Steinbrenner: Was he always like this

[HOOTIE]

Well, NY prospects are overrated, and NY gets more in return, then they lose. They are also known to keep guys in minors a year longer, to pad their stats, since then they are a year older then the league average.

Hitchcock and Russ Davis for Tino
Yarnall for Neagle
Ledee for Justice
Homer Bush was included in Clemens deal
Ruben Rivera in Irabu deal
Marty Jensen was included in Cone deal
Keith Heberling and Lyle Mouton for BlackJack

Non traded guys who flopped
Brien Taylor
Bam Bam Meulens

[LBJackal]

Timkell and Kwaz, I hope the guys that "jivedude" mentioned aren't the ones that were on the tip of your tongue. If so, I'd recommend that you take a look at the lost talent from the Expo's farm system before complaining.

Now, any other stars from the Yankees farm system?

Brien Taylor...............

[Absolutely Adequate]

This is killing me - a year or two ago, espn.com did an article in which they returned each player to his original team. No free agents, no trades. The Dodgers and Expos were the best two teams. I know the Mets were the worst. I don't know where the Yankees were, though, and I can't find the god-forsaken article. If somebody else is more computer literate, feel free to see if you can find it. It's a good read.

[Kwaziwampo]

In no particular order...
Fred McGriff
Bob Tewksbury
Al Leiter
Mike Lowell
Dan Pasqua
Hal Morris
Orestes Destrada
Russ Davis
Carl Everett (due to an evolutionary dispute with George about dinosaurs)
JT Snow
Eric Milton
Nick Johnson
Zach Day

Now these are guys who we drafted and traded...those who we traded away from various other acquisitions include...
Doug Drabek
Chili Davis
Jose Rijo
Primetime Sanders
and the previously mentioned Jay Buhner

These are most of the kids that should have been yankees...granted these are not all superstars. Our 2B right now should be D'Angelo Jimenez instead of whomever they will sigh to replace Soriano, when he is traded away.

Now I whole heartedly agree that this isn't the Expos, but then again, neither is the management. It's frustrating as all heck to see these guys go for garbage, like Kevin Brown. These were all guys who produced for many years for their respective teams. In return, we generally got 2 years of bad production/injuries from a veteran, as we'll get from K. Brown, and Sheffield.

The years we held onto guys are the years we had Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Soriano, Pettite, etc.

The years ahead are filled with Sheffields/Giambi's/Steve Bass's/Steve Howe's, etc.

Hope that list helps...again, not all stars, but all serviceable players who should have been Yankees.

[Pogotheostrich]

So what do we have in 5 years? Vasquez, Jeter, Soriano (hopefully), Matsui, and that's it. We have no farm system anymore, it's been traded. We have perhaps 2 legit prospects to me in the whole system.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ And that can make up for a lot of mistakes. And as far as I know Vasquez isn't signed past this year. Oh yeah, Giambi should still be under contract too.

[A's Fan]

Don't forget Mike Lowell!

[Pogotheostrich]

Don't forget Mike Lowell!

Lowell is on the list.

[mtarail]

re: farm systems I haven't found anything on the great players lost by each team over the years, but as far as current players go, there's this:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/schwarz_ ... 35197.html

[Area51's]

Yes those deals like Jesse Barfield for Al Leiter can help for a year or two....but long term, you end up paying huge bucks for a guy at the end of his career, and trading young player who don't have their full trade value yet.

In a way, Yankees are using other teams as well as other teams are using them. Need an about-to-be 39 year old w/ two huge years on his contract --send him to the Yankees.

Sure they steal every super star free agent, but if they weren't there to take on some over-loaded deals, how would other teams get out from under some of their dumb signings.

[timkell]

Jose Canseco was also a Yankee prospect.