The Boston-New York Role Reversal But first, here's another lousy thing about the Boston Globe website: They don't seem to update it during the day. Even though it's a website, it's still on the 24-hour news cycle.

Thus, even now, many hours after it has happened, there is still no news of the Red Sox trade for Texas relief pitcher Eric Gagne.

This trade interests me, for several reasons. I guess it's good for the Red Sox, but they don't particularly seem to need Gagne. They've already got the best one-two bullpen arrangement in baseball. And to get him, they're giving up two minor-league prospects and a guy who's 4-0.

In past years, this would have been the kind of trade—shipping off the future for a guy who may or may not help your present—that a Yankee GM would have made, under pressure from George Steinbrenner. But with Steinbrenner now out of the picture, Brian Cashman has had much more leeway to preserve the team's pitching prospects, which are considerable.

Of course, it's just possible that the addition of Gagne will seal the deal for the Sox, who seem to have, if such a thing is possible, an abundance of starting pitching.

But Yankees fans should be glad that Brian Cashman didn't give up anyone to get Gagne—those minor-leaguers are too good, and with a staff that includes Mussina, Pettite, and Clemens, they're going to need those young arms.  ¶ 9:45 PM