This week, New York Daily News writer John Harper suggested five things the New York Yankees should do this offseason, and to much surprise, one of the five suggestions was to trade Curtis Granderson. Specifically, Harper stated the Yankees should trade Granderson to the Phillies for outfielder/first baseman Darin Ruf, who was MVP of the double-A Eastern League this year.
Granderson, who has hit 84 home runs over the last two years, would bring the Phillies a big bat for their lineup and also a decent center field glove to fulfill the void when Shane Victorino was traded. He also would be a big-name addition to a lineup that, in recent years, has underachieved. He would bring with him a sense of excitement the Phillies seemed to have lacked in recent years, and he would be yet another veteran presence on the team. The confines of Citizens Bank Park would also fit perfectly with Granderson’s swing, just as Yankee Stadium does currently. It seems like a no brainer for the Phillies, if you set aside the financial implications.
Ruf, who is 26 years old, would bring much promise with him to New York, however, many scouts don’t believe he will put up big numbers in the major leagues. He has never been considered one of the Phillies best prospects and has always been an overachiever at his natural position, first base. The Phillies have first base locked up for the next six years with Ryan Howard so they tried Ruf out in leftfield during the end of this season. To be honest, he was not entirely bad in the outfield. He got to most balls you would expect him to, and he never seemed to misjudge fly balls. He reminded me much of former Phillie Pat Burrell. He was reliable but nothing special defensively.
In truth, this was just an article written by a New York newspaper after the disappointment of being swept from the playoffs for the Yankees. I do not see this as a possible deal, but if it is considered, it would benefit the Phillies more than the Yanks. There is always the chance Ruf may be a career overachiever, but I do not see the Yankees giving up a huge contributor for the possibility of striking it rich in the future.
Ruf has been playing left field in Venezuela since the end of the season, and in eight games has hit .276 with four home runs. This is after a season in double-A, where he hit .317 with 38 home runs and 104 RBI, but questions still linger. Most likely, it will take a lot more to land a player of Granderson’s stature, but at least this article gave us something to talk about, even if it isn’t realistic.
