Testing Cashman's love for Hughes

The guys at WasWatching took a look at a possible Peavy trade and following the blockquote, they noted that:

Well, first of all, Brian Cashman…I believe…would never do that. Cashman would rather stand completely nude in the middle of Times Square during rush hour and sing Touch Me In The Morning than consider the notion of trading Phil Hughes.

I wonder if that's really true. I know Cashman (and others in the "brain trust") really believe in Hughes but at what point do you look at it objectively and ask: "Will Hughes become Peavy?" If they really only think he'll progress to a #2 or #3, then they must realize that Peavy is already Peavy.

They then noted the obvious next question: “Why didn’t you offer Hughes and Cano for Johan Santana last year?” The answer to that is that Johan required a six year deal worth about $140 million, plus Hughes and others. And, if you remember back then, there was a bit of concern about Johan's decreased velocity in 2007 and a very real fear that he was beginning a decline. Turns out, that decline was overstated, at least for 2008.

Peavy is younger and has a more "reasonable" contract, even if the Yanks must guarantee the option year worth $22 million. He's a bulldog, not a finesse guy, and that will play well in New York. There are very few opportunities to get a bonafide number one ace and I don't think the Yanks should let this opportunity go by the wayside.

You can bet I will be watching this one closely.