Posted by Jonathan Bell in The Yankees, who have been tearing it up of late, have just completed a deal with the Pirates to bolster the club before the deadline. On Friday, the Yankees acquired outfielder Xaiver Nady and relief pitcher Damaso Marte in return for relief pitcher Ross Ohlendorf and three prospects. One of the prospects will be highly touted Jose Tabata from Venezuela; the other two, although not confirmed, are expected to be pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos.
Nady, 29, comes over to the Yankees as one of the National League’s best hitters this year. Through 88 games, Nady has hit .330 with 13 homeruns and 57 RBI. The Yankees will be his third club after orginally coming up with the Padres (2000-2005), and brief stint with the cross-town rival New York Mets (2006). It is expected that Nady, who is primarily an outfielder, will come over to play first base, something he has done quite well in the past. This also allows the Yankees to move Jason Giambi back to designated hitter.
Marte, 33, joins an inconsistent Yankees bullpen and adds instant stability. During his nine-year playing career, Marte has gone 21-21 with a 3.21 ERA and 36 saves over 494 career outings. This season, Marte is 4-0 with a 3.57 ERA, and has also notched 5 saves and 47 strikeouts in 46.2 innings. Marte is now with his fourth club since starting his career with the Seattle Mariners (1999) and Chicago White Sox (2002-2005). He was in his second stint with the Pirates before being traded. His first stint came in 2001, and he has spent the last three years with the club.
The deal is pending medical pysicals.
Yankees farm system once again thinning out. But Nady and Marte for that price is an absolute steal.
Yea I love the move as well. Nady is a very nice hitter, gives them a proven bat then come in and play 1B/OF. He actually should of been an All-Star this year the guy is hitting .330. But I also like Marte to shore up the bullpen. Hes a guy with a lot of late inning experience and success. They finally have a guy that can bridge the gap to Mo, now that Joba has been in the rotation.
Tabata is only 19 but has been refereed to a stud since he was 16, when I first heard of him. The only thing is he is 3 or 4 years away. The Yankees window to win is closing, and thats why they made this trade. Although the Yankees find a way to keep on winning the division. It is inevitable that they will have at least one possible two down years to reshape the organization if you will. And even then who knows how competitive they will be for a while with the division getting stronger. The Yankees are mainly a veteran team, and they don’t really have anyone waiting in the wings.