Written by Greg Fertel | 21 July 2007

The YES broadcast reported that the Yankees  have acquired catcher Jose Molina from the Angels at the cost of AA reliever Jeff Kennard. This looks like a great deal for the Yankees, as they give up only a 27 year-old reliever who has been taking up a valuable spot on the 40-man roster, and they get an upgrade at backup catcher over Wil Nieves. On the season, Kennard has put up a 2.73 ERA in 52 2/3 innings, with 47 strikeouts against 17 walks. He is a nice piece in the Yankees' organizational pitching depth, but at 26, was unlikely to be in the Yankee bullpen anytime soon unless he showed Edwar-esque dominance (he hasn't). Hopefully, the Yanks will make some more low-cost deals to improve the bench and bullpen, without sacrificing any serious prospects. I like Cashman's approach here, as there is little risk in dealing Kennard. On the season, Molina is hitting a measly .224 (better than Nieves), and he is better defensively, throwing out 28% of attempted basestealers.  He may not add much pop to the lineup, but he will be an upgrade both offensively and defensively.

< Prev		Next >