The Jeter Downs Era could soon end: Is he the Yankee Oumuamua?

You've probably heard about the massive interstellar turd, dubbed "Oumuarmua," which buzzed our solar system in 2017, prompting one Harvard know-it-all to claim it was a space shit ship, a strange visitor from another planet with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Barring a Twilight Zone "To Serve Man" live sequel, we'll never know whether Oumuarmua was a dead rock or alien probe. It came and went - outa sight, outa mind - and humanity had better things to do, like genocide and stuff. 

But the Yankiverse may soon see the twilight of our own Oumuarmua - the famously named Jeter Downs, who signed with the Death Barge on December 19 and might be gone before his first month anniversary.

Downs is the 25-year-old former Redsock prospect and lynchpin in the Mookie Betts giveaway/trade of 2020. Thus far, in his brief career, he has bounced around like a superball in an elevator: We are his fifth MLB franchise, counting the Reds, Dodgers, Redsocks and Nationals. 

He's a glove SS who just hasn't hit. (MLB 50 plate appearances, .182.) When the Yankees plucked him off waivers, everyone at IT IS HIGH had a grand chuckle, because we now had both Downs and Alex Verdugo, two of the three pieces of bounty Boston received for Mookie. Ha ha! Few life events bring as much joy as a certified Redsock fiasco. Downs and Verdugo can remind us that, however awful the Yankees may be, Boston might even be worse. Ah, the little things in life!

But our Jeter Downs Era might soon end, and the culprit could be - gulp - Luke Weaver, a cold reminder of our ongoing pitching kerfuffle. Weaver is an earnest but pre-owned, 30-year-old swingman, who will join a Yankee staff that, entering 2024, could be mistaken for that of a 4th place team. 

Right now, the Yankees have 42 players earmarked for their 40-man roster. When Marcus Stroman and Weaver pass their physicals, assuming they can turn their heads and cough without fainting, they will immediately join the team, and two current members will disappear.

Right now, there are three most likely to go:

Oscar Gonzalez, a 26-year-old OF.
Bubba Thompson, a 25-year-old OF.
And Downs, the 25-year-old SS. 

I won't waste your time by speculating. Who knows? Downs might survive the current crunch, but it's hard to believe the Yankees are done signing players. They'll probably add, at least, a bullpen lug nut, rather than let such a thin staff threaten the season. Downs looks like a candidate to disappear, like Oumuamua, into vast interstellar space.

Of course, he might pass waivers and land in Scranton. You never know. Either way, we had good fun, mocking Boston for a few weeks. In that regard, he's done his job. Wherever the interstellar winds guide him, I say, "The universe beckons, o, Oumuamua! To infinity, and beyond!"