It left me recalling a song by John Mellencamp that goes, "It aint the end of the world, but you can see it from here."
Listen: Neither Gray nor Cease is the nuclear bomb that imperils the '26 Yankees. But you can see it from here.
The big punch is coming, and if there's anything to be gleaned from Hal's sad moment with the media this week, it's that the Yankees' plan is to clutch their wallet and wait for the bargains to emerge.
They are no longer MLB's premier franchise - haven't been for years, and they soon might not even be NYC's - whose bold moves set the winter agenda. Though they still possess perhaps the most lucrative fan base in American sports, they act like your Aunt Prudence, clipping coupons and combing the bargain bins for old 8-tracks of the Guess Who.
The big fish are the Dodgers and Mets, who will spend whatever it takes to dominate the upcoming free agent winter. Once they are sated, the Yankees will bid with the Phillies, Cubs, Boston, Toronto (and probably still the hungry Mets) - for the leftovers.
Make no mistake: There are gems to be had. Jiggering the scrap yards has been Brian Cashman's greatest skill as a GM. But his downfall has been in finding that ace pitcher who would lead the Yankees to a world series.
Don't worry: That pitcher is not Sonny Gray, and it's probably not Dylan Cease. But soon, the Dodgers and Mets will make their moves. The Yankees will bid just enough to come in second. The plan is simple: See what happens.
You said it years ago, Duque - "Food Stamps Hal" - at the risk of invoking Reagan's racist, disgusting and inaccurate trope, Hal is the real "welfare queen" here. The rest of us are just living in his ugly world. Nepo shitface Hal. I'm going to dedicate 2026 to coming up with ugly, offensive word portmanteau descriptions of him, if only to salve my own rotten soul. God bless IIHIIF, may the Yankees one day return to their rightful spot. SELL THE TEAM, HAL. YOU KNOW YOU HATE THEM. YOU LOVE ONLY MONEY.
ReplyDeleteOkay, that felt better. Good to get the insane rant out of the way early.
Time to go look at MLB Trade Rumors and cry a bit.
Don’t worry, the Yankees will get their man. They’ll sign Bellinger for 5/150 and use that as an excuse to come in second in the Imai sweepstakes.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets, on the other hand, will sign Tucker and trade for a cf ( Buxton) and at the trade deadline acquire Skubal to lead them to the promise land. Mets over Redsox in World Series again, haunting us with 1986 part 2.
Have you ever noticed that the guy who thinks he's the smartest guy in the room is never the smartest guy in the room?
ReplyDeleteThat's Cashman. Hal is a money-grubbing, soulless shell of a human. Boone is an idiot. But Cashman is self-deluded.
Happy holidays!
I like to be the fifth smartest guy in the room but try to hang out in really big rooms.
DeleteI agree, JM. Hal annoys the hell out of me, but I at least cut him some slack for being the broken progeny of Old Mad George. Boone is a ding dong, and corporate stooge.
ReplyDeleteBut Cashman...
There is just something special about the complete, runaway arrogance of the man. His delusional self-assurance that he is ALWAYS the smartest guy in the room, no matter how many times he fails or is outright hoodwinked.
Worse than any nepo baby, he is nepo baby's nepo friend, the kid whose father was the lackey of the big man, and figured that was one sweet spot to move into.
Talent is one thing, privilege is one thing. Reflected privilege? It's nothing at all.
Genius Cashman's plan is to show the fans and Baseball world how brilliant he is. His plans have not worked for going on 17 years.
ReplyDelete