In this era of Kardashian horrors, we must remind ourselves that the Yankees still have baseball's best record, and we are actually-GAAA! FUCK THIS SHIT, I 'VE WASTED FOUR MONTHS THINKING THIS IS OUR YEAR, AND LOOK - LOOK! -WE ARE CRUMBLING LIKE A CHUNK OF BLIEU CHEESE, AND SOON - LIKE, ANY MINUTE NOW - BRIAN CASHMAN WILL DRAIN THE FARM SYSTEM FOR ANOTHER SET OF BUMS PAST THEIR SELL-BY DATES, AND OUR GREAT FIRST HALF WILL BE ALL FOR NOTHING, NADA, NOTHING! MO, LARRY, CHEESE... MO, LARRY, CHEESE... MO, LARRY, CHEEEEESE...
Please ignore the above. Thanks for the Jarlsberg, I'm better now.
Did you know the Redsocks, rapturous over their magnificent victories at Fenway, decamped to Tampa and lost four straight?
See? Other teams can suck, too.
Sadly, these days, no thinking Yank fan cops to feeling hope during Hope Week. We're trained to fear the worst. It's been 13 years since we won Jack Shit - worst drought in franchise history - and we're headed by the owner's son, who is more interested in spreadsheets than box scores. So here we are - at the most terrifying point of every modern Yankee season:
The trade deadline, when we're supposed to believe Brian Cashman will miraculously save this crumbling, fumbling, tumbling team.
Get ready to watch our future fly out the door, while the YES courtiers cheer Dear Leader's incredible savvy.
Last year, in the waning hours before Aug. 1, Cashman went all-in on the wild card chase. He traded 10 (ten) prospects for Anthony Rizzo, Clay Holmes, Joey Gallo and Andrew Heaney. To hear the Yankees talk, none was a worth a fairy's blue shit. (Well, actually, there is Kevin Alcantra, a 19-year-old, 6'6" OF, traded for Rizzo, whom the Cubs rate in their highest tier. But he's at Low Single A, long time away. Maybe the world will end first, right?)
You can argue that the Yankees last August gave up nothing - at least for now, anyway. Then you could look at 3B-1B Brandon Drury, who played for the Reds last night. He's hitting .289 with 18 HRs - numbers worthy of the NL all star roster. He's 29, and - yeah, I recognize that a shit ton of water flowed under the bridge since 2018, when Cashman dealt Drury to Toronto for the last crap of J.A. Happ. He's gone through the BJs, Mets and now Cincy. You can't even say the Yankees would have kept him, not the way they go through young talent. But here he is - last guy standing in that wretched trade (Note: Drury went with Billy McKinney, now with Oakland, who has never turned the corner; maybe next year?)
My point: You cannot truly rate a trade until all the careers are in the clubhouse.
We're now going on four seasons since the Death Barge promoted an everyday impact player from Scranton. In 2018, they brought up Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, both of whom carry long and widely divergent narratives.
Soon, Cashman will break open the prospect piggy bank - likely to trade Oswald Peralza, Austin Wells, Ken Waldichuk, Trey Sweeney and/or some secrets who somehow have flown below Baseball America radar. It's not clear whether he'll deal Anthony Volpe or Jasson Dominguez, two kids in whom the Yankees have invested heavily, publicity-wise.
Still, make no mistake: We are slumping at absolutely the worst time, when losses give Cashman his mandate to reshape the team. And he has nothing to lose. He's a GM who hasn't won anything in 13 years. Another early October, and he could be gone. He's going to go for broke. God help us. MO, LARRY, CHEESE... MO, LARRY, CHEEEEEEESE...
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You know, with Hal being so cheap, you'd think he'd want to keep the prospects instead of getting expensive vets. He'd have in his control in terms of salary for years (see: Judge, Aaron), and can field a team for peanuts.
Heyman says we're hot after Castillo but won't give up Volpe or Peralza, the latter due to Cashman's affection for the name Oswald, a classic geek with glasses and pocket protector moniker. (Don't be fooled, kids, he got Lazik and is really a four-eyed GM.)
Which means precisely nothing.
Thanks for the Drury reference. I kept thinking this week that his name sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it. Now I can: at the feet of the Brain.
Just keep repeating The Cashman Mantra...most prospects amount to nothing, so why not trade them for a proven player so we can win now?
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!
I guess the "good" news is that because our player development is so atrocious, most of the prospects sent out will bust anyway.
Side note: what do you bet that Wade and Locastro are stashed in Scranton until the playoffs?
Look at the Yankees track record of drafting and developing position players since Brian Cashman became GM.
(1998)
15 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
3B Drew Henson with the Yankees (8 games)
(1999)
10 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
1B Andy Phillips with the Yankees, Mets, Reds (259 games)
SS Kevin Thompson with the Yankees and A's (41 games)
(2000)
13 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
OF Mitch Jones with the Dodgers (8 games)
(2001)
11 position players drafted and signed, 5 made it to MLB
OF Shelley Duncan with the Yankees and Indians (330 games)
C Omir Santos with 4 teams (122 games)
SS Andy Cannizaro with the Yankees and Rays (14 games)
OF John-Ford Griffin with the Blue Jays (13 games)
SS Bronson Sardinha with the Yankees (10 games)
(2002)
15 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
OF Matt Carson with the A's, Twins, Indians (92 games)
(2003)
11 position players drafted and signed, 0 made it to MLB
(2004)
14 position players drafted and signed, 0 made it to MLB
(2005)
14 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
OF Brett Gardner with the Yankees (1,688 games)
OF Austin Jackson with 7 teams (1,115 games)
(2006)
15 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
SS Kevin Russo with the Yankees (31 games)
OF Colin Curtis with the Yankees (31 games)
(2007)
20 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
C Austin Romine with 5 teams (442 games)
3B Brandon Laird with the Yankees and Astros (53 games)
(2008)
19 position players drafted and signed, 3 made it to MLB
C Kyle Higashioka with the Yankees (185 games)
2B David Adams with the Yankees (43 games)
SS Corban Joseph with 5 teams (44 games)
(2009)
13 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
C John Ryan Murphy with 5 teams (284 games)
CF Slade Heathcott with the Yankees (17 games)
(2010)
11 position players drafted and signed, 4 made it to MLB
CF Ben Gamel with 5 teams (620 games)
1B Tyler Austin with 4 teams (209 games)
CF Mason Williams with 4 teams (114 games)
3B Rob Segedin with the Dodgers (53 games)
(2011)
10 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
CF Jake Cave with the Twins (281 games)
1B Greg Bird with the Yankees (186 games)
(2012)
10 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
2B Rob Refsnyder with 6 teams (258 games)
C Peter O'Brien with Diamondbacks and Marlins (72 games)
(2013)
17 position players drafted and signed, 4 made it to MLB
RF Aaron Judge with the Yankees (658 games)
SS Tyler Wade with the Yankees and Angels (331 games)
CF Dustin Fowler with the A's, Yankees, Pirates (88 games)
2B Gosuke Katoh with the Blue Jays (8 games)
(2014)
11 position players drafted and signed, 2 made it to MLB
1B Chris Gittens with the Yankees (16 games)
OF Mark Payton with the Reds (32 games)
(2015)
12 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
OF Trey Amburgey with the Yankees (2 games)
(2016)
13 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
2B Nick Solak with the Rangers (244 games)
(2017)
6 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB
OF Canaan Smith-Njigba with the Pirates (3 games)
(2018)
13 position players drafted and signed, 0 made it to MLB yet
(2019)
13 position players drafted and signed, 1 made it to MLB so far
3B Josh Smith with the Rangers (24 games)
(2020)
2 position players drafted and signed, 0 made it to MLB yet
(2021)
7 position players drafted and signed, 0 made it to MLB yet
How many good outfielders do you see listed? I count three: Aaron Judge, Brett Gardner, and Austin Jackson (I'll be generous).
How many good infielders do you see list? I count zero. In 23 years, I see 0 MLB quality, everyday infielders.
That's what I think about every time a media outlet hypes up Anthony Volpe or Austin Wells or Trey Sweeney or whoever. I just think about Brian Cashman's record.
And that's what will put the kibosh on acquiring a very good MLB player that other organizations have a big interest in. The fact that other GM's know how lackluster their minor league talent is as well.
I cannot take this shit anymore, and mark my words, this is just intentional shit that we are being put through. (I won't mention who.)
I suggest that we all continue drinking heavily.
I'll be at the Stadium the night of August 18th. I can't imagine why.
Fuck.
Hey ZA - that's a great and interesting dump of information
(and yes - Evelyn Wood's speed reading DOES work)
@JM "with Hal being so cheap, you'd think he'd want to keep the prospects instead of getting expensive vets. He'd have in his control in terms of salary for years (see: Judge, Aaron), and can field a team for peanuts."
Yeah, the reasons are all tax and business driven. Hal doesn't really want to win because he'll pay a lot in taxes. But he doesn't want the payroll too low either, because (1) tanking their costs would cause profit margins to rise astronomically, resulting in huge taxes and (2) it would look bad from a publicity standpoint, which might damage the franchise's value. It's all about maintaining the status quo. They don't want to make too much money. They don't want to win because that might cause them to make too much money. They don't want to tank because it would result in them making too much money. That's why they bring in a huge free agent every so often (Cole), whilst pinching pennies with their own minor leaguers.
Isn't it better to slump now instead of late September/early October?
@ZacharyA, I agree with you, Brain is a moron. But Robbie Cano not on the list? Was he a Cashman draftee or did they get him in a minor league trade?
Also, re. Refsnyder, interesting discussions about him during the last Boston series. Both Ma Yankee and the FOX morons talked about how Yanks attempted to adjust his swing to make him an uppercut home run hitter. Yanks tried to make him an infielder, and he himself admitted that he sucked at 2B. I'm sure Ref ain't the only one who goes through this kind of lousy player development. If they do this to most of their players, no freaking wonder that they never (or hardly ever) develop anyone.
Hammer,
Cano was an international free agent signing out of the Dominican Republic.
SECOND DRAFT:
This reminds me of a dream. You know the one........
You're in a luxury convertible, driving across a beautiful expanse of deserted desert highway at golden hour.
Top down with your favorite tunes playing, you settle in with a cup of coffee for the long drive ahead of you.
Suddenly the music begins to crackle and fade and then with an unnerving SNAP, it goes silent.
Hands tightening on the wheel you look around you.
Everything appears to be the same except for a giant black crow perched on a cactus, silently watching you drive by.
The radio wheezes back to life with a swirling static. A familiar voice, fragmented at first rises up through the sonic haze.
ITS JOHN STERLING!
And even though I'm driving he tells me to close my eyes, take my hands off the wheel, and repeat the following three times...
"You can't predict baseball, Suzyn" "You can't predict baseball, Suzyn" "You can't predict baseball, Suzyn"
Without hesitation I do what he tells me to do and in a silvery flash - I'm transported to Yankees Stadium.
I'm sitting front row behind home plate with my friends and family
It game seven of the 2022 World Series.
It's the bottom of the ninth, two outs with the game tied three to three.
Judge is at the plate.
The count is 3-2.
And Judge hits a solo walk-off home run to win the series.
Game over, the Yankees Win.
Over the PA we hear an 8.4 second walk-off Win Warble.
Everyone is screaming and cheering and with a bright, silvery flash . . .
I'm back in my convertible
Driving safely on my way home.
To be continued . . . .
AA, no dusty workman in a beat-up fedora with a butt in his mouth saying, "Got a light?"
(Points to anyone who recognizes that. One of the greatest sequences ever, imho.)
I coulda sworn he had a fedora. Guess not.
Duque, JM—I mentioned Drury and McKinney two days ago. DOES NOBODY READ MY POSTS???
Oh, the humanity!...
Zach, GREAT list. So good to see it all there in one place—it should be an entry on its own.
Wonder what got into The Boy Genius in 2005. Gardy AND Austin Jackson, who if I recall was used to get us Granderson. Well, you know. Blind pigs, truffles...
Very interesting to hear about that commentary, Hammer. Yeah, it jives with other things I've heard regarding their farm system. Obviously, their player development is terrible—from Refsnyder's comments, all about trying to jam every player into a single mold.
Obviously, it doesn't work.
Hoss, I do read your posts, but my brain does not always retain all the details. It's not you. I'm like that with everything nowadays.
And Hammer, I agree that they're NOT going all-out to win it all.
BUT, I think you're wrong about them not trying to "make too much." I think that HAL and The Brain are very much trying to maximize profits—and they think they've found the sweet spot for that.
Contend every year, but don't win...keeps the TV ratings up and the fans coming. WHILE, at the same time, keeping everybody on the team from expecting some big payout.
Sure, every now and then a big free agent must be signed—see Stanton and Cole—to keep the team in the running. And it must keep HAL up at night, realizing that the vagaries of the many-tiered playoff system could one day work in the Yankees' favor. Just enough sore arms and bruised shins on the OTHER team, and he is wearing his kinky boots into a champagne celebration...
No need to apologize, JM! :) Really—they're overlong and over-many. I just enjoy hanging out with you guys...
JM - Twin Peaks?
Bugs Bunny?
Not a lot to go by there.
Twin Peaks!
Bravo JM> Twin Peaks The Return Ep 8, Lynch's Masterwork!
remember the PSA moment from a few days back - I sure do :)
I just watched the last 40 minutes of that episode. The first eight or nine are simply incredible, imagery and sound both. Then that 30 minute creepfest, with the giant and the woman and then the frog-bug crawling into the girl's mouth and the "gotta light" guy...Jesus H. Christmas. Lynch is one strange dude.
Six hours and 20 minutes to see which faltering team comes out on top tonight.
JM,
Twin Peaks was mainstream compared to Eraserhead. Beyond freaked-out weird.
Zach,
I'd put Ben Gamel in as almost a starter. Compared to Joey Callo, he's an all-star.
I also thought Chris Gittens tortured us for more than 16 games. In my mind it was half a season.
But you did prove that the intern's track record is slightly worse than that blind truffle pig (with apologies to Hoss).
@Hoss, "BUT, I think you're wrong about them not trying to "make too much." I think that HAL and The Brain are very much trying to maximize profits—and they think they've found the sweet spot for that.
Contend every year, but don't win...keeps the TV ratings up and the fans coming. WHILE, at the same time, keeping everybody on the team from expecting some big payout."
You could very well be right. After all, not having a seat at the conference table in the Yankee corporate pow wow room, we can only speculate about their finances. But one thing is for sure, that we agree upon, the financial side is definitely driving the decision making. And winning is not anywhere near the top of the priority list. It's probably not even on the list.
That explains why Gallo is still playing every day, why they don't bring up the kids, why they will keep Gallo next year, and the year after that. And after Judge implodes with a .180 second half, it will explain why they will give Judge a 225 million dollar contract. And after having a terrible second half, with no World Series championship, and no better offers from anywhere else, Judge will re-sign here.
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