There are the gigantic, gobsmacking mistakes that General-Manager-for-Life Brian Cashman makes, such as refusing to even talk to stars such as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper when they wanted to come play for the Yankees, or passing up Justin Verlander for Sonny Gray or J.D. Martinez for Giancarlo Stanton, or refusing to trade Gary Sanchez for J.T. Realmuto.
But then there is the steady, running undercurrent of smaller mistakes he makes month-by-month, season-by-season, that are noticed only by the Cashman cognoscenti but which constantly, steadily undermine this team.
I'm talking about shipping Thairo Estrada to the Giants for cash, or giving up Ezequiel Duran for Joey Gallo, or trading T.J. Rumfield (now on a streak of 23 consecutive games reaching base, and about to become NL Rookie-of-the-Year) for Angel Chivili, or letting the likes of Luke Weaver, Clay Holmes, and Luis Torrens—all of whom the Yanks could have used this season—go for nothing at all.
Or DFA'ing Oswaldo Cabrera.
DFA? WTF?
In a season spent trying desperately to stand Trent Grisham up in centerfield, somehow, nobody noticed that the Yankees' infield is falling apart.
Just in the week or so since the delirious days of the back-to-back grand-slam games, it's become pretty clear that, promising as George Lombard, Jr., is, he is not quite major-league ready. Anthony Volpe plays second better than he does shortstop—which still doesn't mean he can hit.
The Lollipop Kid, Jazz Chisholm, has managed to slide himself onto the DL after a season full of distracting hijinks (including putting our best player out for the year, while chasing a pop fly in a game that was hopelessly lost).
Ryan McMahon could never hit and now can't field, but if he takes Hal Steinbrenner's money, he will play, no matter how badly.
So where does that leave us?
Maybe, in need of a gutty, major-league veteran, who was able to fight his way back from a horrendous injury and now seems to have become, once again, a good hitter and able to play second, third, and short???
Nah!
Where's Oswaldo? He's in Cincinnati, where most likely he will simply become a good, useful utility player—just the sort who fills up the rosters of teams that actually win the World Series, as opposed to the fantasy superstars, the would-be Jeters that Brian Cashman is obsessed with creating in order to demonstrate his genius.
Good luck with the Reds, Oswaldo. We'll be thinking of you, sitting at home for the postseason, as this Yankees team—blessed with its best starting pitching in a generation—once again falters and fails for the lack of players who can reliably provide basic competence.
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8 comments:
Genius Cashman is a mistake. And Hal is a putz who keeps bringing this putz back each years.
Funny how an innocuous, end-of-year game like the one in Arizona just brings us all to the breaking point. But you can see why.
The Yanks have their exciting, young ace pitcher on the mound...and they have Caballero in center. And Max Schuemann in the game. And the Great Fulmer trying to close it out....
...I couldn't help noticing that, judging by the crowd noise, a good number of people in the park were obviously Yankees fans. No doubt, local, transplanted New Yorkers or even people who decided to plan their trip around what they probably figured were going to be important, late-season games.
No such luck. Instead, they got the equivalent of a spring training exhibition.
This can't go on.
Yes, good luck, Oswaldo!
But what do you bet it will?
I know. Although...if both sides are determined to take it to the limit this off-season, I think they're going to be surprised.
Yes! Best of fortunes, Oswaldo! Whatever frustration I have with Cashman's 1,555.972nd STUPID, STUPID, STUPID fucking baseball decision, it is tempered and consoled by the hope that this talented, hard-working kid might actually get the major league career he deserves. Cincinnati can actually develop talent.
But then - at this point - I pray all our talented prospects get traded to teams that can actually develop their prospects to become WHOLE players, not just launch angle or spin rate experts, and have a better life away from the Yankees.
It reminds me of the advice I gave my best anthropology students in the first decade of the 21st century, trying to talk them out of going to grad school, because all the college teaching jobs got turned into adjunct positions and they could make more money bagging groceries.
When those who control your organization and industry are nothing but low minded, dialed out, trust fund-baby, incompetent fucking idiots with your worst interests at heart, the best course of action is to run as far away as you can and begin again.
Not sure why all the attention is being paid to Cabrera. To me he’s no different than a hundred other fringe major leaguers who have passed through our doors in our collective lifetime. I don’t wish him ill, not. at all. His being here or not being here doesn’t make a dime’s worth of difference.
Nothing will ever change until the team’s ownership and management does.
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