Venditte Traded To Cards; LaRussa Overjoyed

Good morning Fackers. After a rather mundane Spring Training we got some unexpected and exciting news late last night. Fresh off his first, and now only, appearance with the Major League club, the Yankees have traded switch pitcher Pat Venditte to the St. Louis Cardinals, receiving minor league outfielder Daryl Jones in return.

Venditte has posted outstanding numbers through two minor league seasons, but isn't considered a prospect and was only ticketed for high A Tampa despite his success over the past two seasons. In exchange, the Yankees received Jones, a soon-to-be 23 year old outfielder ranked by Baseball America as the number four prospect and best athlete in the Cardinals' system.

I'm disappointed we won't get to see Venditte develop further, especially in light of the considerable buzz his Tuesday appearance created. That said, taking a fringe prospect and flipping him for another team's number four prospect, even from a depleted organization like St. Louis, is a steal. Jones had a breakout 2008 before missing nearly half of last year due to injury. He possesses strong on base skills, good speed, and will help rebuild the missing outfield depth in the Yankees' system.

"We hate to give up a talent like Daryl," said Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, "He's has a bright future ahead of him as a Major Leaguer. But we couldn't pass up an opportunity to acquire a pitcher like Venditte. I've my eye on him for quite some time. He's a perfect fit for our style of play and I look forward to utilizing him to full extent of his abilities out of our bullpen this year". You can catch the full article here.