Yankees have tentative deal for Abreu, Lidle

The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees have a tentative deal to send Phillies right fiedler Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle to New York ESPN.com's Jayson Stark reported Sunday.

Stark reported the Yankees will send 18-year-old minor-league shrotstop C.J. Henry -- their No. 1 pick in 2005 -- and 27-year-old left-handed reliever Matt Smith. The Phillies will also pick one other minor-leauge player from an agreed-upon list, while the Yankees will take on responsibility for Abreu and Lidle's contracts.

Abreu is hitting .277 with 8 home runs and 65 RBI in 99 games. He has a career batting average of .301 with 198 home runs and 841 RBI over 10 seasons.

Lidle, a right-hander, is 8-7 with a 4.74 ERA in 21 starts in 2006. In eight seasons he has a career mark of 78-69 with a 4.54 ERA.

Abreu was in the Phillies' starting lineup Sunday but was pulled for Shane Victorino 10 minutes before their game with the Florida Marlins.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2534459

I don't get this deal.

1. Matsui and Sheff are coming back shortly, and I think they're both on par with Abreu.
2. Williams and Melky have both been awesome while Matsui and Sheff have been on the DL.

I wonder who'll be rotting on the bench.

But damn, the lineup is going to be crazy. When Cano and Posada will be your 8-9 hitters, you know the pitcher will have their hands full.

EDIT: Actually I take the Sheff comment back. A lot of insiders around the Yanks are saying Sheff won't return this season.

Phillies send Abreu, Lidle to Yankees

The New York Yankees on Sunday acquired Phillies right fielder Bobby Abreu and pitcher Cory Lidle in return for four players.

The Yankees will send the Phillies 20-year-old minor-league shortstop C.J. Henry -- their No. 1 pick in 2005 -- and 27-year-old left-handed reliever Matt Smith. The Phillies will also receive minor-leaguers catcher Jesus Sanchez and right-hander Carlos Monasterios, while the Yankees will take on responsibility for Abreu and Lidle's contracts. Abreu is owed $15 million for 2007 alone.

Abreu could have exercised his no-trade clause and kill the deal, as his agent said recently that any team expecting to acquire Abreu would have to pick up his $16 million option for 2008 in order for a trade to go through.

However, the Yankees wanted Abreu under the expectation that they would only be paying the $22 million owed on his deal through 2007, and told the Phillies to negotiate any deal required to waive the no-trade clause.

A source with knowledge of the deal told ESPN Insider Jerry Crasnick that the Phillies will pay Abreu $1.5 million in exchange for waiving the no-trade clause and accepting the condition that the Yankees will not pick up his option for 2008.

The source also said that Abreu would have accepted a similar deal to the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Angels.

Not including that payout, the Phillies could save as much as $23 million on Abreu alone.

Abreu was in the Phillies' starting lineup Sunday but was pulled for Shane Victorino 10 minutes before their game with the Florida Marlins. In the fourth inning, he was seen in the Phillies' dugout, still in uniform, hugging teammates.

Abreu is hitting .277 with 8 home runs and 65 RBI in 99 games. He has a career batting average of .301 with 198 home runs and 841 RBI over 10 seasons.

Lidle, a right-hander, is 8-7 with a 4.74 ERA in 21 starts in 2006. In eight seasons he has a career mark of 78-69 with a 4.54 ERA.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2534459