THE BEST TRADES ARE THE ONES YOU DON'T MAKE

I miss the days where we would make a big splash. It was definitely more exciting, but I like the direction this team is going in. It would feel so much better to win it all with out own home grown guys. We don't need to "buy" our players anymore. I can't believe I am about to say this but....for once thank you Brian Cashman for not making a trade.

In case you didn't hear Cashman said no to a big trade that could've completely changed the future of our team, read that HERE. I guess I can't blame the Atlanta Braves for trying. They were starting this new "rebuilding" phase and we have some young and exciting prospects but man that would have hurt. Jon Heyman tweeted the names in the trade proposal and I have to say, I am breathing a HUGE sigh of relief.

I am glad to see the Yankees sticking to this youth movement and after seeing what we have waiting in the wings and coming up in the near future, I am OK with not spending any money this off-season!

After watching Luis Severino go 5-3 in 11 starts with a 2.89 ERA last season I am excited to see what happens this year. He could be our new ace down the road. I would hate to watch him turn into a big time pitcher somewhere else. The same can be said for Gary Sanchez, the first offensive catcher that is homegrown since Jorge Posada. He has made great strides on his defense, question is will we see that as the backup catcher or will he be stashed down in AAA?

Aaron Judge is going to be a power house. I see a big, powerful right handed bat in the outfield that the Yankees always seem to be looking for. Now we will finally have one without having to go out and BUY one. It certainly can't hurt that Carlos Beltran is mentoring him. He caught Beltran's eye and he is capturing Yankee fans attention everywhere.

Personally, the most important take away for me in all of this is that we saved our best prospects for major leaguers that the Yankees didn't particularly need, No offense to BJ Upton, but the Yankees do not need a .244 career hitter. His best years were back in 2007 and 2008, and he is no upgrade over Brett Gardner or Jacoby Ellsbury.

And I can't forget to throw Jason Heyward in this. Sure, his .293BA looked great last year with the Cardinals, but that could be a one hit wonder. He is another player with a career .268BA and thanks to his one good year the Cubs threw him a $184 million dollar contract for the next 8 years to be their center fielder. Oh, before I forget to mention......he only played 8 games in center last season. In fact, over the course of his career he has only played 32 games in center. So, how does that batting average and that little experience at the position earn him that much money? Personally, I think the Cubs are crazy. Have fun with that contract while we watch our guys put up the same if not better numbers for a lot less money!

So moral of the story here is....for once Cashman really did something right by not making a trade for these guys. He truly made the best trade by passing on names that weren't needed for our security in the future. It's nice not to shake my fist at him this time.


   
--Jeana Bellezza, 
BYB Senior Writer and Editor
Twitter: @NyPrincessJ 
 





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