Hot Stove Thoughts

Lackey to the Red Sox: On paper, this looks to be a great deal for the Red Sox. They get a number 1 starter that will likely slot into the third spot of their rotation. Apparently, they have lost faith in Matsuzaka. He now becomes the fourth, or maybe fifth starter, behind Bucholz. Two things would worry me as a Sox fan. The first is the Angels unwillingness to go to five years. Lackey has missed the start of the last two seasons with injuries, so it makes you wonder what the Angels know. They clearly know him best, so you have to wonder a bit. The second thing that would worry me a little is his desire to sign with a team where he will clearly be looked at as a number three. Maybe he is the ultimate team player, but most top flight pitchers have the attitude that they are number one and that is what makes them perform at their best.

Halladay to the Phillies/Cliff Lee to the Mariners: You have to think this keeps the Phillies at the top of the National League as of now. Word is they will lock him up for an additional three years as a condition of the trade. Hard to argue with adding Halladay, although you have to figure he starts diminishing at one point. My only problem is that unless Hamels bounces back, they are back in the same spot as last year and one dominant pitcher has not proven to be enough in the playoffs. The Mariners will team Lee with King Felix at the top of the rotation to create a pretty potent 1-2 punch. If they can get into the playoffs, they will be a tough out with those two leading the way. If they can agree to extension with Lee, it will also provide them with some insurance if Hernandez proves to be too expensive.

Matsui to the Angels: You would have to think this marks the end of the Vladimir Guerrero era in Anaheim. Matsui can provide plenty of pop from the DH spot and has proven to be a clutch hitter in the postseason. The Angels have clearly lost more than than they have gained to this point of the offseason, but you have to give GM Tony Reagins the benefit of the doubt based on recent success. At 1 year and 6.5 million, Matsui could prove to be the steal of the season much like Bobby Abreu did last year.

It should be noted that while all of these deals appear very likely, none have been officially announced.

Yankees Come Through in Game 2

Game 2 was a game the Yankees had to have, and they came through. The Phillies got out to an early 1-0 lead on a second inning single by Matt Stairs that scored Raul Ibanez. Mark Teixeira and Hideki Matsui gave the Yankees the lead with solo home runs and they would go on to win 3-1. After dropping game 1, the Yankees had to win this game. They now travel to Philadelphia for 3 games where they will need to win at least one game to get the series back to the Bronx. The Philadelphia crowd will make things much more difficult, especially with a Halloween night game. The insane Philly fans do not need any extra incentive to be out of control, but Halloween might just give them some. The Phillies should be able to ride the home field advantage to two wins and head back to New York with a chance to close out their second consecutive World Series title.

Cliff Lee Cruises

Cliff Lee completely dominated the Yankees tonight. The whole lineup was completely off balance. You've got to think the Yankees are praying that Charlie Manuel will go with a four man rotation. CC Sabathia starting 3 of a possible 7 games looked like a huge advantage for the Yankees. Watching tonight's game, it looks like Lee can completely neutralize Sabathia. How about that second home run from Utley? Has it landed?

Girardi Taking a Big Chance

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has decided to stick with scheduled game 6 starter Andy Pettitte, despite CC Sabathia now being available on full rest. Throughout the series, Girardi has changed pitchers 20 times in 5 games, and now, with a chance to close the series out, he decides not to. He was quoted as saying "I don't think you can afford to look ahead. You have to worry about this series." If that is the case, how can you take the chance of the series going to a game 7, where anything can happen, with your best pitcher sitting in the dugout. The Angels have proven they can put the ball in play against Pettitte, but they certainly have not against Sabathia. The other chance he now takes is the Yankees winning the series in game 7 and then not having Sabathia or Pettite available until game 3 of the World Series. If the Angels beat Pettitte in game 6, Girardi will certainly be second guessed for this decision.