For the Yankees fan's take on Kyle Farnsworth, jscape2000 from fellow SB Nation site Pinstripe Alley generously provided some thoughts on the Tigers's newest (yet also former) relief pitcher. You might remember John from our "Blogging With the Enemy" series over the past two seasons, as well as his insight on Farnsworth when the Tigers were rumored to be interested in him last summer.
John's take on The Farns was already waiting for me in my inbox when I got home Wednesday evening:
Farnsworth has been himself this season - straight fastball, consistently 95; a great high 80s slider that he sometimes has trouble locating.
This has been a great season for Farnsy statistically (lowest WHIP and highest K:BB ratio since 2005), but I think the credit for that goes to pitching coach Dave Eiland and manager Joe Girardi. There's a lot about Joe G. that I don't like, but his bullpen management has been impeccable. He's avoided overworking any of the Yankees' plethora of mediocre arms, allowing all of them (and particularly Farnsworth) to flourish.
From what I understand, Eiland's work on Farnsworth's slider has been primarily focused on pitch selection - not falling in love with one pitch or the other - and also on finishing his motion so that he hangs fewer sliders. As focused as I am on Yankeeland, I'm reserving judgment on your side of the trade until I see how your pitching coach can handle the big guy. If he can keep him going well, it might (but probably won't) offset the loss of Pudge at the dish and behind the plate.
If the Tigers can avoid overusing the Farns, they've added a quality arm to the pen, though I don't think he'll help you leap the Twins and ChiSox.
To return the favor, I was asked for my take on Pudge Rodriguez, which has now been posted at Pinstripe Alley. Also worth reading are comments from the PA community on the deal and their thoughts on Farnsworth as he headed out the door.