YANKS BULK UP WITH ABREU, LIDLE
The New York Yankees acquired outfielder Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies for minor-league shortstop C.J. Henry, pitcher Matt Smith, pitcher Carlos Monasterios and catcher Jesus Sanchez.
What does it give the New York Yankees
After spending months without their two all-star corner outfielders, Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield, due to injury, they finally filled one of those holes with another all-star in Abreu. Though the 2005 Home-Run Derby champ's power is way down this year, he remains a very consistent hitter and run producer, an extremely patient slugger, and a strong defensive right-fielder. And he could go on a power surge at any time. The Yanks have also had plenty of problems in the rotation, so at the very least Lidle gives them an experienced and somewhat consistent right arm to add to the mix. He's really no better than a good back-end starter, but that's really all they need right now. The Yanks could be set to overtake the Red Sox and run away with the division again after this deal.
What does it give the Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies sent the signal to their fans with this deal that they're ready to dismantle the veteran core of the team and build from their quality youth up. That said, they did get some solid youth in this deal, though little of it is quite big-league ready. The centerpiece is Henry, a first-rounder in 2005. He's a 20-year-old infielder with excellent size and athleticism who could turn into a quality slugging shortstop in the majors in a few years, which means the Phillies could be looking toward life without Jimmy Rollins down the road. Smith is the most big-league ready of the bunch, having tossed 12.0 scoreless innings of relief for the Yanks this year, but he's also on the older side at 27. After years of starting in the minors, the big righty has emerged as a solid relief prospect this year. Monasterios is another 20-year-old and in his first year pro but is already looking like a promising, young righty in the low minors, with good stuff and command. The youngest of them all is Sanchez, an 18-year-old catcher also in his first pro season. After a slow start to his pro career in the low minors, he's still got a long way to go before he bursts onto the prospect radar in any significant way.
Fantasy impact
