Yankees acquire OF Nady, LHP Marte

Jul 26, 2008 - 7:01 PM BOSTON (Ticker) -- The surging New York Yankees finalized a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, a deal in which they landed outfielder Xavier Nady and lefthander Damaso Marter for four minor leaguers.

Heading to Pittsburgh is outfielder Jose Tabata and righthanders Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen.

The teams had agreed to the deal Friday, pending physicals of players involved. It was originally reported the Yankees' package consisted of minor league pitchers Phil Coke and George Kontos, rather than Karstens and McCutchen.

Nady and Marte were on their way to Boston, and the Yankees are hopeful they will be available for Saturday afternoon's game against the Red Sox. The Yankees (57-45), who have gone 7-0 since the All-Star break, have pulled within three games of first-place Tampa Bay and within two of Boston in the American League East.

"I think it's a very good move for us. Xavier Nady is having an outstanding year," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "He's a guy that will play left field for us now, another right-handed bat for us. We've talked about for the last couple of months. And you get Marte, who's been very effective against lefthanders, and righthanders this year as well. I think it's a very good move and we're excited to get them."

Nady was one of the most sought-after names on the trade market due to a career year that has him fifth in the National League with a .330 batting average to go along with 13 homers and 57 RBI. He will add a righthanded bat to New York's lineup, which generally features just three other righthanded hitters.

Marte, who has been filling in as the Pirates' closer with Matt Capps on the disabled list, is 4-0 with a 3.47 ERA this season and will slot nicely into a Yankees bullpen that currently is without a lefthander. He has held lefthanded hitters to a .198 average in his career, though that mark is up to .255 this season.

Marte briefly was property of the Yankees in 2001 but never appeared in a major league game for the franchise before being traded to the Pirates for Enrique Wilson.

The jewel of the crop going back to the Pirates is Tabata, who has been one of the Yankees' top prospects since being signed out of Venezuela in 2005. Baseball America ranked him as the No. 3 prospect in New York's system entering this season due to his ability to make solid, hard contact and his power potential.

However, Tabata's stock has fallen this season due to his struggles both as a hitter and a teammate as a 19-year-old at Class AA. He was pulled from a contest in June and suspended three games in April for disciplinary reasons.

Tabata has been sidelined since July 1 with an injury.

Ohlendorf has struggled as a rookie in the bullpen for New York this season, going 1-1 with a 6.53 ERA. A starter in the minors, the righthander could provide immediate help to the Pirates, either in the bullpen or the rotation.

Karstens, 25, has gone 6-4 with a 3.80 ERA in 12 starts at Class AAAScranton/Wilkes-Barre this season.

McCutchen is 4-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 11 starts at Scranton. The 25-year-old drew a 50-game suspension in 2006 for using performance-enhancing drugs.