Brian had seen enough. A big charge by the Yankees and a two run lead, heading into the ninth is blown into the wind.
Our new manager brimming with no ideas.
Suddenly, we can't beat the Marlins, the White Sox or the Tigers.
But we can beat ourselves. Every inning we do something else either wrong or stupid.
The team is listless, playing pop warner level baseball ( everyone but Torres knew he had no chance to take second on that hit to left, and he was out by 8 feet and a bump). He has to be the world's worst baserunner. And second worse fielder.
We can't execute plays. We have no speed. Clutch hitting is at rock bottom. Pitching is mediocre and volatile.
And we have no managing of anything. Sorry Boonie. Puffery and encouraging words aren't cutting it. What, pray tell, did you offer the fans in tonight's " manager's report?"
Cashman saw this and realized it is all on him. He has put together a disaster, blended it together, and gotten no juice at all. The farm system is back to " dirt bag" level, if anyone evaluates carefully.
So he pulled the one card he has never discarded. The card reads as follows:
" When in trouble do this: trade young prospects for an aged, former star who is having the worst season of his career because he is with the wrong franchise. Get a guy who's acquisition will strip the team of another top prospect or two, lock him to a contract for two months, and pray for rain. Show highlight film of new guy's best season. Make the idiot fans believe that you have just acquired a superstar for nothing."
So McCutchen comes to the Yankees. All 33 years of him. And we we have him until we are out of the playoffs. Or, we can re-sign him for $15 million and send another prospect or two somewhere.
At a minimum, we have given up our 23rd overall prospect ( Abiatal Avelin); and, if he pans out, the SF Giants will get 10 quality years out of him. I am sure we gave up more than that. But Brian insists, super negotiator that he is, that the additional players to be named later are not named until this baseball season is in the rear view mirror.
Soon, we shall see the tapes of McCutchen at his peak ( probably this very morning); hitting home runs, playing defense, running like the wind and throwing guys out at home. Only today; he has bad knees and a .255 average with 15 home runs, and throws like Josh Donaldson. He has helped the Giants sink right to the bottom. He is " dead meat," as they say on the lower east side.
And now he is our " dead meat." Add him to the pile of failed acquisitions for which we grossly over-paid. Players for whom we traded our future. And lost.
Cashman is back, folks. And nothing has changed. It never was going to.
Thanks now I'm more depressed then befire.....bring me the fucking ice cream sandwich
ReplyDeleteAmen, Alphonso!
ReplyDeleteI saw the headline is "Yankees Acquire Another MVP".
What I want to know is, can I marry the media?
I mean, if Andrew McCutcheon is still the MVP he was five years ago, then I guess I could still be to the media the strapping young, 50-pounds lighter self I was when I first met my wife, 34 years ago.
I want her—and all my friends—to see me through the media's eyes, at least when they cover the Yankees. To see me, as they do every single Yankees acquisition, at the very peak of their physical powers and ability.
Chances are, Abiatal Avelino will not be a major-league star...because most guys aren't major league stars, even most of those who climb all the way through the minors. And Avelino has made inconsistency into a trademark during his herky-jerky, seven-year journey to Scranton.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, he supposedly has great hands and a terrific arm, can run like the wind, can play a bunch of different positions, and displayed a little power for the first time this year.
Is there some reason why we could not have seen a little bit of him earlier in the season?
Is there some reason why we could not have seen, say, a combination of Avelino, Tyler Wade, and Brandon Drury battling it out for an infield spot, instead of ten thousand reruns of the Neil Walker Show?
Is there some reason why we could not have seen, say, Ryan McBroom, Mike Ford, Billy McKinney, and Tyler Austin battling for the open first-base and outfield spots, instead of the Unbearable Lightness of Greg Bird, or Shane Robinson?
Is there some reason we could not have seen half-a-dozen recently traded minor-league pitchers, instead of having to endure the dregs of Happ and Hapless, and A.J. Cole?
Is there some reason why we could not have anticipated something like our steadily shrinking outfield stock, and picked up an outstanding fielder and at least serviceable, part-time hitter like Austin Jackson?
Yes, there is.
There is a reason. One reason. His name is Brian Cashman, and as long as he continues to bring in money for the Steinbrenners, he could shoot a promising young team in the middle of the Grand Concourse, and his bosses would still love him.
I'm disgusted. In less than a single season, I've gone from excitement over a young, promising team to the despair of 2016. Alphonso is 100% correct. I really don't want to follow this team anymore. The disappointment of young guys failing or having severe bad luck is one thing. The decimation of the minors and the complete mismanagement is another.
ReplyDeleteI think you're misinterpreting this deal. McCutchen isn't coming in as some saviour but as an incremental upgrade over the terrible Shane Robinson. If either Judge or Frazier were close to coming back this wouldn't have happened. The media have made a meal of it by beefing up his former MVP status but it's their job to get clicks. Fact is as bad as he is he's better than Robinson and the prospect given up seems nothing special. Stanton clearly tired so need another OF to give him more DH time.
ReplyDeleteHow you can imply that the youth movement is off the tracks when there are two ROY candidates on the team is beyond me. Is such a shame about Frazier's concussion as he'd be a regular by now if not for the injury with Judge out.
Recent play has sucked but it's always tough with a third of the lineup out. The team is still projected to win 100 games for goodness sake. Just bad timing that Boston having one of the best seasons ever.
I'm with Mr. Parr on this one. McCutcheon's .255/.357/.415 slash line is right there with the Yankee average of .253/.330/.452. No one in their right mind could possibly think he is coming as a savior or is in any way what he used to be. He was the best available option to 1.) get Shane Robinson out of the lineup 2.) Give Stanton a break now and again 3.) Protect both Aaron Judge and Clint Frazier from coming back too soon and damaging them for the future. His career at Pittsburgh was more than just his baseball talent - he was a fan favorite because of his personality as well as his talent, and the Yankees can certainly use someone with personality at this point. He will hustle, he will play all-out, he will be a great clubhouse presence, he will give his best every time he gets out there, and while that may not be as much as it was in his prime, it's probably far more than what any other option can offer at this point. Yes, last night's incredibly horrible loss to DET was a horror show, and I think it's unfortunate that we signed Cutch at such a low point in the season when fans feel most depressed. But I got no problem with this move. The prospect huggers among us should feel relieved that some pressure will be taken off Judge and Frazier. This season is a lost cause in terms of another championship for a number of reasons, and preserving two key contributors for the future for the cost of McCutcheon seems worth it to me.
ReplyDeletefire that ASSHOLE cASSman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletePS - Here is Aaron Hicks' slash line in his 399 ABs: .251/.365/.466. Hicks is a slightly better player than McCutcheon because he has more power and strikes out less, but Hicks has 100 hits against McCutchen's 123 hits in 482 ABs; Hicks has 72 BB, McCutchen 73. I don't see any panic here. McCutchen is probably what Aaron Hicks will be in three years, and while it's not ideal, it's not terrible, and certainly better than any other option out there at the moment. The greatest unknown about McCutchen is how fast he will adjust to the AL, and there is not much time to do that. If he can't adjust fast enough this will become a bad look, but if we get even a whiff of his former MVP self (or just a continuation of his present production), we are far better off than having to suffer through the Shane Robinson/Neil Walker fiasco in right.
ReplyDelete