As much as I hate to admit it I think I may have been wrong
when I absolutely went off on Brian Cashman yesterday morning in a rant. If
Cashman was able to pull off a trade for Jose Peraza for simply Gary Sanchez
and another prospect I think I would have to eat crow and admit that it would
be a pretty good trade for the Yankees, begrudgingly. I absolutely love Robert
Refsnyder and what I believe he will bring to the table in the Bronx and I have
been one of the bigger Didi Gregorius supporters there has been but Peraza
makes too much sense for the Yankees to not pick him up and I am prepared to
tell you why.
First and foremost shortstops that can hit are at an
absolute premium these days, even more so than catchers who can hit, so there
aren’t many Peraza type players inside the Yankees system or sitting around in
free agency. A trade for a Yankees weakness, middle infielders, from a Yankees
strong point, catching depth, makes a ton of sense for New York and it really
improves the farm system overall. You have to remember that Peraza was
basically hand in hand with another Yankees prospect Aaron Judge on almost
every Top 100 Prospects list this offseason where Sanchez was left off those
lists so New York would be getting a stronger prospect for a lesser prospect or
two in a deal that also potentially fills a need in the long term.
I really like Gregorius and I have a ton of faith in Jorge
Mateo, Abi Avelino and the rest of the Yankees shortstop prospects but Peraza
is just too good to pass up. Mateo may be great but he is so far away he may
not be as well. Trading for Peraza is like trading for the best case scenario
and the ceiling of Mateo without the growing pains and the three or four year
waiting period. Peraza is ready now for the major leagues in my opinion and if
he’s not he will truly be ready by June. And while we’re talking projections
you have to admit that neither Gregorius nor Peraza are finished products at
this point in their careers but projection wise Peraza has to rank just a step
or two ahead of Gregorius if all goes according to plan.
Peraza is a better fit for this team as he is a right handed
hitter that balances out the bottom of the order. Peraza has the speed to hit 9th
and basically give the Yankees three leadoff hitters along with Jacoby Ellsbury
and Brett Gardner along with potentially 60 stolen base per season speed and
base running skills. Peraza along with Refsnyder at second gives the Yankees
exactly what they need as they go into basically a rebuilding phase over the
next three or four seasons and that’s a strong defense up the middle and a
young core of players to build around. Someone will jump on Didi in a trade if
the Yankees acquire Peraza and if not then you designate Brendan Ryan and you
rotate Didi in off the bench whenever you can. When you have a slew of talent
you don’t turn them away you simply find ways to get them into the lineup.
That’s Joe Girardi’s job, not mine. It’s also Cashman’s job to put the best
team on the field as possible and honestly, as much as I hate to admit it after
my little rant yesterday, that team likely includes Peraza at shortstop.
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Sorry for the Capatcha... Blame the Russians :)