One of the Yankees' quests this offseason has been the pursuit of a first baseman. Jason Giambi is no longer able to play 150+ games defensively in the field, and Andy Phillips, although backed by the NoMaas crew last year, hasn’t proven much in terms of his ability to be a Major League regular.

With seemingly limited interest in Craig Wilson, Shea Hillenbrand scoffing at a one year retainer, and no one in the farm system even remotely close to the Majors, the trade market seems the only viable avenue to filling the 1B void.

One player who has caught our eye, and the eye of most people in baseball, for the past couple of years has been Casey Kotchman. He had been a top prospect in the Angels’ system, noted for his slick defense and excellent hitting tools. Not blessed with a ton of HR power, Kotchman had a sweet linedrive stroke that was capable of producing SLG numbers over .500. His contact rate was very good, and his strikezone judgement fantastic for a young hitter, as both his K:BB and IsoD were exceptional throughout his ascension through the Angels’ minor league hierarchy. From the time he was drafted until his first taste of the Big Leagues, he produced OPS numbers well over .900 routinely.

Kotchman finally broke into the Majors in 2004 as a 21 year old. He had 116 ABs and produced only a .565 OPS, however there were signs that he simply needed time. He had 7 BB versus 11 K, while sporting an IsoD of .065. (IsoD is OBP - Batting Average)

The following year, after another callup, he received 126 more ABs and posted an .836 OPS, while drawing 15 BB and striking out 18 times. He also improved his IsoD .074, which was reasonably close to his minor league figure of .082.

In 2006 Kotchman was a disaster. He contracted mononucleosis and was an absolute mess as a ballplayer.

Coming into 2007 it appears that Kotchman has lost a bit of his luster with the Angels. Various reports in the Los Angeles papers have cited the team as not only being down on him as a player, but actually open to trading him, as they have other options they feel can be useful for them at firstbase (Rob Quinlan, Kendry Morales, and Dallas McPhereson are all 1B candidates according to THIS article). On top of all that, because he first reached the Majors at such a young age, he is close to entering his arbitration years, and shortly will not be making the league minimum anymore.

A December 6th report in the LA Times has the Braves rejecting an offer from the Angels, involving Kotchman, in which they sought Adam LaRoche in return:
 

The Angels are all but out of the running for Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, and their chances of acquiring Atlanta first baseman Adam LaRoche appeared to fade Tuesday.

The Angels offered utility player Chone Figgins and first baseman Casey Kotchman. The Braves want setup man Scot Shields. The Angels are reluctant to part with pitching, because their organizational depth has thinned considerably in the last year.  (Source)
 

So, to summarize, the Braves want a solid, hard-throwing reliever, the Angels want Adam LaRoche, and the Yankees want a first baseman that can help them defensively if nothing else.

Can anyone else see the obvious threeway deal that is sitting here, waiting to be consummated?

WHAT EVERYONE GIVES UP

Yankees: Scott Proctor OR Kyle Farnsworth+$, B or C prospect

Braves: Adam LaRoche

Anaheim: Casey Kotchman, B or C prospect
 

WHAT EVERYONE RECEIVES

Yankees: Casey Kotchman

Braves: Scott Proctor OR Kyle Farnsworth+$, Yankee prospect, Angel prospect

Anaheim: Adam LaRoche
 

The Braves get their bullpen arm, the Angels get LaRoche, whom they covet, and the Yankees receive a young, relatively cost-controlled 1B with significant offensive upside. Obviously this trade could be tweaked to make it work, but as the foundation for a deal it is solid.

Yes, Kotchman is lefty, but his potential to be good for many years to come is too big to ignore for the sake of Jason Giambi and/or Bobby Abreu’s remaining tenures in pinstripes. He’s good with the glove, and young enough (currently only 23) to have plenty of room to reach his potential.