YANKS HAD A CHANCE TO SNAG TOMMY LA STELLA & THEY BLEW IT

I'm a huge Tommy La Stella fan.  He was the hungry, energetic second baseman on the Atlanta Braves that I wrote about a while ago.  If you didn't see the report, read about it here. It's called: TOMMY LA STELLA COULD BE A PERFECT FIT FOR NEW YORK. In it, I wrote:

"...I speak of “our guys” a lot here on BYB.   You know, players that you watch move up the ranks and follow, because they're local guys and they’re doing things the others aren’t. They’re guys like a Doug Cinnella in the 90's,  like Rob Segedin, a farmhand now with the Yankees. Guys like a Rob Kaminsky , and if you’re from North Jersey you know him. And even guys like Tommy La Stella, a second baseman prospect for the Atlanta Braves that has the energy, pride and respect for the game like nothing I've seen in a long time...This kid wants it and it’s evident the way he mans the position...I am a Tommy La Stella fan.  He’s courageous, he’s talented and I wish I was able to get him over to New York one day."

That was last March. Here's the reality. The Yankees didn't pull the trigger to try and acquire this guy, and that's because Brian Cashman is hinting our minor leaguers are the answer.  Look, you know me, I'm all for the youth movement. But this post is personal for me, I wanted to see La Stella in pinstripes.  Anyway, Cashman said of the recent vacancy at second base:

"...He specifically mentioned Triple-A standouts Jose Pirela and Robert Refsnyder as a pair of players who could battle for the starting second base job in 2015.

'As long as they’re developing, they’re going to get a chance,' Cashman said. 'The last few years there’s been less of an opportunity because there have been less obvious candidates. We’ve had, to some degree, some failures, whether it’s in our development or our drafting or our signing internationally that caused a little bit of a black hole that everybody obviously knows and we acknowledge.'”

Here's the thing, I don't trust what Cashman is hinting. I'm sticking with my theme. It's my opinion that Yankee farm is bred to be traded.  I am not for it, I'm suggesting the Yankees don't give them enough of an opportunity.  So, if Cashman is going to commit, then commit. I support the idea of Rob Refsnyder, but my gut says the Yankees may not give him a shot.  That's why in the back of my mind, I was thinking about Tommy La Stella, a Major League second baseman, battle tested and still very young and still very hungry.

Now there's the thing, maybe Cash IS serious about Refsnyder or Pirela filling the hole. I applaud it. The only way that it's in line with the "youth movement", is because Cashman and the Yankees passed on La Stella, who was now acquired by the Cubs.  It's been reported here:

Cubs acquired INF Tommy La Stella and ATL's No. 4 international signing bonus slot for RHP Arodys Vizcaino and 3 int. signing bonus slots
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) November 16, 2014

Gonzales is from the Chicago Tribune.

What's the point of this post? Simply to say, "Hey Cash, I'm holding you to it.  You passed on a great young, hungry second baseman and floated Refsnyder and Pirela in our faces. Now we want to see action.  Don't break our hearts."

We're ready for the youth movement in Yankeeland. But if on Opening Day, we end up with some 38 year old second baseman of the scrap heap and Refsnyder and Pirela end up back on the farm...

I will come right back to this post and highlight the fact that we passed on a young sensation who wants the opportunity. Tommy La Stella.

Congrats to the Cubs.  They got a good one here.

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