In a week when nothing seemed to happen, a whole lotta shakin' goin' on

The GM meetings came and went, and nobody - not even Dopey Dildox - was traded. Soon, Brian "Cooperstown" Cashman must finalize the Yankee 40-man roster, and perhaps jettison a few repeat Scrantonians to protect high ceiling 20-year-olds in the December Rule 5 draft. He does this annually, and I thought he might pull the trigger on one last week. Chance Adams, maybe? Nestor Octavio-Cortes Jr?  

Meanwhile, the Gammonites sputter and churn. Here are some of the most cogent musings of late.

NJ.com offers a compendium of Cashman nothing quotes about several on-the-griddle Yankees: Clint Frazier, Greg Bird, Miguel Andujar, Domingo German, Gary Sanchez, and Gio Urshela. Not much here, information-wise. Just Cashman lap-dancing. The man sure can filibuster. The most interesting tidbit comes when he mentions that Adujar, if he doesn't learn other positions, still has options. Thus, he could end up in Scranton. Wow. Is that a warning shot or what?

Jim Callis provides an overview of the Yankee farm system, with two revelations: 1) the continued meteoric ascension of Jasson Dominguez as a marquee prospect (he ranks No. 2) and 2) the Yankee Top 30 includes 15 pitchers, the most of any MLB team. Even if we lose half to TJ surgery - as we should expect - that's still seven quality arms. 

A report that the Yankees are still considering signing Didi Gregorius. I hate these write-ups. Of course they are "considering" this. It's fun to consider stuff. I'm considering hiring ambassador Gordon Sondland for this blog. Look, I suppose there's an honest chance that Didi sifts through his suitors - does he want to play in Cincinnati? - and then gives the Yankees, say, a one-year offer. And they will consider it. But, seriously, I doubt they'll get into a bidding war. It's all up to Didi. In a way, he is "considering" us. 

The ghost of Zim? A story that Yankee third base coach Phil Nevin almost went ballistic on his Astros counterpart, due to his certainty that Houston was cheating in the playoffs. These allegations look awful for the Astros. Players have gone on-the-record with accusations. I can't help but wonder: Was El Chapo's fateful gopher ball to Li'l Jose Altuve flagged in advance? We'll probably never know, but - hell - from now on, I'm going with it. MLB should throw the book at Houston. But mark these words: The brass will assign an intern to it, and let the story go cold. Corporations are corporations, and MLB doesn't want to undermine one of its happy feeling "Cinderella" teams. They would crucify the Yankees, if we faced such charges. The Astros should merely expose a wrist for the looming slap.

One last thought - from me. The totality of these reports don't offer much hope for Clint Frazier. Wherever you look, writers seem to have soured on Red Thunder. I blame the hype machine itself: They put a guy on a pedestal, then push him off. But the one thing that might keep him a Yankee is the fact that no other team seems willing to give up much in return. 

I still think Frazier will have a few solid years - 30 HRs with a decent BA. And all this talk about the Yankee outfield logjam is based on the ridiculous theory that because Giancarlo Stanton missed last year, he'll be healthy this year. I think the guy is a walking bucket of tweaks - maybe another Ellsbury. Why would we think Stanton will play 100 games in LF? With Hicks gone for half the season, show me again how the Yankees have too many outfielders.