Yankees Busy at Deadline

While it wasn't the flashy moves that many fans may have wanted, the Yankees were busy at the trade deadline on Thursday, and they took steps to improve their roster in their quest for the second and final wild card spot.

After having already acquired Brandon McCarthy, Chris Capuano, and Chase Headley prior to the deadline, the Yanks added infielders Stephen Drew and Martin Prado.

The Yankees got Drew from the Red Sox in the first trade between the two teams since 1997. Drew is hitting just .176 since he signed with the Red Sox on May 22.

He hit .253 for the Sox in 2013 but neglected to accept a qualifying offer at the end of the season and ended up sitting out until May.

In exchange for Drew, the Yankees sent the Red Sox struggling Kelly Johnson. Johnson, who had provided the Yankees with depth earlier in the year, was hitting just .219. He's currently on the disabled list.

Drew should provide the Pinstripes with a stabilizer at second base and can slide over to short on days that Derek Jeter doesn't play.

The Yankees also acquired a new third baseman, getting Martin Prado from the Diamondbacks in exchange for catching prospect Pete O'Brien and a PTBNL or cash.

Prado is currently hitting .270 with five homers and 42 RBIs. He provides the Yankees offense with much-needed pop in the lineup. It will be interesting to see what happens with Chase Headley now.

All in all, some shrewd moves from Brian Cashman. I like them. Low-risk moves all around. Even though O'Brien is pretty solid (he played in the Futures Game earlier this month), the team didn't really give up much.