Tuesday, December 6, 2022

Cashman: "If Aaron Judge signs somewhere else, do we pivot and do something else? Do we remake ourselves completely? I have no idea.”

It's Judgement Day - Aaron Judge visits the Winter Meetings. While it's tempting to say the Yankee future hinges on No. 99's decision, it aint necessarily so.

The 2023 Yankees will be defined by their owner, and how rich he wants to be. 

Hal Steinbrenner will either loosen his checkbook - for Judge and ancillary talent - or the Yankees could actually be better off without their greatest slugger since Reggie. 

If Hal wins the Judge auction, then spends the rest of the winter poormouthing about payroll, the 2023 Yankees could become a one-man show. Bruce without the E-Street. Neil Young without Crazy Horse. The Captain without Tennile. 

Yesterday, the best free agent SS and SP - Trea Turner and Justin Verlander - signed huge contracts with NL East billionaires who have gone all-in. The docile Yankees never even burped. (In fairness, they'll probably use a rookie SS - Oswald Peraza or Anthony Volpe - and Verlander's age - 40 in February - rightfully deterred them.) 

Soon, Judge will issue his ruling. If it's SF, GM Brian Cashman must remake the Yankees from scratch. As stated above, he has no clue. Since 1998, when Cash inherited a championship franchise from Stick Michael and Bob Watson, he has sought to build via a two-pronged strategy - free agents and the farm. Basically, it has failed.  

Thanks to expanded playoffs, the Yanks always contend for a wild card. (In kiddie t-ball, everybody wins a prize.) But Cashman, who yesterday signed a four-year extension, has secured only one championship - 2009, after the Yanks systematically signed MLB's three top free agents. This year, with gaping holes at 3B, SS, LF, the bullpen - (and, gulp, RF?) - the Yankees would, once again, look like a wild card candidate, a Frankensteined roster of bloated salaries and scrap heap signings. 

Meanwhile, the Mets are throwing money at players. Soon, the Dodgers, Giants, Cubs and Redsocks will join in. With each signing, the price of Judge's magnetic stardom increases. 

Whatever he decides, Cashman will walk a perilous cliff. This could be the year when the Yankees completely flop - not only lose not only the AL East, but their home city. It's not up to you, New York, New York. It's up to the owner. How rich does he want to be?

15 comments:

  1. Who can blame the Yankees if they don't sign Judge?

    The genius GM Ca$hole was too busy negotiating his own contract to bother with keeping the peons happy.

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  2. El D,
    you forgot Louie Lewis and the News.;
    Loggins without Messina,
    Peanut Butter without Fluffernuttter and
    that signing group with Smokey Robinson.

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  3. Who can blame Judge if he doesn't sign with the Yanks? I fixed it for you Rufus...

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  4. Now is the winter of our discontent. Again.

    Not looking forward to Spring, either.

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  5. Kahnle's back, 11.5 million for two years.

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  6. Can someone photo shop a picture of Cashman with a MAGA hat on, so Hal has to fire him.

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  7. Kahnle...FFS...are they trying to tank?

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  8. River Ave. Blues was happy that Tommy was back. Me, I don't care.

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  9. When Cashman likes somebody, he really gets obsessed. This is Tommy Kahnle's third stint with the Yankees.

    Seems like a fine deal to me if he's actually healthy. The price of free agent pitching is sky high.

    And it sounds like Boston was the runner up for Kahnle, so that's a nice little bonus.

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  10. The key words "I have no idea." He's a fucking Genius.

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  11. There's an old legal axiom: if you have a strong case, argue in court. If you have a weak case, argue in the press. Leaking their spring offer to the press clearly annoyed Judge and yet, they did it again this fall.

    Once again, Cashman is arguing his case in the press. He seems to have no clue what Judge's camp is thinking. And he knew better than we did, that Judge was pissed that they play it like that.

    These are not good signs. Even worse is the pathetic reality that the Yankees have no plan B.

    All we can be sure of is that the clueless, incompetent 4 stooges, Moe (Hal), Curly (Brian), Larry (Boone) and Shemp (Randy) will be with us for sometime to come.

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  12. Of course Cashman has an "idea". Announcing that he knew exactly what to do if Judge leaves would kinda piss Judge off. Let's wait and see what the off-season brings. I'll be the first to offer unkind words regarding "The Genius".

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  13. Doctor T, you mean "no Plan B, C, D, or E." See above post.

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  14. Indeed, Horace, the only team they care about keeping together and the only win that really matters is the continued success of the gang of four, Hal, Brian, Randy and Aaron.

    Mission accomplished!

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