On Granderson, besides southpaws, it seems he gets hurt by his home park. I’m not going to deny there might be more there, but I just don’t think the Tigers are going to give him away. His contract is actually reasonable even if he never finds his peak self again. Maybe if the Tigers would take a few second tier prospects – guys like Nova and McAllister plus a lower level prospect or two. Still that seems like too much. Why thin the farm for a platoon player? And I’m not convinced the Tigers take that deal. Maybe that package and take on Magglio too? It’s similar money that they would give to Matsui and Damon. Still, I don’t see Illitch giving up on next year so easily.

But I think the Granderson thing turns entirely on what ‘top prospects’ means. Detroit, as you probably know, are dying to unload salary – having backed their way into 18 million for Maggs. I suspect that a team willing to take on money doesn’t have to give up so very much. No one will take Ordonez, just as no one will take Wells (worst contract in baseball) so Tigers need money help elsewhere. Grandy vs righties in Yankee Stadium (New) is appealing. NY needs some sense of what’s going on with him. WHY is he trending down young?

But, as I say, I don’t think Cashman will deal serious talent for him, so the question is … what about less-than-serious talent? In any assessment, there’s a ‘that’s worth it’ point.

“Offering Damon arbitration seems like a good gamble to me on two levels. If he accepts you pay a high price in cash but you’re only committed to him for the season, so if he tanks you can even eat the money and let him go before the year is over. If he leaves, you get a first-round pick from whatever club signs him. Seems like a no-brainer to me.”

So the one “expert” cited in this discussion has no problem with Damon coming back, even on a pricey deal. But for the 14 million for one year, I don’t see why not to extend it to two years and $20 million. Heck offer him arbitration OR a two year $20 million deal. He gets a choice of two really good options, especially if he thinks he’d got a lot left. If he refuses both, the Yanks get the picks and can move on to Cameron.

“Paul, really, why is Melky/Gardy in CF and Grandy in left so much less ‘inspiring’ than Damon in left?”

Sorry, but platooning someone you’ve acquired for top prospects is exactly my point. And having an average bat in CF and a below average bat in LF, relative to the average at the positions, is not just uninspiring. It’s unacceptable on a championship club. Granderson and his .340 career OBP certainly doesn’t belong in the top two thirds of the lineup.

So now that we’ve agreed that Granderson is unacceptable, the question remains: Who if not Damon? Like I said, I’d be fine with Ajax, Gardner, and Melky fighting for time depending on matchups. But that’s not how the Yankees roll.

Posada, of course, was a red herring in this whole discussion. Sensible people realize he’s not a DH in 2010. And he’s not a full-time DH in 2011 either.