Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Pavano in the News
It is rumored that the New York Mets are interested in pitcher Carl Pavano.

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Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:29 PM

Hawkins Traded
LaTroy Hawkins who was recently released and placed on waivers, was picked up by the Houston Astros and worked out a deal to send minor leaguer (A) 2B Matt Cusick to the Yankees farm system.
This will be updated until the final release.

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Labels: Houston Astros, LaTroy Hawkins, Matt Cusick, minor leagues, trade, trade deadline, Yankees



Posted by Steve Kenul at 8:10 PM

Pinstriped Pudge
Yankees sent middle reliever Kyle Farnsworth to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for Ivan Rodriguez. Rodriguez has won 13 gold gloves through out his career with Texas and Detroit and was named to 14 All-Star teams.
Granted Pudge is in his 18th season and is older than Posada, he is a veteran, and the Yankees need one especially with the young pitching.
His presence in the line up is a boost for the offense which has been known to fail with runners in scoring position, and giving strong outings by pitchers a stingy lead.
Farnsworth on paper has had the best season of his career, but wathcin ghim pitcher day after day, he was nothing lioke his stats claim.
Yankees again rob another team. I love the Evil Empire.

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Labels: 2008, Ivan Rodriguez, Kyle Farnsworth, Pudge, trade, trade deadline, Yankees



Posted by Steve Kenul at 4:56 PM

Monday, July 28, 2008
Yankees: Pretender or Contender
After winning nine straight division titles, and making the playoffs every year since 1995, the dynasty known as the Yankees are in a decline.
Last season we saw the Yankees stumble out of the gate only to regain their footage, make a run towards the playoffs fitted with young stars who came up and damn near saved the season. Oh, they also had an MVP named Alex Rodriguez.
This season is almost a replica of last year. Poor clutch hitting, bullpen implosions, and another slow start. At least they still have that MVP fella.
A rash of injuries have taken playing time away from A-Rod, ace Chein-Ming Wang, pitcher friendly Jorge Posada, two break through seasons from Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon, plus the injuries from Phil Hughes, Ian Kennedy, and Brian Bruney (was paid to mention Bruney's name).
The Yankees, in desperate need of relief pitching and a live bat have made headlines.
Joba Chamberlain was removed from the pen to the starting rotation raising questions on who the bridge will be to Rivera. Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins do not have impressive resumes.
Richie Sexson was recently taken from waivers and thrown in the line up and will be used against left-handed pitchers giving more power to the line up who suffer heavily under lefties.
But before I give my two cents, it does amaze me how things just fall in place. Mussina has already matched last seasons win total, Chamberlain has been a very effective starter, and Farnsworth made a turn around providing just enough support to get to Rivera. And speaking of Rivera, 23 for 23 in save opportunities is something to be noticed.
What the Yankees need to do before the July 31 deadline is trade away a bat for an arm. Granted the Yankees are suffering in the once surplussed outfield, I say trade Bobby Abreu for a #2 or #3 starting pitcher.
Randy Wolf of the Padres, Paul Byrd of the Indians, and even Bronson Arroyo from the Reds are all possibilities.
The Yankees have plenty of bats, trade one for a pitcher to bolster the rotation, and better yet, the relief corps. Granted, good relievers are hard to come by, but if there is a will, Big Stein will pay.
The offense is still there, only down by about a run per game from last year. Hitting will only improve. If the pitching stays the same, and the Yankees add one arm, whether it be a starter or reliever, the Yankees have a great chance of reaching the playoffs again.
With that, the Yankees
can be a contender. But until then, and it pains me to say this, right now they are pretenders.

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Labels: 2008, bullpen, pitching, trade, trade deadline, Yankees



Posted by Steve Kenul at 3:54 PM
