The Yankees made a pretty big trade today, getting OF Xavier Nady and RP Damaso Marte from the Pirates, in exchange for Ross Ohlendorf and 3 minor leaguers (reportedly OF Jose Tabata, LHP Phil Coke and RHP George Kontos). At first glance, this is a bit disheartening to me, as a Red Sox fan. It looks a lot like a case of the rich getting richer, and the Yankees re-stacking their already talented team, much like the Abreu trade 2 years ago.

But at this point, how much will it really help the Yankees? Nady is hitting .330 this year, with 13 HR and 57 RBI. He looks to replace Melky Cabrera in the Yankees' outfield. Cabrera is only hitting .248 right now, and has had some recent mental lapses in the field. Nady is certainly a much better option at the plate, as well as in the field. Nady will be the 3rd Yankees hitter batting over .300, along with Alex Rodriguez and Johnny Damon. Hideki Matsui is the only other Yankees hitter who WAS over .300, but this trade hints that the Yankees don't believe he'll be available this year, making it quite possible that he will be having season-ending knee surgery in the near future.

Marte should be a substantial improvement for the Yankees out of the bullpen. Opposing batters are only hitting .217 off him, and he will give the Yankees another much-needed left handed reliever. He'll essentially replace Ohlendorf in the 'pen, and is a much better option. He'll also probably take some innings away from guys like Kyle Farnsworth and Latroy Hawkins, which could only be good for the Yanks.

While it's obvious that the Yankees picked up two guys who will help their team, what did they give up? Ohlendorf is 26, has a 6.53 ERA this year, and hasn't exactly been lights out for the Yanks. They acquired him in the Randy Johnson deal from the Diamondbacks. Not a big loss here. Tabata was listed as the Yankees 3rd best prospect in 2006 by Baseball America. The two guys ahead of him were Phillip Hughes and Eric Duncan. Hughes has already pitched well on occasion at the big league level, and Duncan pretty much dropped off the radar. Tabata played pretty well for the Yankees' Tampa Bay affiliate, with a .307 average, and showed some speed, with 15 SB's. Some people were impressed with Phil Coke in the minors this year, and thought he might even be the answer for the Yankees THIS season. Although Marte takes care of that, Coke has a chance to be a solid pitcher in years to come. Kontos had shoulder surgery, but was pitching very well before the injury. Some knowledgeable Yankees fans were really high on this guy.

The verdict? I think the Yankees' recent surge has inspired them to go for it this year, even though many thought earlier in the season that this would be their rebuilding year. May 22, they were in last place in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the Red Sox. But as we should all know by now, the Yankees don't rebuild, they reLOAD. Now, they are only 3 games behind, and entering a key series at Fenway with the Sox. Nady and Marte just might be the jumpstart that they need to make a run for at least the Wild Card, if not the division.

I think the Sox still have the superior overall pitching, and will finish the season atop the division. But I DO believe this trade will leapfrog the Yankees over the Rays, and they will pick up the Wild Card, in a close finish with the Rays, and possibly the Twins, especially if Liriano gets called up.

What are your thoughts on the deal? Did the Yankees give up too much? Is it enough to carry them into the playoffs? Discuss.