Edwin Jackson rumored to be sent to Arizona
INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- The New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers are on the verge of the first major trade of baseball's winter meetings, a deal that would send Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson to New York, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.
In the trade, the Diamondbacks would obtain Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, while the Tigers will pick up Max Scherzer, Daniel Schlereth and Phil Coke outfield prospect Austin Jackson.
The deal would give the Yankees a starting center fielder. Starting outfielder Johnny Damon and designated hitter Hideki Matsui are both free agents.
In return, the Tigers would get a hard thrower in Scherzer and a well-regarded prospect in Austin Jackson, while the Diamondbacks get a pair of starting pitchers in Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.
Granderson would displace Melky Cabrera as center fielder on the Yankees. Cabrera, a 25-year-old switch-hitter, batted .274 last season but had just 13 homers, 68 RBIs and 10 steals.
Granderson, a left-handed batter, was a first-time All-Star last season, when he had 30 homers, 71 RBIs and 20 steals. His batting average has dropped from .302 in 2007 to .280 in 2008 to .249 last year.
Detroit, which failed to make the playoffs following a late-season slide, may be looking to cut payroll after a big attendance drop this year at Comerica Park. Granderson is owed $5.5 million can become a free agent after the 2011 season.
Kennedy, who turns 25 on Dec. 19, impressed when he came up from the minors at the end of the 2007, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA in three starts. But he struggled with injuries in each of the last two seasons.
He strained a muscle near his right ribcage and had bursitis in his right shoulder blade in 2008, when he was 0-4 with an 8.17 ERA in nine starts and one relief appearance. He pitched in just one big league game this year, when he was sidelined by surgery May 12 to remove an aneurysm from beneath his right biceps.
Coke was 4-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 72 relief appearances. While he pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the AL playoffs, he gave up two runs over 1 1-3 innings in the World Series.
Austin Jackson, 22, is considered one of the Yankees' top prospects. He hit .300 last season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre with 23 doubles, four homers, 65 RBIs and 24 steals.
Scherzer, the 11th overall pick in the 2006 amateur draft, is a 25-year-old righty who went 9-11 with a 4.12 ERA in 30 starts for Arizona last season, striking out 174 in 170 1-3 innings.
Schlereth, a 23-year-old lefty, was the 26th pick in the 2008 amateur draft. He made his major league debut this year and went 1-4 with a 5.89 ERA in 21 relief appearances with 22 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings.
