Defending Brian Cashman
by jscape2000 on Jan 11, 2011 11:01 AM EST
in New York Yankees Analysis
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PrintWell, jetanumba2, you asked for a list of New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman's good moves, so I started one.
But before we get to the list, let's have a discussion about what we're evaluating.
There are three different things that get evaluated when we discuss a GM- the wisdom of a move at the time; the value a move produced for the team, regardless of wisdom of the move; or your reaction to a move in retrospect. I'm most interested in my GM making the best move possible considering the information available at the time.
For example, signing Carl Pavano made perfect sense before the 2005 season- the Yankees had just choked away the 2004 pennant because they lacked a reliable starting pitcher after the 35 year old Mike Mussina, Pavano was 29 years old and coming off back to back 200 IP seasons, and he was the best free agent pitcher, sought after by the Mets, the Red Sox, the Tigers, the Orioles and the M's. Now, there's a strong argument to be made that Pavano wasn't worth a 4 year deal when other pitchers were only getting 3 years, but clearly the Yankees needed Pavano (unfortunately, they continued to need him over the next 4 years). By criteria one, it was the right move, even though it failed to produce by criteria two or three.
Some of my favorite Cashman moves:
- Acquired Nick Swisher for Wilson Betemit- I still can't believe this deal happened
- Acquired Bobby Abreu for some minor leaguers- everyone knew the Yankees wanted Abreu, but it took patience and smarts to wait out the Phillies
- Signed CC Sabathia
- Held onto Phil Hughes, Melky Cabrera & others instead of trading for Johan Santana- Cabrera would have a 1.8 WAR season and help win a WS, Hughes has had good seasons in the pen and in the rotation, and with Santana under the knife again, it'll be interesting to see which pitcher produces more value over the remainder of his current contract/ team control.
- Signed Robinson Cano to 4 year/ $30M extention with 2 club options, through age 30
- Acquired Javier Vazquez for Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera- expectations were too high, and Torre rode him into the ground in the first half of 2004; then he took the blame for the end of 2004
- Acquired Shawn Chacon for Ramon Ramirez and Eduardo Sierra (minors)- saved the 2005 season
- Acquired a bag of balls and some warm bodies for Tony Womack- he convinced the Reds that Tony Womack was worth trading for!
- Acquired Aaron Boone for Brandon Claussen- one swing makes it all worth it
- Filled the bullpen with homegrown options in the last three seasons
Some of my least favorite:
- Let Pettitte walk after 2003
- Acquired Kevin Brown for Jeff Weaver and Yhency Brazoban
- Signed Alex Rodriguez for 10 years after he opted out of his contract
- Traded for Armando Benitez- the worst of catering to Torre's bullpen mismanagement
- Traded for Randy Johnson instead of signing Carlos Beltran- RJ was a great acquisition, but at the cost of Javy Vazquez (after just trading Nick Johnson and Juan Rivera for Vazquez) and the young Dioner Navarro; and the failure to acquire a great CF when the Yanks needed a great CF, led to seasons of frantic FA signings and experiments in CF.
- Signed Kyle Farnsworth- a disastrous move compounded by giving him important innings just to satisfy the size of his contract
- Traded Damaso Marte for Enrique Wilson. Wilson was never anything special as a player- so much so that when Jeter went down with a dislocated shoulder, the Yankees gave the starter's spot to Eric Almonte instead
- Signed Damaso Marte to a 3 year/ $12M deal- when will we learn the reliever/ multi-year deal lesson? Since he's been hurt for the first 3 seasons, at least there's time for someone to suggest picking up his $4M option!
- I suppose no list of mistakes is complete without Kei Igawa- but he only cost money, and unlike more serious mistakes like Kyle Farnsworth and AJ Burnett, at least Cashman and Co have shown the sense to leave Igawa in the minors where he can't do any serious damage.
- I considered leaving AJ Burnett off the list out of hope for a strong rebound. But Burnett has a contract that will take him to 2013 (age 36). The fun has only just begun.
Put your additions to each list in the comments.
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Comments
Pavano
wasn’t a bad signing at the time. Nobody could have foreseen what eventually took place.
There's always next year
I agree
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
by YankeesJets on Jan 11, 2011 11:32 AM EST up reply actions
yea, i’d give cashman some slack on that. just the results sucked, but at the time i probably wuld have said it was a fair deal.
Pavano ...
When news broke that we signed him I thought it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I mean, Long Island boy, good-looking, talented. I envisioned years of double digit wins. Alas, it was not to be. I completely agree, Pavano while a terrible sign was not Cashman’s fault. i’d have signed him too. I might not have wanted to give him 4 years, but then again, when push comes to shove I’d have caved.
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
oh yeah dude he was so hot
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 5:09 PM EST up reply actions
you forget I forsee the future
For a price of coarse.
I lift things up then put them down. ( if you've seen it you will laugh, if you haven't then you will not but damn it's funny.)
by cashman bashman on Jan 11, 2011 8:20 PM EST up reply actions
Of course, I’d like to know how much coarse you charge.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Agreed
March 31st can't come soon enough.
by Chris McKeown on Jan 11, 2011 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
Some issues with this post
You cant say that one signing shouldnt be judged on the result but whether it was a good signing or trade at the time but then go and judge the Farnsworth as a bad one. It wasnt a bad signing when it was made. The AJ one shouldnt be on there either, he did help win a title and he was probably our best pitcher in April, May and July last year.
ARod shouldnt be on the list, that wasnt Cashmans fault. Marte’s deal wasnt awful considering what guys are getting now. The RJ trade was the right move at the time and he did have two 17 win seasons, so he wasnt awful. I feel Aaron Small and Kerry Wood belong on the positives list, Nick Johnson on the negatives. CC was pretty much a slam dunk in my opinion, might as well add Tex too.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
I'm in the middle on Tex
A decent signing, mostly cuz it kept him from our rivals, but too much money.
There's always next year
no the Farnsworth signing is bad
relievers are not, and never will be, consistent. giving them multi-year contracts, especially 3+ years, is incredibly dumb. we dont realize how lucky and spoiled we are with Mo.
I believe in the Church of Baseball
Free FreeBradshaw!
by Frank Campagnola on Jan 11, 2011 1:23 PM EST up reply actions
Farny was coming up a fantastic season and was averaging around 10 Ks/9 for his career
It was a good signing at the time of the signing, looking back after his 3 years in the Pinstripes, not so much. I agree that relievers are never consistent which is why when you find one with a decent track record, you grab him.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
coming off*
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
Responses
I think signing a reliever to a multi-year contract is almost always a bad decision. Especially one with an up and down track record like Farnsy and Marte.
Wood is definitely on the good side- I left him off because I only wanted to list 10. Small is definitely a good one.
Tex I’m unsure about. Yes, he’s been great his first 2 seasons, but is really that much better than using Swisher at first? And having Tex at 1B prevents the Yanks from seriously consider moving Arod, Jeter, Posada etc.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
I was being sarcastic with Tex and CC
II dont think those signings were the mark of what makes a great GM. Those are moves any GM could make with the Yankee checkbook. The mark of a good to great GM are the deals like the Grandy or Swisher ones or another one that gets lost in the shuffle, the Jon Lieber one. I dont think Cashman is awful, I would say he is middle of the pack.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
That’s part of my thinking too. Having Tex tied up for so long for so much money with an aging baseball team leaves us with our hands tied. No place to move either A-Rod or Jeter, if a move is a necessity. No place to put a promising bat in Montero if the catching gig doesn’t work out. And regardless of what some say, it’s too much money. I see Tex’s signing as middling, at best.
There's always next year
thank you
personally i think Tex is overrated, but he really put the team over the top in 09 (in the regular season at least)
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 8:14 PM EST up reply actions
i feel he is because he is the highest paid one but i can think about a half dozen better overall first basemen
also, i know it is a small sample size, but thirty games (which is not insignificant) in the playoffs he has a a mid .600 OPS
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 10:08 PM EST up reply actions
another thing about the Tex signing
While keeping him away from the Red Sox was nice bonus at the time, it’s not like first base is a hard position to fill – and the Red Sox did, two years later. They’re overpaying too, but it’s not like Tex was a once-in-a-generation, irreplaceable talent.
by long time listener on Jan 11, 2011 8:35 PM EST up reply actions
Pavano. That rocked-err I mean I feel your pain.
by Marisa Ingemi on Jan 11, 2011 12:00 PM EST via mobile reply actions
Giving up Tábata, Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Daniel McCutchen in exchange for Xavier Nady and Dámaso Marte will easily turn out to be the worst move he’s ever made.
only because of injury
that crop is nothing special, do you honestly miss Jeff Karstens? the best he contributed to the Yankees was breaking his leg paving the way for Igawa-in-sunglasses-dominance. Personally I miss Ohlendorf, I saw him as having the potential for what Robertson is now.
To me the trade was a great one because
Marte helped the team win a title.
I’ll take it every time.
by Peter Lacock on Jan 11, 2011 1:33 PM EST up reply actions
I agree, the move was lauded at the time
Who knew Nady was going to be hurt? At one point he was starting over Swisher and Marte helped bring a title home. Those other 4 were meh. Tabata isnt bad but who knows how old the guy is.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
Okay
Marte was on the team. But I am far from believing that he helped much in our winning the title in ’09.
There's always next year
At the time
I was excited about this one. Injuries will make it a signing that wasn’t so great.
March 31st can't come soon enough.
by Chris McKeown on Jan 11, 2011 1:53 PM EST up reply actions
Nah. The only way that trade turns out to be the worst move he's ever made is if Tabata
manages to realize his potential. That doesn’t look likely at the moment.
Wow I'm famous!
But I still feel like this list doesn’t go far enough. Cashman came on in 98 right? So there has to be great signings/trades out there before 2005! I think he started off with a lot of great moves and in order to continue the Yankee Dynasty Steinbrenner seized control of most decision making, which led to the mid-2000s era. Once Cashman made his power grab the team seemed to move in a different direction valuing prospects, avoiding big contracts to old players etc.
Agreed. I forgot to link to this, which was quite valuable in refreshing my memory about trades.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
I miss all of them especially Tabata...
I think he’s the jewel of the crop. He hit .300 last year with a 2.0 WAR in 100 games, for the lowly pirates. He stole 20 bases and got on base and also plays a good outfied. I think he would be a great in left field at Yankee stadium as well as being a perfect 4th outfielder.
Nothing could be done about this
He was a jerk and burned his bridge.
He couldn’t be trusted.
He had to go.
Talent be damned.
by Peter Lacock on Jan 11, 2011 12:54 PM EST up reply actions
I don't remember exactly but it was something like
He was arrested. They disciplined him. He was dogging it. They disciplined him. He walked out. They disciplined him. He was dogging it again. They traded him.
By discipline I mean they pulled him out of games, benched him and fined him. He deserved to be beaten.
They tried talking to him many times and couldn’t get through to him. He basically just kept telling smart men like Tony Franklin: ‘F you, shove it up your arse.’
by Peter Lacock on Jan 11, 2011 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
That’s my take on Tabata as well.
He’d been so prized and so coddled for so long that it just wasn’t going to happen in pinstripes. I don’t know if his attitude has changed, but he was floundering in AA at the time of the trade.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
I'm pretty sure he has had problems in Pittsburgh too
but I think it was shortly after the trade
by Peter Lacock on Jan 11, 2011 2:18 PM EST up reply actions
His wife
Was arrested for attempting to steal a baby.
by Iggy Poptart on Jan 11, 2011 4:42 PM EST up reply actions
Tabata a toad ...
I recall he was overweight and sluggish and had a bad work ethic. That spells disaster in the NY baseball arena. I didn’t want us to move him either, but from what I saw and read, if Tabata was ever to make it at the MLB level it would have to be away from NYC.
"Baseball is the background music of my life." -George Will
It's not a trade or FA signing but the best move C$$ ever made has been
to rebuild the farm from one of the worst to one of the best.
We could definitely put Signing Damon Oppenheimer to Run the Draft at number 1 or 2 on the list.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Signing A-rod
the second time to that huge contract was his biggest mistake.
Cashman was against it, that was all the Steinbrenners
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
I was
hoping to give him credit for signing The Fat Toad, but then I remembered Irabu came around in 1997
"Go slower" - Todd Lickliter
A lot of people get on Cashman's case.
But let’s be real, its not like every other GM in baseball is perfect. Not every move is going to work out well for both teams.
I feel like its one of those things that wagon fans do when they wanna blame someone. They don’t know who else to blame, so why not blame the GM? (speaking of NO ONE in particular on PSA).
If the Yankees don’t make the playoffs in 2011, it’ll be because Cashman didn’t do this, or he “let” Cliff Lee go to the Phils, or “let” Crawford go the the saux.
I think he’s a great GM. YankeesJets and I actually had this conversation about 3 days ago.
I believe in the Church of Baseball
Free FreeBradshaw!
by Frank Campagnola on Jan 11, 2011 1:29 PM EST reply actions
You forgot...
…that in the Bobby Abreu trade, not only was he able to pull it off, but he convinced the Phillies to ADD Cory Lidle into the mix, who would’ve remained in the backend of the rotation, if it wasn’t for his tragic accident.
Agreed. Completely forgot that part.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Forgot about that one
Might be his worst trade ever
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
By results, sure.
But the Yanks had just gotten the best defensive 3B in the league, and they got 3 quality pitchers for Lowell (they didn’t have many pitching prospects at the time).
For what it’s worth, Cash has said as recently as ‘08 that the Lowell trade is the number 1 do-over he’d want: http://yankees.lhblogs.com/2008/03/30/brian-cashman-answers-your-questions/
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Cool list.
Trading for Granderson was a ninja move too. Can’t have a list without that guy on it.
Signed Alex Rodriguez for 10 years after he opted out of his contract
Hank inked that deal with A-Rod. Cashman was prepared to let him walk after he opted out.
As for the RJ deal, the Boss wanted that deal to get done. Cashman had objections about trading for Randy Johnson.
I've got one that you missed
How about signing that guy from Japan named Hideki Matsui?
March 31st can't come soon enough.
+1
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
by Hasan Paliwala on Jan 11, 2011 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
I dont think that was his move though
It seeems that he had very limited power until after 2005. Matsui came over in 2003.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
What about moves not made?
Like hanging onto Cano? (I know he was exposed to Texas when nobody knew who he was, but Cash turned down a bunch of offers for him in 2006).
The Clemens and Leyritz deals worked out quite nicely also.
Cashman has traded for a lot of guys who didn’t owrk out, but he usually gave away players who were no better.
I had forgotten about the Marcus Thames for Ruben Sierra deal. I guess we would have been better off keeping Thames long term, although Sierra had a couple of decent seasons.
by designatedquitter on Jan 11, 2011 2:10 PM EST reply actions
I thought about the Clemens trade quite a bit
Rocket was good. But was he that much better than Wells?
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Don't forget the Grand Slam against the Twins in the playoffs that kept it from going 5
All my hate for Sierra vanished in one quick moment, but alas came back in the ALDS.
I lift things up then put them down. ( if you've seen it you will laugh, if you haven't then you will not but damn it's funny.)
by cashman bashman on Jan 11, 2011 8:29 PM EST up reply actions
I dont think he is a bad GM, just middle of the pack in my opinion
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
I dont want him fired, who would replace him?
Some are just upset because this will be the second off season in a row where he didnt just throw money at everybody.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
firing Cashman would be terrible
Hank/Hal would replace him with some crony. Cash has their trust, thus he has more power. The Yankee ownership won’t ever let some guy overhaul the team (that is unless the owner is suspended from baseball…)
for the most part i like Hal in charge
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 3:14 PM EST up reply actions
I would have loved us to sign Carlos Beltran
I just loved the way he played center.
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
well, obviously if he played with the Yankees the ghosts near monument park would have protected his knees
duh
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 3:13 PM EST up reply actions
So that's how it works...
I think you mean you couldn't care less because if you could care less it means that you care a little bit.
I'll take two of those seasons for what he did from 04-09.
But I understand where you’re coming from. Cost of a long-term FA deal and all.
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
by Hasan Paliwala on Jan 12, 2011 3:16 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
i dont think you can blame Cashman for the 10 year A-Rod contract
was that not Hank Steinbrenner’s doing?
the Burnett, Igawa, and Jeter contracts though…man
CRAWWL MEAT!!
What Jeter contract?
The one that just expired was a very rare case in which the team pretty much got what it paid for and the one he just signed might be overpaying a bit, but he pretty much had to. We also dont know how Jeter is going to perform either. AJ’s deal cant be judged until it is complete. Igawa would get most GMs fired.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
the one this offseason
but hey, I suppose we should see how Jeets performs before criticizing
I really hope that Burnett proves me wrong but pitchers in the mid thirties rarely perform better then their career averages
and you are right about Igawa, it was a blatant reaction to the Dice-K signing that backfired immediately
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
although in Igawas defense, he DID strikeout Barry Bonds that year
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 3:09 PM EST up reply actions
So did the kid in Rookie Of The Year
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
that wasn't Bonds
that was supposed to be Piazza right?
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 5:10 PM EST up reply actions
Go back and watch the movie, Bonds was in it, I think he was still a Pirate
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
i havent seen that movie since i was a kid
what pitcher do you think the Rocket was?
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 12, 2011 2:20 PM EST up reply actions
I hesitate to split those hairs, because Cash’s critics never split them.
Jared Wright was definitely a Big Stein move, but I always hear his name as evidence that Cash is terrible at evaluating pitching. It’s Cashman’s name next to the title- he gets the benefit of the Steinbrenners’ checkbook and the handicap of their baseball advice.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Also Cashmans decision to keep Joba teh Putz in teh Pen
is one of his worst decisions, remember the GM does not just sign people he decides how to use the resources within
only the Yankees would keep a top pitching prospect who started his whole career in the eighth inning (well the Rangers are kind of doing something similar with Neftali)
CRAWWL MEAT!!
in fact, keeping Joba where he is might rank number 1 on my list of bad Cashman moves
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 3:12 PM EST up reply actions
if that's #1
…wouldn’t that kind of show he’s been pretty good? When that (something not entirely his decision and something that can still be resolved- he doesn’t have to reliever forever) is #1 on his bad move list?
RU RAH RAH
RU RAH RAH
i do think that Cashman is a good GM
I’m not debating that
I was just surprised that jscape did not have that on his list, but then again keeping Joba in the pen is not a “transaction” so therefore is not as easily comparible to say, the Igawa signing
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 11:41 PM EST up reply actions
ok
And I would agree- the Joba handling was not managed well.
But in the grand scheme of things, it’s still solvable, whether he sees his potential as a SP five years from now or whether he becomes a dominant closer. So it’s not like he comes out as a fool.
RU RAH RAH
RU RAH RAH
A-Rod was all the Steinbrenners
Not Cashman. And I’m not upset about that move, seeing as he was coming off the single greatest season by a Yankee since Mantle’s years. Is he overpaid? Absolutely, but it’s not like he’s handcuffing the Yankees financially. They’re the Yankees! And he’s still one of if not the best offensive third baseman in the league. I know he’s overpaid, but considering how productive he’s been and the caliber player he is I don’t think I can put him in the “worst moves” column.
And putting Burnett on the worst moves isn’t fair. The guy helped lead the Yankees to a title in 2009 while pitching brilliantly in the biggest start of the guys career. He had a bad season, but to put him in the “worst” list after one bad year (following a great year) and the fact that his contract isn’t even over yet I think isn’t fair.
Cash is a great GM and he’s only improved over the years. He’s gotten smarter with FA signings and the money he spends, and has gotten much smarter with the pitching. Some moves will work and some won’t, but for the most part I think he’s done a good job putting championship caliber teams together year in and year out.
"I'll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it's sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the game-winning shot."- Kobe Bryant
Please come back Andy!
My only complaint about Pavano
It was not a dumb move unless you have the gift of perfect foresight, but 3 years instead of 4 would have been smarter.
All GMs have the good and the bad.
But it is a heck of a lot easier to play GM when you can outbid the rest of the league for star players, or eat bad contracts and not be affected by it. Other teams give too much money to a guy and he doesn’t pan out, they have a big mess on their hands.
I think GMs should be judged more on trade value and developing the farm system. That being said, I think Cashman grades out fairly well(or at least you should know in a couple years when the young guys reach the bigs exactly how well)
DWTDD
2000 - Zach Day, Ricky Ledee, and Jake Westbrook for David Justice
after both Moises Alou and Juan Gonzalez rejected the idea of playing in NY.
breaking news
Trevor Hoffman is retiring.
by long time listener on Jan 11, 2011 6:10 PM EST reply actions
there's some irony there
It’s also kinda funny that two milestones will come so close together. No. 600 will come only a couple of days before No. 602 (in all likelihood). That will take something away from No. 600, I would think. Of course, these are problems only Yankee fans have. “WAAHHH! OUR HALL OF FAMERS MILESTONES COME TOO CLOSE TOGETHER! WE DON’T HAVE TIME TO ENJOY EACH RECORD! WAHH!!!”
by long time listener on Jan 11, 2011 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
I demand Girardi to keep him in the pen for at least a week in between 600 and 602
Just so I can savor the awesomeness that is Mo!
I think you mean you couldn't care less because if you could care less it means that you care a little bit.
Hoffman was washed up at the end of his career
March 31st can't come soon enough.
by Chris McKeown on Jan 11, 2011 10:04 PM EST up reply actions
Carlos Beltran
Wasn’t that a luxury tax issue, where the Yankees would have had to pay an additional 40% of his salary in luxury tax?
Mickey C
That was the excuse- it was RJ or Beltran. I said then and I maintain RJ+Bernie<Vazquez+Beltran.
"Have faith in the Yankees, my son. Think of the great DiMaggio."
Totally agree
The idiot formerly known as pkyankeefan! Now in Technicolour!
by Hasan Paliwala on Jan 12, 2011 3:21 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I remember Beltran willing to take less to be a Yankee
I’ll still take RJ over Vazquez anyday. Even today.
Should you choose to test my resolve in this matter, you will be facing a finality beyond your comprehension, and you will not be counting days, or months, or years, but milleniums in a place with no doors.
Cashman is a top tier GM
Sorry he isn’t perfect. Let’s not forget that since he got full control he turned our farm system around to the point it was top 3 when we had IPK, Phil, and Joba and just a couple years later it’s top 5 again.
Look around the league…how many good GM’s are there? Probably not even 10. We should be glad we have Cashman.
If Cashman made the moves that all his haters wanted him to make THEN Cashman would be a bad GM. Because I’ve observed that his haters don’t know what they’re talking about.
FYI, I believe the RJ trade was more Steinbrenner than anything and Cashman was against the A-Rod contract
RU RAH RAH
RU RAH RAH
I agree
Cashman has grown a really solid farm for us, top 5 for sure
CRAWWL MEAT!!
by Brian5517209 on Jan 11, 2011 11:43 PM EST up reply actions
...
“If Cashman made the moves that all his haters wanted him to make THEN Cashman would be a bad GM.”
Not because he’s the GM of the team we root for we have to root for him and love him. He has made lots of terrible moves, lots of dumb acquisitions, lots of money thrown to try and plug the holes he has fabricated. He has some good moves, but his bad moves far offset his good moves at least in the past 8 years. And i’m not even mentioning the fact that baseball negotiations are like poker, you don’t ever EVER reveal your game, you bluff and see how things go (The Boss was the epitome of that kind of negotiator, what he wanted he got most of the time)… Ca$hboy always reveals his hand too early and everybody knows who he’s going after.
by Mikhel Barajas on Jan 12, 2011 10:22 AM EST up reply actions
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a) Pavano had a lifetime record prior to being acquired by the Yanks of:
58-57 W-L, 4.21 ERA, 9.5 hits every 9 inn, while pitching in the weak hitting National League.
Ca$hboy signed him to a 4 year deal worth about 40 millions. Basically in his first year the Yanks gave him about 500,000 dlls more than the total he had made up until then in his career (7 seasons).
Lifetime he has made about 55 millions, about 40 of those from the Yanks in 4 seasons.
The fact that he was or wasn’t coveted doesn’t make that a good pick for the Yanks. In any case, Igawa was coveted by lots of teams and the Yanks won the bid.
b) I see you forgot about Ted Lilly, the guy had a few good starts, and was traded for Jeff Weaver in a trade where the A’s traded Bonderman, Franklyn German and Carlos Peña (later signed by the yanks to play at AAA). You might remember Weaver for his iregularity, similar to the one experienced by the next player:
c) Javier Vázquez, a 64-68 W-L pitcher with a 4.16 ERA in the National League with a long history of performing terribly against teams with winning records (it’s still happening to this day), the first time he cost a lot:
Randy Choate, Nick Johnson (who besides being injury prone, has had some pretty good seasons), and Juan Rivera (who still plays for he Angels).
Vázquez “surprisingly” imploded when the pressure was ON, like he had imploded so many times before. Not happy with that happened something quite… well…
d) Javier Vázquez… yeah, he’s twice in my list of bad picks, this time he not only cost the yanks three players, but they also had to pay “javy” 11.5 millions, so they got: 2 players and gave up three players and 11.5 millions… YIKES!
by Mikhel Barajas on Jan 12, 2011 10:13 AM EST reply actions
Cashman's has a HUGE margin of error
that no other GM possesses. If he had made a fraction of his ill-advised moves with a team that had MLB average or below resources, he would not be employed right now. In fact, had Texas chosen Cano instead of Arias in the A-Rod deal, he would be soaking up rays with Omar Minaya right now.
His latest bonehead moves will really cost him, however:
1. The Granderson deal: Those 2 pitchers (Kennedy and Coke) sure could come in handy right now as we turn to Sergio Mitre, Justin Durscherer and Jeremy Bonderman (!) for the starting rotation. Jackson is already a top-flight ballplayer at 24. Granderson is not worth these 3 talented young players. This trade will come back and haunt the Yankees for years.
2. The (2nd) Vasquez deal: Watch for both Vizcaino and Dunn (now a Marlin). The former has closer potential and the latter could be far better than Boone Logan (all that we have to show for this deal).
3. Signing Nick Johnson: Just the plain stupidity of signing a perenially injured player who was predictably injured by mid-May and giving up on proven veterans in the process. If you’re looking for reasons why the Yankees weren’t better last year, here’s a big one.
4. Trading Tabata: When there’s a recognized dearth of oufielders in the Yankees system (since we now know that Cashman had no faith in Austin Jackson playing for the Yankees), why trade your next best prospect? If it’s part of a deal to build the club, OK. But to get Nady and Marte, that is one lousy use of top prospects.
5. The deal that never got done: Lee. Cashman was ready to throw caution to the wind and mortgage the future over 1/2 a year of Cliff Lee when there was no certainty he could sign him long-term. When you’re trading Montero, of course you want that extension in advance. Again, unless the Yankees win the WS with Lee (unlikely because he couldn’t have solved the myriad woes of the 2010 team) and Lee walks to Philly, we have calls for Cashman to join Omar in the Bahamas.
I love hindsight
At the time the Vazquez trade was good. There is no denying that- unless you actually did know Javy’s fastball was going to fall off a cliff. But if you knew that info why did you withhold it from us and from Cashman?
RU RAH RAH
RU RAH RAH
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