New York Yankees News and Notes - Hot Stove Silliness

This is a great example of the kind of thinking-out-loud speculation that gets printed during hot stove season and winds up being mistaken as legitimate rumor:

There's been some talk...that the Nationals could make a run at trying to acquire Brett Gardner.

This was news to me, of course, so I followed the link to find out what this "talk" was (emphasis added by me):

An opposing scout told me...that Gardner would be a perfect fit for the Nationals and I agree with the scout. Gardner would be a good leadoff hitter and could solve the problems in center field. I have not heard if the Nationals have talked to the Yankees about a trade for Gardner. It would be interesting for sure.

Really?  It's kind of like if I said "Mila Kunis is an attractive woman" and my wife proceeded to file for divorce on grounds of marital infidelity.

This is exactly why I hate hot stove season.  Between falsely linking the Yankees to every single free agent, and "rumors" that are simple hypothetical statements, so much ink is spilled about absolutely nothing.  

Of course, when things are so slow that hypothetical statements are newsworthy, common sense statements become headlines:

the Yankees are likely to pick up the $10.25 million on right-fielder Nick Swisher

Eric Chavez may be considering retirement

it is highly unlikely Rafael Soriano will exercise the opt-out in his contract

On a similar note, I won't be pitching in the majors in 2012.

• This slightly older Baseball Prospectus article passed without much fanfare, but get yourself well-caffeinated and give it a read.  They attempt to quantify pitch framing and similar "intangibles" that I've generally been critical of going back to the Jorge Posada vs. Jose Molina days.  .
• Would you love to get your hands on the Yankees Book Of Secrets, 2011-12 edition?
• Question of the day: CJ Wilson figures to be one of the most sought after free agents this offseason, and he's had a very interesting career arc.  Can you think of another pitcher who made the transition from relieving to starting midway through his career and was this successful?