Here's an interesting read. From Yahoo Sports: If I'm the Yankees, I'm not trading the best of my meager prospect crop for the Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson, who will be 42 next September. I'm not overpaying for the Marlins' Carl Pavano, a free agent who became a success only recently. And I'm sure not getting excited about signing the Red Sox's Pedro Martinez, who this past season allowed a career-high 26 homers and posted a career-high 3.90 ERA. If I'm the Yankees, I want A's righthander Tim Hudson. Hudson, 29, will be a free agent after next season. The A's might trade him if they can't extend his contract. And Hudson almost certainly will want a deal of at least five years and a higher salary than last offseason's most expensive free-agent pitcher, Bartolo Colon, who is making an average of $12.75 million per year. Think the A's tightfisted ownership will pay that? I don't. True, the A's recently granted third baseman Eric Chavez a six-year, $66 million extension. True, they figure to keep at least one of their Big Three starting pitchers long-term. True, Hudson would appear the most logical investment -- lefthanders Barry Zito and Mark Mulder, eligible to become free agents in 2006, are coming off mediocre seasons. The industry-wide assumption is that the A's will retain Hudson and trade Zito and/or lefthander Mark Redman. General manager Billy Beane consistently has allowed his free agents to play out their contracts, acquiring only draft picks for former MVPs such as Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada. But imagine what Hudson might bring in a trade at a time when the free-agent market is littered with mainly Nos. 3 and 4 starters. And imagine what the Yankees might do to get him. They're short on the young, affordable talent the A's would want in a deal for Hudson. But Beane and Yankees G.M. Brian Cashman are creative enough to concoct a three- or four-team extravaganza to make it all work, provided owner George Steinbrenner doesn't reassign Cashman to a storage closet in the team's Tampa offices in the wake of the Yankees' historic collapse in the American League Championship Series. The Yankees then would sign Hudson to the contract he wants, and this time they wouldn't be getting another Javier Vazquez. Hudson has spent his entire career in the more hitter-friendly A.L., pitching frequently under pennant-race and postseason pressure. His .702 winning percentage is the third-highest all-time among pitchers with 100 or more decisions, trailing only Spud Chandler at .717 and Martinez at .705. Hudson probably would be the leader with greater run support; his record is 75-2 when the A's score four or more runs in his starts. Again, he won't sign cheaply. He shouldn't sign cheaply. He's too darn good. To part with such a pitcher, Beane probably would want the Yankees to subsidize half the A's payroll, build the A's a new ballpark and donate Vazquez, free of charge. Exaggerated or not, the Yankees soon might be less willing to engage in such largess. Even as the sport braces for another Steinbrenner spending binge, the team might be starting to approach its economic ceiling. The club's payroll, a record $184 million this past season, will soar even higher in 2005. The Yankees already have more than $172.15 million committed to 16 players -- and that figure will rise to $180.15 million for 17 players if the team exercises righthander Jon Lieber's $8 million option. That's $180.15 million without having any idea what first baseman Jason Giambi, righthander Kevin Brown and reliever Steve Karsay will contribute -- and $180.15 million before adding any additional talent. Johnson would cost $16.5 million, and free-agent center fielder Carlos Beltran likely will run between $15 million and $20 million. By the time the Yankees get done fine-tuning their roster, their payroll easily could reach $220 million, putting them an astonishing $92 million over the 2005 luxury-tax threshold. Mercy. Because the Yankees would be exceeding the threshold for the third time, they would pay a 40 percent tax on the $92 million. Tack on that $37 million to the $220 million in player salaries, add at least $50 million in revenue-sharing payments -- the Yankees contributed $52.7 million last season -- and their total payout would surpass $300 million. At that number, turning a profit probably would be difficult. In 2001, the most recent year for which local-revenue data is available, the Yankees took in $217.81 million. Of course, that was before they created the YES Network. Steinbrenner can threaten Cashman all he wants, but he needs the G.M. to help the team escape its financial maze, a task that will be even trickier because of the weakness of the Yankees' farm system. For his part, Cashman might no longer have as much luxury to make mistakes and cover them up with additional spending. Forget Johnson. Forget Martinez. Hudson, a potential Hall of Famer in his prime, would fit neatly in the Yankees' new world order. Who in their right mind wouldn't go after Hudson. IF the A's are willing to trade him I have all faith in Cashman and co. to make it happen. It's funny how the season isn't even over and there is more attention on the Yankees offseason than the world series!
