Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him

Here's a prediction. Two of them, actually.

Pudge Rodriguez will help the Yankees. And the Tigers will miss him more than they think.

It's always that way when Pudge changes teams. The Rangers missed him, and the Marlins won a World Series with him. The Marlins missed him, and eventually the Tigers went to the World Series with him.

Now he's off to the Yankees, traded today for Kyle Farnsworth, in a deal that helps the Yankees and might well hurt the Tigers. Yes, the Tigers needed help in the bullpen, and maybe Farnsworth can be effective as a closer.

But they'll miss Pudge.

There are issues with Pudge, but there's also this: Pudge wants to play, he wants to win, and he's still a lot better than most of the catchers out there.

I saw Pudge Sunday morning at Comerica Park, and you could tell he wasn't happy. And you know why he wasn't? In the three-game weekend series against the first-place White Sox, he only played in two of the three games. He wanted to play all three, including the day game after the night game.

Same thing today. Pudge said he was shocked to come to the ballpark and find out that he was getting traded. Why? Because the Tigers are only 5 1/2 games out, and he figured he was going to help them close that gap and get to the playoffs. He never imagined that they'd trade him away when they still had a chance to win.

Pudge will frustrate you at times. He's not the hitter he once was, he doesn't always block balls in the dirt, and some pitchers will grumble about throwing to him. On the other hand, he went out and proved that the $40 million, four-year contract the Tigers gave him in the winter of 2003-04 was money well spent.

Now he might well help a third team get to the World Series.

"He's going to provide an energy that team needs," said one scout who knows the Yankees well. "He brings a Girardi-type influence. He doesn't just know how to won, but he's already won it all. You put him in that clubhouse, he could kick-start them."

The Yankees will be happy to have him. And the Tigers will miss him.

I'm shocked that it took this many years for Pudge to become a yankee. he's the perfect candidate at catcher.

1) He makes more than 12 million per year
2) His better years are behind him
3) He's an (alleged) steroid/PE user
4) He takes a lot of pitches and works the count well
5) He makes more than 12 million per year
6) He might be able to deflect some of the Rodriguez news in the papers. Maybe they can acquire Felix and Wandy too and make a-rod feel more annonymous in the clubhouse.
7) He's never been a great post season hitter
8) He makes more than 12 million per year!
9) His defense is questionable now and as stated, he's not the greatest at managing a staff.

Good trade for both teams it seems, tigers get the bullpen help they were so desperate for, and the yankees get another former allstar to fill in at catcher. I don't think Cather was THE "hole" with the yankees but it wasn't a strength either - but farnsworth isn't reliable, but he's more reliable than anything else the Tigers had now that Todd Jones has been relieved of his closer position (finally!!)

champ1ons26 Reputation: 87 Level: All-Star Since: Aug 17, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:08 pm Score: 19 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him WHAT A GREAT MOVE BY THE YANKEES! GETTING RID OF FARNSWORTH WHILE HE HAS VALUE AND GETTING A GREAT PIECE TO THEIR PUZZLE!!! [ Reply to Comment ]
ch_dude Reputation: 82 Level: All-Star Since: Oct 20, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:13 pm Score: 37 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him As a Tiger fan living in New Jersey rooting for both teams, I'm a happy fan. I think Pudge will help the Yanks short-term, which is all the Yanks need or want. I question whether the Tigers will miss him as much as Knobler suggests. It appears to me (admittedly from quite a distance) that Pudge can be a problem, chemistry-wise. At any rate, the Tigers are a .500 team this year. They had a chance to prove otherwise the past five games and didn't. I say we find out if Inge can be an everyday catcher and fire up the team with his energy. The Tigers are not quite out of it, but almost. Improving the bullpen and the overall intensity will help. I think this trade touches both of these needs. [ Reply to Comment ]
Hunter71 Reputation: 97 Level: Superstar Since: Oct 14, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:13 pm Score: 83 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him Great pick up by the yankees...pudge is on a streak at the moment if i'm correct... [ Reply to Comment ]
oats925 Reputation: 75 Level: Pro Since: Jul 30, 2008	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:14 pm Score: 42 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him I think you were a beat writer for the Tigers for too long, Knoby. The yankees traded for a name. Pudge isn't a every day catcher anymore. Thanks for everything pudge, have a good career. [ Reply to Comment ]
NYFANTASY Reputation: 80 Level: All-Star Since: Feb 5, 2008	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:15 pm Score: 77 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him Love It, I was so afraid Girardi was actually going to trust Farnsworthless and he would blow a major game. Pudge will be a great catcher, he is clutch at the plate and has a wonderful arm and reputation defensively. Glad to know the Yanks will be in playoffs during their rebuilding year, heck they might even win it. [ Reply to Comment ]
PZAB Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 22, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:15 pm Score: 93 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him Gotta disagree, Pudge is not even close to the same player he was. He hasn't been for the last 4 or 5 years. At this stage in his career he is nothing more than an average catcher, both offensively and defensively. He doesn't hit with runners in scoring position, doesn't hit for power, his average has been O.K. but he never takes a walk thus a horrible on base percentage, defensively he's still good not great, but he's not exactly masterful with pitching staffs. The Yankees didn't exactly steal anything, as most fans and knobler believe. They're taking a step back in my opinion, Molina has done wonders for the pitching staff. Molina may not hit, but its not like Pudge rips the cover off the ball anymore. Not saying that Farnsworth is any great shakes, but this trade is not going to be the reason the Yankees win, or even help them that much at all. Bottom line, Pudge is not the same guy everyone remembers, people must be living in a time warp. [ Reply to Comment ]
smoothcts Reputation: 46 Level: Rookie Since: Jul 30, 2008	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:15 pm Score: 35 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him Not sure the yankees benefit from this move. Yes pudge is an upgrade over molina, but losing farns in the pen will hurt. They are already pretty bad in that area, and this makes them worse.... Will farns close in Detroit?... Or just be one of the 4 guys that take turns??? [ Reply to Comment ]
mjbosscher Reputation: 99 Level: Superstar Since: Aug 30, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:17 pm Score: 89 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him I'm shocked that it took this many years for Pudge to become a yankee. he's the perfect candidate at catcher. 1) He makes more than 12 million per year 2) His better years are behind him 3) He's an (alleged) steroid/PE user 4) He takes a lot of pitches and works the count well 5) He makes more than 12 million per year 6) He might be able to deflect some of the Rodriguez news in the papers. Maybe they can acquire Felix and Wandy too and make a-rod feel more annonymous in the clubhouse. 7) He's never been a great post season hitter 8) He makes more than 12 million per year! 9) His defense is questionable now and as stated, he's not the greatest at managing a staff. Good trade for both teams it seems, tigers get the bullpen help they were so desperate for, and the yankees get another former allstar to fill in at catcher. I don't think Cather was THE "hole" with the yankees but it wasn't a strength either - but farnsworth isn't reliable, but he's more reliable than anything else the Tigers had now that Todd Jones has been relieved of his closer position (finally!!) [ Reply to Comment ]
josher771 Reputation: 96 Level: Superstar Since: Dec 28, 2006	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:17 pm Score: 93 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him Totally agree here. Farnsworth's value is as high as it will ever be and I wouldn't trust him in the tight spots down the stretch in September. I-Rod is battle tested and is a nice bat upgrade over Molina. Molina has been solid of late but I'm not sure if he would be able to keep it up towards the end of the season. Picking up Marte made this deal possible. Now with Marte, Veras, Ramirez and Rivera. Our bullpen is still more than solid. Bruney should be coming back soon too. [ Reply to Comment ]
BRIAN JAY Reputation: 47 Level: Rookie Since: Jul 30, 2008	Posted on: July 30, 2008 5:18 pm Score: 8 Pudge will help Yanks, Tigers will miss him A perfect (PERFECT!!) MOVE for the Yanks. Even Boston fan, and Baseball EXPERT Peter Gannons say, "it's a real good move for the Yankees"..."The Yankees have made fantastic moves here, AND ARE IN A GREAT POSITION NOW!" I think this will go down as one of the most LOPSIDED TRADES IN the last 20 years! As a season ticket holder, I CAN WAIT!! GO YANKEES!! WHAT A GREAT MOVE !!! [ Reply to Comment ]

Danny Knobler

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