It has been an exceptionally heated hot stove this winter. The New York Yankees' marquee move was undoubtedly the trade for Detroit's All-Star centerfielder Curtis Granderson. Not only he a player of immense talent and character, but he is an already high profile player taking over what is the most high profile position in all off sports.
Whether or not the Granderson trade was beneficial for any of the parties involved will take a few years to determine.
If Granderson comes to New York, finds a cure to his Willie Mays Hayes Syndrome, and returns to the Curtis of 2007 who posted a .302/.361/.913 stat line with 25 steals and 23 triples (versus the faux power hitter who posted a brutal .249 batting average on the way to slugging himself a career best 30 home runs), than the Yankees could easily be the ultimate winners in the deal.
On the other hand, if Granderson struggles or if Austin Jackson turns into the player many have projected him to be, the Tigers' GM Dave Dombrowski could once again be held in high esteem for making a difficult decision that ultimately resulted in the Tigers acquiring a player of greater value (along with the highly talented Max Scherzer). Even the Diamondbacks may see an affluent amount of output from new arms Edwin Jackson and possibly even Ian Kennedy, two pitchers tailor made for the National League.
The deal was the first of monster proportions, stealing headlines (until the Halladay/Lee deal), and causing debate in the hometowns of each team involved. But in the meantime a signing that could help the Yankees immensely and is more fitting with the team's modern philosophy went under the radar. The man who was once in line to replace Tino Martinez at first base has returned to the Bronx; Nick Johnson has come home.
Before the volley of jeers rains down about Johnson's limited value or his propensity for injury, let me acknowledge this fact so we can address it and move on: Johnson has been oft-injured and has stunted a very productive career with his inability to stay healthy. But the Yankees depth combined with the fact that Mark Teixeira mans first base indicates Johnson will undoubtedly see most of his time at DH, lending credence to the theory that this may finally be a situation where Johnson stands a chance to stay healthy and simply do what he does best; hit.
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