This was the mantra for many of us on the site last year, as the Yankees defied pre-season predictions and suddenly became a contender.
It should be our mantra again, as the team begins to struggle.
Right now, there are at least four teams in the league with better pitching than we have. Sure, that could change. David Price could be lured back by the unholy call of his video game. Houston's supplier could get arrested at the border.
Stranger things have happened. But right now, this Yankees team looks deadset to either lose the Meaningless Wild Card Win-In, or get swept in the ensuing ALDS.
Enough already. Time to go back to building. We need pitching, and right now we're stuck with the GGG (the Great Giancarlo Grift) perpetrated on us by Derek Jeter.
It will take an inordinate amount of front office brainpower just trying to get out from under what is now the Worst Contract in Sports History.
Don't believe me?
Well, why should you? After all, when Coops Cashman defied our Olympian advice and decided to go for the ring last year, we came within a game of the World Series.
How much of it was due to his great moves? Well, let's take a look at last year's "Over the Top" acquisitions:
—The Good: Robertson, Kahnle, and Todd Frazier, for Ian Clarkin, Tio Polo, Blake Ruherford, and Tyler Clippard. Houdini and Kahnle gave us some valuable innings, and the Toddfather was at least a replacement for Headley at third. Meanwhile, the bunch we gave up have yet to learn their trade—though that could change overnight.
—The Bad: Sonny Gray for James Kaprelian, Jorge Mateo, and Dustin Fowler. Sonny is subtraction by addition, but at least none of those we gave up have excelled. Yet.
—The Ugly: Jaime Garcia. Useless. And we gave up Dietrich Enns (no big deal) and Zack Littell, now pitching quite well in Triple-A.
In short, none of these guys put us over. True, nobody we gave up has excelled yet, but none of the pieces we got have really helped.
Let's not do that again this year. Stop competing for meaningless prices. Keep building a stairway to paradise.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Stop competing. Keep building.
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5 comments:
Let it come to pass ...
Rudy,the fans were yelling boo!
I was looking up the players the Yanks gave up in the Robertson/Kahnle/Frazier trade and WOW they are doing poorly. It's rather sad as two of them were first round draft picks for the Yanks.
Ian Clarkin especially. He was drafted right after Judge as the Yanks had two picks right next to each other that year. The Yanks actually liked Clarkin a lot more but it was injuries that dropped him so low in the draft to where they could get him. They of course had to draft the healthy player over the injured one.
What's more sad is Eric Jagielo. He was first of the 3 first round Yankees picks that year and had drafted 7 places higher than Judge. He is simply awful and has no real chance of making it to the majors. He was part of that Chapman trade which netted the Reds 3 other truly awful rookies.
It's fun to look up these lessor known players involved in trades and seeing what they are doing now. Most of them makes the Yanks look brilliant for getting rid of them.
Mike Axisa, who I think has a bat phone connection to Yankees front office, has just proposed a deal for deGrom. Take any four not on the MLB roster and call it done.
Clearly, these are dangerous times.
A correction: I meant "prizes," not "prices." Too much beer and basketball.
Great point, Vampifella, and one that illustrates again the Yankees' long-running difficulty identifying and developing young talent. Sure, all sorts of high draft picks for everybody flame out.
But I have never understood some of Cashman's criteria, such as drafting pitchers who require major surgery. This is like buying a Lexus with no engine and thinking you have got a great deal.
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