I'd be very surprised if the Yankees acquired Cliff Lee.

"But then Yankee fans need to ask themselves what deal they like that their team has really made since they got David Justice about nine thousand years ago.

You know who Cliff Lee would be for the Yankees in the summer of 2014?

The pitching version of Alfonso Soriano."

But here's the thing ... Alfonso Soriano tore it up for the Yankees last season. 50 RBIs in 58 games. 17 HRs in 219 at-bats. .256/.325/.525.

Ichiro tore it up in the second half two seasons ago. .322/.340/.454 in 227 at-bats.


What are you asking for from a mid-season pickup? A World Series title?

I mean, the Yankees acquired Justice in 2000. He definitely helped a great team win the World Series.

Since then, the Yankees have won one World Series.

If that's your criteria, the only eligible players would be mid-season replacements picked up in 2009:

• Eric Hinske. There you go. In 2009, Hinske hit 7 HRs in 84 at-bats. Didn't do much in the playoffs -- walked in his only plate appearance. Ran onto the field in celebration when the Yankees beat the Phillies. He Jose Cansecoed the Phillies, in other words.

Or are you asking for any impactful July pickup since 2000? In the past 9,000 years (give or take 8,986 years)?

There are quite a few, since you asked:

• Mondesi in 2002 wasn't bad.
• Sierra contributed in 2003 and 2004 and probably would have been a World Series ninth-inning Champion hero if Aaron Boone could have hit a sac fly.
•  2005, of course, was the magical Small/Chacon 15-3 combo ... Small being a July call-up rather than a trade, but it's pretty much the same thing.
•  2006 is real easy: Abreu. Not my favorite player by any means, but a good trade for sure. Wanna know who the Yankees traded for Abreu and Lidle? The Yankees traded C.J. Henry, Jesus Sanchez, Carlos Monasterios, and Matt Smith.
• 2007 and 2008, I got nothing.
• Hinske in 2009.
• Berkman in 2010 was a bad trade. I don't like that one. Wood in 2010 was a good trade. I like that one.
• 2011 and 2012, I don't think the Yankees made any July trades. Lowe was an inconsequential fee agent signing.
• Let's see, now we're up to Ichiro and Soriano, both played pretty well for short periods of time.

I like most of these deals, in retrospect, because the Yankees traded nothing.


That's how it works with these July trades. You trade young garbage for another team's older garbage. Then, you just hope the garbage you obtained doesn't stink so bad.