Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The Case For Trading Boone Logan

(Courtesy of Tim Farrell/The Star-Ledger)

The trade market continues to look like the best option for the Yankees to address their biggest areas of need this offseason.  With the bulk of this year's free agent class picked clean and the team already stretching its budget to add Kevin Youkilis and guarantee 2 years to Ichiro Suzuki, it's highly unlikely the Yankees will plunk down more guaranteed money to what are essentially scraps.  There have been multiple reports of the Yankees quietly shopping guys like Curtis Granderson, Phil Hughes, and Ivan Nova already this offseason, reports that as of yet have returned very little in the way of meaningful rumors.  But there are more trade options than just those names.  One name that has come up consistently around the Yankosphere is Boone Logan.  The oft-maligned lefty reliever had another solid season in 2012, and could generate interest on the trade market as something better than just your everyday LOOGY.  Teams are always looking for more bullpen help, and Logan would be an attractive option to clubs that need to bolster their left-handed relief pitching.

John Sickels Releases His Top 20 Prospect Rankings

(Sickels likes him some Sanchez.  Courtesy of Four Seam Images)

Now that Christmas is over we've moved on to the next happiest time of year, that time, of course, being prospect season.  The season was unofficially kicked off at the end of last weekend with John Sickels of Minor League Ball unveiling his Top 20 Yankee Prospects list for 2013.  Sickels has a relatively simple grading system, and is always good for a few "off the beaten path" rankings, making his list a great jumping off point for starting prospect season and formulating your own personal rankings.

Sickels scores extra points with me this year for putting Gary Sanchez at the top of his rankings, something that a lot of other people haven't done because of Mason Williams' and Tyler Austin's breakout seasons despite the fact that Sanchez had another great season in his own right.  You can check out the full list and Sickels' write-up on each player right here, but after the jump check out his top 10 and my personal take on his rankings.