From ESPN.com :
The Yankees will send the Phillies 20-year-old minor-league shortstop C.J. Henry — their No. 1 pick in 2005 — and 27-year-old left-handed reliever Matt Smith, in exchange for Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle. The Phillies will also pick one other minor-league player from an agreed-upon list, while the Yankees will take on responsibility for Abreu and Lidle’s contracts. Abreu is owed $15 million for 2007 alone.
Abreu has a full no-trade clause in his contract and has the right to accept or reject the deal. In the past his agent has said any team trading for Abreu would have to pick up his $16 million option for 2008 to get him to waive the no-trade clause. However, Abreu himself recently has backed off that stance.
Abreu was pulled from the lineup prior to the first game of the Phillies’ twinbill with the Marlins.
Chase Utley’s 4th inning double in the above contest — Philly’s up, 5-2 — extended his hitting streak to 30 games.
CSTB readers- Remember when the Abreu to Yanks subject first came up and it elicited our comments on Yankee sense of entitlement in regards to getting teams better/best players?…well…. I would like to express my appreciation to Bobby Abreu for years and years of steady stellar offensive production and for class and grace as far as dealing with the sector of Philly meatheads who scapegoated him throughout his tenure. Bobbys power/slg% #s have declined since last June but he is still a top-notch run creater and I have a hunch that Larry Bowas recent comments about Abreu needing a change of scenery will turn out to be correct and he will do well for the Yankees.
Agreed, for sure. With the exception of Soriano, there was no surer thing than Abreu on the market at the deadline, and it was clear that for whatever reason Philly was weighing on him (CM would know a lot more about that than me, obviously). I have no doubt that he’ll hit and field beautifully with the Yankees.
This deal highlights what really undergirds the Yankees (annoying, but totally sensible) sense of entitlement and near omnipotent trade deadline abilities — they will eat any contract, bear any burden, to fill weak spots in their lineup. No one else — well, the BoSox, Angels, Dodgers or Mets, maybe, although they’ve all been a lot less keen to do so — can do that. And that’s why the Yankees are the team that can replace Aaron Guiel with one of the five best rightfielders in baseball. It may take more than Cory Lidle to solidify their rotation — although moving Sidney “Melted Cheese” Ponson out of the loop/organization will help — but they’ll be just fine with Abreu in right for however long they want him. All that said, I’m glad he’s not on the Mets. I don’t know why, I just am.
David- I think your comment about being happy about Abreu not being on the Mets might have something to do with that series with the Phils where in consectutive games Abreu seized up at the warning track against screaming liners Mets batters hit?… That hasnt happened since, but Abreu can be an adventure on defense…. Yes, this dealt does undergird the Yankee dollar as in the worse case scenario when Abreu isnt raking at the plate he still gets on base at around a 40% percentage and he is very capable of blowing up at the plate or at least ending the season with his seemingly biologically determined .290/.400/.900 range offensive #s with a 80% sucessful stolen base % and the Yankees have the scratch to take a shot with him. As far as Cory Lidle solidifying the Yankees rotation, Lidle may very well do so as far as a 5th starter, and is certainly an upgrade on say, Pig Unit.. Lidles aggregate #s dont jump out at you but when you check out his game logs, you will see that he rarely gets blown out in early innings, is easy on the BP and tends to throw a workmanlike 6-7 innings and give up 3-5 runs per outing. This looks like a very good move by Cashman, and as far as my local nine, it all depends on how Gillick spends what is now a very hefty wind fall this winter.