Steal of a Deal for Yanks

This week on Wild Card Wednesday, columnist Doug Silversten discusses the best trading deadline deal:

At this year's trading deadline, once again, the rich got richer.

Give Brian Cashman credit. He made the deal of the deadline. On Friday night, what were the Yankees two pressing needs? They needed a right fielder who at least would be a solid stopgap solution until Gary Sheffield came back in another month. And with Sheffield a question mark and his 2007 option looming, perhaps a a stopgap solution that could even carryover until next season.

What else did they need? How about a #4 or #5 starter who would be an improvement over Jaret Wright and/or Sidney Ponson.

So, 24 hours later, what did Cashman get...a solid right fielder, who could be the answer for 2007, and a solid #4-5 starter. Who did they give up? Four prospects, but only one of whom is considered a true blue-chip.

Oh, and they added a bunch of money to the payroll, in 2006 and 2007. Obviously this doesn't matter for the Yankees. The Yankee payroll has become such a joke, it's no fun to talk about anymore. Saying the Yankees have an advantage due to their payroll each year is like saying Shaq has a slight height advantage over Gary Coleman.

The two players the Yanks got will help them immediately. The 4 they gave up probably won't really help a MLB club for a couple of years. And even if any of them become stars, the Yanks will just trade a few prospects then to get them back as their future teams look to dump their overpriced salaries on the only team who can afford them.

If Sheffield and Matsui both come back in September, here is the potential Yankee lineup:

CF Johnny Damon
SS Derek Jeter
1B Jason Giambi
3B Alex Rodriguez
RF Bobby Abreu
DH Gary Sheffield
LF Hideki Matsui
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano

Wow. $200 billion, er, I mean million, can get you an awful lot. With all due respect to the powerful Red Sox, that's the best lineup in the AL East.

Take a bow, Brian Cashman. Great deal.

Check out Doug Silversten's column, "The Big Picture," on alternate Mondays.

"Wild Card Wednesdays" appears every Wednesday