How Dumb Were The Yankee Decision Makers?

Last year, the Yankees had a choice.

Tanaka turned up with a tear in his elbow, somewhere.  "Only a 10% tear," the brilliant medical people passed along to the Yankee brass.  Decision options; Call Dr. Andrews and operate, or let it "heal with rest," and pray to the Easter Bunny.

Here came the choice point; 

1.  Recognize that without Tanaka, fewer people at the games ( and TV watchers ) and less media coverage were a certainty.  The Japanese contingent alone was about 30% of the gait, and they did not sign on to watch Adam Warren.  All of Japan would watch a soap opera at breakfast, instead of the Yankees.

2.  Concede that, without Tanaka, there was zero shot at the one-game play-in ( where anything can happen).  Editor's note;  anyone with a brain knew that the Yankees weren't good enough to get there, regardless.

3.  Make believe that this ligament ( or whatever it is ) heals just like a bone; or recovers, just like from the flu.  Editor's note;  no it doesn't.  It either stays the same or, in the case of persistent strain, tears more.  Anyone ever have a rip in a tee shirt, they don't fix?  What happens after several more games of basketball in that shirt?  The shirt winds up a rag for waxing the car.

4.  Ignore the reality and focus on ducking any criticism that this man was not properly vetted, from a health standpoint, in order to keep him from signing with Boston or the Mets. This was the Steinbros' big investment.  Do they want to look like idiots this soon?

5.  Be a grown-up and recognize that really bad luck has befallen your $155 million investment and that, to salvage any value from Tanaka, long term, you should repair the damage now ( 2014). Yes, you will lose Tanaka for all that remained of last season and much, if not all, of this one.  I would say that the Yankee fan base voted 99% to have the surgery immediately, so we might get some value from Tanaka in late 2015.  Truthfully, most of the baseball world did too.  Including Pedro Martinez, who just might know.

6.  Don't operate and turn out a guy who takes 5 miles per hour off his fastball, mostly doesn't throw fastballs, let's the world know it, and gets lit up.  By having to alter his pitching style, he thows 81 pitches to get through 4 innings.  Oh, and gives up 5 runs with all the post game comments from the Blue Jays  indicating, " that he is not the pitcher he was last season."

7.  So you have a guy with the name Tanaka on his back, who can't win a game.  And will need the surgery later, costing us his services for 2015 and 2016.  It is this type of short-term, fairy tale thinking that has the Yankees in such a mess.

Who are these Yankee geniuses and why are they employed in this profession?