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Abreu Lidle, Hit The Big Apple |
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Written by Diamond Bradley
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Wednesday, 30 July 2008 10:45 |
 Hideki Matsui, OF, out for left wrist. Gary Shefield OF, out for same injury. By the trade deadline, the New York Yankees finally discovered that their injury-plagued roster hit its lowest point, and they had to do something. The Yankees missed out on about fifty home runs and 230 runs batted in from these two star sluggers, It seemed as if their season wasn't getting any better; however, On Sunday, July 30th 2006, the Yankees decided to make a move to fill the holes left by Godzilla and Chef's respective departures.
With the deadline looming, the Yankees acquired right fielder Bobby Abreu and right-handed pitcher Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for four minor minor leaguers. Shortstop C.J. Henry, left-handed pitcher Matt Smith, catcher Jesus Sanchez, and right-handed pitcher Carlos Monasterios were traded to Philadelphia for the former Home Run Derby king and starting pitcher. With Abreu coming to the Bronx Bombers, he is poised to provide some more offensive power to a team that is already filled to the rim with it. Many New Yorkers feel that he wasn't needed in the first place.
HarlemLIVE web editor/photographer Phillip Goins and I went to Yankee Stadium to find out what some of the fans thought about the trade. Melissa, a store assistant, claimed, "We don't need another hitter, you know, we need a pitcher." That's agreeable, but we all know that George, The Boss, Steinbrenner loves to spend money.
Many consider Abreu to be a totally different player than he was a year ago, and his statistics don't say otherwise. Last year, Abreu was nothing short of spectacular for the Phillies. He was an all-star, pure slugger for the Phillies. He had a batting average of .286, 24 home runs, and 102 RBI's. This year, it's as if he transformed into a whole
new person during the offseason. He has a batting average of .277.
That's isn't too bad. It still doesn't show any improvement. His
65 RBI's are a good thing, but the 8 home runs aren't. What happened there?
 With only half a season, left but, let's hope it gets better.
Melissa added, "The fans can make or break him. If he does good, we'll cheer him on. If not, he'll find his ass getting booed like A-Rod, or Choke-Rod." (in reference to Yankees 3rd baseman Alex Rodriguez's letdowns in clutch situations.)Melissa kept it too real with that statement. Despite his performance in the 1st half of the season, Bobby is still a two-time National League All-Star and Gold Glover. He still knows how to play baseball people! I know it's hard New Yorkers, but please be patient. His arrival will more than likely move outfielders Bernie Williams and Aaron Guiel to the bench, making him the permanent right-fielder. Unfortunately, another problem arises. The Chef can't cook with someone else in his kitchen right? This trade could prove to be the move that sends Gary Sheffield out of New York and into the midle of another teams' lineup.
My mention of this made my fans on hand a little uneasy. Shorty from the Bronx replied, "If Sheff left, I'd feel real bad about that. Sheff is too good. We need him, man." I agree with Shorty. The Yankees can't really afford to lose him on the field, but Steinbrenner may feel that he can afford to lose him on the payroll. New York holds a $13 million option for Sheffield in 2007. The Boss can either bring him back in for the $13 million, or let him leave. As far as Sheffeield goes, don't fugheddabouthim.
Abreu will just have to fill the void, at least on offense.
What's more, the Yankees won't need to pick up Abreu's 15 million dollar option for 2008 to waive his no-trade clause. The Phillies already gave Abreu $1.5 million to do that.
Abreu's Gold Glove award proves, that his defensive prowess
hasn't faltered like his home run hitting. Still, he won't be able to help out the pitching. Defense should've been the first priority in this transaction. Too bad it was the second. right-handed pitcher Cory Lidle was included in the Abreu deal to help out the heat on the mound. Lidle comes to New York with an 8-7 record and an earned run average of 4.74 in 21 starts for Philadelphia. He may start in place of Sidney Ponson, whom the Yankees recently aqcuired from the Baltimore Orioles. With these new additions, the Yankees may be ready to make a
serious run at the World Series Championship. When I asked my fans on-hand if the Yankees are going to finally take win it all after a six-year drought, they all answered emphatically, with a New York style, Hell Yeah!
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