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In a six player deal that was finalized on Saturday the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady and lefty reliever Damaso Marte in return the Pirates received top outfield prospect Jose Tabata and minor league right-handers Dan McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf.

Damaso Marte

The Yankees seemed to have gotten the best end of this deal considering the teams needs and the recent injuries to Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada which could keep them out for the remainder of the season. The Yankees had a need for a lefty pitcher in their bullpen as their entire bullpen staff is comprised of right handers. They also filled a need by bringing in the right handed Nady to their lefty dominated lineup.

Nady is batting .330 with 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 88 games. Marte is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 2-3 innings. The players the Pirates acquired on the other hand are not performing nearly as well at the major league or minor league level. Ohlendorf was 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees this season. He was demoted June 27 and had a 1-1 record with a 4.03 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Tabata was batting .248 with three homers and 36 RBIs with Double-A Trenton.

There was some indication that the Yankees brass had been discussing Barry Bonds as a possible addition to the team, but with the acquisition of Nady this seems very unlikely.

In my opinion this is one of the best moves GM Brian Cashman has made in his tenure as the Yankees general manager. Far exceeding acquistions like Carl Pavano who turned out to be one of the biggest busts in all of baseball. The move also turns the Yankees into a very legitimate threat to capture the AL East crown, with their defeat of Boston Friday they are just 2 games back in the chase for the pennant.

Also worth consideration is the fact that the Yankees will certainly get Wang back in their starting rotation at some point this year and may get either Posada or Matsui back should they not require season ending surgery. The next priority on Cashman’s list however, should be to acquire a starting pitcher to help the staff get through season until Wang’s return. Starters like Sidney Ponson and Darly Rasner have performed above expectations and can’t be expected to continue to pitch at such a high level.

If they do manage to make another deal for a starting pitcher they could catch a Red Sox team who has suffered a string of injuries to stars David Ortiz and Manny Rameriez, or a Tampa team that has not performed well on the road this season and has just one every day player batting over .300.

This trade could prove to be exactly what the Yanks needed to make a serious run at another World Series title.