We had already dealt Jim Deshaies to Houston (for Joe Niekro) and would soon trade Bob Tewskberry to the Cubs (for Steve Trout) and we would eventually pull off the epic move that should be inscribed on Steinbrenner's Monument Park plaque: Jay Buhner (and Rick Balabon) to Seattle for DH Ken Phelps... and the following spring would bring Jesse Barfield from Toronto for, gulp, Al Leiter. Hooray for hubris! Howl, howl, howl...
I know, I know... these tragedies happened long long ago in a Yankiverse far far away. It was the 14-Year Barf, when we consistently traded seed corn for fading stars in a WIN NOW! RIGHT NOW! strategy. And there is no greater pox upon a sports franchise than a front office determined to win... or else. It is the Iron Law of History: When teams, governments or religions start sacrificing youth for the betterment of fogies - well, let's just say the juju gods get creative in the application of karma. Look at the architects of any sports dynasty - Belichick always seeks extra draft picks - and you'll find the constant emphasis on youth. To win continually, a team must develop young players... and then let them play.
Yesterday, Yankee president Randy Levine - clearly miffed that he's never been nicknamed "Red Thunder" - boasted how the team is once again being hated, and said it's not done "improving" on 2018... clearly a coded message that we're about to liberate
Listen: I get it that Frazier looks expendable - certainly, at first glance. He's a corner outfielder, a homer-hitter, he strikes out too much and bats RH. He might be two years away from blossoming into a productive slugger. But he sure looks like a future star. And what I don't get is the argument that he's a fifth wheel on the 2018 Yankees, because it betrays what we tend to conveniently forget: The durability of our team.
Apparently, folks think that Brett Gardner, at age 34, can play 150 games, many of them in CF. And that Aaron Hicks - who played 88 games last year, yes eighty-eight (the Cellino and Barnes number for personal injuries) - won't get personally injured. Or that Giancarlo Stanton - who before 2017 was viewed by Miami as a china doll; it's why they traded him - suddenly will turn into Iron Man. And that - assuming nobody in this world will take Jacoby Ellsbury's contract - we should expect a guy whose name is shorthand for being listed on the DL... will now play the season? We have five outfielders - four of which can't lace their sneaker without the threat of tweaking a gonad - and we need one to be our DH. That's 400 at bats, minimally, for the fifth OF. Still, as sure as you're reading this, we will trade Clint Frazier and probably Miguel Andujar - our best 3B prospect since Mike Lowell - for an "affordable power arm" - the Manic Pixie Dream Girl of Brian Cashman's fantasy world.
Aww, hell. I should STFU and be happy, right? Everything is going well. We have a solid minor league system, we have players competing for infield slots. But it won't last. Here's what will happen: We'll trade Clint and Andujar, which then gives us an excuse to re-sign Todd Frazier - The Toms River Miracle, of bright smile, the thumbs down sign, and the .211 average. The Gammonites will rejoice. And then, over the next 10 years, we will watch Andujar and the lost Frazier hone their crafts in Pittsburgh. It's why I am suddenly remembering Rick Rhoden.
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8 comments:
You have identified the problem exactly. Well done. Barfield for Leiter to a division rival. Not an anomaly. Prophecy for 2018.
SURE I REMEMBER RHODEN...
GREAT HITTING PITCHER (THAT WAS OF NO USE TO US)....
ONE LEG WAS LONGER THAN THE OTHER....
ULTIMATELY, HE WAS DISAPPOINTING.
ONCE AGAIN, YOU ARE SPOT ON MR. DUQUE.
It would be a big mistake to give up Clint Frazier, Michael Adguhar and others just for this
pitcher Cole who had a TERRIBLE 2017 season...When the Yanks acquired Stanton and finally got rid of mediocre Chase Headley, I thought the Yankees had adopted a new, great strategy and gotten past their legacy policy of acquiring declining players who had a good year or two five years prior. Cole is nothing special and if acquired he will have another terrible year in New York -- he won't do well in the aggressive AL East.
You nailed it, ALL-CAPS and Duque.
And Rhoden was far from the worst of the 1980s deals, which included all the worst deals in Yankees history.
Besides the infamous trades you mention, there was also Willie McGee for Bob Sykes, an obscure Cardinals reliever who never did pitch in the majors for us, and Fred McGriff for Dale Murray, an obscure Blue Jays reliever who I wished had never pitched in the majors for us.
At least Rhoden gave us one, 16-win season, which should have been enough to "win now" had we really been one pitcher away from "winning now."
Cole would be even worse. I mean, it's not even like he's some Verlander or Jack Morris or Curt Schilling type, renowned for coming up big in the postseason. He was once a very promising young pitcher, now on the skids.
But hey, as you say, we could bring back Frazier! Or acquire Josh Harrison!
I mean, does any serious analysis really say that Andujar's worst downside will be hitting LESS than .210? Do all these crazy, anti-rookie people out there think he will simply freeze in terror at third. Yeah, he sure looked terrified when he drove in 4 runs in his first MLB game last summer.
And yes, Ellsbury has missed 128 games in his 4 seasons with us, or 32 a year. He's missed almost 40 a year since he came into the league. Even when he was young and healthy, he wasn't young and healthy. Brett Gardner has missed 32 a year himself, since he became a regular.
But there's no room for Frazier...
Couldn't agree more.
Andujar at third
Torres at second
C. Frazier as fifth OF
If we need a starter that much sign Alex Cobb
BINGO anonymous HIT IT RIGHT.
PRICES ARE COMING DOWN ON THIS CROP OF FREE AGENTS.
WAIT A BIT LONGER, THEN SIGN ALEX COBB.
NO PROSPECTS DEALT.
OUR OWN KIDS AT 2ND AND 3RD ALL SEASON.
STILL UNDER THE LUX TAX.
EVERYBODY HAPPY, HAPPY.
*cave
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