Before we get to the particulars lets talk about the main attraction.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Yankees have acquired OF Curtis Granderson as part of a three-team blockbuster deal with the Tigers and Diamondbacks.  As part of the three-way deal, Detroit will receive right-handers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from Arizona and Coke and Jackson from the Yanks.  The D’Backs, meanwhile receive in return in Edwin Jackson from the Tigers and Kennedy from the Yanks

Granderson is a great defensive centerfielder, with tremendous power and excellent base-running skills.  What’s not to love?

• He hit 30 home runs batting  in a pitchers park.  Of those 30 home runs only 10 came at home.  40 home runs is not out of the question with the Yanks short porch in right.
• Home runs aren’t the only thing Curtis brings to the table, he’s an extra base hit machine.  He hit 13 triples last season and and 23 in 2007.  His career slugging percentage is .484.  His career high was .552 in 2007.
• People will complain about his .249 batting average but that was an anomaly.  He’s a career .271 hitter.  His down year can be blamed on a low BABIP (.276) his career BABIP is .323.  Players like Ichrio and Granderson can maintain an inflated BABIP because of their speed.
• You can also blame his low batting average on a sudden dip in his infield hit percentage.  He maintained career average of about 9% that suddenly dipped to 3.5% last season.
• He also stole 20 bases last season, while only getting caught 6 times. He stole 26, a career high, in 2007.
• While Granderson strikes out too much he does generate walks.  He routinely draws 70+ walks and has a career on base percentage of .344
• Did I mention that Granderson is a superb defensive center fielder?  Career he’s posted an average of a 21.2 UZR as a center-fielder.  Per every 150 games he saves roughly 5.2 runs.  That number doesn’t even take into account how much better as a whole the Yankee outfield will now be with Curtis pushing Melky to left.
• If you believe in Win Shares; Granderson has been routinely been worth +4 wins a season.

I’ve yet to see the downside.  He’s only 29, has a great contract (3 years, 25 million) and is regarded as a great clubhouse guy with a tremendous personality.  He makes the Yankees better in every aspect.

As for what the Yankees gave up?

The big piece is Austin Jackson but consider this.

• Jackson completed his run through the minors and never developed power.  Without power he’s a guy who will hit for average, steal some bases, play solid defense and strike out a ton.  Without power Jackson isn’t an elite prospect.  Kennedy is a guy who was never an elite prospect to begin with.

• Even pre-injury and the ‘07 disaster Kennedy topped out at best a #3 type starter.  A control pitcher, Kennedy, needed to pitch in the NL.  If he develops it’ll be because of that not because the Yankees poorly evaluated him.
• Coke is what he is.  A situational lefty reliever.  Those guys are easy to come by.  He’s a useful player but the Yankees have Damatso Marte.

As for the other teams involved in the trade:

I think the Tigers did as well as they could.  They chopped 10+ million off their payroll while getting back solid prospects.  They can hope Jackson develops power, Coke helps shore up their awful ‘penn and Schlereth is someone to keep an eye on.  The key is Scherzer a young strikeout pitcher, under team control for the near future who seems ready to break out.

The Tigers didn’t get any better but considering every team in the MLB knew they needed to make a deal they did very well for themselves.

I don’t get what Arizona was thinking.  I’d rather having Scherzer then Jackson long term, factoring in salary.  And while Kennedy should thrive as a 4/5th starter in the NL aren’t those guys a dime a dozen?  I can’t make any sense of this deal for them.