In Rod We Trust…

I originally wanted to cover the Pudge Rodriguez trade when it went down on Wednesday, but I figured it would be best to wait another day until after the deadline, in case the Yankees made any more moves.  Which of course they didn’t, but at least now I can also comment on another trade that directly effects the Yankees, which is Manny Ramirez being dealt to La-La Land. 

So after losing C-Rod, the Yankees made Alex Rodriguez whole again by acquiring his former Texas Ranger teammate I-Rod, or Pudge, as you all know him best.  Unfortunately we can’t refer to him as Pudge anymore since he came off the juice, but it does sound much better than Ivan, since he looks nothing like a 7 foot Russian heavyweight.  

The trade that seemed to come out of nowhere is definitely a positive move for the Yankees in my book.  No doubt about it, the Yankees needed to upgrade at catcher after Posada went down.  While Molina is very solid defensively, his bat was just killing the offense.  Plus Molina has basically been a back up his whole career, so you had to wonder if he could handle the rigors of catching everyday without breaking down.Scary to think that if that scenario happened, Chad Moeller would have been the everyday catcher. 

This trade, unlike the Pittsburgh trade did affect the Yankees 25 man roster, as they were forced to deal away Yankee fan favorite Kyle Farnsworth.  Since Day 2 of the Kyle Farnsworth era, Yankee fans have been screaming for Cashman to trade him away.  Now in no way am I going to say Farnsworth was dominate in his 3 seasons with the Yankees, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as people made him out to be.  In his first two seasons he gave the Yankees 60 innings per season at league average production, and was well on his way to toping that mark this season.  However his streaks of inconsistency, plus the high level of expectations due to his $5 million dollar salary, caused the fans to turn on Kyle awfully quickly.  I always felt he would be a great 7^th inning pitcher for the Yankees, but instead he was thrust into the 8^th inning role and asked to replace the very reliable Tom Gordon.  Kyle seemed to turn the corner this season, which was probably helped on by being reunited with Joe Girardi, but the question of when would he implode was always in the back of the Yankee fans mind.  Plus with the emergence of Jose Veras, Edwar Ramirez and the recent acquisition of Damaso Marte, Farnsworth became expendable.

Now let’s not trick ourselves into thinking the Yankees acquired the 2000 version of Pudge, because that player flushed his syringe a long time ago.  However the Yankees are getting a player who is offensively league average, which at catcher is very valuable.  Add on the fact that Pudge has the reputation of being a solid catcher defensively (more so with controlling the running game than being a receiver) and this was a no doubter for Cashman.  And I’m sure Pudge’s postseason experience didn’t hurt his case much either, as we remember him fondly from his days with the 2003 Marlins and 2006 Tigers. Yankee fans have been spoiled to some degree with Jorge Posada, as it’s not usual for catchers (aside from the Brian McCaan’s & pre 2008 Victor Martinez’s of the world) to carry an offense.  But a team also shouldn’t have to live with a catcher who supports an OPS+ of 56 either.   So as Cashman so eloquently put it in his press conference, the Yankees are robbing Peter to pay Paul, but an everyday catcher with an OPS of .750 has more value than a late inning reliever who may only pitch 3 innings a week. 

If you are looking for a negative in this trade, you’ll be hard pressed to find one.  I’ve heard some people express concern that the pitchers could struggle because they seemed to be clicking so well with Jose Molina.  There may be some growing pains while Pudge learns his new pitchers, but he’s a professional who’s been in the league for some time now, he’ll adjust accordingly.  Of course however Mike Mussina will continue to pitch to Molina, but that’s no surprise to anyone.   Also while the Yankee bullpen loses a guy who has been valuable to them, he can be replaced by a number of similar pitchers, such as Brian Bruney, Chris Britton (who was called up yesterday) and hopefully Mark Melancon.  I would have included JB Cox in that line, but he seems to be tiring a bit in AAA now, which is to be expected from a guy coming off TJ surgery. 

And if there is anyone out there like me who almost cares more about draft picks then the actual players, all indications are Pudge will be a Type A free agent after this season.  Which means if he declines arbitration, the Yankees will get two draft picks for him, instead of just one, which they would have gotten from Kyle.  And who knows, maybe Farnsworth will be back next year anyways.  He was quite emotional upon hearing about the trade, as were Girardi and Cashman, so anything is possible I suppose.

For you Chad Moeller fans out there, he was designated for assignment, and if he passes through waivers will be moved to AAA Scranton.  Chad will stay there until he’s recalled up to the Bronx when the rosters expand on September 1^st.

To be sure I cover all Yankee trades I must include that the Yankees sent SS Alberto Gonzalez to Washington  (ironic huh?) for RHP Jhonny Nunez.  I always liked Gonzalez as a utility player due to his slick fielding, but he couldn’t hit at all.  Nunez was rated as the Nationals 18^th best prospect last season, but saw his stock slip a bit this year as he struggled with an era over 5 in AA.  Still the Yankees like him for his power sinker, and will most likely move him to the bullpen.  Hopefully this reliever we acquired from Washington doesn’t blow out his arm like the last one we got (I’m referencing Albaladejo in case you were wondering, remember him?). 

In other news…

I’m not going to go into great detail about the Manny trade since Jim Mulligan has already done so in his Redsox blog, but as a Yankee fan I have to say I’m glad to see him go.  Make no mistake; Jason Bay (aside from last year when he was hurt for most of the season) is a fine player.  His numbers this year are also eerily similar to Manny’s which makes you think the Redsox won’t lose much offensive production.  But still he’s no Manny, nobody is Manny.  You have to ask the question, how will Bay adjust to life in the pressure cooker that is Boston?  He seems to have the same quiet demeanor as JD Drew, and look how long it took him to adjust.  Also is his .190 average this year against lefties just a fluke due to small sample size?  Probably but it still catches my eye, especially since he’s probably going to be facing Pettitte and Marte in a few big spots this season.  Will he hit as well now that he’s no longer facing the dregs of the NL Central?  I’m sure that will have an effect on him, but you also have to take into consideration he is moving to one of the best hitters parks in baseball, so that will all probably all balance out in the end.  And don’t believe what you hear, Bay really isn’t much of a defensive upgrade over Manny.  Yes he won’t be stupid and cut off a throw from the centerfielder, but he won’t be chasing balls down in the gaps either. 

Still from everything I’ve heard, Boston knew they had to move Manny.  Apparently Theo met with some of the players and they agreed Manny was becoming a distraction.  So while he may get criticized for this move, you have to understand he did the best with what he had.  He probably gave up more than he wanted, as I know they liked Moss and had hopes for Hansen turning it around, but he did get back an all-star caliber player who only makes 7.5 million next season.  Still, he’s no Manny Ramirez, and while a small part of me is sad to see his crazy antics head to the west coast, I’ll regain my smile in August when Mussina doesn’t have to debate with Girardi whether he should intentionally walk Bay in a tight spot.      

Okay that’s it from me today.  Beware the trading isn’t over, as the Yankees could still get a starter who clears through waivers.  However the crazy blockbusters are over until next July, so what you see now is pretty much what you will get through the rest of the season.  Also enjoy what will most likely be Sidney Ponson’s last start as a Yankee tonight, especially since it looks as if Livan Hernandez will be DFA’d for Liriano any day now. 

Thoughts, questions, comments can all be sent to jvg019@yahoo.com.  Later.

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