Did the Rich Really Get Richer?

The Yankees are close to adding another piece to their already potent lineup by signing outfielder Curtis Granderson to what will probably break the bank whenever it's finalized.

This acquisition is a huge risk for the Yankees because their dealing one of their top prospects in outfielder Austin Jackson. It makes you wonder why they would deal a good, young prospect that could add some youth to their aging roster.

Along with dealing Jackson, they also dealt two pitchers. And all of this for a guy who hit below .250 and struck out on a regular basis. He does add a great glove in the outfield.

Whether this deal ends up working out for the Yankees or not, this deal is just another example of how the Yankees throw their millions of dollars around to build another dynasty. They do it every offseason, but that formula has only produced one championship since 2000.

Maybe the Yankees are confident that Granderson will be able to hit home runs out of the new Yankee Stadium that became a launching pad in its first season. He hit 30 long balls last season.

The Yankees are nowhere near done in this offseason. Look for them to add another starting pitcher, possibly Roy Halladay, and re-sign a few players.

They've already re-signed Andy Pettitte to a one-year deal worth almost $12 million. That's pocket change for the Yankees.

Whatever ends up happening, we know the Yankees will spend plenty of money to assure that they stay on top of baseball for many years to come.

Big Yankee Acquisitions Since 2005

• C.C. Sabathia (2008)
• A.J. Burnett (2008)
• Mark Teixeira (2008)
  
• Bobby Abreu (2006)
• Johnny Damon (2005)

Two More Names Revealed on Steroid List

Major League Baseball should approach FOX and start a new reality series based on all the failed steroids tests. After all, there is a new episode almost every week now.

Reportedly the two newest names on the list are David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. Manny was no surprise, but David Ortiz?

This is a guy that stated in an interview back in February that any guy caught doing steroids should be banned for a year. You still agree with yourself David?

What horrible thing to hear about if you're a Red Sox fan. The curse was broken in 2004, and both Manny and Ortiz are accused of failing tests in 2003. This definitely taints the 2004 World Series championship considering these two guys were vital pieces in the 2004 team.

You have to wonder how bad this will affect not only Ortiz for the rest of the season, but for the Red Sox as a whole.

It apparently didn't affect them last night as they defeated the A's, and Ortiz hit the game winning home run.

As bad as this looks for the Red Sox, teams like the Yankees have no room to talk. During that same time they had Jason Giambi and now they have A-Rod.

When the remainder of the list is finally released, every team will be affected by at least one steroid user, so don't come down hard on the Red Sox. The curse is still broken and the poor Cubbies still stand alone as the cursed.

Phillies Desperately Need Halladay

Even though the Phillies were recently on a 10-game winning streak, they still haven't looked like likely contenders to make another trip to the World Series.

They are currently the top prospects in the Roy Halladay sweepstakes, and they could really use him.

The trade deadline is July 31, so there is still plenty of time for this deal to go through. Many sources have already said that Halladay will no longer be a Blue Jay after this week.

As likely as it seems that Halladay is leaving Toronto, a deal just can't seem to be agreed upon with the Phillies. The latest offer from the Phillies has been declined by Toront according to sources from both teams.

By signing Roy Halladay, the Phillies would be right up there with the Dodgers as the top dogs in the National League.

The lack of consistency within the starting rotation is one major reason the Phillies have been so streaky this season. Even after the 10-game winning streak, both the Braves and the Marlins are within five games.

There are still some other possible places Halladay could go, including the Dodgers. If Halladay goes to the Dodgers then I say we just go ahead and crown the Dodgers champions now.

However, it's still not set in stone that the Blue Jays will see an offer that they like and send Halladay packing.

The Phillies have to do everything they can to get Halladay and keep pace with the Dodgers.

Manny Ramirez the Latest to Go Down

Just when we were trying to get over the hangover of Alex Rodriguez, another MLB superstar gets caught up in the steroid scandal. This time it's Manny Ramirez, arguably the best right-handed hitter the sport has seen in decades.

The Dodgers will be without their catalyst for 50 games in the midst of having the league's best record and started 13-0 at home, but that was with Ramirez. Their first game without Ramirez resulted in their first home-loss of the season, and it didn't make it any better that it was to the Nationals.

So every steroid case has a story behind it, and usually every players has a pile of excuses that normally don't add up. Ramirez had one very simple thing to say: "I'm sorry about this whole situation".

Ramirez was clearly torn down by this situation. Ramirez took a female fertility drug called hCG, which is a medication used to help the body naturally create testosterone. Steroid users take hCG after coming off of a cycle to help their body create testosterone again.

Ramirez says he didn't know it was banned and his doctor told him it was OK to take. We've all heard that story before. The primary use of hCG is what makes Ramirez look guilty of using steroids at one time, which he says he never did and that he took hCG for medical purposes. He didn't give anymore information on the subject after that.

The fishy part about this whole thing is that if Ramirez was using hCG purely for medical purposes, then why didn't he go through the MLB to find a medication that wasn't banned? With all of the scandals floating around and with everything that was at stake with Ramirez, I just can't comprehend how you could be so careless. He had to know he was being monitored due to himself being one of the best hitters in the game.

Either way, this will tarnish Ramirez's legacy, as it will do to every player that's been connected to steroids. It's a shame because Ramirez was such a pure hitter that was making a strong case for MVP early this season. He was batting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBI's.

Until all of the facts come out, however, we can't throw Ramirez in the same category as Barry Bonds, Jason Giambi, and Alex Rodriguez. So far he's handled the situation pretty well and he's been upfront about it, unlike Bonds, Rodriguez, and a handful of others.

At one time "Manny being Manny" was funny, but it's not so funny anymore.