Oswalt to Phils? ... The trade-deadline thread

If it's close, I don't think there's a reason for Jeter to cede his position or spot at the top of the lineup.

Maybe A-Rod was a better defensive shortstop, but he's probably also a better defensive third baseman.

So, if you flip flop them, I'm not sure it makes a huge difference.

And, while it doesn't make a huge difference if they're playing in the same lineup regardless, but with his power numbers, A-Rod is the more logical third baseman.

But, I also don't think Jeter will want to embarrass himself. He's proud and he's stubborn as I said. And he doesn't want to ever play for another team besides the Yankees.

He's a legendary Yankee no matter what. Five championships so far. Most hits in team history. Will end career as the only Yankee with 3,000 hits. And over 16 years as the starting shortstop.

I don't think he's going to break Rose's hit record.

I wouldn't be surprised if he retires early rather than hang around and embarrass himself.

I don't think he'd want to be a .220 hitter.

And if he's hitting .240 and the Yankees have better options at the top of the lineup, I think he'd eventually move down.

But, let's also remember that he hit .334 and had an OBP of .406 last year. He won a Gold Glove & was third in the MVP balloting.

So, while he's having a sub par year, there's also reason to believe that he'll bring his numbers up in the second half.

Let's see.

 

Lots of justification rather than just admitting the fact that Jeter put himself first. Not that I'm surprised. Yankee fans are quite stubborn in their need to fawn over Jeter.

Rodriguez was a legitimate Gold Glove shortstop. Jeter was average at best. It wasn't close no matter how you and other Yankee fans try to convince yourself otherwise. Did Rodriguez turn out to be a very good third baseman? Sure, but nobody knew that when the Yankees acquired him. You are using hindsight to justify Jeter's selfishness.

I'm not slamming the guy for it. He's a great player who has mostly done the right things in his career. But he has been very selfish more than once when it came to his dealings with Rodriguez. But to paint Jeter as selfless borders on delusional and is certainly inaccurate.

 

Last year's hits don't help him this August.

 

Even when Gardner leads off, when you put Jeter second there is still a great chance he hits into a double play (he's got 13 already and his hitting .241 with men on base). Swisher has been really good in the two-hole -- .293 with 12 of his homers in just over 200 ABs.

I don't think Jeter will bat eighth or Girardi will put him there. But if they want to maximize the lineup, the one I put out there is probably the best way to do that.

 

So the Hall of Fame player on the team with baseball's best record is dragging them down? Honestly, I'm no Yankee fan, but it's the Yank-haters on this board who leave reality behind most often.

 

What do his past credentials have to do with his contributions this year?

On a side note, does anyone think that Lance Berkman has some HOF credentials? I think he's going to have to have three or four more solid years, which may be difficult because he may already be in decline at 34 (it's so nice to see guys with real career trajectories again in baseball). But he was insanely productive throughout the 2000s. Perhaps the most underrated monster producer in the game.

He's way better than Andre flippin' Dawson.

 

Who said Jeter was dragging the Yankees down? Some are just suggesting that it might be time to move him lower in the order. That, and I made fun of the idea of Jeter as some selfless leader. Sorry, but that's a Yankee fanboy fantasy.

 

Wade Boggs, Dave Winfield and Rickey Henderson all played for the Yankees.

 

I think he meant 3,000 hits - all with the Yankees.

 

Yes. The fact that he's a HOFer doesn't mean he can't have a bad year, and he is. And the fact that they have baseball's best record doesn't mean every single player is doing every single thing correctly and is in the correct role.

 

So the Twins should trade Joe Mauer for Shin-Soo Choo or Nick Swisher?

Hitters hit. At some point during the season Jeter will get hot. You don't base a player on a 1/2 season sample.

 

1) Nobody said the Yankees should trade Jeter. Or at least not that I saw.

2) Joe Mauer isn't having a bad year.

3) Fair point that he may yet get hot. But there's a long precedent in baseball for middle infielders hitting the wall in their early 30s.