I spent last night trying to figure it out. Never did. Ackley's nickname should be "The Sphinx." His presence as a Yankee - if he remains one - is a dark, murky mystery.
Listen: I'm not fuming about the prospects we dealt, though they might have nice careers. Flores looked like a keeper, and Ramirez - though ragged - has a high ceiling. Seattle got what they wanted. And for reasons yet unknown, Brian Cashman coveted Ackley. Is this the foreshadowing of an earthquake? Today, will we trade Rob Refsnyder, Gary Sanchez and the Trenton rotation? And if so, for whom?
You cannot judge a partial score. The Yankees have until 4 p.m. to do something.
When the news hit yesterday, my first reaction was simple: YIPPIE! We finally replaced Stephen Drew at 2B! Cashman wanted a RH bat, and he got one! Then I learned Ackley's hits LH. Then I learned his average is only 20 points higher than Drew, with half the HR power. Then I learned his on-base percentage is worse than Drew's - something that seems only possible through the realm of theoretical physics. And then Girardi said he sees Ackley as an OF. By then, I thought that waitress in the blue fishnets had spiked my gin with Purple Haze.
OK... we all heard 50 times yesterday that Ackley was the 2nd pick in the 2009 draft. Yippie on that. We've gone from getting ex-all stars of 2009 to getting ex-prospects from that year. If this 2009, we'd be building a dynasty. (Wait: Could Cashman have built a time machine, and he's going back to tinker? Hm-mm. That would explain things.)
So where does Ackley fit? Last week, we ditched Refsnyder, presumably because of defensive shakiness. Now, we'll jettison Drew (and/or Brendan Ryan) for a guy who hasn't played 2B in two years... and who hits .212? Will he platoon with Chris Young in RF? That's Carlos Beltran's personal resting place. (Did you see Beltran back up Ellsbury last night on the inside-the-park-home run? If Billy Martin were managing, he would have pulled Beltran, then and there. You know how the Yankees honor their players with CF monuments? That's nothing. They erected a statue of Carlos Beltran in RF.)
My guess: Ackley replaces Garrett Jones... a horrible fielder, the team's third DH. But is he a better hitter than Jones? (Or Ramon Flores?) Did we really trade two prospects for a questionable upgrade over Garrett Jones?
Listen: Cashman is no fool. Today, something will explain this. Somebody else will go - even if it's a DFA situation. I'm terrified of a trade that will haunt us for a generation. Toronto can celebrate Tulo and Price, but deals with the devil always come back to you. It's the same with Houston, California and Texas: Trade your best prospects, and you get a brief time to celebrate and a long time to regret.
Yesterday, the Yankees kept their future. I'm dreading what today will bring.
Yesterday, the Yankees kept their future. I'm dreading what today will bring.
Posts
4 comments:
There will be no moves nor any explanations. But please, anyone is better than Drew. At least there is a chance that Ackley might reach respectability.
There will be no moves nor any explanations.
So far, Ceeja is a psychic.
The only thing I can figure out about Ackley is that he's going to have to shave his beard. Outside of that, I got nothing.
As a commenter on the NYPost said, "This trade registered 1.0 on the Richter scale. A complete non-event."
Cash actually kept all of their prospects.
Severino will make his next start in the majors.
Its hard to be upset. This is what we've wanted but never thought Cash would do.
This is what they Yankee's did in the early 90's. They were going to trade several of their core players and they never did and look what happened.
Post a Comment