After posting stellar numbers in his long tenure with the New York Yankees, news came Thursday morning of a trade which sent Mariano Rivera to the Diamondbacks for Byung-Hyun Kim. After the departure of several high-profile Yankees, Rivera remained on the team as a fan favorite until this offseason. The Yankees hope the loss of Rivera will be softened by an improved chance making the 2005 playoffs and remaining financially solvent.

Despite posting a 6.25 ERA in 72 innings for Arizona, the Yankees have high hopes for Kim. In a press conference this morning, the Yankees highlighted Kim’s young age, high strikeout ratio, and past performance. The team also sees promise in Kim’s unusually high BABIP last season which might explain his troubles.

Kim joins an already crowded bullpen in New York, a factor which likely contributed to the dealing of Rivera. Brad Lidge seems the heir-apparent to the closer role, while Jonathan Broxton will likely join Kim in setup duties. Considering the Yankees still have Matt Capps and Jamie Cerda waiting in AAA, the team might have the strongest crew of relievers in the AL. The Yankees have indicated they are still willing to trade Lidge or another top reliever for a position player, hoping to fully capitalize on their bullpen depth.

The move is viewed predominately as a salary dump by the top-heavy Yankees, who pay some of the largest contracts in baseball. After finishing last in the majors with a 66-96 record, the team’s finances were quickly becoming unsustainable.

The dealing of Rivera mirrors others made by the Yankees this year, including trades that sent Derek Jeter to the Twins, Bernie Williams to the Rangers, and Alfonso Soriano to the Braves. In place of these formerly core players, and their correspondingly large contracts, the Yankees received a number of young veterans and prospects including Torii Hunter, Mark Buehrle, Jerome Williams, and Wandy Rodriguez. The team hopes these players can contribute to a winning season in 2005.