We do not know who that catcher will be.
We do not know what young players will form the package that brings this unlucky bastard to our creaky doorstep.
What we do know is the List of the Damned - those who have come and gone during our 10-year odyssey.
In the past, Cashman has spoken of the "great white whale," his pursuit of an ace who leads the Yankee staff. Over the years, from Kai Igawa to Sonny Gray, he has generally failed, at times, quite miserably.
But today, let us ponder Cashman's record on catchers. A quick glimpse into the past conjures a Schindler's List (or Schlitler's List?) that includes Brian McCann, J.R. Murphy, Austin Romine, Gary Sanchez, Kyle Higashioka, Rob Brantly, Carlos Narvaez, Jose Trevino, Agustin Ramirez, Luis Torrens, Rafael Flores and Mickey Gasper, all of whom came and went, often jettisoned to our enemies, in the last 10 years. Several could help this team today, were they available. That's baseball, Suzyn.
The tragedy is the Volpe-esque collapse of Austin Wells, who even tried growing a beard over the all-star break, hoping to start anew. In 203 at bats this year, Wells is by far the game's worst offensive starting catcher. He is a human GIDP. The Yankees are said to be looking for a RH catcher but - come on, be honest - any catcher will do. (And before you say "Higgy!," Kyle is on the IL with a flexor strain, where he had Tommy John surgery three years ago.)
So, brace yourselves. Cashman has no choice. He must top off a package with prospects and then cut a deal. And regardless of the price, the YES team has no choice but to wildly cheer, to claim we gave up nothing, and to observe how lucky we are to be Yankee fans.
Then we will deal with the long-term consequences.
Coming soon, the 2026 Cashman trade blitz. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
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11 comments:
Still feeling we will be less active than most people are predicting, but a RH hitting C should be on his list. Welles is the poster boy for the team’s failed hitting approach, often swinging at the first pitch and always selling out for power. The days of Jose Trevino seem to be a golden age.
Wellsey has turned into jellsey.
Whatever they do, let's hope they don't trade away Jasson Dominguez or George Lombard Jr. These guys deserve a good 2-3 year look.
I'd hang on to Spencer Jones as well. The outfield depth is seriously compromised with Judge out indefinitely. What happens if Grisham tweaks his hammy again? I don't want to see infielders playing the outfield, certainly not Cabellero in CF. I think, at worst, Spencer Jones will be a 4th outfielder. A CF who can run the ball down. That's not nothin'. I think that's better than bringing in some 29 year old former 1st round pick & failed prospect from another team.
From Dominguez's perspective, it's probably much better if he gets traded. At least a half dozen teams or more where he'd become an All-Star sooner rather than later.
I hear they have very good options for short relievers down in the minors. So no need to trade for a bullpen lugnut. Just bring up a couple of kids.
Not just catcher but third base has a been a black hole forever. Not since Scott Brosius have we had a real third baseman. A-Rod played 3B, but he was a converted SS, adequate defensively, but still a far cry from Brosius. And how long has it been since we actually developed a real third baseman? You gotta go all the way back to Mike Pagliorulo, who seemed to hit .239 every year. (Back then, .239 was well below average. Not a good hitter, but I think his defense was pretty good, if I remember correctly.)
Just about every position has been a problem since Cashman's reign. Aaron Judge is the only player we've developed for a couple of baseball generations. Now, maybe we've developed Ben Rice. That's a terrible record of developing position players. We pretty much need a whole damn lineup right now. A trade or two ain't going to do much more than put another band-aid on the elephant's butt.
Heard Aaron Judge is now a 10 year major league veteran. The 10-12 year marker is a danger sign. That's when all the wear & tear of those major league seasons really start to catch up and cause bodily breakdowns. The Pied Piper comes calling for his due.
I agree with both 999 and Hammer on most of this. Yes, let's hang on to Jones—for whom we won't get much anyway—and to The Martian. But also, I don't think we have the goods to bring in much. If we can get an adequate catcher to replace Wells—one of the worst hitters in major-league history this season—I think we'll be doing well.
Gotta differ with you about third basemen, Hammer. Robin Ventura gave a very good 2002 and half of 2003—before (shudder) The Boone arrived. Gio Urshela gave us an excellent 2019-2021, before Cashie idiotically traded him for, I think, Muscles Rotvedt.
And while A-Rod should have stayed at short, he played an excellent third base, essentially winning Jeters' 4 Gold Gloves for him by covering so much ground. He also won 2 MVPs as a hitter.
As with everything else, though, Cashman's selections have steadily deteriorated in quality.
Getting a catcher will not solve much. It won't be worth losing whoever we trade away. Maybe there's someone on the scrap heap who's decent defensively and can hit .250. But really, how much of an improvement is that over Ali?
With the strike looming next year, let's not waste more young players the way we did the catchers we should have kept. We should have kept TJ, too. That was a terrible trade. But, such is the genius of Cashman.
With Genius Cashman and his ineptitude and excuses, probably.
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