An Examination of the Pirates – Yankees Deal

If you haven’t heard yet a deal went down between my two favorite teams.  Yesterday Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte were traded from the Pirates to the Yankees for Jose Tabata, Ross Ohlendorf, Phil Coke and George Kontos.  At first look it looks like a home run for both teams, but the more I look at it the more I think the Yankees really fleeced the Pirates.  Let’s do a break down of the trade:

Yankees get:

• Xavier Nady – His stats so far this season are 0.330/13/57.  He has proven to be a 0.300 hitter with 20-25 homer capability and can play all outfield positions well.  He is the cornerstone of this trade as the Yankees had a serious gap in the outfield with Matsui incapacitated and Cabrera hitting like crap something had to be done.  For the Pirates this move allows them to finally have a spot for über prospect Andrew McCutchen to play.
• Damaso Marte – It’s no secret that the Yankee bullpen this year needs some help and to bring in a quality left hander might just be what the doctor ordered.  Marte brings a 4-0/3.47/1.16 record to the Yanks, along with his ability to close games and a K/IP ratio of 1.0.  Plus between Nady and Marte the Pirates clear almost 6 million off the payroll.

Pirates Get:

• Jose Tabata – At the beginning of the season I think I would have placed him as the top outfielding prospect in the minors.  But now I see that Austin Jackson has that distinction all to himself.  After having a fantastic season in 2007 where he went 0.307/5/54/15 at the high A level, he was pushed up to AA where he has gone 0.248/3/36/10.  He is still raw and only 20 years old, there is no reason to think he won’t become a 5 tool player at some point.  The thing is his MLB ETA is years away, not 2009, not 2010, probably 2011.  The Yankees get someone now who can help them while Jackson is maturing in the minors and the Pirates get (hopefully) a star of the future.
• Russ Ohlendorf – In his 31 games as a Yankee, he has never started a game.  In the minors in 92 games he started 79 of them.  He’s a starter, his numbers were always better as a starter but for some reason, the Yankees never used him that way and he never got used to being a reliever.  Hopefully he will be used correctly as a Pirate, but only time will tell.  I still think he is going to be better as a starter than a reliever.
• Phil Coke – I think of all the players the Yankees gave up, this one is going to bite us in the tail later.  Phil was coasting around the minors for four years, before he finally figured out how to pitch.  In 2007 he was with the Tampa Yankees and went 7-3/3.09/1.31, then in 2008 he was with the Trenton Thunder where he went 9-4/2.60/1.23 before being traded.  If I were the Pirates GM, I would send him to AA then next year move him to AAA or see if he can make the team out of Spring Training.
• George Kontos – He has moved up the minor league ladder one rung per year, but he was the throw in prospect.  Personally I think he has been over matched in the minors and may never make it to the professional level.  So far this year he has been 3-9/3.77/1.30, which isn’t too bad, but I don’t think he is ready for AAA yet and if he does go to AAA, he may never be good enough to make the pros.

In the end I think the Yankees got the best part of the deal.  Losing Tabata and Coke stings, but niether will be ready for the next 2 years and this is a team that has to win now.  For the Pirates, who are in the business of developing prospects for teams like the Yankees and Red Sox, they get four more to cultivate, and they get to immerse McCutchen in the outfield this year (as opposed to next year).  In the end, I think the Yankees did better, but I know they won’t hold on to Nady or Marte for more than 2 seasons.  Which is sad because if Nady was allowed to just play everyday I think he would reward you.  How do you feel about the trade?