It's all good in Yankeeland

Yankee fans couldn't have really asked for a better day. Joba mows down the Sox for seven innings at Fenway, Mo reaffirms his place as a Cy Young front-runner with a 5-out save, and finally, the Yanks complete a trade with the Pirates for outfielder Xavier Nady and lefty reliever Damaso Marte for four minor leaguers.

If you're a Yankee fan, you have to love this trade. A team that's built to win now can't worry about trading the occassional promising prospect -- or four -- once in a while. Three good arms and a potential star outfielder is a solid price to pay, but to get two key pieces without relinquishing top prospects Mark Melancon, Austin Jackson, and Jesus Montero is savvy work on GM Brian Cashman's part.

Here are four things we learned from this mega-trade:

1.) Brian Cashman isn't gun-shy about trading prospects, after all:
After he was reluctant to deal Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy, amongst others, in a deal for Johan Santana in January, Cashman developed a reputation amongst Yankee fans as being too leery to make the types of bold trades necessary for a win-now team to compete.

Well, so much for that.

Want guts? How about Cashman giving up the highly-touted Jose Tabata, once perceived to be the crown jewel of the Yankee system, a guy who could very well be a superstar one day? How about Cashman dealing the live arm of Ross Ohlendorf, a key piece the Yankees received in return for Randy Johnson? How about Cashman trading a pair of Triple-A starters in Jeff Karstens and Dan McCutchen from a team that has gaping holes in the back end of its starting rotation? All that for two guys who will essentially be role players on the Yankees.

So while certain guys -- Hughes and Melancon, in particular -- are always off limits, that doesn't mean that Cashman isn't bold enough to make a big move with some of his other blue-chip prospects. His occasional reticence simply prevents him from overpaying, and for a fan base that's used to seeing George Steinbrenner's rash and reckless management style, Cashman's patience and restraint is quite a refreshing change.

2.) The Yankees really believe in Austin Jackson:
Tabata is definitely the toughest piece to let go of, especially because the Yankees have a notorious dearth of position players in the minor leagues. A 19-year-old outfielder whose been compared to Gary Sheffield, Tabata has been highly thought of for a few years now, and entering the 2008 season, Baseball America ranked him as the 3rd best prospect in the Yankees' system.

Sure, there were red flags with Tabata: he has yet to regain his form after having wrist surgery last season, he has shown signs of immaturity, and he has yet to show that he can hit for power. That said, he was still considered a premier prospect in the organization, and the fact that the Yankees let him go probably says less about him than it does about his Double-A teammate, Austin Jackson.

The 21-year-old outfielder burst onto the scene in the second half of last season, when he hit .345 for Class-A Tampa. He's since moved up to Trenton, where he is sporting a .298 average with 27 doubles and 57 RBI. Jackson's success appeared to move him past the struggling Tabata in the organization's prospect rankings, so much so, apparently, that it made Tabata expendable. That the Yankees would move Tabata when they a.) don't have very many good outfield prospects to begin with, and b.) will experience some turnover in their outfield after the contracts of Bobby Abreu, Hideki Matsui, and Johnny Damon expire in the next two years, shows how much faith they have in Jackson to realize his potential.

3.) The Yankees aren't counting on Jorge Posada to return this season:
When Posada decided to forgo surgery on his ailing shoulder in hopes of helping the Yankees' struggling offense during the stretch run, it seemed to make their need for a right-handed bat obsolete. Though Posada, by his own admission, wouldn't be able to hit for power, his return would still deepen a lineup that was featuring Cabrera-Molina-Gardner in the 7-9 spots.

But now that the Yanks have made the move to get Nady, it's a sign they're not so sure Posada can rehab himself through the injury this season. At the very least, they've put themselves in a position where they don't have to count on Posada to return because if, as he said, he can't catch again until he has surgery, there really isn't a spot for him anyway. With Nady now in the fold, Damon will be forced to become more of a regular DH and Jason Giambi, backed up by Richie Sexson and Wilson Betemit, will have to play more first base.

That doesn't leave much room for Posada, which leads one to believe that the Yankees don't think they'll be getting their mainstay backstop back in 2008.

4.) Bobby Abreu is in his last season in pinstripes:

By acquiring Nady, the Yankees have put themselves in a position where they don't have to resign free-agent-to-be Bobby Abreu this offseason. Earning $16 million in 2008, Abreu figures to command a deal in the $10-12 million a year range this winter, even though he will be coming off one of his worst offensive seasons ever and is hardly the best defensive right fielder.

At that price, for that production, the Yankees will probably move on and take two draft picks, especially now that they have a cheaper, more effective replacement in Nady, signed through next season. Their 2009 outfield could feature Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui -- both in the final year of their contracts -- in left, Nady in right, and a combination of Melky Cabrera, Brett Gardner, and Jackson in center. Not half bad, and it helps the Yankees considerably as they try to get under the luxury-tax threshold next season.