Idiots Write About Sports

One last thought about this whole Carlos Beltran today for the one or two Idiot Sports Weblog readers I haven’t bored to tears already: I first noticed this in the Buster Olney column I referenced below in which Olney writes about a trade involving Houston, Kansas City and Oakland from the perspective of… the New York Yankees. Olney’s implication — the Yankees could have been involved in the Beltran dealings if they wanted to, but they didn’t want to, and now, they’re free to make other major maneuvers.

Assuming Garcia becomes available at some point, it figures the Yankees will be very aggressive. Garcia is 28, he has pitched well in the postseason, and he is open to signing a contract extension before becoming a free agent in the offseason. …

If not Garcia, the Yankees could consider the likes of Jamie Moyer, Russ Ortiz, David Wells (the modern-day Billy Martin for Steinbrenner), or perhaps even Randy Johnson, if he’s presented with an opportunity for an extension.

But let’s not single out Olney. John Donovan of Sports Illustrated’s online operation also led off his Beltran trade column with a nod toward New York:

The good news for baseball fans everywhere is that, hey, at least the Yankees didn’t get him. Beltran was by far the most coveted of players that will be moved around before the July 31 trading deadline. Normally, that means the Yankees get first dibs.

They’re the Yankees, you know. They have gobs of money. They always get what they want.

It’s understandable that writers would be inclined to portray the New York Yankees as an unstoppable colossus, capable of acquiring any player who strikes George Steinbrenner’s fancy. After all, when it comes to the free-agent market, that perception is largely true. But when it comes to trades, most teams are rather particular about receiving other players in exchange for handing over their best assets. And right now, prospect-wise the Yankee cupboard is bare.

Don’t take my word for it. Baseball America says pretty much the same thing, with catcher Dioner Navarro really the only prospect of note in the organization. Even the spare parts at the major-league level — Travis Lee or Tony Clark or one of the middle relievers — aren’t all that attractive to a potential trading partner looking to rebuild. I suppose the Yanks could try and include Jose Contreras in a deal for a Garcia or a Moyer or whomever, but Contreras’ value is not exactly at an all-time high these days.

Now, there is one asset that the Yankees have in excess — good, old, reliable cash — and I suppose that could be used to sweeten an otherwise paltry offering. But even in that instance, there are limits — a million dollar’s worth to be exact — and Major League Baseball has shown as recently as last year that it takes that $1 million cap pretty seriously.

Besides, let’s say you’re Bill Bavasi, and the Yankees make an offer for Freddy Garcia. How do you get a fanbase that expects a contender to accept that you’ve just traded a marquee pitcher for $1 million, a catcher who won’t be ready for the Big Leagues until 2005 at the earliest and whatever throw-ins the Yankees deign to offer? Especially when there are other teams — the Chicago White Sox, say — who also have an eye on Garcia and a lot more to offer?

My point: Olney and Donovan seem to imply that the Yankees will be able to acquire any player that they want via trade just through sheer force of will. As talented a GM as Brian Cashman may be, that’s simply not true. The Yankees will have to offer up something significant in exchange for the names Olney is tossing around, and unless I’m missing something, New York doesn’t have much in the way of significance in reserve.