After losing Andy Pettitte to the Astros, the Yankees took action to find an alternative for their rotation. Yesterday, New York dealt Jeff Weaver, Yhency Brazoban, a player to be named later, and between $2.4M and $2.6M to the Dodgers for Kevin Brown.

Brown waived his no-trade rights and the sides sorted out the details of covering the numerous non-monetary extras that received such attention when Brown originally signed the deal. Reportedly, L.A. was set to receive $3M in cash from the Yankees before New York ran into the provision that grants Brown's family 12 private jet trips and ground transportation to games of their choice during the season and to all post-season road games as well as eight premium season tickets.

For much of 2001 and 2002, elbow and back problems troubled Brown and he'll turn 39 in March. However, the surgeries he underwent appear to have corrected those problems, as he demonstrated good health in 2003 and reclaimed his position among the top starters in baseball.

The big question is how much the change of scenery is going to hurt his numbers. L.A. sported one of the top defenses in the game last year, while New York had one of the worst. As a groundball pitcher, Brown relies on his defense a good deal, so we can expect a bump in his hit rate that will likely translate to his ERA as well. Dodger Stadium is well known as a pitcher's park, though the stadium has been somewhat homer friendly lately. The change in stadiums should lead to another bump in Brown's H/9, and while his HR/9 may actually drop, he currently allows so few homers it shouldn't really make a significant difference in his numbers.