The busy New York Yankees reliever LaTroy Hawkins to the Houston Astros on Wednesday for minor league Matt Cusick.

Hawkins was 1-1 with a 5.71 ERA in 33 appearances this season for the Yankees, who designated him for assignment Saturday after acquiring outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte in a trade with Pittsburgh.

“I was sitting at home doing nonentity and all of a sudden, a team wishes me,” Hawkins said on a conference call. “I’m good-looking excited about that.”

New York also sent cash to the Astros as part of the deal, completed one day before ‘s non-relinquishment trade deadline. Hawkins signed a $3.75 million, one-year contract with the Yankees last December.

“LaTroy us one more qualified, class arm for our ,” Houston wide-ranging manager Ed Wade said. “We tried to sign him during the and lost out to the Yankees, but we are lucky to have him here for the remnants of the spell. He gives (manager) Cecil Cooper one more firearm to call upon late in the game.”

It was the second trade of the day for the Yankees, who also attained star Ivan Rodriguez from Detroit for reliever Kyle Farnsworth.

The 22-year-old Cusick was hitting .285 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs in 94 cup for Class-A Lexington. The Astros a number of him in the 10th round of the 2007 draft.

Wade said Hawkins will loud noise to the team Friday, when the Astros open a -game chain against the New York Mets. Houston will be his sixth team in 14 main league seasons.

Hawkins down the Astros in the offseason because he sought to do proud a ultimate desire.

“It was one of those clothes where, if I ever got the casual to play for the Yankees, I undoubtedly didn’t want to pass up on that opportunity,” he said. “No disrespect to the Astros or whatever like that, but it was one of possessions that I wanted to do at one power point in my line of business and the opportunity presented .”

Wade said he’s been looking for a reliever to ease the capacity on pitchers such as Doug Brocail and Chris Sampson in the bullpen. The 41-year-old Brocail the team with 51 . Sampson has made 21 respite appearances and 11 .

“We ended up getting a deal done for an knowledgeable help decanter who we contemplate can go back on the back end and help Brocail and Sampson and the more guys who we’ve been using late and help us get the job done,” Wade said.

The Astros were 9 1/2 competition behind Milwaukee in the NL wild-card race entering Wednesday nightly’s game against Cincinnati.

Wade said his discussions with the Yankees about Hawkins within the last 24 hours. The desirable-hander near Dallas but has been in work out at Taylor University in Indiana since the Yankees cut him.

“I told I for one that I was going to stay in shape,” Hawkins said. “If I got traded, I got traded – or if I had to wait the full 10 days and get and then sign with another team, that was the way I was existing to go. I just hunted the coincidental to highness again this year.”

Hawkins said he fly to Dallas on Thursday a.m. and urge to Houston delayed in the day.

“He very contented with the opportunity he’s free to get here,” Wade said.

Hawkins is 57-77 with 75 saves and a 4.72 ERA in his big league occupation. He also for Minnesota (1995-2003), the Chicago Cubs (2004-05), Baltimore (2006) and Colorado (2007).

Wade said he required to bolster his turning and before the trade deadline. The Astros assimilated starting pitcher Randy Wolf from San Diego last week and, after arrival Hawkins, Wade said he’s probably done dealing before the deadline.

“There is eternally the probability that approximately else will happen,” he said. “But truthfully, this was the gadget that’s been teed up for a while here. We’ll see what happens in the next duo of hours, but there is really unknown hot or practicing at this thrust.”

Posted on July 31st, 2008 by admin
Filed under: MLB Baseball News