The Yankees have acquired 33-year old righty swinging IF/OF Jerry Hairston from the Reds for 20-year old lefty swinging catcher Chase Weems. Hairston played in 86 games for the Reds this season and he was 78 for 307 (.254 avg, .703 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 8 homers, 27 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He has now played in 984 games in his major league career and he is 804 for 3,102 (.259 avg, .700 OPS) with 433 runs scored, 47 homers, 279 RBIs and 134 stolen bases. Hairston will likely play all over the place as the utility man as he can handle any outfield position as well as 2B, SS and 3B. Chase Weems was not much of a prospect so the Yankees didn’t pay much of a price for Hairston. Weems played in 55 games in A-ball this season and he was 45 for 173 (.260 avg, .664 OPS) with 19 runs scored, 1 homer and 14 RBIs. This was a good trade for the Yanks.

The New York Yankees have acquired 27-year old righty starting pitcher Jason Hirsh from the Rockies for a player to be named later. Hirsh has pitched in 20 games (16 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 6-7 with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. Hirsh does have some major league experience and he was once a highly thought of prospect for the Astros not too long ago so the Yankees might have something here. Hirsh has pitched in 32 games (29 starts) in his major league career and he is 8-11 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. This was a good low risk move for the Yankees.

The Yankees will be without outfielder Brett Gardner for a while after he broke his left thumb sliding into 2B. Gardner has played in 85 games for the Yankees this season in which he was 55 for 200 (.275 avg, .754 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 3 homers, 20 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. Gardner’s injury opens the door for Melky Cabrera to be the everyday CF for the Yankees. Cabrera has played in 91 games for the Yanks this season and he is 77 for 270 (.285 avg, .780 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 8 homers, 35 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Yankees will miss Gardner’s speed while he is out of action but Cabrera should do a decent job.

The Yankees have designated veteran righty Brett Tomko for assignment. Tomko pitched in 15 games (0 starts) for the Yankees this season and he was 1-2 with a 5.23 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Tomko blasted the Yankees for not giving him a chance but he’s wrong in that assessment. After all, he is 96-101 with a 4.69 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in his major league career so he’s gotten a lot of chances to prove himself in the majors.