Yankees Moving Forward with A Purpose
A strange thing happened in the front office of the New York Yankees. In the hidden corridors of the organization, a decision was made. The baseball empire that ruled for a century was shaken at its core. The leaders of this baseball club, from owner Hal Steinbrenner to GM Brian Cashman, down to the field with manager Aaron Boone, finally paid attention to the alternative media and the opinions of the common fan. They realized that all that laughter from the MLB was at their expense. They understood that another mediocre trade deadline would shatter the last remnants of their credibility for good. When all was said and done yesterday afternoon, the Yankees finally acted like the Yankees and acquired several players that addressed the club's needs.
The Yankees entered the trade deadline phase needing a third baseman, middle relief, more bench depth, and better situational hitters. The MLB rumor mill said Eugenio Suarez was the move to make. The Yankee response was Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. Ryan has looked like the second coming of Craig Nettles defensively at the hot corner. He has also delivered key hits and already secured a walk-off win. When Aaron Judge was suddenly diagnosed with a flexor strain injury, it was understood that a righty bat was needed in his absence. They acquired two in Amed Rosario and Austin Slater. Suddenly, the Yankees' infield was better and smarter. The bench was deeper with situational options.
The bullpen leaked all over the place this season, costing the Yankees game after game. Yankee GM Brian Cashman proceeded to add David Bednar, the two-time closer from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He didn't stop there. Cashman then struck three more times. Jake Bird, the five-pitch wonder with the slider and sweeper that misses bats, was acquired from Colorado. The end of the deadline was minutes away, and then came the news that the Yankees pried another All-Star closer, Camilo Doval, from the San Francisco Giants. The next step was to make room for this terrific trio, who are already activated on the roster. Ian Hamilton, Allan Winans, and Yerry De Los Santos were sent down to the minors. They called up Brent Headrick, who has impressed, from the minors. The anticipated return of Ryan Yarbrough, a second lefty, along with Fernando Cruz, promises to complete the bullpen with elite depth. This collection of talent will serve to take pressure off of Luke Weaver and bring competition for the closer role held by Devin Williams.
The bench already saw the addition of Amed Rosario, a vocal leader who is fully interactive with his new teammates. During the rain delay against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees looked no further than across the diamond to capture Jose Caballero. Now the Bombers have a fiery infielder who can play several infield positions and serves as a reminder to Anthony Volpe that he needs to improve sooner rather than later. Should the team choose to pinch-hit late in games for Volpe, they have a situational bat and a better glove. The players who paid the price were Oswald Peraza, who now plays for the Angels, and Jorbit Vivas, who was sent down to make room. After the smoke cleared, the Yankees did not have to dip into their upper crust of minor league talent.
The question that remained was if the Yankees would get a starter. They passed on the market and instead traded Carlos Carrasco for cash. However, the release of Marcus Stroman was the news of the day. This sent shockwaves and established that the Yankees are not playing anymore. The bottom line is performance. No longer will they tolerate negative players who are not willing to put the team first. They know Luis Gil is ready to go and showed a willingness to trust young talent who are already showing progress in Will Warren and Cam Schlitter, who is now installed as the fifth starter. The bullpen now has quality depth and will do the heavy lifting. The starters, going forward, will need to be solid and not mediocre. Cashman has done his job. Now Boone must start managing and claiming his independence and stop being a slave to the numbers. The bottom line is that the Yankees moved with a purpose, and it shocked MLB that the sleeping bag bear finally awoke.
