MLB Trade Deadline: Yankees Land Casey McGehee from Pirates for Chad Qualls
July 31, 2012 · Doug Rush · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
The Yankees didn’t make the big splash at the 4 p.m. deadline for a player like Ryan Dempster or Matt Garza.
Instead, they made a trade more on need for third base, as they acquired third baseman Casey McGehee from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for reliever Chad Qualls, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
Got 2d confirm, #Yankeess did get McGehee for Qualls
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012
The 29-year-old McGehee is only hitting .230 with eight home runs and 35 RBI in 92 games for the Pirates.
With the injury to Alex Rodriguez, breaking his hand on a hit-by-pitch by Felix Hernandez, the Yankees needed to find a more everyday replacement to step in.
Two years ago when he was with the Milwaukee Brewers, McGehee hit .285 with 23 home runs and 104 RBI, which are very good numbers.
McGehee is up for arbitration after the 2012 season and won’t be a free agent until at least after the 2015 season, so he’s not just a rental the Yankees picked up.
McGehee is only making $2.5 million in 2013, so the Yankees taking on his salary isn’t going to break their budget.
Not only can McGehee play third base, he could also play first base as well—giving Joe Girardi some versatility in his lineup with using players at different positions.
Qualls became expendable because the Yankees will activate Joba Chamberlain off the DL. So, just one month after getting him from the Phillies, Qualls goes back to the National League.
It’s a low-risk move for the Yankees with the potential of a high reward if McGehee can hit like he did two years ago in Milwaukee.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman didn’t want to give away top prospects for rentals, but instead he traded for a guy with a low salary who he can control over the next couple of seasons who might be able to produce for the Yankees.
Will McGehee flounder under the pressure of the Bronx, or will he thrive in his new settings?
Only time will tell to see if Cashman pulled off another great trade that helped the Yankees.
Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.
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