Jose Molina won't be the starting catcher much longer.
The Yankees have traded Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers for future hall of fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.
In 82 games this season, Rodriguez has five home runs and 32 RBI. He is batting .295/.328/.417 in 302 at-bats. He has also walked 19 times while striking out 52 times.
Farnsworth seemed to turn his Yankee career around, becoming a rather reliable member of Joe Girardi's bullpen. He's given up a ton of home runs for a reliever (11) but he's also had stretches where he was dominant this season.
I find this trade rather strange. Unlike other Yankees fans, I never hated Farnsworth. I knew that if he could harness his stuff he could be valuable and I also felt the Yankees could get by with the tandem of Jose Molina and Chad Moeller. This takes one of the primary setup men out of the bullpen as well. That said, you can't pass up Rodriguez's defense and batting abilities.
The acquisition of Damaso Marte looks huge right now, and Brian Bruney is getting close to returning.
Rodriguez is a free agent after this season, so they won't have to worry about him interfering with Jorge Posada's eventual return.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Breaking news: Yankees trade for Pudge Rodriguez
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2 comments:
That makes 4 great pickups in the span of 2 weeks; Sexson, Nady, Marte, and Pudge.
Farnsworth had been pitching well in the bullpen, but with the depth they have in the pen and the struggling offense, I like the trade.
This is a very good trade for the Yanks. Jose Molina is just horrible at the plate. His great throwing arm doesn't come close to making up for it. Pudge isn't that great anymore, but he is a big upgrade over Molina. And the Yanks are loaded with relievers. Kyle is easily replaceable. Plus Pudge might be a Type A free agent, although the Yankees might not want to risk offering him salary arbitration since he would probably accept.
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