Cooperstown Cashman gets one right

Brace yourselves. As disturbing as this may be - and it's up there on the level of picturing Trump and Kim with shirts off - we must consider the possibility that Brian Cashman is on to something. 

Yesterday's Faustian signing of Aaron Hicks to a seven-year, $70 million deal is probably as safe a bet as the newly sleek and austere Eco-Yankees can make. The Death Star locked up a solid, four-tool CF whose career peak may be yet to come... at a price tag that, if everything goes south, won't turn Hicks into the Second Coming of Jacoby. 

Lately, write-ups on Hicks are blasted with esoteric, Einstein-chalkboard stats that claim to prove he is the second best CF in the AL. Who knows? They can make numbers jump through flaming hoops. But two years ago, Hicks began laying off sliders in the dirt, forcing pitchers to throw strikes and showing flashes of stardom. Trouble was, he'd tweak something, miss five weeks and then return out of kilter. Long ago, he chased the Chief from center field, and last August, he chased dear Gardy from our lead-off spot. He has been a quiet and productive Yankee, and even if seven years looks like a stretch of hope, the odds are good that he'll give us a few solid seasons. Who can complain about this move? Alphonso, look at these numbers - and for a measly $10 million?

Supposedly, Dellin Betances is next, and signing him would make sense from a clubhouse harmony standpoint. Dellin belongs on the Yankees, the only true love he's ever known. But if Hicks represents quiet stability, Betances is a force of chaos. He can strike out the side on less than nine pitches, or blow a seven-run lead without securing an out. It says something that seven years into an MLB career, Betances still can't hold a base-runner. 

I cannot help but think of Betances in the terms that Redsock fans have described of Craig Kimbrel: Even though Boston has no closer, they saw Kimbrel rapidly deteriorating last summer, and ready to pop like Lady Gaga's front porch. With Betances and Aroldis Chapman, you never know who is coming out of the bullpen, Jekyl or Hyde. 

Clearly, by signing Hicks and - recently - Luis Severino, Cashman is exploiting a weak free agent market, one that swirls around ownership collusion, a scandal which features his boss in the Paul Lynde center square. It was old George who used to break ranks with the owners and sign his favorite players. But young Hal has favorite shareholders, beginning with himself. So now is a great time to lock-up long term talent, and Hal in on the move; I cannot argue otherwise, as long as these deals don't someday wind up in federal court.

The questions, though, now get tougher. Is Gary Sanchez an elite catcher or a catastrophe? How high will they go on Aaron Judge, who will certainly want Manny Money. We can certainly wait on Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, but the next Yankee decade will be hinge on holding the right cards and discarding the boners. Yesterday, Cashman played a smart hand. Good for him. Onward to Cooperstown!