The Sommer Frieze

MLB announces the Silver Slugger Awards today.

NL

C McCann, 1B Pujols, 2B Utley, SS Ramirez, 3B Zimmerman, OF Braun, Kemp, Ethier.

AL

C Mauer, 1B Teixeira, 2B Aaron Hill, SS Jeter, 3B Longoria, OF Ichiro, Hunter, Bay  

For a full list of what awards will be announced when, go here.  

Ugh. I have the radio on to and from work. There is one commercial that plays ad nauseum. … and nauseum is about right, for nauseating is how it makes you. It’s a toenail fungus commercial with some of the worst acting you ever heard. Just what I want to hear after I ate breakfast and am on the way to work.

Now this is interesting. Joel Sherman reports that Curtis Granderson could be available and the Yanks could be interested (think a package beginning with A-Jax). Sherman warns that Granderson was lousy vs. lefties this year and struck out a ton (141 times, matching 2007. In 2005 he whiffed 174 times!). He only hit .249 this year but did have 30 HR and 20 SB. He led the AL in triples in 2007 and 2008. His 162 game average is .272-25-72 with 16 SB. OPS+ 113. He’ll be 29 in March. He seems affordable. Should Damon leave because of Boras’ demands, a deal for Granderson would replace Damon’s lefty bat, lefty power and speed. Whether Melky or Gardner would be in that package, who knows. Melky could move to LF, Gardner be a 4th OF or be in the deal. Of course, you would then want Godzilla back. Granderson’s whiffs are problematic.    

Sherman also comments on Wang and Damon.

In mid-1974, Mel Stottlemyre injured a rotator cuff and was never on a Yankee Stadium (or Shea, where the Yankees then played) mound as a player again. Could the same be happening to Wang?