Thursday, February 22, 2018

I CALL HIM BRIAN "BRILLIANT" CASHMAN



He's got his finger on the pulse. He finds a lead and even if it takes a while he seems to make it happen lately. I really think his latest move is genius and is about to payoff big time for the Yankees. Other people may not be as "wowed" as I am but I think this is going to benefit the Yankees in more ways than one.

. (Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports)
Someone told me today that Brandon Drury was an "up and comer" and while it is a nice pickup it's not that big of a deal. I think he's a big deal though and we even thought so back in December when we wrote WINTER MEETING MADNESS & SCOTT BORAS MIGHT BE CRAZY! We knew on paper the Diamondbacks and the Yankees were a match for a trade, I just really didn't think that they would give him up.

Photo: Getty Images
We knew back in December that the Yankees were scouting Drury but we already had an inside look at him before we traded Starlin Castro and needed another infielder. The Yankees new third-base coach Phil Nevin, managed Drury when he played for the Diamondbacks Triple-A team in 2014.  Returning Yankee bullpen coach Mike Harkey is also familiar with Drury because of his time as the Diamondbacks pitching coach in 2015 which is the same year he made his major league debut. The Yankees saw a lot that they liked in Drury and they've seen it for awhile.

Sept. 4, 2017 - Source: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America
There's a lot to like about Drury. He fits everything that the Yankees are looking for as they continue their youth movement. Drury is only 25, he's versatile and he's cheap. I'd even go so far as to say he is undervalued. Drury can play first, second, third, left, and right field. Scouts say Drury's best position is third base where he was blocked by Jake Lamb in Arizona. As a Yankee he could fill in for Greg Bird if needed (let's hope not) and give one of our guys in the outfield a rest.

I think Drury's full potential has not yet been realized. Now that he is a Yankee he has an opportunity to play his best suited position with regular playing time in a hitter friendly ballpark. The Yankees got the infield help they needed who has the ability and potential to be more than just a band-aid fix.

Source: Michael Reaves/Getty Images North America
The Yankees had two big challenges this off season which were adding another starting pitcher and an infielder....on a budget. The Yankees have at least solved one of those challenges. Drury isn't arbitration eligible until 2019 so he may top out at $700,000 on this year's payroll which gives Cashman some more breathing room to look for that pitching. That won't be an easy task but it at least gives Brian "Brilliant" Cashman a little breathing room.

So we can mark infielder off of the "To Do" list, so who is next? Maybe Lance Lynn? If anyone can do it, Cashman can.



--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj




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