08-06-2003, 09:51 PM
Quote:Yankees trade Benitez to Mariners for Nelson
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ESPN.com news services
SEATTLE -- The tenure of Armando Benitez with the Yankees was short-lived.
The Yankees shipped the hard-throwing reliever to the Mariners on Wednesday for another reliever, Jeff Nelson.
This is the latest attempt by the Yankees to upgrade their bullpen. They had acquired Benitez from the Mets just three weeks ago.
This will be Nelson's second tour of duty with the Yankees. He pitched for them from 1996-2000, helping the Yankees win four World Series titles in five years. However, his relationship with manager Joe Torre deteriorated during that span.
Benitez had good numbers in his brief stint with the Yankees (1-1, 1.93 ERA in nine innings), but Torre seemed to have him on a short leash, removing him from games at the first sign of trouble. Benitez had 21 saves with the Mets this season, but has had numerous high-profile meltdowns in his career.
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