With Jorge Posada done for the year, the Yankees were looking at 60-odd games of Jose Molina, which is more than they could stomach. In that light, dealing from relative strength (since their bullpen has been strong over the past month) to acquire a big offensive upgrade in Ivan Rodriguez makes sense. Rodriguez is a limited hitter at this point, trying to stay inside the ball and shoot it to right field unless it's an off-speed pitch he can turn on, but he makes plenty of contact and is worth at least a win on offense over Molina, possibly close to two. Whether the Yankees' bullpen renaissance is real is in question, but Kyle Farnsworth had been a disappointment for most of his contract anyway, so deleting him from the 'pen doesn't make the Yanks' future performance any less certain.
To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
Keith Law
