Sunday, July 27, 2008

X marks the spot

The rundown of the Yankees' big deal made Friday night:

TRADE: OF Xavier Nady and LHP Damaso Marte from Pittsburgh for RHP Ross Ohlendorf, OF Jose Tabata, LHP Phil Coke and RHP George Kontos .


This deal was reconfigured on Saturday. RHPs Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen are going to Pittsburgh. Coke and Kontos are headed back to Double-A Trenton.


ANALYSIS: What a great trade. The Yankees fill two immediate needs with one stroke and don't sacrifice their entire future. Nady gives them right-handed power with Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada unlikely to return, and brings experience playing in New York (Mets, 2006).


Marte, who even though has been better against right-handers (.200) than left-handers (.255), is the lefty specialist the Yankees have lacked all season and enhances a bullpen that's evolved to among the best in the game - this after Joba Chamberlain was moved to to the starting rotation. Throughout Marte's career, lefties are batting .198 compared to righties' .241. The Yankees are banking on a complete body of work.


Ohlendorf and the oft-injured Karstens were victims of  the numbers game. McCutchen has the potential to be good, but so does Ian Kennedy and Phil Hughes (still). Tabata's stock has plummeted from the next Manny to a Manny-sized headache. At age 20, he has a lot of growing up to do in more ways than one.


Furthermore, Coke is one of those guys who nobody talks about but has the makeup to succeed in New York if ever called upon.

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