Yankees send Henry, trio to Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- Ten minutes before Sunday's scheduled doubleheader against the Marlins, the Phillies announced a lineup change -- and in doing so ended Bobby Abreu's 8 1/2-year run with the team.

The shift of Shane Victorino to right field and insertion of Aaron Rowand in center was simply the fallout of the blockbuster that Abreu and Cory Lidle to the Yankees for a quartet of prospects headed by former first-round draft pick C.J. Henry.

Henry, 20, the Yankees' No. 1 pick in 2005, comes to Philadelphia with 27-year-old left-handed reliever Matt Smith, catcher Jesus Sanchez and right-hander Carlos Monasterios.

Henry, the Yankees' first-round draft pick in 2005, was hitting .237 with two home runs, 33 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 76 games this season with Class A Charleston.

Smith spent the 2006 season shuttling back and forth between New York and Triple-A Columbus. The left-hander, who did not allow a run in 12 appearances with the Yankees this season, is 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 24 relief outings for the Clippers.

Sanchez hit .264 with 10 RBIs in 23 games for the Gulf Coast League Yankees, while Monasterios went 1-2 with a 2.97 ERA in seven games (three starts) for the GCL Yankees.

The Yankees will assume Abreu and Lidle's contracts. Abreu alone is due close to $37 million over the next 2 1/2 seasons, while Lidle is in the final season of a two-year, $6.3 million contract he signed in November 2004.

Abreu is hitting .277 with eight homers and 65 RBIs in 99 games. He has a career batting average of .301. Lidle is 8-7 with a 4.74 ERA in 21 starts in 2006, and has won his previous four outings. While the official announcement didn't come until between games of Sunday's doubleheader, Abreu was shown in the dugout during the fourth inning hugging and saying goodbye to teammates.

The trade is the second in three days for the Phillies, who on Friday sent third baseman David Bell to the Brewers for a Minor League pitcher. It likely also won't be the last for a team that expects to be active over the next two days. Players like Jon Lieber, Rheal Cormier and David Dellucci might also find new homes, though Dellucci's chances of staying increased with the trade of Abreu.

Abreu's name is peppered all over the list of Phillies career accomplishments. He hit the seventh-most home runs in team history and the third-most doubles, stole the third-most bases and drew the second-most walks.

Much of his tenure has been clouded by fan displeasure over his perceived lackadaisical play and the ease at which baseball comes to him. No one can dispute Abreu's consistency. The 32-year-old batted .303 with the Phillies and averaged 157 games, 23 homers, 94 RBIs and 29 stolen bases in each of his eight full seasons. He was on pace to reach that average in every category this season, except home runs.

The Phillies acquired Abreu on Nov. 18, 1997, for Kevin Stocker, one of the more lopsided trades in team history. They rewarded him with a five-year, $64-million contract extension in Spring Training of 2002.