Heard any good rumors yet? The Newark Star Ledger floated one the other day about the Yankees moving Jorge Posada to the Diamondbacks in exchange for Randy Johnson. Now, it’s just a rumor, but shoot, that must mean the Hot Stove League is starting to bubble. Steven Goldman, a longtime Posada advocate doesn’t think it would be a wise deal for New York:

Posada is the kind of player who should age well. He is going to strike out more and hit for less of an average, but the power should maintain and so should the walks. The other two are going to be team leaders and “great handlers of pitchers.”

The trick is to trade up, not down, and this would be a huge step down, not to mention a further dilution of the team’s identity. You could more easily replace Derek Jeter — with A-Rod, who is already here — than you can Posada, so maybe Jeter should be offered up for the Big Unit or Tim Hudson and his vanishing strikeouts. Trading Jeter for a top pitcher and signing a free agent third baseman like Adrian Beltre would leave the Yankees a stronger club than trading Posada for a lesser pitcher and signing Varitek. Why is that somehow unthinkable? Maybe it’s because the difference between perceived value and actual value with Jeter and Posada is so large.

Oh, and just FYI, Lee Jenkins has a nice, long profile of Brooklyn’s own, Willie Randolph in the Times today. Worth checking out.