When the New York Yankees sent Zack Littell and Dietrich
Enns to the Minnesota Twins for left-handed starting pitcher Jaime Garcia I
have to admit that I was a bit underwhelmed. I have to admit that I understood
the logic behind the deal, the Twins were paying Garcia’s entire salary
basically while the Yankees cleared a bit of their 40 man roster and Rule 5
Draft logjam while acquiring a veteran starter with playoff and postseason
experience. The deal allowed the Yankees to limit the innings on Jordan
Montgomery, which I also get, and the team improved their bullpen on paper
making Garcia’s starts on the mound presumably less important and shorter. The
problem is, and no one else is saying it just yet, Jaime Garcia sucks. There, I
said it.
The good news is, as I alluded to, that Garcia is not only a
rental but a rental on another team’s dime. The even better news is that we are
two days away from September call ups meaning that reinforcements could
potentially be on the way for New York. Chance Adams may be added to the 40 man
roster this September and if he is then he will all but be called up to the
Major Leagues after the Triple-A season ends, congrats to the RailRiders by the
way for winning their division and clinching a postseason spot for the third
consecutive season. Adams was on the mound when the team clinched their
division title as the righty pushed his career minor league record to 31-6 with
a 2.23 ERA. Roster jam and all Adams has very little to nothing left to prove
down in the minor leagues and the Yankees need to realize that.
Jordan Montgomery will also be back at the Major League
level after rosters expand and after the RailRiders season ends just in case
the Yankees need some innings, although I know the team wants to limit his
innings as much as they can. If Adams doesn’t come up I could totally see
Montgomery making some starts down the stretch including the series finale against
Boston over this coming weekend instead of Garcia leaving Jaime as the long
reliever in the bullpen. That’s what the Yankees should do anyway, whether they
do it or not is anyone’s guess. I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find
out. One thing is for certain though, Jaime Garcia sucks.
