CG in CF? A No-Brainer

And this coming from the president of the unofficial Melky Cabrera fan club. So the Yankees have addressed a need, upgrading their weakest (offensive) position, without giving up any key players from the major League roster. Yes, they did trade highly-touted AAA CF Austin Jackson, but his greatest upside might be the known quantity they just acquired...Curtis Granderson.

Granderson is a better-than-average center fielder and a force in the lineup. This past year his average dipped to .249 but he still manged 30 HR and 20 SB.

I lived in Michigan in 2007, and got to watch CG on a day-in, day-out basis. He had one of the best offensive years I can recall. As a leadoff man, he hit .302 with 122 Runs scored and was 26-for-27 stealing. That alone would have been enough, but throw in 38 doubles, 23 triples, and 23 HR.

Granderson was a legitimate MVP threat until the pitching blew up, and the Tigers gave up 1st place in their division with a 31-38 finish.

Now that he's in the Bronx, how do the dominoes fall? Some questions will need to be answered, starting with the big one:

Is Jorge Posada a Catcher or a DH?

If he's still a Catcher, then you simply move Melky Cabrera to LF. Then you make the call which World Series hero you cut ties to, Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui. They're both leaders, they're both clutch, they can both still contribute at the plate, and they're both awful outfielders.

If Posada's a DH, then you'll need to cut ties to both Damon and Matsui. And you either hope that Jose Molina and Francisco Cervelli can do the job without being a complete hole in the lineup, or you'll need to get another backstop. Either way, the offensive upgrade you get from Granderson is negated in this scenario.

I personally think Posada is now a DH, so the Yanks may have just begun to re-tool.

Next question - who bats leadoff? Granderson is a career leadoff hitter. But the Captain, Derek Jeter, probably feels pretty comfortable in that spot.

This is why baseball still has year-round appeal more than any other sport.

The New York Yankees...Leading the AL in Designated Hitters

The New York Yankees recently completed an 18-game errorless streak, the best in Major League history.

They have a solid infield, and can make up for some weak outfielders with a dependable CF, whether it be Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner.

But the roster is generally loaded with far too many players who are best fielding baseballs while in the batters' box. If you've got no glove, you get no love in this post.

Exhibit A: Hideki Matsui.

This one actually is the DH. He was an average OF when he got to NY and those skills have deteriorated, whether it be by injury or a rapid aging process.

He's still formidable at the plate in stretches, but has become completely one-dimensional.

Exhibit B: Jorge Posada.

Never recovered from last year's shoulder injury. Not that throwing has everything to do with being a catcher. Nobody can make a 9-figure starting rotation look more disjointed.

It's no surprise that the Yanks' errorless streak took place primarily while Jorge was on the DL, or that he was the one to end it.

Still a clutch, feared hitter, and an enduring Yankee. But his future is likely as the backup catcher and the primary DH.

Exhibit C: Johnny Damon.

He can still run. But he can't really catch. The move from CF to LF seemed to be a good one for him a couple of years ago. Now I just cringe when a ball gets hit out there.

I have the exact opposite reaction when he's at the plate. He is an extremely productive hitter with no signs of age on offense. But he's probably a DH too.

Exhibit D: Nick Swisher.

Now he's probably the best fielder in this group. The former Buckeye will always give it the ol' college try and for that he became a Yankee fan favorite instantly. He even pitched a scoreless inning in an early blowout.

But despite the occasional great play, he's still below average defensively. He hides pretty well in RF or at 1B. He's a gregarious team guy and is hard not to like, but he's also a DH.

I'm glad my team plays in the American League, but you can only start one guy at the specialized position.