Ivan Rodriguez was the steady hand for the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series. A year later, he was the spark that helped turn around the Detroit franchise when nobody wanted to be a Tiger.

The New York Yankees hope he can be a little of both during their push to the playoffs.

The Yankees acquired the 14-time All-Star from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth, a trade that filled glaring holes for both contenders.

“Honestly, I was shocked by this, but that’s baseball,” Rodriguez said. “Now, I’m just looking forward to playing for the Yankees and maybe I will play against Detroit again in the playoffs.”

In the option year of a $50 million deal he signed with the Tigers in February 2004, Rodriguez will step into the hole in the Yankees’ lineup created by Jorge Posada’s shoulder injury. Posada had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is out for the season.

Full Article from Yahoo HERE.

The Angels have knocked the Yankees out of the playoffs twice in the past seven years, and now they might just keep the Yanks from the postseason altogether.

That is one byproduct of the Angels' acquisition yesterday of Mark Teixeira. The Yanks have more games left against the Angels (10) than any other opponent, beginning with a four-game set that opens tomorrow at the Stadium.

And the Yanks have long had trouble beating the Angels despite Los Angeles' lack of lefty power and adequate protection for Vladimir Guerrero. The only AL team that Joe Torre had a losing record against in his 12 years as Yankee manager was the Angels, and that does not even include the 2002 and 2005 Division Series in which the Angels ousted the Yankees.

Now the Joe Girardi Yankees have to cope with a quirk in the schedule that has them playing so many late-season games against a team not from their division, including two separate three-game stops in Anaheim. The Yanks are going to finally uncover a way to beat their AL West nemesis or else their road to October is going to become that much more treacherous.

What is fascinating is that the Angels essentially are the team most assured of making the playoffs this season, since they went into last night with an 111/2-game lead in the AL West. As one AL executive said, "The Angels are making this deal to get 11 wins in October. They already know they have won the division."

Jorge Posada will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder, ending his attempt to return to the lineup for New York’s postseason push.

Posada has struggled with shoulder pain most of the season, weakening his throws and limiting his playing time behind the plate.

On the disabled list for the second time this year, Posada was trying to rehabilitate his shoulder enough to come back as a DH or first baseman this season. But after the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday, they determined it was best for Posada to have surgery now, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday.

“It’s just the obvious way to go,” Cashman explained.

Posada is expected to be sidelined at least six months and it’s not certain that he’ll be ready for the start of spring training in February, Cashman said.

“As difficult as it is, I can focus on coming back 100 percent for next season instead of coming back at less than that now,” Posada said in a statement. “Until then, I still plan on being a teammate and friend to the guys I share this room with. I may not be playing, but I want to be a part of this team and the run that we’re on.”

The Seattle Mariners’ Jarrod Washburn is privately enthusiastic about a possible trade to the Yankees. But he started as scheduled Sunday in Toronto, allowing one run in eight innings for a victory.

Washburn has a 2.82 earned run average in his last 11 starts, and his next one may come for the Yankees. But for that to happen, General Manager Brian Cashman must decide that he really wants Washburn, and he has not made that determination. Ownership has told Cashman it would pay for the $14 million or so remaining on Washburn’s contract through next season.

From the New York Times

For more than two decades, Rich "Goose" Gossage unnerved batters as one of baseball's most menacing and dominating relief pitchers. On Sunday, it was his turn for the jitters.

"This experience is overwhelming, over the top. I can't put in words what this means," Gossage told a decidedly New York Yankees crowd during the National Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony that capped his 22-year career.

Gossage had to pause twice to collect his thoughts -- including once when he was moved to tears talking about now dead teammates Thurman Munson and Bobby Murcer.

"I'm like a kid going on his first ride at Disney World and not getting off for 22 years," said Gossage, whose speech was interspersed with choruses of "Goose" from the crowd.

Dick Williams -- one of Gossage's former managers -- also was inducted Sunday. Williams managed six teams in 21-year career, winning the World Series with the Oakland Athletics in 1972 and 1973. He also won league pennants with the Boston Red Sox in 1967 and San Diego Padres in 1984.

Full Article from ESPN HERE.

Xavier Nady scored a run. Damaso Marte struck out David Ortiz in a key situation. And the Yankees won again.

New York finalized the trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, and Nady and Marte made their Yankees debuts in a 10-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The former Pirates went from a team that was 48-55 and 12 games behind in the NL Central to one that is 58-45 with eight straight wins and a solid shot in the tight AL East race.

“To be able to play for the Yankees is a big surprise for me,” said Marte, one of the top left-handed relievers in baseball. “It’s exciting to be a Yankee. It’s unbelievable.”

Nady was hitting .330 with Pittsburgh when he was pulled after the first inning of Friday night’s game against San Diego.

“It’s a crazy industry,” he said Saturday. “I heard my name, rumblings the last couple of weeks. I was ready to walk out (on deck) and the manager called me back. He was on his cell phone. It’s not often you see the manager on his cell phone during the game.”

The Pirates got four minor leaguers in the deal: top outfield prospect Jose Tabata and right-handers Dan McCutchen, Jeff Karstens and Ross Ohlendorf.

“It was hard to give up the players we did. I like those players,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said before Saturday’s game. “The players we got back—Marte and Nady—both will hopefully contribute to the 2008 season and we have them for ‘09.”

Cashman said he had been talking about Marte for a few days and Nady’s name came up during his drive to Boston on Friday afternoon, with discussions heating up during batting practice Friday and carrying late into the night.

“I wouldn’t have done it if it was rented for a few months,” Cashman said.

Nady batted seventh and played left field against Boston. He went 0-for-3 with a walk and scored a run. He also was hit by a pitch.

With New York leading 7-3 in the seventh, Marte entered with runners at first and second and one out and struck out Ortiz, the only batter he faced.

“That’s why we got him. He’s not uncomfortable against left-handers,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I wasn’t going to put him in a situation where it didn’t mean anything.”

To make room, the Yankees optioned outfielder Brett Gardner to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and designated reliever LaTroy Hawkins for assignment.

“I think it’s a very good move for us,” Girardi said. “Xavier is having a very good year. He’s a guy that can play left field for us and another right-handed bat. And then we get Marte, who has been very good against left-handed hitters—and right-handers, too.”

The teams agreed to a deal Friday, pending physicals for the players involved. The Yankees confirmed the trade was completed early Saturday afternoon.

It was initially thought New York’s package would include minor league pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos rather than McCutchen and Karstens. But when the Pirates made their final selections Saturday from a list of players the Yankees offered, Pittsburgh chose a group that included McCutchen and Karstens, according to a person familiar with the trade who spoke on condition of anonymity because those details of the talks were not disclosed.

The Yankees, with Hideki Matsui and Jorge Posada on the disabled list and possibly lost for the year, needed another right-handed bat for their lefty loaded lineup.

“If I didn’t have the injuries to Matsui or Posada, I may not have been looking for a hitter,” Cashman said.

Nady had 13 home runs and 57 RBIs in 88 games with Pittsburgh, and Marte was 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 46 2-3 innings for the Pirates.

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 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Tabata was batting .248 with three homers and 36 RBIs with Double-A Trenton entering play Friday.