Matsui a Giant?

Looking at some of the rumors today, The Yankees are considering trading Hideki Matsui to the Giants, in exchange for some pitching.   I agree with Peter Abraham that they won't get a Matt Cain or Tim Lincecum in return, but with an additional prospect, a Noah Lowey/Brad Hennessey return might be possible.   For argument's sake, let's just say the trade goes down.

The Yankees would then have Johnny Damon be the full time left-fielder, and use Jason Giambi as the DH.   The additions of Hennessey and Lowry could prove to be very interesting.   On the one hand, Lowry could be added as a lefthander in the rotation, while Hennessey could be used to set up Mariano Rivera in the bullpen.   But the more interesting aspect could be how this could impact a potential Johan Santana or Dan Haren trade.

On the one hand, Lowry could be added to the package with Phil Hughes and Melky Cabrera, making an interesting package.   Or, the Yankees could keep Lowry, and use him as a replacement for Ian Kennedy, allowing them to put Kennedy in the package.   If the Yankees added Kennedy, they'd have a potential rotation of Santana/Wang/Pettitte/Chamberlain/Lowry(Mussina).   It would be appealing with the potential of having 3 lefties in the rotation, which would be ideal for Yankee stadium.   Or if they trade Lowry, Mussina would probably slot in the #5 spot, and Kennedy would start out in Triple-A.   The lineup would be: Damon(LF),Jeter (SS),Abreu(RF),Rodriguez(3B),Cano(2B),Posada(C),Giambi(DH),Duncan/Mientkiewicz(1B).   They would still need to replace Cabrera in centerfield, and with Andruw Jones gone, they might have to overpay Aaron Rowand.   However, they would save some money with Matsui gone, so I suppose it is possible.

And while writing this entry, There's been an update, and the two teams are definitely talking.   While I think the chances are not great that this deal gets done, it is still exciting to think about, particularly if we can spin off Lowry in a trade for Santana or Haren.