It’s no secret, Cashman has a good poker face and he's sneaky. You can’t help but wonder what he has up his sleeve when he isn’t talking, because a quiet Cashman is like a silent alarm. Considering all of the hype that surrounded Michael Pineda becoming our number two starter after the trade, you would think there would be some talk about where Pineda is going to be penciled in. Instead, we get the “Pineda will have to earn a spot” talk and a lot of raised eyebrows down in Tampa. This sounds like a classic Cashman move. I know I am no expert on filling his general manager shoes, but I think Cash is lying in the weeds….and something is about to happen; the question is…..what?
The Yankees have been very quiet when it comes to Pineda, and while we have heard Joe share his thoughts….what about Cashman? I’ve said it once, and I will say it again, Cashman is sneaky. When you look at what Cashman has said about Pineda, he has said very little about his performance and he talks vaguely about how Pineda will be an asset to the team. He has also repeated on a few occasions that Pineda was not acquired to pitch behind CC, and says that “we did not feel we acquired an instant No. 2 that's ready to go,'' so where does Pineda fit in?
Cashman is definitely keeping quiet about Pineda, and the expectation at this point seems to be rather low. We already know that Hiroki Kuroda and CC have rotation spots, but our new up and coming pitcher is still competing for a spot. The young kid who is thought by many to be a natural top of the rotation pitcher has yet to be given a spot, or as Joe has said….he has yet to "earn"it. If you look at Pineda’s four starts so far, one could agree with Joe, Pineda's still trying. It feels like every day there is a new post out on the Internet about Pineda, one day it is about velocity, the next command issues, or the next is about his weight.The velocity that once caught the Yankees attention is not quite there, so they say. One could argue that his start against the Pirates on Tuesday was a step in the right direction because he hit 94 mph on the radar gun, but his 39 pitch first inning made that a little less impressive. Pineda will probably only have two more starts before the start of the regular season, which doesn’t leave much time to leave a positive impression and give Cashman something else to think about.
While Cashman is keeping quiet, Joe has already hinted that Pineda has a spot on the rotation, but has also said that the Yankees “are not asking him to be a number 2. This is a 23 year old kid.” This thought process was a little different from Nova last year when the Yankees needed someone to step into the number two spot and give results.
Maybe it is just me, but it feels like the Yankees had more faith in Ivan Nova than they do right now in Pineda, and his last few appearances in Spring Training are crucial and could change this perception. Sometimes, it only takes a little patience and persistence to change momentum in your favor.Spring Training is quickly coming to an end and Pineda holds all of the cards in his hands. I don’t know how this ends, but this is going to be a very interesting story to watch over the next few months. Pineda is working with a full deck, but Cashman is going to make the call. He has been quiet lately, but I would not want to call his bluff, because I have learned that I am just no good at reading Cashman's poker face.
--Jeana Bellezza --BYB Writer and Editor
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