Way to deal from strength Cash, yowza indeed!

Wow. Wow again. I guess Farnsworth pitched himself into being worth something.
What is Pudge's contract status? Surely this is some sort of salary dump? Can you imaging a Pudge-Posada tag team next season?

Marte replaced Hawkins, so who replaces the Whacker? IPK and Ponson/Rasner to the pen? Melancon? [Edit: Or Britton?]

This look like 'fair value' to you MattPat? (just joshing ya good man)

They really felt that Kyle Farnswoth (or any late inning guy) is the missing link that will put them over the top, at the expense of a still pretty good hitting catcher?

One other thing--I guess this finally marks the end of the Chad Moeller experience?

Hey, I'm not arguing or complaining. Just curious to see how the roster shakes out.

I still think they end up with Washburn by tomorrow evening.

Pudge is having about the same year he had two years ago, so the stats they feed into the rankings should look pretty similar. Of course, since the formula is a secret, and since it's comparative, there's no way to know. But it looks likely.

Kyle seems a little dissappointed. I have to say I am somewhat surpised by how emotional he seems. After all the acrimony, you have to give him credit for turning it around this year.

Pudge is currently batting: .295 .338 .417 .755
That's about a .150 pts upgrade, for a great defensive catcher who is currently throwing out 36% of runners. WOW! What a deal. What an upgrade!

OK Banterers. Repeat after me...
I will NEVER question Cashman again...
I will NEVER question Cashman again...
I will NEVER question Cashman again...

::slow clap for Cashman::

http://marilyn.indstate.edu/~vijaysomu/funny/JonnyCashFinger.jpg

Brandon Inge becomes the catcher. Their BUC is now one Dane K.A.A. Sardinha, born in Honolulu. Obviously, he's the brother of Bronson Kiheimahanaomauiakeo Sardinha; I can't wait to find out what Dane's three middle names are.

More irony...the Yankees get Pudge and he represents a downgrade in throwing out runners.

I wonder if the Marte deal had this as a next step all the way? If not Pudge then another catcher for a reliever.

Amazingly, though Pudge is NOT El Pudge any more (power's gone since 'roids are gone and I won't say sorry for that), adding him and Nady for Molina and a LF kidlet gives us ... an 8-deep batting order again, +Leche.

Next year? They need to offer him arbitration to get the picks. No room for Pudge AND a healthy Jorge next year, unless you treat them as the steady DH and C combo. Not SUCH a dismal idea, but ...

Bear in mind:

"Things aren't going to get any easier than that for the Yankees, who begin a four-game series with the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. Forty-one of their final 55 games are against teams at or above .500."

Ouch.

think it's a good, no-brainer trade for the Yankees, given, as RIYank mentions, how bad their situation has been since Posada went out. Farnsworth isn't much at all to give up. Old or not, he's an upgrade. The arbitration/draft pick issue is going to be trickier, no slam dunk they get the draft picks (and it's a risk to do it). But regardless, I still think this was a solid move by the Yankees.

That said, as my Dad the Yanks fan just wrote me, "Nice move but I want them to get Washburn. Ponson is a total crapshoot. Hughes may be back soon and then Wang, but after the first three starters they're really still hurting." So, starter anyone? Maybe they should trade for Paul Byrd? We don't want him.

"While Girardi, who was emotional about losing Farnsworth, would not specifically say Rodriguez will start over Molina, he did say, "Pudge is going to play."

Uh, oh. Did we just get another DH?

Eric Clapton has nothing on Cash-Money. Cashman is god.

holy crap.

Pudge started out horribly this year but has been hot for 2 full months now (June .877, July .866) if he can keep that up it will be helpful. He has a huge home/road split though, so I hope he gets comfy in Yankee Stadium quick.

Tigers just opened a pretty sizable hole in their team- they must really be worried about the continued health of Rodney and Zumaya.

It sounds like Pudge might not really be able to play every day anymore. But even four days a week of Pudge over Molina would be a huge improvement.

Unmentioned side benefit - Pudge is a righty hitter.

Other unmentioned side benefit - RSN is going to be furious, because Varitek has been almost as bad as Molina (-3.1 VORP) and he doesn't throw out anyone.

Dombrowski apparently said (according to ESPN) something like, "Pudge got what he wanted." I guess the no-trade that Pudge waived was a pretty big factor in the value they were able to get back. Other teams had relievers but he was only going to a couple teams. and with Boston's pen being relatively average I guess that meant us...

The pinstripes aura strikes again!

And they've now got Dane Sardinha as their backup catcher? Dane is several years older than Bronson, and has been knocking around the minors forever.

Last I heard, Bronson Sardinha had been knocked down to AA. With the Indians. The Mariners dumped him because he got caught driving drunk in Fresno.

By the way, I think that Bruney's going to replace Kyle on the roster. Melancon, as good as he is, might be nearing his innings limit for the season (I read that somewhere, but can't remember where -- maybe River Ave. Blues).

I am curious who the 8th inning guy is though? Bruney, Edwar or Veras seem the likely candidates.

By the way, I'm up for just buckling and sending Garnder to the Mariners. We need to win and he could help.

"Secondly, the club believes Brandon Inge is ready to succeed Rodriguez as the No. 1 catcher for the rest of this season. "Brandon Inge is ready to tackle being the everyday catcher. He gives us a quality chance to win on a day-in, day-out basis and this allows us to address the one area of our club that needs to be addressed the most, which is our bullpen, " Dombrowski explained. He also said Inge will be the No. 1 catcher next season.

"Lastly, the Tigers need bullpen help. "Our major focus was our bullpen," said Dombrowski. Todd Jones has been replaced at closer by Fernando Rodney, but neither Rodney nor Joel Zumaya, who were injured much of the year, are as durable right now as the Tigers hope they will be. Rodney has struggled with his control in both of his outings since he replaced Jones at closer.

"He stressed that the deal doesn't in any way represent a retreat from the Tigers' playoff aspirations for this season. He said he believes the trade makes the club stronger now."

http://tinyurl.com/5m3t6p

OK, Dave. Whatever you say.

I'm not counting on it, though.

"Stalemated with the Yankees over Washburn, the Mariners are trying to stir interest in other clubs, including the Rockies. Lots of luck when the M's want to purge the remainder of Washburn's $9.85 million salary this season and $10.35 million salary next season and get legitimate players in return."

screw that.

Apparently, the Tacoma Rainiers just left Sardinha there. He ended up staying there for three weeks, until Cleveland signed him.

He's an idiot with only himself to blame. He admits the Yankees offered him a great contract, but he turned them down. Then screwed up his chances with the Mariners with that DWI.

But I still feel sorry for him. He probably chose Seattle/Tacoma because they're close to Hawaii. Then he ends up in Buffalo, NY.

Even worse, his whole family came to NY from Hawaii to see a series where his team played his brother Dane's team. The day they arrived, the Bisons told him that he was being sent down to AA. They let him spend one day with his family, then it was off to join the Akron Aeros.

I keep score of every game I go to, so I like little things like that.

37 agreed to the checkmark for Cash, but not (any more) a D upgrade from El Molina.

I'd be surprised if Detroit doesn't deal for a catcher now, someone like Zaun, or one of the Texas trio.

I like this all over the place, it makes the Marte deal (and Bruney/Britton to arrive) fit so well.

Holy fucking shit.

weepingforbrunnhilde will be ecstatic.

47 et al - wow, I had no idea B. Sardinha had gone through all that.

51 But what if Girardi plans on "auditioning" an 8th inning guy, and in the process, discovers that playing mix-and-match works damn well?

59 His OPS+ is 101 (meaning he has hit better than Jeter). Also relevant, Molinas OPS+ is 58.

I've been thinking this for days -- Nady replaces Gardner/Christian in left, but we still need a catcher who can hit, preferably a righty hitting catcher.

Then, the radio headline hits me on the way home tonight.
PUDGE REPLACES POSADA.

Ah ha! now, this makes perfect sense to me.

Well done, Mr. Cashman, very very very well done.

I've always (ok, mostly) had a softspot in my heart for the man I dubbed Farnswacker, and I'm a little sorry to see him go. I wanted him to prove everybody wrong in the end. I wanted to see him get it done for the Yanks.

Also, as a HUGE Posada fan, (one who was foolishly in denial that he even NEEDED surgery) I've never looked at Pudge as someone I'd want on my team. I've always looked at Posada and said, that's our guy, and to hell with Pudge, and Tek, and the rest of 'em.

But all that said, I'm not going to pretend for a second that this isn't a good move for the Yanks.

Way to go, Cash. Seriously, dude. This could be a very good thing.

As for the 8th inning? Either Bruney or Marte will get the 8th, I suppose. I can't see Britton there, given the way he has been used.

On the radio, I heard chuckles & lumpy talking about Manny going to Philly? Any truth to that?

With Aceves, Kennedy, Hughes, Pavano (stranger things have happened), in the pipeline, is it really necessary that the Yanks pick up Washburn? Or give up what the M's seem to be looking for?

When you think about it, the "demotion" of Joba to the rotation freed up more innings, which allowed Girardi to use more relievers. Presumably, that was a factor in each member's success, meaning putting Joba in the rotation actually helped the Yankees improve their catching situation.

Even if Hughes takes that one when he gets activated and optioned down, there is still lots of play. Wang could be moved to the 60-day DL, so could Duncan.

Or Ponson could be DFA'd and IPK given his spot.

77 78 With all the quality arms still down on the farm, there's no reason for the Yanks to have to spend money on a free agent reliever. Maybe for a long time.

But, knowing the way Loria and Henry work together, along with Bud, it wouldn't shock me...

75 It depends on what Posada's prognosis really is. It's hard to imagine a clubhouse with both Posada and Pudge being a happy one.

OTOH, the Marlins could afford Manny's salary, they just choose not to pay too much for their players.

The bigger thing is that they'd probably ship a ton of cash to FLA for Manny's salary and depending on how much they pick up, they could get Hermida. And he's actually a decent fielder. Best case scenario: Manny pushes them into the playoffs, FLA doesn't exercise Manny's option, they offer him arbitration, he walks, and they get two picks.

Which is another thing about Pudge, the Yanks have to offer him arbitration to get the picks if he walks. He's making 12 mill a year now, the worst pay cut is like 20%, so the Yankees could be stuck paying him $10 mill or so next year to be Posada's foil.

Multipe baseball sources say the Red Sox are on the verge of sending disgrunted left fielder Manny Ramirez to the Marlins in a trade for a package of three players that included low Class A Greensboro outfielder Mike Stanton, an 18-year-old who is hitting .275/.351/.569 with 26 home runs in 96 games.

I really don't understand the Marlin's thinking with this trade. Even if the Sox pay a lot of the salary, it makes such little sense. They should be making these moves in the off season. But, again, there is already the notorious connection between the owners, so nothing shocks me.

Its not really a win-now type of move for the Sox, but if they can come out of it with Hermida, Stanley, and someone else, that is a major haul for the future, and an insane amount for the Marlins to give up for a disgruntled Manny.

No matter what his production is this year, the odds against his playing two more productive seasons are...huge? astronomical? I can't for the life of me imagine why anyone would give him a two-year deal at any kind of money. He's about the worst risk there is.

I also think Pudge would decline arbitration. He'll look for a near-Posada type deal.

But somebody will pay stupid money for I-Rod next year. Or at least, I-Rod will expect them to.

If they add top-shelf prospects to the deal, then it seems unrealistic or overly Boston-friendly.

Love the trade, though, like JL25and3, I'm still questioning the plan. Next year's team is going to be awfully old with not much back-up in the minors.

Boston has deep pockets, like the Yankees, and with a good young, cost-controlled corner OFer, they can dump that $20 million/year that Theo has been trying to get away from on plenty of neat toys.

And, you're right, the Marlins get their draft picks so they can continue their run as an occasionally good, crazy cheap, team.

But without a doubt it makes the Sox weaker in the short term. On the other hand, there is also a rumor going around of a three way deal with the Pirates getting Hermida and the Sox Bay, which would really hurt...

No f'ing way they pick it up.

Keep in mind too that the season is 2/3rds done, so Manny's already been paid ~$13.4M of his $20M, the Marlins would only be on the hook for rest (~$6.6M). They could afford that pretty easily - shoot they'll get triple that in revenue sharing money alone this winter.

Another perspective - a playoff appearance could be worth between an extra $10M and $20M (IIRC, based some analysis Nate Silver did), and so that would pay for Manny right there.

I'm happy with the trade.

latroy "the fat lady" hawkins was traded to the houston astros ... no word yet on how many baseballs the yankees received in return ...

In case you missed it, LaTroy Hawkins was traded to the Astros for Single-A infielder Matt Cusick. He was .285/.356/.462 for Lexington and is a former USC player.

I can't wait until the Ramirez/Ortiz duo is a memory.

Now if only something could be done about Igawa. . .

Did everyone hear Manny's remarks to ESPN Deportes this afternoon? "They don't deserve a player like me." Among other things.

Bay is having a nice season, but remember seeing him at YS last year? He was a disaster. I'd be more nervous if the Sox end up with Hermedia.

I will be dancing in the street if they get Bay.

But I certainly share your Schadenfreude. Pandemonium in RSN vastly improves my quality of life.

I remember reading about him on a BA Hot Sheet earlier this year I believe.

Is everyone else following this on Gamecast or something?

Or, the Sox could get a guy currently hitting .284/.377/.523 (137 OPS+). Who's 29, and under contract for next year, and could easily be signed to an extension, sitting the Sox up in LF for the next 4-5 years.

(BTW, I'll take this year's stats vs a 3 game small sample size from last year, as being a better indicator of Jason Bay's ability.)

If wanting the Bay trade to be a rumor is nuts, then I'm King Effing Pecan.

I'm following online now.

His numbers this year match his career numbers closer than they do '07, which now looks like a peak, or '06, which looks like a valley.

He's still quite good, but its possible that this is the typical Beckett, and last year's unbeatable guy was the outlier.

6-2 Angels, still just 1 out.

Now Manny makes a nice over-the-shoulder catch, then lobs the ball in as Figgins coasts home. The fans don't seem to be hatin' on Manny at all.

Five runs in this inning.

E3 (Youk), and then Coco takes a terrible route to a pop that turns into a double! Defensive disaster for the Sox this inning.

Hermida is a nice, promising player, but he has also been an injury prone one. Also, the prospects being discussed in that deal are high ceiling, but also very far away. I just can't worry about Boston getting 18-year old Mike Stanton, no matter what his OPS is in A ball.

Bay has been very good 4 of the last 5 seasons, and is a player in his prime. He would be a nice addition, but he is no Manny. Ultimately, I'd rather deal with one year of Bay on Boston in 2009, than have to deal with Manny this season. It might not be the most scientific way to evaluate things, but Manny scares the living $%#@ out of me, and Bay does not.

157 There is, but it's a bit hard to follow their versions of Williamnyy23 and Chyll Will in Japanese...so much commentary on the batting styles of Hatakeyama and Kajimoto when the defensive shift comes on..

Motherfucker goes the other way!!!

And we're rid of Farnsworth!

A glorious day in Yankeeland!!

Pudge is going to come through for us, mark my words.

Dude can hit!

Whooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Owowowow!!!!!!!!!!!

ROFL!