Google around and you will see that Austin Kearns was a guy I was thinking of as a possible platoon partner for Curtis Granderson going back to the center fielder’s acquisition. In truth, beyond being right-handed and being more capable with the glove than Marcus Thames, he’s not an ideal fit. First, after a very promising beginning to his career with the Reds back in 2002, he idled along at an offensive level that wasn’t terribly good for a guy playing right field, hitting .256/.350/.441 from 2003 to 2007. Then the injuries hit, elbow problems in 2008 and thumb surgery in 2009. Between the two wounds, his hitting ability disappeared almost altogether. He got in about a full season if you add the last two seasons together (568 plate appearances) and hit .209/.320/.312.

WISHCASTING
If the Mariners trade Cliff Lee in the next 24 hours, the Yankees wouldn’t have to face him on Friday.

A FINE KETTLE OF FISH
Yesterday, I wrote about the Marlins making right-handed outfielder Cody Ross available to potential trading partners. Subsequently, it was reported that the Fish might also make 26-year-old closer Leo Nunez available as well. Nunez isn’t expensive by the standards of most teams, but he’s arbitration eligible and the Marlins don’t do arbitration unless literally forced to by the Commissioner and the players’ union. It’s a bit odd that their owner thinks they can win a pennant while not actually paying anyone but Hanley Ramirez, but that’s the way his mind apparently works -- hence the firing of Fredi Gonzalez.

Nunez,

Since last winter and as the season has gone on and Nick Johnson has disappeared, I’ve said that the Yankees could use a platoon partner for Curtis Granderson, preferably one who had the defensive skill to play a better outfield than Marcus Thames, and wouldn’t kill you if he was pressed into everyday service. I just wasn’t clear on who that guy is. Now comes this report from the Palm Beach Post:

Already there are rumblings within the organization that the Marlins may break up the roster by the July 31 nonwaiver trading deadline.

[snip]

The feeling is that only Florida's two All Stars - pitcher Josh Johnson and shortstop Hanley Ramirez - are considered off-limits in any trade talks. The team also would likely keep all of their young players still under club control. [h/t

MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING: THE CULT OF THE VETERAN
Here’s a trivia question for you: Who was the Yankees’ opening day designated hitter in 1977? Here are some hints: It wasn’t Reggie Jackson; he played right field. It wasn’t Roy White; he played left. It wasn’t Lou Piniella; he didn’t play. Ready? It was Jimmy Wynn -- the Toy Cannon. He went 2-for-3 with a home run, too, the only run the Yankees would need in a 3-0 win over the Brewers.

Jimmy Wynn was 35 then. He was a heck of a player, though it’s sometimes hard to see that because he played in the 1960s and 70s, a time when offense was at a low ebb. In 1969, he hit .269/.436/.507 with 33 home runs and 148 walks. That’s roughly equivalent to hitting .305 with 40 home runs last year. He was

THAMES GIVETH, THAMES TAKETH AWAY, THAMES SENDS FLOWERS
I know I’ve been kvetching about the composition of the Yankees’ roster for awhile now, but it remains an important issue, something that Tuesday night’s game amply demonstrated. With 13 pitchers and two injured regulars on the bench, Joe Girardi had absolutely no flexibility in the crucial ninth inning. Could he put in a defensive substitute for Marcus Thames in the top of the inning? Pinch-hit for Francisco Cervelli, Thames, Juan Miranda, or Randy Winn in the bottom of the inning? The answer to all of the above was no. What he could do, and did, was pinch-run with Ramiro Pena and enjoy the company of Mark Melancon, who wasn’t used, and Boone Logan, who is left-handed and therefore gets to stay on the club without

I am a connoisseur of irony, so I can appreciate it when, the same day that I wrote that Marcus Thames was overmatched as a regular, that he hit a ball to the moon to give the Yankees a walk-off win over their arch-rivals. When I opine for a living, you’re going to get hoisted by your own petard every now and again. Last night it was my turn, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Having said that, I stand by my original point. I’m a Marcus Thames booster from way back, having been writing about what was at the time a dark-horse campaign for a Major League career when the former 30th-round pick out of Mississippi hit a completely unexpected .321/.410/.598 season as a Double-A repeater back in 2001. Despite a dramatic fall back to earth in 2002, I campaigned in this space for the Yankees

The Yankees' lineup is getting to a depressing place. Derek Jeter is hitting .182 this month, Robinson Cano .214. In the last week, Brett Gardner has suddenly gone to hacking. Marcus Thames, getting more playing time than is ideal, is batting .226, and slugging .226, and for all I know, tipping .226. Ramiro Pena is suddenly an everyday player, or nearly so, which is akin to  just cancelling a lineup spot like an unwanted magazine subscription. Francisco Cervelli can’t bloop his way to .390 forever, and even if he does, you’d like the occasional home run from your catcher.

With Nick Johnson to undergo surgery and be gone, conservatively, until the far side of the All-Star break, Joe Girardi intends to use a never-ending series of rotating designated hitters, which is fine

WELCOME TO LEFTY MANSION
Tonight, the Yankees face Orioles southpaw Brian Matusz. If Matusz seems like the 98th lefty the Yankees have faced this year, you’re not far off. The Yankees have been running into portsiders at a crazy-high rate. Through Monday, the Yankees have played in 10 games started by a left-hander, compared to 15 started by a right-hander. That equates to two out of five games, or 40 percent, have been started by southpaws. Last year, opposing teams started lefties in 54 games, or one-third.

I have no idea if this lefty-centric trend will keep up -- it seems unlikely given that only 31 percent of games have been started by left-handers league-wide -- but if it does, the Yankees will face close to 70 lefties this year. Suddenly, a player like Marcus Thames goes from

As I wrote yesterday, Jorge Posada’s lack of mobility is going to be an issue all season long. That doesn’t mean it’s going to hurt the Yankees the way it did in Game No. 1, and arguably the bigger problem was Chan Ho Park anyway. Nonetheless, judging by Buster Olney’s latest, Posada has already been identified as Yankees’ enemy No. 1:

Last year, we saw that Posada's struggles to catch the ball eventually became part of the reason Jose Molina was in the lineup as the catcher for A.J. Burnett. We will see, in the days ahead, how Posada's ability to catch impacts the ways Joe Girardi sets his lineup. Francisco Cervelli, Posada's backup, is viewed as a strong defensive catcher, and Girardi -- a former catcher -- will recognize, before others, all the value in a