Something's got to give here, but it hasn't. It's June, and in April we all heard Brian Cashman talk about how he believed in this team and that we had magic HERE.....blah blah blah. There's no magic when you are in third place in the division and you were just EMBARASSED by the Detroit Kitty who are just as pitiful as we are. But let's stick with the "MAGIC," right?
WRONG. This is insanely stupid. This ladies and gentlemen is what I call CASHBOONE BALL. It doesn't resemble baseball at all. It's INSANITY and we see it every game because we just wait for the "MAGIC" to appear and catapult us back into first place. No one has a LOGICAL solution for it though.
The only two things Davidoff said that make any sort of sense are Yes, the Yankees offense is as absolute horror show. Agreed there. If the Yankees want to give Chris Gittens a shot at first base instead of Mike Ford, go for it. It's still a gamble though. He's been productive at Triple-A and might be a sparkplug BUT it's still not a long term solution. No disrespect to Gittens but he's 27 and never played about Double-A until this season....there's no reason to believe he's the answer to a season long problem.
So this is the CASHBOONE BALL I am referring to. The reality is that there isn't any long term help that the Yankees have in house that will fill all of the holes in this lineup for the remainder of the season. The Yankees will need to be open to making meaningful additions by the trade deadline. Keyword meaningful and there will need to be more than one. A centerfielder that can hit does not completely change this team and make it a winning team that contends. The problem is....the Yankees have already said they do not want to spend the money that it will take. They have $3-$4 million to play with before going over the luxury tax and that doesn't fix every problem we have.
So for the time being we have Cashman's MAGIC to rely on and Aaron Boone's lack of management because he's just Cashman's moving mouthpiece that talks everyday and doesn't actually manage. Then we just slap together a lineup and hope for different results than the game before. It's CASHBOONE BALL....and this is a problem that doesn't help us win.
And yeah....I'm beyond irritated and past the point of frustration with it.
Much of the frustration fans are feeling right now is being caused by poor roster construction. I think the potential impact Chris Gittens can make is a very big first step towards fixing this team. Gittens brings excellent defense to the position. He's also 27 years old and smack dab in the middle of the prime of his career. To think that he can't add a ton of value for the next three to five years is kind of short-changing him.
ReplyDeleteHis presence allows the Yankees to shift DJ LeMahieu to 2B and that helps the Yankees basically create an elite right side of the infield.
Gittens at 1B also allows the Yankees to DH Bout 75% of the time and also play Stanton more in the OF - which should help Stanton stay loose during games and will probably make him quite a bit less injury-prone. It's probably very hard for a massive athlete like him to sit for a couple of innings then suddenly go up and hit and potentially have to sprint. The Yankees overcautious approach with Stanton is really hurting the team right now.
Gittens will hit his share of home runs & provide a lot more offense than Ford but that's not why he should be promoted. This should be thought of as a defensive upgrade and it should be quasi-permanent, with Voit playing a couple times a week perhaps against very tough righties.
We would be remiss to consider promoting a single player from AAA as a way to fix what is a badly made roster.
The first step towards beginning to provide some continuity for this team would be to take underperforming players and remove them from the 26-man roster. Players to be DFA'd, Traded or Demoted or Released would be Odor, Frazier, Ford & Sanchez.
Obviously Cashman needs a good Center Fielder but it is doubtful that other teams will be doing the Yankees any favors as the trade deadline approaches. This shouldn't stop him from making every attempt but overpaying is not going to fix a team long-term.
Decisions were made this off-season and of course budget restrictions limited what Cashman really could accomplish.
Looking internally, players that absolutely should be brought up would be Gittens & Thomas Milone. Milone gives the Yankees a good defender and someone who is a good contact hitter and who gets on base and brings some speed on the bases into the equation.
The Yankees have some veteran catching depth & using Sanchez in a trade package might help secure a good center fielder. Cashman needs to make a tough decision regarding Sanchez but he really doesn't bring a lot to the table these days and certainly he should not be part of the future plan. Therefore his value now is as high as it's going to get.
Rob Brantley has Major League experience, he's a solid defender and he hits from the left side also which gives Boone someone he can platoon with Higgy.
The time to address the Yankee lineup and the lack of left-handed power will more than likely have to wait to the off-season.
Rather than the Yankees trading for a stop gap Center Fielder, they should plug Thomas Milone in while every attempt is made to solidify the position for the next couple of years with a player who can make a real impact.
Ketel Matte would of course be wonderful but I'm not sure if he realistically can be acquired. A switch hitter who plays strong defense, Matte is clearly the best fit of any player who might be targeted in a trade.
The Yankees will have to deal from a position of strength and Arizona might come to the table if some of the Yankees electric pitching prospects were the centerpiece of the deal.
Estevan Florial could be brought up for a longer stretch until/if Cashman can make a trade.
ReplyDeleteIt may also be time to part ways with Gardy. Barring any trades the Yankee Outfield would be Andujar, Milone, Judge, Stanton & Florial for now. With Stanton playing some outfield, the Yankees could DH Andujar until Voit returns.
Once Voit returns the Yankees could option Andujar. Wade should be used as a utility player & as the primary backup for Torres. He's a valuable weapon as a pinch runner and as a late game defensive replacement he could play anywhere from infield to outfield.