SAY IT AIN'T SO, RO

It just wasn't meant to be for Rondell White and the Yanks. White, a good-natured guy who had a tough year with the Bombers last season, and who wanted dearly to excell with the Yanks, was traded this afternoon to the Padres for Bubba Trammell and minor-league pitcher Mark Phillips, San Diego's first-round pick in the 2000 draft (Phillips was 9th overall), according to Lee Sinns.

I asked my cousin Gabe, the Mets fan what he makes of the deal. Here is what he said:

For one thing, it makes the Yankees's roster that much more similar to the 2000 Mets'. The Yankees also got a minor leaguer, a highly drafted pitcher, and rightly so: when healthy, White's a better hitter than Trammell, someone who can hit third (on a bad team) as opposed to someone who should hit sixth or seventh (but would have hit fourth on SD). I think, also, Trammell is more accustomed to and better suited for coming off the bench.

I assume that it's a trade initiated by San Diego. They've been trying to upgrade slightly to give their lame line-up some sense of respectability.

More in the a.m...