CASHMAN CAN FIND A FLAW IN EVERYBODY EXCEPT HIS OWN ROSTER

The Yankees apparently have concerns about Teruaki Sato’s defense.

Of course they do. Put an exciting player in front of this organization, and somehow the conversation becomes an explanation for why improving the team might be too difficult.

According to a Yanks Go Yard article discussing Joel Sherman’s assessment, questions about Sato’s ability to handle third base could discourage the Yankees from making a major push. That is an insider’s read, rather than an announced organizational decision. But if that thinking guides their offseason, fans should be furious.

Because this is exactly the kind of talent Brian Cashman should be figuring out how to acquire.

Sato, 27, just hit .306 with 39 home runs and 106 RBIs for the Hanshin Tigers. Add 40 doubles, 100 runs scored, a .383 on-base percentage and a .609 slugging percentage. That produces a .991 OPS over 143 games. Those are substantial numbers from a hitter capable of punishing mistakes and producing damage throughout a lineup.

He also won the Central League Triple Crown. The man led his league in batting average, home runs and RBIs. That deserves an aggressive evaluation from a club looking for an upgrade at third base.

Instead, we’re discussing whether the Yankees can accommodate his imperfections.

Funny how that works.

Anthony Volpe is still on this team. Yet a potential addition has to clear an obstacle course of hypothetical problems before the Yankees can imagine putting him in pinstripes.

Volpe gets another opportunity. Sato gets another question.

That is the double standard that makes this front office so exhausting. Cashman’s own projects can remain unfinished. Somebody else’s player apparently has to arrive fully assembled, polished and carrying a certificate guaranteeing nothing will ever go wrong.

Does Sato have risks? Absolutely. His 164 strikeouts in 614 plate appearances deserve attention. Japanese production does not automatically become identical major league production. Nobody should promise 39 home runs in the Bronx because he hit 39 for Hanshin.

But evaluating those risks is Cashman’s job. So is determining whether the bat can outweigh the defensive limitations, whether coaching can help, and whether the roster can accommodate another position if necessary.

A general manager is supposed to solve those problems.

If Cashman’s answer is simply that the fit is complicated, what exactly are the Yankees paying him to figure out?

Sato offers the offensive upside this team should pursue: power, extra-base production and the ability to make a pitcher pay dearly for a bad pitch. A dangerous left-handed hitter deserves serious consideration in Yankee Stadium. The opportunity should excite an organization with championship ambitions.

And if the Yankees conclude he cannot handle third base, they should have a convincing baseball case. Fans deserve more than vague defensive concerns deployed as cover for another passive winter.

To me, Cashman looks clueless when he treats the flaws in his existing roster as manageable while treating the flaws in a possible upgrade as disqualifying.

That approach makes the Yankees look weak. It suggests a front office more comfortable defending its previous decisions than making a consequential new one.

Pursue Sato. Establish his value. Make a competitive offer. Give the scouting and coaching staffs a meaningful role in making the investment work.

Fans are tired of being told why a talented player might fail while watching this organization keep finding room for its own disappointments.

Cashman needs to build a better team. Finding something wrong with every available player is the easy part.