Trade Melky?

I for one would not like to see Bernie back.
In my opinion his time is come to an end.

Mickey Mantle played 18 seasons with the New York Yankees and Bernie Williams played 16 years with the Yankees.

Both played center field and both played in several World Series with the team and both won several World Series rings with the team.

Both Mantle and Williams were iconic figures of their respective team and both were among the absolute very best players in the game when they were at their prime.

And sadly, neither of them knew when it was time to call it a career.

Mickey had always gone on record as saying that one of his greatest regrets, athletically speaking, was that he hung around a few years too long and saw his career average dip below .300.

If Bernie had retired before the 2003 season he would have ended his career hitting .303.

Had he retired after the 2003 World Series and before the 2004 season he would have ended his career with a career batting average of .300 on the nose.

He would already been in 6 World Series and had 4 rings and his legacy would have been secure and he would have been in the top 10 of a dozen lists of all time Yankees accomplishments.

Ironically enough Mantle ended his career with a .298 average and Bernie ended his with a .297.

Mantle was enough of an icon that nobody will remember him as the guy who hit .237 with 18 homers and 53 RBI's.

But a lot of fans won't remember the Bernie Williams who gracefully patrolled the center field area with such tremendous speed and range in the late 1990's who hit .342 --- but will instead remember the slow outfielder with the bad arm that in his last three seasons averaged .264 with 15 homers and 65 RBI's.

Bernie was a tremendous Yankee and he should have his jersey number retired and there should be a Bernie Williams day some day soon at Yankee stadium where all the Yankees fans, players, coaches, owners, managers, and personal can all pay tribute to what that man did for us and what he meant to our franchise.

I don't know whether or not he'll be elected into Cooperstown or not --- But I think that he should be.

But if Don Mattingly still isn't in there and if Paul ONeill (who won 5 World Series and participated in 7) got dropped off of the ballot on what turned out to be his only year of eligibility --- then I have my doubts.

I understand the emotion behind wanting Bernie back.

He was a fantastic player, a fantastic Yankee, and a true gentlemen of the game of baseball and represented baseball and the New York Yankees with class, dignity, grace, and poise.

But his days in the sun are done now and there is nothing to be ashamed of after a brilliant 16 year career with the greatest sports franchise in the World.

I mean, if we were to bring back Bernie to play if Damon or Matsui has to miss time then what do we do when Matsui, Bernie, or Abreu are all healthy and playing at the same time?

And what about Cabrera?

Do we bring up Bernie to sit on the bench unless we have two starting outfielders down at the same time?

And when we have at least 2 of our starting outfielders healthy and Cabrera as the 4th is he just there as a 25th man and a bench player?

And when Matsui, Melky, Damon, and Abreu are all healthy do we sent him down to play in triple A for Trenton or to Scranton?

Then we can call him and send him down --- back and forth --- all year long?

Like it or not, this team isn't structured for a 17 year veteran outfielder who is going on 39 years of age.

It's sad and I miss him too but we have to move on and so does he.

He knows it too, he just didnt want to face it and I don't blame him.

I also don't think that trading away Melky is a good idea.

Out of the these five out fielders --- Melky, Bernie, Matsui, Abreu, and Damon --- Melky has the best arm.

He's also the youngest.

He doesnt have the best batting average so far but neither does Abreu lately and that will change.

We won the four championships that we won most recently due to home grown stars like Pettitte, Jeter, Rivera, Bernie, and Posada.

Now Wang, Cano, Melky, and Phil Hughes just might lead the way for a new Yankees team lead by home grown talent.

Melky is just going to get better while our other outfielders are just going to get older.

I don't like the idea of trading our future for what would likely be another mediocre pitcher in the mold of a Jaret Wright, a Jeff Weaver, or Esteban Loaiza.

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What could you get in return?

that's the other problem, as I said.
I mean if you could package together Melky, some money, and some prospects, and one of our pitchers that I think will not help us much more down the road like a Scott Proctor and get somebody like a Tim Hudson or a Johan Santana or a Justin Verlander or somebody then do it. But I don't know any team that has a pitcher who is at least a number three pitcher who would be willing to part with him for anything less than a younger star player without the burden of being under a big contract already like a Wang or a Cano.

Maybe if we are going to trade anybody it should be a deal that would get us another decent starting pitcher in exchange for cash, draft picks, and Scott Proctor.
Or maybe Kyle Farnsworth.

I think Proctor is pretty much used it. It may be our fault and we may have done to him what we did with Paul Quantrill and Tanyon Sturtze and ruined him thru over use.

But all I know now is that at least 60 percent of the time if Proctor comes in with one or more inherited base runners he allows them to score. His ERA is 5.14 right now and if the inherited runners that he's allowed to score got factored it then it would probably be about 15.14.

And I don't know if Farnsie is ever going to string together three or four good appearances in a row.

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Michael- you make some pretty good points. I'm not sure what's available out there on the market but Melky is the most expendable. It would almost have to be a package deal where they add in cash or prospects. I still don't think ti would be a bad thing for the Yankees to explore. They can get pretty creative with stuff and while i don't see them snagging a Hudson or Johan, I'd think they could find a #3 that would get the job done.

J

With Bernie we all know what we are going to get, good leadership, a grinder at the plate and someone not fazed by all the hoopla the Yankees seem to be in all the time. Melky hasn't been around long enough to make me upset if they let him go, especially if they take Nuke with them. There is not going to be alot of pitching on the market come the trade deadline, it will be interesting to see what Cashman will do.