Father Like Son

George Steinbrenner had the attitude that he got what he wanted.

If he wanted a player, it didn't matter how much money it cost him or how many prospects it would cost the Yankees and their future because when the future came, he would just buy more talent.

Sure it is exciting to think of Johan Santana putting the pinstripped jersey, but it may not be the best move.

The best thing to do is nothing when it comes to Santana and hope doesn't get traded this off-season and can go after him without giving up prospects next year when he is a free-agent.

That is when the Yankees can be the Yankees we all know and that is give one of the best players in the game all the money they want to try and bring the World Championship back to the Bronx.

Right now, the Yankees have three pitchers that are arguably front line starters in Phil Hughes, 21, arguably the biggest pitching prospect in all of baseball, Joba Chamberlain, 22, who showed pure dominance out of the pen at the end of this past season, and Ian Kennedy who will turn 23 later this month.

The Yankees also have 23 year old center fielder Melky Cabrera.

The Yankees were finally showing signs of growing from within and not relying on trades.

Now however, it seems like although George Steinbrenner may no longer be calling the shots like he used to, the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

Steinbrenner's sons, along with the rest of the Yankee brass have agreed to include Hughes, Cabrera, and another prospect in exchange for Santana.

Yes, Santana is a great pitcher, possibly considered the best pitcher in the game today, however the Twins and Yankees are about to make a very uneven trade.

Just like in the past, if the Yankees want a player, they will get their man no matter the cost, worrying about the cost later on.

This trade is absolutely ridiculous.

Cabrera has a real presence in the club house which is very important - look at the 1996 Yanks. That was a great team despite not having the most talented of clubs but they were close to each other and that was more important than having a little extra talent on their team. You can not underestimate the camaraderie of a team.

Cabrera seems to be like an outfield version of Scott Brosius. He is a great defender and while he doesn't have the greatest power or batting average, he still comes up big and can do the little things such as laying down a bunt.

The Yankees defense is sub-par at best without Cabrera patrolling center.

ESPN.com reports Damon would move back to center and Matsui would take over his left field position once again.

Problem is, Damon has no arm and was a perfect fit for a spacious left field at Yankee Stadium.

Matsui is a disaster in the outfield. Not only does he have no arm but he gets horrible jumps on the ball as well.

Also, when Damon and Matsui were able to flip flop as DH and LF, they were able to stay healthy - there is no back-up now if Cabrera is gone.

As far as Abreu, while he does have a very good arm, he has shown he has had problems communicating with the center fielder on balls in the gaps and he can't play the wall, often pulling up short on balls that are catchable.

As far as Hughes, he started strong before injuring his hamstring and showed he could pitch well under pressure when he took over for Roger Clemens in Game 3 of the ALDS.

Hughes has a mid-90's fastball along with a monster curve.

Why settle for the old Santana when you could be holding onto the young Santana?

If he and Cabrera are traded and become Twins, and the Yankees sign Santana to a seven year deal, when Santana's deal is up, he will be 36 years old. Hughes will still only be 28 and Cabrera will only be 30. That is a huge differeence in baseball years.

And that is disregarding two other things. First off, the Yankees also have to include another prospect but will also be adding about $150 million to the roster.

Cabrera and Hughes together made less than one million dollars all of last season and will be cheap for several more years to come.

However, it appears the Yankees are going back to their old ways and these young players are just chips to get veteran pitchers.

Just when it looked like the Yankees were going to use their minors to help win with their young home-grown players instead of players that have already reached their prime.

Imagine how different the past decade would have been if the Yankees traded away for a veteran using players such as Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera, and Derek Jeter as trading chips.

Who know, maybe Hughes is the next Pettitte and Cabrera is the next Williams. These were staples in the run where the Yankees won four World Series Championships in five seasons in 1996, 1998, 1999, and 2000.

It is time for the Yankees to go back to relying on their own talent to lead them to victory, just like the good old days from the mid 1990's to their early part of this century.