NEW YORK - Ivan Rodriguez was the steady hand for the Florida Marlins when they won the 2003 World Series. A year later, he was the spark that helped turn around the Detroit franchise when nobody wanted to be a Tiger.

The New York Yankees hope he can be a little of both during their push to the playoffs.

The Yankees acquired the 14-time All-Star from the Tigers on Wednesday in exchange for hard-throwing reliever Kyle Farnsworth, a trade that filled glaring holes for both contenders.

“Honestly, I was shocked by this, but that's baseball,” Rodriguez said. “Now, I'm just looking forward to playing for the Yankees and maybe I will play against Detroit again in the playoffs.”

In the option year of a $50 million deal he signed with the Tigers in February 2004, Rodriguez will step into the hole in the Yankees' lineup created by Jorge Posada's shoulder injury. Posada had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Wednesday and is out for the season.

The 36-year-old Rodriguez, who has won the Gold Glove award 13 times, was hitting .295 with five homers in 82 games this season.

Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente and Rodriguez are the only three players in baseball history with at least 12 Gold Gloves and a career .300 average or better. Rodriguez has caught 2,142 games, trailing only Carlton Fisk (2,226) and Bob Boone (2,225) in terms of longevity behind the plate.

“He's still an everyday guy,” Yankees manager Brian Cashman said. “He's an upgrade in spite of everything we've got.”

“It's going to be very exciting,” Rodriguez said. “(The Yankees) are in the race and I'm ready to do my job.”