Keep Winning- the Brian Cashman Edition

by jscape2000 on Jul 26, 2008 9:06 AM EDT in Analysis Comment 10 comments

When I signed off before my move down south I said just keep winning.

And the Yankees have rewarded my faith.

They haven't even just won, but been winning big by outpitching the league. I suspect we're getting a glimpse at the Yankee future Brian Cashman is constructing. Great starters, good interchangeable relievers, decent bats.

Which is why I like the trade for Marte and Nady. We're headed into an odd offseason where there aren't any decent right fielders available as free agents, so making a trade makes a ton of sense. Nady was a tick above league average the last 3 years before his big 2008 (104, 102, 107, 142 OPS+).

While I don't think the Yanks need a lefty, it is conventional baseball wisdom. Joe G. has shown himself to be a conventional baseball kind of guy. So at least we got the best lefty available rather than another round of Billy Traber.

I figure Marte takes Traber's spot on the roster and Nady takes Christian's. Which means we still have to find a way to get rid of LaTroy Hawkins.

I think we sold low on Tabata, but better to sell him now before word really gets around that he was hitting .248/.320./310 in AA and been benched twice for clubhouse/ off the field infractions. And you have to give talent to get talent. Ohlendorf might have figured it out, but he wasn't going to be Mo and relievers are so volatile that they're always trade bait. Kontos and Coke were scrubs unworthy of the Bronx.

And unworthy of the Bronx makes a great transition to discussing Ponson and Rasner. Phil Hughes will begin rehabbing next week, IPK has shown flashes of brilliance, and Wang should start rehabbing soon. McCutchen has a 1.19 WHIP and 58 K against 11 BB.

I don't think Brian Cashman is done dealing yet. He wants a starter (or, if he doesn't he should).

As much as I love seeing Joba come up and in on Youkillis* (Bob Watson hates the Yankees, so don't be surprised to eventually hear suspension rumblings), I love seven innings of shutout ball even more. Cash looks like a genius for putting Joba in the rotation, and the MLB transition seems to have gone pretty well.

* Is it overstating things to think that the up and in pitch hitting the bat and being a strike is a sign of provenance?

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I

think Traber is gone, so it will be LaTroy who finally gets the boot. But good trade all in all.

Cano is a Pimp

by yankeechaser on Jul 26, 2008 10:18 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The Trade

So four prospects were traded for Nady & Marte. Both players currently have good stats. Nady is an indisputable improvement on Gardner/Christian. Marte, a lefty specialist added to a bullpenn which arguably may not have needed a lefty specialist, is definitely an improvement over Hawkins. The question is, on a team with glaring holes created by the absences of Matsui & Posada and the unmet expectations of Hughes and Kennedy, was improving on Gardner/Christian and Hawkins of sufficiently high a priority to justify the expenditure of those four prospects, who are no longer available for dealing with these other deficiencies, or were these other deficiencies of less importance?

by ThurmBobby7908 on Jul 26, 2008 10:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well the Gardner/Christian situation

was created by the absence of Matsui so I think that you answered your own question there.

Everything looks nicer when you win. The girls are prettier. The cigars taste better. The trees are greener. --Billy Martin

by garp on Jul 26, 2008 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Incorrect Reporting

Pete Abe now says that we gave up McCutcheon, Karstens, Ohlendorf, and Tabata for Nady and Marte…still a trade you have to make

"I want to thank the Good Lord for making me a Yankee"

by ISG on Jul 26, 2008 12:25 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Hold off Anointing Brian

Jscape your hearts in the right place, but take the blinders off your eyes. You cannot attribute anything about this season’s success to Cashman. IPK and Hughes were the young arms to take us to the promised land. Little did anyone know their destination was really the DL. It is the old guys…Andy and Moose and Mo who are all having phenom years that is keeping us at the edge of our seats.

We did better 'cause we got better...Yogi

by mickey07 on Jul 26, 2008 12:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Really

it’s just Moose and Mo being awesome, because Pettitte has been pretty average (though he’s had some highlight games).

But this bullpen with Robertson, Veras, and Ramirez has been an overlooked key to the Yanks’ success. There’s not one guy there who you’d trust every day, but it’s a team effort and good managing to play the hot hand and give the right guys the night off.

"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."

by jscape2000 on Jul 26, 2008 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

And not to mention...

What about Joba? He’s certainly been awesome in every role he’s been in from the time he made his first appearance. That can be attributed to Cash for sure.

For once, it’s our pitching (minus some unfortunate holes in the rotation we’ve managed to overcome pretty well) that’s our strength, and finally the offense is catching up. You can credit both Cash and Girardi and crew for that.

"If you lived in my grandfather's house...and you wanted to eat, you had to be a Yankees fan." --Joe Biden

by SenorSwanky on Jul 26, 2008 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

How in the world does

Cashman become a genius for putting Joba in the rotation. Everybody and their mother were rattling the cage to make him a starter, with a few notable exceptions like Gossage, Damon and, er, me. Plus, the greatest reason why Joba is in the rotation now is because Cashman has had to contend with the IPK and Hughes flame-outs—after putting 40% of his starter eggs in the rookie basket. (He should’ve known better.)

I’ll grant you that Cashman’s big success has been collecting depth in the minors over the last few seasons. But Mikey07 is right: Cash is the beneficiary of a bailout from a very unlikely producer in Mike Mussina.

I always feel pressure. What I don't have is fear. -- El Duque

by LateInningRelief on Jul 26, 2008 1:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

But Joba was going to be moved to the rotation regardless

The flame outs and injuries to Kennedy and Hughes didn’t matter because they both had limited innings this season.

Cashman said during the winter that Joba was going to be moved to the rotation.

by anaconda on Jul 26, 2008 7:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mussina

Without Mussina pitching the way he has been this season, the yankees would be a much worse team. He has been a gift from the baseball gods so far and lets pray he keeps pitching this way.

"Hey Derek do you actually drive the Edge?","I don't drive that piece of crap!"

by Da Shiz on Jul 26, 2008 8:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs