Yankees find their catcher for stretch, trade for Rodriguez

Yankees find their catcher for stretch, trade for Rodriguez

ESPN.com news services

Updated: July 30, 2008, 5:01 PM ET

The New York Yankees have found a replacement for Jorge Posada.

New York acquired catcher Ivan Rodriguez from the Tigers on Wednesday for right-handed pitcher Kyle Farnsworth.

The deal was first reported by ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Rodriguez, who is in the option year of the $50 million contract he signed with the Tigers in 2004, waived his no-trade clause to join the Yankees, sources told ESPN.com.

"He's hitting over .290 I believe and he's been hot so we're looking forward to having him," Yankees manager Joe Girardi said after New York's 13-3 rout of the Orioles on Wednesday.

Rodriguez is batting .295 this season with five home runs and 32 RBIs in 82 games. In 18 seasons with the Rangers, Marlins and Tigers, he's hit .302 with 293 homers and 1,214 RBIs.

A 14-time All-Star, Rodriguez won the American League MVP award in 1999 and for years was known as the best defensive catcher in the game. He earned Gold Gloves in 13 seasons.

"He's been a great player for a long time and I remember the battles we had in Texas. He's been a world champion," said Girardi, who was a member of the Yankees during playoff battles with the Rangers in the 90s.

In his lone season in Florida in 2003, Rodriguez helped lead the Marlins to a World Series victory over the Yankees.

Farnsworth, who is 1-2 with a 3.65 ERA this season, played for the Tigers in 2005.

"Another team wants me. That's the way I look at it," he said. " They [the Tigers] know my reputation. They know what type of person I am."

Posada, a five-time All-Star catcher, announced he would have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on Monday. He had the surgery on Wednesday, and the rehab time is about six months. Posada has struggled with shoulder pain for most of the season, limiting his ability to throw out baserunners and cutting down his playing time behind the plate.

On the disabled list for the second time this year, Posada was trying to rehabilitate his shoulder enough to come back as a designated hitter or first baseman this season. But after the Yankees acquired outfielder Xavier Nady in a trade with Pittsburgh on Saturday, they determined it was best for Posada to have surgery now, general manager Brian Cashman said Monday.

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