By Dejan Kovacevic | 7:38 p.m. Friday
Xavier Nady either has been traded or is being traded, I am told, No further information yet. That is why he was removed after one inning tonight.
UPDATE 7:41 p.m.: Damaso Marte is out, too.
UPDATE 7:50 p.m.: Paul Meyer reports the Yankees could be the other team.
UPDATE 8:10 p.m.: Sounds more like the Yankees. And this Class AA pitcher named Phil Coke, a 25-year-old left-hander, was pulled from his start after one inning tonight. Coke is 9-4 with a 2.58 ERA in 20 starts. He also made a spot start in Class AAA.
UPDATE 8:19 p.m.: Add Ross Ohlendorf and Jose Tabata, according to a source in New York. All still unconfirmed. Should be one more.
UPDATE 8:24 p.m.: A player agent says he heard George Kontos is No. 4. That would be three pitchers and an outfielder.
UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: In looking at Baseball America's top-10 prospects list for each time, published in January, Tabata ranked No. 3 in the Yankees' system, Ohlendorf No. 9. Tabata was listed as the best hitter for average in that system. Kontos ranked 17th in an extended list of the top 30, and Coke did not crack the top 30. In the midseason rankings that just came out today, Austin Jackson, a 23-year-old outfielder, was the only New York prospect on the top-25 overall list. Tabata, who had been ranked 37th among all prospects before the season, was listed under the "Growing Pains" header for those who have struggled this season. (Neil Walker made that list, for some perspective.)
UPDATE 8:51 p.m.: Tabata, pictured above, clearly is the class of this group, which means the Pirates' best return came at, of all positions, the outfield. He does not turn 20 until next month, and he was the youngest player in the All-Star Futures Game in Pittsburgh two years ago. That year, he led the entire New York system with a .314 average, albeit in the Gulf Coast League. He is a right-handed batter seen as a five-tool type. This season, although still young for Class AA, he dropped back to .248 in the aftermath of August surgery to remove the hamate bone from his hand. (Some might recall Pedro Alvarez had the same surgery early this season and, although it is seen as harmless, it saps a hitter of power for half-a-year or so.) Tabata has been on the minor league disabled list and has not played since July 1.
UPDATE 9:07 p.m.: Here is footage of Tabata batting at PNC Park in Pirates colors ... from the Futures Game a couple years back.
UPDATE 9:11 p.m.: Someone will have to replace Nady and Marte on the 25-man roster. Nyjer Morgan has been on a tear of late, but he is playing tonight for Indianapolis and Steve Pearce is not. Pearce would seem a far more logical candidate, given that he could have a sustained period to prove his worth in the majors before Andrew McCutchen comes along. The pitcher probably will be Ohlendorf. That would even things out on the 40-man roster, too.
UPDATE 9:15 p.m.: It is official. At least pending physicals.
UPDATE 9:43 p.m.: Charlie Wilmoth at Bucs Dugout finds that Tabata is on the minor league disabled list because of a "fairly severe hamstring injury." The hand is not the issue. It does not sound as if he will be playing anytime soon.
UPDATE 10:08 p.m.: Neal Huntington, still mostly quiet on the deal pending physicals, will not discuss most aspects of it. He said it could take until tomorrow morning to finalize. He described it as a "baseball trade" as opposed to a salary dump. And he said that, if it goes through, he would be "very happy" with the return. At the same time, he said interest was not great in these players: "A good number put out feelers. Not as many as you would have expected put out legitimate interest." ... The main issue, Huntington said, was depth. "We feel like we are adding quality depth to our organization. With no disrespect to the players who have come and tried, we have not had the depth to weather injuries and sustained performance. This trade, if it happens, will do that." ... Huntington described Nady as "disappointed" because "this team has bonded. He's done tremendously well here in Pittsburgh, and sometimes I think we lose sight of the human elements. As excited as I'm sure he will be in his next opportunity, I'm sure he'll miss it here."
UPDATE 11:01 p.m. The New York Times account of the trade includes information that Tabata was suspended for walking out on his teammates during a minor league game earlier this year.
Posted
Jul 25 2008, 07:38 PM
by
Dejan Kovacevic