[QUOTE=What Exit?]
Too many damn Yankee fans are being stupid right now and Booing A-Rod when they should stand up and cheer and support him. The Yankee fans need to try and help him through his mental woes, not add to them.
/QUOTE]
True. But for us non-Yankee fans, it makes for excellent bread at the circus 
Back to replying to the OP…
I think the Yankees did pretty well to pick up Abreu for “only money” (just have each of the 55,000 paying customers every game in the Bronx buy an extra hot dog for the rest of the year). Lidle should be a throw-in, but isn’t. It’s pretty scary (even to a non-Yankees fan) that he really does slot in as the #4 starter for the Yankees.
Abreu has not lived up to power/RBI expectations, but in the Yankees lineup he will not be in a particularly prominent RBI role and should perform decently in terms of OBP and playing defensely. He has been accused of dogging it in the field for the Phils; nothing like moving to a playoff-bound team and trying to impress the new fans to kick the effort up a notch (yeah, you’d think a $15MM salary would be enough incentive, but then again, he’s filling Gary Sheffield’s position in RF, isn’t he?).
I found it funny that I read somewhere that he was glad to leave Philly “to get away from all the booing”. And so he’s headed to… Yankee Stadium as a high-priced fill-in outfielder? Ooh boy. For his sake I hope he doesn’t finish this year like he did last year (he slumped badly after winning the HR Derby and the Phils finished one (1) game out of the Wild Card… Oooof).
The Yanks being able to avoid picking up his option year to complete the trade was also something of a coup – hats off to Cashman for not blinking on that one. Since Abreu only wanted to go to the Angels, Red Sox, Mets or Yankees, Gillick’s hands were kind of tied, and the Yankees being able and willing to take Lidle’s full salary in addition to Abreu’s made them the obvious partners… But in years past, I’m sure the Yankees (=Steinie) would have jumped the gun and given Abreu the option year to close the trade earlier, rather than wait out the market even a little.
But is it enough? It does solidify their RF spot with a productive (if overpaid) player for the rest of this year. What happens next year, though? Are they going to let Sheffield walk to keep the already-on-the-books-for-15-mil Abreu? That would definitely be a downgrade. And, will Lidle be the key to the Yankees’ pitching woes? It might get them to the post-season (overtaking either the Red Sox for the division or the White Sox/Twins for the Wild Card), but he’s not a “front-line” pitcher that you would give a start to in the post-season. In the end I still foresee a likely first-round exit for the Bombers even if they do make the playoffs… Especially if they end up playing the Twins in the first round.
On the other hand, kudos again to Cashman for resisting throwing away their top pitching prospect (Hughes) to rent Zito for the rest of the year. Yes, Zito is the sort of pitcher who can be The Difference in the playoffs. Swinging both the Abreu deal and a deal for Zito would likely have made the Yanks the favorites to win it again this year. But honestly, it’s better for the franchise to risk missing the playoffs this year and to build a solid young foundation for the next generation of contenders.
Now putting on my Mets hat to talk about the more solid New York baseball team, I was pretty jarred to read about the move they were forced to make today: trading Xavier Nady for Roberto Hernandez (and a washed-up but potential salvage job pitcher in Oliver Perez) upon the news that Duaner Sanchez, the linchpin in the bullpen that has been as key to their success so far this year as anything else, went down with a season-ending injury sustained in a taxicab accident(?!). Augggh!! At least the gods granted that the accident happened Sunday night, and not Monday night after the trade deadline passed. :rolleyes:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I’ll buy an extra Pretzel tomorrow to help pay the extra salaries. 
Good luck with, Hernadez, at least you know he can pitch in NYC. I think Omar did well not giving up too much. But on the other hand, aren’t you a little worried about starters for the post season, especially the hope for World Series match-up.
This year I would be happy if the Yanks made it to the World Series, but the Mets with Oswalt would probably be a favorite to win it. Now all Met fans need to hope that Pedro and Glavine have enough left to carry the team through the post season. Maybe the kid will step it up.
Good Luck, hope we see you in the World Series,
Jim
Hey, there’s a line here, What Exit?. No cutting in.
The Red Sox want a crack at the Mets, bad. We’re on a program to beat the hell out of everyone who’s ever broken our hearts in the World Series. In 2004, we beat St. Louis into the dirt (to make up for '67), and now we’re looking to avenge 1986.
Wait your turn, please. Thank you very much.
No, no. You all said “Just once before we die”. You got your one, don’t be greedy.
After all the Yankees are way overdue. We haven’t won since 2000.
Jim
Well, I guess we can tell you now…all of baseball got together and made a deal with the PTB that the Yankees never win another World Series in a year with a 2 in it.
Sorry.
Huh? No they haven’t. The Red Sox have been in the playoffs for just the last three years - not that that’s bad, but where do you get seven? Prior to 2003 they missed the playoffs for three straight years, and in fact were not particularly close in any of those years.
This from a Dodger’s Fan?
By the way, the Yanks just tied the Red Sox for first. Woot!!!
Power by Bernie’s 3 run double.
Jim