The Yankees are in it to win it this year. All it took was an 8-game winning streak and GM Brian Cashman was ready to make some moves, some serious moves. With Thursday's 4 pm trade deadline looming Cashman seems to be working 24-7. As a result, the Yanks went from being left in the dust to serious heavyweights.On Wednesday afternoon the Yankees traded reliever Kyle Farnsworth to the Detriot Tigers for Ivan Rodriguez. All I can say is wow. This is an excellent trade and Brian Cashman once again shows why he's one of the smartest men in baseball. This is the second major trade that the Yankees have pulled in less than a week. With less than 24 hours away Cash may have one more trick up his sleeve. Is that going to be Washburn? We'll find out before Thursday's deadline.
It's a great move and came at the right time. It addresses the catching issue that needed to be addressed and it doesn't interfere with Jorge Posada and his surgery. Both I-Rod and Farnsy are in the last year of their contracts and both address needs to their new respective teams. The Tigers need a set-up man with Joel Zumaya injured and Fernando Rodney named the new closer, and the Yanks need a stable catcher because Jose Molina just isn't an everyday player.
Rodriguez will be just as solid as Molina behind the plate but he will give the offense a boost. He batted .295 5 HR 32 RBI this season. An upgrade over Molina's .230 0 HR 11 RBI. Molina is best suited as a back up and his defense is superb so you have to look at this as a win-win situation for the Yanks.
Farnsworth has been on a role of late and became of one Joe Girardi's reliable guys out of the bullpen BUT the main factor in this is....he can't be trusted. In Friday night's 1-0 win in Boston over the Sox, Farnsy came into the game in the 8th, surrendered 2 hits and was immediately taken out for Mariano Rivera. To be fair, Kyle just had a bit of bad luck that night because he wasn't hit hard but Girardi wanted to take no chances of a possible mental breakdown so opted for Rivera to finish off the 8th and eventually the 9th. That move right there should've told you that no matter how good Farnsworth pitches, he can NOT be trusted in big spots. So the move was made, Pudge comes to the Bronx and Farnsy goes to Motown.Pudge helped the Marlins get to the World Series in 2003 and the Tigers in 2006, both times it was his first season with the team. Let's see if he can bring that success to the Bronx.
With Klye gone from the 'pen, it nows leaves the question of who fills in the late inning roles. The 8th inning set-up job appears to be going to Jose Veras who has become a reliable option in the late innings. Edwar Ramirez will probably be your 7th inning guy. I have to say this is a gutsy move on the Yankees part but I like it. Brian Bruney is rehabbing his injured foot and is slated to rejoin the bullpen in the coming weeks so he could also fill one of the late inning spots if the men in front of him don't perform. With the addition of Demaso Marte last week, the Yankees bullpen is looking good and that will be a key factor down the stretch. The pieces are falling into place now and I like it. With Manny Ramirez apparently on his way to Florida, you got to think that the Yankees have a serious shot at October.
The recent dynastic run of the late '90's was the result of a strong core and a combination of a deep bullpen, good starting pitching, productive offense and a mold of solid all around players. My friends, the Yankees are one trade away from returning to form....a trade that appears to be on it's way tomorrow afternoon. If that doesn't happen, Chien-Ming Wang, Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Carl Pavano all may make a return before year's end. If you're a Yankees fan, you have to like your chances now....if not, Brian Cashman's got a trick up his sleeve for sure.
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