eyégor wrote:I find it hard to believe that Yankee fans seem to think this is a good thing.
My thoughts
1) Are the Yankees that confident in Jose Veres & especially David Robertson? Remember, LaTroy is now an Astro. Well, maybe that's a good thing.
2) Do they really need a hitting catcher? Pudge's power has been on the decline for a while now, but he still has a decent average, but he has never drawn many walks. More importantly, his catching skills have eroded significantly, and he will be replacing one of the top defensive catchers in the game (Molina).
3) Is it wise to give the appearance that the old Yankee tradition of stocking up on greybeards has returned? This smells of Hank trying to be just like dear old dad.
But, other than that, I love the trade.
1. My confidence is in the ability of Joe Girardia and Dave Eiland to manage a bullpen. Torre's Achillies heel was his tendancy to rely on only some of his relievers, and as a result, when he had to go to his less-favorite guys, they hadn't gotten enough work to be reliable. The strongest part of this team since the All-Star game is the bullpen. By the way, one of the guys who had been in Torre's doghouse was Farnsworth. Girardi/Eiland have turned a wild fireballer into a great 8th inning guy.
2. The Yankees need hitting more than anything right now. I will take a .295 catcher who has playoff experience over a .220 catcher.
3. The Yankees used to sign free agent greybeards. This is a two-month (hopefully, 3-month) rent-a-player obtained through trade. The risk is worth taking.
If Manny gets traded to Florida, I send Theo Epstein a thank you note.
Only 1 game behind Boston, and (I never thought I'd say this) only 3 behind Tampa Bay. August will be a tough month.
I am about 25% sure of this.