FOR SOME, THE PINSTRIPES ARE TOO HEAVY. FOR OTHERS, THEY FIT JUST RIGHT

Source: USA Today

The Yankees were very active as the trade deadline came and went on Tuesday night. At the end of the evening, the Yankees picked up much needed pitching, dropped some dead weight and ended up becoming a better team today than they were before the big trades. Brian Cashman listened to every deal, every inquiry that came in as any General Manager should, and chose his moves wisely and precisely. Not everyone can play well in New York while others thrive. And that is part of the intentionality behind recruiting the right players to fit the New York pressure and mindset. For some the Pinstripes are too heavy and for others they fit just right.

Source: Sports Illustrated

One of the last moves of the evening was the departure of Joey Gallo to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although he knew where he stood and expected the trade to happen, there is hope that he can acclimate and soar on another club. "A lot of us really feel for the situation he was in and the burden he felt and carried. I think a lot of us, myself included, very much hope he goes and kind of recaptures what we know he's capable of doing. I'll truly be rooting for him from afar,'' said Aaron Boone as reported by ESPN. The Dodgers gave up their 15th best prospect for the floundering outfielder, a 23-year-old minor league pitcher, Clayton Beeter, who is 0-3 with a 5.75 ERA this season with Double-A Tulsa, striking out 88 and walking 35 in 51⅔ innings. Yankee radio announcer Suzyn Waldman said Beeter has the potential to do great things if he can control his pitches and hopefully wear his pinstripes just right. Good move by Cashman to get something from the lifeless Gallo.

The Yankees also saw their farm-groomed pitcher Jordan Montgomery head to St. Louis on Tuesday for center fielder Harrison Bader who is actually on the IL with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. "Harrison Bader is one of the elite center-field defenders in the game,'' general manager Brian Cashman said, anticipating Bader will return in September. "So he provides a lot of lanes for us,'' reported ESPN. Montgomery on the other hand has struggled mightily this season, wearing very heavy pinstripes. "I still don't really think I've ever performed the way I should here,'' Montgomery said. "A lot better player than I've ever shown, but I think was consistent and definitely worked my hardest," reported ESPN. I am still shaking my head on this one, but hopefully, things will work out. Perhaps Matt Carpenter provided a bit of intel on Bader and if he's anything like him, we have a winner. 

The best trades happened on Monday with the Yankees picking up three pitchers including starter Frankie Montas from Oakland and heavy armed Scott Effross from the Cubs. "Effross, 28 years old, has made 61 career appearances in the majors. Across those outings, he's amassed a 2.91 ERA (146 ERA+) and a 5.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He's technically still a rookie, meaning that the Yankees could theoretically retain his rights well into the future, through the 2027 season," reported CBS Sports. Coming from big market Chicago, the Yankees are betting on him to perform well and likely fit in those pinstripes just fine. 

One interesting note is that Cashman fielded a number of inquiries on Gleyber Torres and relief pitcher Lucas Luetge, which clearly he declined. Wondered who they came from? San Francisco, Washington? I guess we won't know until there is a documentary produced about them and that gets revealed in an interview. 

Source: NY Post

I have to feel for those who can't make it in New York but at the end of the day, you have a job to do and you are being paid to perform. At some point, you need to get out of your head and produce like you know you can—clear the mechanism. There will always be those players who fit into their pinstripes and perform mightily but there are others who are weighed down by anxiety and pressure to win. New York is not for everyone but for the ones that prevail, good things come to you. Let's hope this tuned up team gels and reaches their final destination in the fall classic. 

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof