior doesn't fit the bill."

The guy just turned 26 a month ago and made $3.65 mil for '06; it's not like he's a washed up scrub taking up a big chunk of their payroll. He's a huge injury risk, obviously, but I don't think there's a team out there who wouldn't take a flier on a guy with his talent. The Cubs would be insane to trade him when his stock is this low--even if it's for ARod--so I guess it doesn't matter.

If the Yankees do move him, I'd expect something close to last year's Texas/Washington deal for Soriano. Ie. A major league player + 2 or 3 near-ready prospects. The Cubs prospects don't match up all that well, but the ChiSox's do: Brandon McCarthy and Josh Fields, plus Sweeney or Broadway. A SP, a ML ready 3B, and a high level prospect; it would be one hell of a package.

I doubt the Yankees are going to be fobbed off with prospects. You're talking major league talent. The Yankees would take Joe Crede but Josh Fields, I'm dubious, again, unless they want to spin him off. Sweeney, Broadway, these aren't names that are wowing me in terms of the Yankees. McCarthy didn't do himself any favors this year. The best suggestion I've heard is Joe Crede and Jon Garland.

That makes sense. But these melange of prospects... Kuo, Brazoban, LaRoche? Come on. You've got to be kidding.

APing:

who's kidding who?

Crede is playing with a bad back and 2 years away from FA (A-rod has like 5 years left on his deal) he isn't going to be much better than he is this year, which is still no where near A-rod. and Garland? he also only have 2 years before FA, and between him and Crede it pretty much sucked up all the payroll due to A-rod anyway. I'm not even going to start on that Garland essentially only had 1 very good season and the rest are the definition of mediocrity.(AND he's making 10M and 12M in the next 2 year, if he keep posting that mid 4 ERA results that he has done in all but really one year he's done, is that worth that money?) Unless you think he's going to duplicate his 05 season in 07 and 08, he isn't worth trading for.

There's no realistic way that the other teams will give up established guys that end up being really good. if your going to gamble (which trading A-rod is) you'd definately go for multiple pre arbitration guys with serious upsides. I'm not going to trade 5 years of A-rod for 2 years of Garland and Crede, that just makes no sense at all. I would much rather lose the money and keep myself flexible, while getting guys that have a very good shot at turning into at least Garland and Crede and possibly better.

Kuo is a very interesting lefty to say the least, while limited in sample size, if there is a guy that you might be able to get your hands on and he might turn into a great pitcher, its him.

Laroche's very likely to be just as good as Crede anyway. and if stacking up on live arms in the bullpen is pointless, i don't think there's even a point carrying on this conversation.

This is asking for the equivlent of Wang / Proctor / Tabata (ok bad comparason but Yankees have no really good and really close to ready fielder prospect) for A-rod. and Kuo is a lefty with better stuff than Wang. while Brazobon is much younger than Proctor.

What you are basically saying is you only want proven guys. and if that's the case, then why even trade A-rod? he's the most possiblly proven guy there is except for Barry Bonds.

again, if your going to look for proven guys, why even bother trading the most proven guy possible for them?

I'm pointing out the Dodgers mostly because I'm naming guys they might be willing to part with. the guys the Angels might be parting with are not quite as interesting (or at least as need filling) as the Dodgers.

Angels would probalby be something like.

Mathis / Saudners / Santana / Figgins. that's good too, though I'm not particularly as high on this group, espically consider i need to somehow spin out a new 3B.

Cubs have nothing to offer the Yankees. Zambrano is soon to be a FA, and the Yankees aren't going to trade A-Rod out there for 1-2 years of Zambrano, esp. after what happened to Beckett this year.

I could see the Angels getting it done for something like Santana & Shields.

As a Dodger fan I'd love to see the Dodgers trade Furcal to the Blue Jays for Vernon Wells and then trade for Arod to be their SS.

As a Jays fan I'd love to see this happen, too.

Wells (age 27):
2003 8.7 WARP3
2004 5.8 WARP3
2005 6.4 WARP3
2006 7.7 WARP3

Furcal (age 28):
2003 6.6 WARP3
2004 6.4 WARP3
2005 10.0 WARP3
2006 9.2 WARP3

The Jays have a couple of players would could play decent CF in a pinch, and NOBODY who could hold their own even in AA as a SS.

Although I'd love for the Jays just to get A-Rod to fix their shortstop woes once and for all.

Rodriguez (age 30):
2003 13.1 WARP3 (as SS)
2004 9.9 WARP3 (as 3B)
2005 12.5 WARP3 (")
2006 6.9 WARP3 (")

Yeah, it's going to be awfully tough for the Yanks to get full value for A-Rod because he's just so damn good.

Something to keep in mind is that whoever the Yanks get for Rodriguez will be faced with a huge burden of expectations. Whether playing in New York or not, Rodriguez is very likely to "rebound" next year. If the new player(s) aren't capable of matching that performance, they will incur the scorn of the Yankee faithful.

Clearly, trading A-Rod would be 97% P.R. move, 3% baseball move. As P.R. moves go, I think it's shaping up to be a lose-lose situation.

Will people stop talking about including Aramis Ramirez in a deal! He can't be traded. He can opt out of his deal and he won't resign with the Cubs to be traded. This isn't the NBA, there are no sign and trades. Talks start with Zambrano and you build a package from there. If the Cubs are willing to talk I'm sure the Dodgers, Angels or the White Sox would. The Yankees don't care if he's the Cubs only reliable pitcher and they are not going to relieve the Cubs of their Prior and Wood contracts AND give them one of the top players in the game. Arod had 35 hr's, 120+rbi's and hit .290. Did Prior and Wood win 10 games combined last year?

I don't think a deal with the Cubs happens. I hope he stays but if Arod is traded it would have to be deal too good to refuse. Deals I would consider: Santana, Weaver and Kendrick/Billingsley, Laroche and Loney/McCarthy, Fields and Garland. People will cry that this is too much but the Yankees don't have to deal him either

1. Will Alex Rodriguez waive the no-trade clause in his contract and agree to a trade with the Cubs?

Why would he? If he still wants to win, then no. The Lou factor helps but if he looks at the roster as a whole, he would realize they are not "one player away"

2. If you were Jim Hendry, what would you offer for A-Rod?

Knowing that you will be bidding against teams with better prospects and major league ready prospects, you would need to offer Zambrano and hope that only that would do it (but I doubt it would)

3. If you were Brian Cashman, what would you ask for in return?

A pitcher that can slide in as a #1 or #2 starter, someone who can play 3b next year and a top tier pitching prospect. I don't think the Cubs can provide that

4. Will Aramis Ramirez opt out of his contract and sign with the Yankees? Or the Angels? Or will he stay put in the Windy City?

If he's reading all these stories about the Cubs trading him, why would he bother negotiating with the Cubs? Declare free agency and maximize your $$ on the open market.

The Yanks won't trade ARod. They don't need to and it isn't smart.

All the Yanks need is some healthy starting pitchers.

They already have Wang, Johnson and Mussina (should re-sign). Sign 2 free agents.

The Flubs are a joke and always will be.

Only an idiot wouls suggest the Yanks take Prior in return. They really need another guy to keep Pavano and Wright company at the rehab center.

Yu-Hsing Chen, you can rag on those two all you want, but the simple fact is that it's still a better deal than the one outlined above. Solid but unexceptional White Sox prospects are not going to get the job done - the Yankees have prospects like that of their own.

"There's no realistic way that the other teams will give up established guys that end up being really good."

Then there's no way other teams are getting A-Rod.

"Kuo is a very interesting lefty to say the least, while limited in sample size, if there is a guy that you might be able to get your hands on and he might turn into a great pitcher, its him."

Apparently no one else in Baseball America or other analysts buys that by you. This is a simple case of people overhyping their own prospects. Sorry, Kuo is not the hot trade bait you think he is, I hate to break it to you.

"Laroche's very likely to be just as good as Crede anyway."

And Jeremy Reed was "very likely to be a great center fielder," Drew Henson was "very likely" to be a stud player, hell, two years Joel Guzman, Edwin Jackson, Casey Kotchman, etc. were all *guaranteed* to be All Stars and such. The Yankees aren't going to be fobbed off by these "maybes" and "should bes" and what not. Proven players. That is what it will take.

"and if stacking up on live arms in the bullpen is pointless, i don't think there's even a point carrying on this conversation."

Live arms is often just a pointless euphemism. You don't trade A-Rod for maybe and "live bullpen arms."

"What you are basically saying is you only want proven guys. and if that's the case, then why even trade A-rod?"

Have you not been paying attention to current events at all? Because of his struggles in New York. Your line of thinking in this regard makes no sense - A-Rod has produced but not produced when they've needed him to most, so that means they're going to spin him off for unprovens because he's proven? That makes no sense.

"that's good too, though I'm not particularly as high on this group,"

That would be because you have a totally irrational love for Kuo. A lot of guys have better "stuff" than Derek Lowe but nowhere near the results. No one would take Kuo over Wang. As for Yhency Brazoban, no one gives a damn about Brazoban anymore, every team has like 2 Brazoban cases of their own.

Anyway, if A-Rod is traded, I'm very confident it'll be for proven players instead of these ugly, iffy prospects packages people keep naming.

Yeah, ugly iffy prospect package like Liriano / Nathan / Bonser was a horrible idea!!

Again, naming a pacakge of 2 guys that combine for less years left before FA COMBINED than A-rod AND making more combined is practically dumping him. and with all the trouble he's had he still produced far more than any other AL 3B anyway and will likly stay there for the duration of his contract, he's not demanding a trade, there's no real reason why the Yankees MUST trade him. so there's no real reason why they would trade him for things that would in no realistic way out produce him. (like Garland + Crede would be.) IF they're going to trade him they must gamble on some youth.

I named Kuo and Brazobon because they are far more likely to be had than Billingsly and Broxton. I really like Kuo yes but that doesn't mean that I care a whole lot wether he's a Dodger or a Yankee, as for comparing Wang and Kuo, Kuo was rated far higher while they were in school, he's 1 year younger and signed 1 year earlier than Wang for obvious reasons (that he was damn good and much better than him, no matter what he said to the media. ). he's not high on BA simply because of his injury history and was instead considered a reliever, where he had erractic results in very limited time.

What you are basically saying is you wouldn't even trade A-rod for Liriano /Garza / name a few random Twins prospect either. Kuo is not Liriano, but he's probably the best ready young lefty starter out there that can be had.

I don't know why you'd want a Crede/Garland package at all, considering they're expensive, not particularly young, and both figure to have peaked in terms of performance. Proven mediocrity is "dependable" but I don't think its necessarily a commodity.

Everyone apparently thinks they're going to demand "equal" value for A-Rod, but no GM is going to offer some super-package that guts the team he already has. If Cashman actually wants to move him, he's not going to get back a #1 starter and an All Star 3B; he's going to get back a prospect package of near major league ready talent. See: Soriano, Alfonso or Johnson, Randy (twice!). You never get back commensurate value when trading away an All-Star/HoF caliber player, but that's how these deals get made.

Finally, of course the Yankees don't "have" to move him. There's no reason to trade him from a baseball standpoint, but this entire thing is PR and media driven.