Some Thoughts After a Quiet Deadline

The Trade Deadline came and went yesterday, and the Yankees made zero deals. Fans and teams' upper management seemed shocked, questioning if it was the right way to go.

I won't lie, going into the deadline I hoped the Yankees would make a deal, preferably a small one. Perhaps the Jerry Hairston Jr. trade from '09 for example, but the Yankees stood pat.

After thinking it through, the Yankees did the right thing.

The rotation certainly has depth, with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Bartolo Colon, Phil Hughes, Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia, and even possibly Adam Warren and David Phelps looking like capable MLB pitchers, and the bullpen is good enough with the return of Rafael Soriano.

The lineup is fine, especially if Andruw Jones and/or Jorge Posada can pick up their play in the second half.

There is no reason to make a deal just for the sake of making a deal, and hopefully the lack of moves pays off.

Other thoughts after the jump

Manny Banuelos has been promoted to AAA (Travis will have more on that later) and that is fantastic. He could be in the MLB as early as this season, but I'd rather he not be until September call-ups, unless he tears up AAA.

Dellin Betances should be promoted along with Banuelos. Banuelos/Betances can take the spots of Andrew Brackman, who walked nine batters in three innings in his last start, and D.J. Mitchell, who despite having a solid season does not seem to merit major league consideration right now. If the Yankees keep a six man rotation, let Betances take the Hughes/Nova spot.

If/when Phil Hughes is taken out of the rotation for Ivan Nova, which he should be as of now, he should be demoted to AAA and kept as a starter, not sent to the pen. Hughes can't get enough important innings in the pen, and by building up his arm strength in AAA, Hughes could be more prepared for a comeback later this season, or next season. I still have tons of faith in Hughes and think he will be in the rotation next season.

I really hope the Yankees call up Jesus Montero as soon as possible. He deserves it, and Russell Martin doesn't deserve to start with his lack of hitting.

It's interesting to look at the holes of the other playoff teams right now in the AL. Texas has a fantastic bullpen, but their rotation is iffy. The Red Sox have the same problem, and the Tigers are all around good, but not great. The Indians are young and inexperienced, which could be a problem. The Yankees could have rotation issues, as it isn't a definite that Colon/Garcia both last until the postseason. Let's hope!

At this point, I hope the Yankees do very little in August waivers. I wouldn't mind a deal for a Hairston type like mentioned above, but Wandy Rodriguez will likely be talked about again, and I want no part of that. The team should be relatively set as is right now. I won't be surprised if the Yankees do get Wandy in August, though.

The Yankees have depth at every position right now. Outfield there is Dickerson and Golson, infield there is Laird, Russo, and Vazquez, and starting pitching there is Phelps, Hughes, Nova, Warren. Relief might be a problem, unless the Yankees switch a few starters to relievers, which I prefer they don't do.

Finally, thank you Brian Cashman. Cashman didn't trade my personal favorite prospects (who just happen to be the best in the system) Jesus Montero, Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, and Austin Romine. Nova too, if you count him as a prospect still. The Indians deal for Ubaldo Jimenez looks awful, and I love it.

Thoughts?