CHICAGO — In a cost-cutting frame of mind, the Tigers have let teams know Curtis Granderson could be had for the right package, an NL executive told The Post.
The Yankees will almost certainly push to the front of the line when it comes to Granderson. He obviously would be an upgrade on the Melky Cabrera/Brett Gardner duo. In addition, the Yankees could quickly face a need to restore lefty power if Johnny Damon and/or Hideki Matsui leave to free agency. Granderson hit a career-high 30 homers last season, the fourth most by an AL lefty.
Brian Cashman met with Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski at the GM Meetings, which concluded yesterday, but it is not believed the two did any more than discuss needs and available players. However, they have a good relationship and have made significant trades before.
When Dombrowski was the Marlins GM, he obtained Mike Lowell from the Yanks for three prospects, and in recent years the Tigers and Yankees made the Gary Sheffield trade and swapped Kyle Farnsworth for Ivan Rodriguez.
Granderson is an attractive player who would draw interest from many suitors. The Yankees, though, would have the ability to build a package around a potential long-term center field solution in touted prospect Austin Jackson.
Granderson, who will be 29 before next season, is owed $25.75 million over the next three years and has an option in 2013. He is not a player Detroit truly wants to trade.
But the Tigers are supporting a top payroll in one of the cities hit hardest by the economic downturn, and they have many long-term commitments to players who are just about untradeable, including Magglio Ordonez, Carlos Guillen, Jeremy Bonderman, Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson. In all, the Tigers have 10 players under control for next season at $100 million with arbitration-eligible ace Justin Verlander due a raise to about $7 million, and Edwin Jackson and Gerald Laird also in line for big raises.
That is why the Edwin Jackson and Laird also are available. The Yanks intend to inquire on any high-end starter who could become available this offseason such as Jackson, Toronto’s Roy Halladay and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. To date, the Mariners have shown no inclination to deal Hernandez, but the Blue Jays have said they will at least listen on Halladay. The Yanks were not inclined to give up a big prospect for Halladay at the trade deadline and with just one year left on the righty’s contract, they probably would be even more hesitant.
As for Granderson, he does have a downside. He is terrible against lefties (.183 last year) and strikes out a ton (141 times last year), and while he steals bases (20 last year) he is not known as a strong instinctual base stealer. However, his power has blossomed in a park not nearly as becoming to a lefty hitter as Yankee Stadium and he is known as one of the most media-friendly and amicable players in the game.
If negotiations for Damon do indeed grow beyond the Yankees’ parameters — and the Yanks want to keep him at one year and Damon could be looking for as many as four — Granderson could fill many similar qualities such as lefty power and speed while playing a more premium position. Damon and Matsui combined for 52 homers last year. The only AL lefty hitters with more homers last year than Granderson’s 30 were Carlos Pena (39), Adam Lind (35) and Russell Branyan (31).
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The Yankees intend to concentrate on actual free agents such as Damon, Matsui and Andy Pettitte, and wait until the contracts of Joe Girardi and Derek Jeter expire next season before addressing extensions, The Post has learned. Because they have the money to keep who they want, the Yanks traditionally do not re-up until contracts expire and, in the case of Jeter, they see no advantageous reason to negotiate with him coming off of his best season since 2006. . . .
The Yankees intend to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible Brian Bruney, who will make about $1.5 million in 2010. . . .
The Yankees have actually gotten strong inquiries from Japan about Kei Igawa, who is still due two years at $8 million. But the lefty has told the team he prefers to stay, though he almost certainly will be buried at Triple-A.