Listen to the Fans: Fire Cashman Night...

 

Fire Cashman Night, 9/22/2023 (Photo Credit: Robert Sabo/NY Post)

Fans show up in support of Cashman’s dismissal…

Friday night was “Fire Cashman Night” and of course, the Yankees won with a reclamation project off the scrap heap (Luke Weaver), a common and consistent Cashman attempt to find ‘lightning in a bottle’. To Cashman’s credit, Weaver was once a promising young pitcher for the Cardinals and Diamondbacks, and perhaps the Yankees see something they can fix. Yet, it was funny that a Cashman ploy succeeded on a night when fans were calling for his ouster. Weaver was backed by Aaron Judge’s second three-homer game of the season, but the first home run, a three-run shot in the third inning would have been sufficient to back the tremendous outings by Weaver and reliever Jhony Brito. Gerrit Cole, not Matt Blake, is growing a reputation as the team’s Pitching Whisperer.

Gerrit Cole (Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Despite Aaron Judge’s words after the game saying the players take the most responsibility for this season’s failure, the primary problem was the players who were on the field and that buck stops with Cashman. 

The Yankees (78-76) won Friday night’s game, 7-1 over the Arizona Diamondbacks, the opening game of a three-game weekend series. The Yankees have eight games remaining. The series in Toronto next week will be tough but hopefully, the Yankees can win the series against Arizona this weekend with victories today and/or tomorrow and take next weekend’s series in Kansas City to ensure a winning season and help to stay a step ahead of the Boston Red Sox to avoid being the AL East Cellar Dweller. 

While I get the players need to perform better on the field, I do not feel that Brian Cashman should continue his role as the team’s general manager. It is TIME for a new voice and vision. Cashman’s years of complacency, the failures to make necessary supportive moves to help the huge free agent signings of Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge (signings driven by Hal Steinbrenner and not Cashma), and the disastrous trades and bypass of young generational free agent talent (most notably, Bryce Harper) over the past few seasons have helped the Yankees become the “mid” team they currently are. The Yankees spend money, it is the allocation of those dollars that has been the problem. Whether it is Giancarlo Stanton’s contract that grows uglier with each passing year or taking on the money owed to Josh Donaldson that largely helped the Minnesota Twins win this year’s AL Central crown, those are dollars that could have gone to elite players. As wide open as the American League is this year, it is too bad the Yankees were not prepared to participate. THAT is on Cashman. 

For every bad trade, people like to say the Yankees acquired Anthony Rizzo. The truth is the Yankees went for Rizzo when they could have had Matt Olson. Olson currently has 53 home runs and 132 RBIs and is batting .278/.386/.605 with .991 OPS. Maybe the Yankees never could have matched the package that the Atlanta Braves gave the Oakland A’s to get Olson but there is no real evidence they ever tried. Fans like Anthony Rizzo. He has a fun personality, is supportive of his t,eammates and is one of Aaron Judge’s best friends, he has a cute dog, and his defense at first base is light years ahead of the metal glove that preceded him (Luke Voit). In reality, Rizzo is an aging ballplayer with a bad back. Don Mattingly showed that a bad back can prematurely end a first baseman’s great career.  Sorry, I will not give Cashman credit for Rizzo even if I like the player. The Yankees could have and should have done better.   

Brian Cashman was the right man at the right time when he was promoted to succeed Bob Watson as the Yankees’ General Manager in 1998. He will always be associated with the 1990s Dynasty Years even though he was not the chief architect, and he has 2009 when he expertly used Hal Steinbrenner’s money to supplement a talented roster, bringing the championship back home. Cashman is a legitimate future Hall of Famer, however, his days as the Yankees general manager have reached the end of their useful life.

It is time to fire Brian Cashman.

Sadly, with each passing day as we near season’s end, the probability of Cashman’s firing lMostnce most teams, like Boston did in firing GM Chaim Bloom this month, make changes in August or September to ensure the new GM is in place before the start of the critical offseason. So, I guess I continue to hope Steinbrenner promotes Cashman to President of Baseball Operations (or a similar title) and makes room for a new showrunner. 

Regardless of what happens, the fans of the New York Yankees are united in the belief that Cashman must go (as general manager).

Wake up, Hal Steinbrenner, and listen to the fans. 

Thank you, Wandy Peralta

Wandy Peralta, one of the few successful trades in recent memory, has been a good Yankee. He pitched in 63 games this year, which spanned 54 innings. He has a 2.83 ERA with four saves. Yesterday, a right triceps strain caused the Yankees to place Peralta on the 15-day Injured List which ended his 2023 season and most likely his Yankees career. Peralta, a free agent after the season, is not expected to return.

Wandy Peralta (Photo Credit: @Yankees via X)

I am proud of the effort Peralta delivered for the Yankees during his time in Pinstripes.  He was not always successful, but he was certainly trying to succeed every time he took the mound. Not to say other players do not try, but Peralta always seemed unflappable in any situation. The Yankees could re-sign Peralta in the offseason, but I feel the odds are against it. With so many talented young pitchers moving up in the farm system, the Yankees have younger, cheaper options on the immediate horizon. Another team will most likely offer Peralta a multi-year deal that would be foolish for the Yankees to match. 

It sucks when a good Yankee leaves. I understand it, but it still carries a sense of loss. We appreciate your time in Pinstripes, Wandy. The team would have been better with more guys like you. Good luck with your continued MLB journey. 

To replace Peralta, the Yankees promoted pitching prospect Yoendrys Gómez. I am happy for Gómez. He gets a chance to prove if he can help in 2024 or at the very least, he can showcase his talents for other teams in the event he is traded in the offseason. I had expected Gómez to make his Major League debut last night, particularly when the Yanks had a pulled away from the D-Backs (although Clay Holmes tried his best to make it close), but it did not happen. Maybe today will be the start of his successful Major League career. 

Final Words

Michael King has made me a believer. He should be in the Yankees’ starting rotation next season. His early success in the rotation frees the Yankees to consider moving Clarke Schmidt in the offseason to help improve other areas of the roster.  I like Schmidt, but I like King better. As for pitching, I know many fans would like to move on from Frankie Montas, but I would like to see the Yankees bring him back on a short-term deal to prove himself. For as much as the Yankees paid for him and as talented as we thought he was at the time, it would be disappointing to get absolutely nothing from him in his Yankees career. As such, I am supportive of a one-year ‘prove it’ type of deal for his return. We have never seen Montas pitch when healthy and I would like for him to show Yankees fans why he was originally acquired. 

Frankie Montas (Photo Credit: AP)

I have mixed feelings about the potential interest in centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier. His tremendous glove was on display at Yankee Stadium this week when the Blue Jays were in town and he would be a nice “stopgap” for centerfield until Jasson Dominguez can return late next season, but the days of signing older players past their prime should be over if the team seriously wants to contend sooner than later. Maybe Kiermaier can prove otherwise if signed. I would not be disappointed if he showed up at Yankee Stadium this winter, pulling a Yankees jersey over his dress shirt, but conversely, I would not be disappointed if the Yankees simply passed. I am hoping Estevan Florial proves he can be a temporary solution in center next season despite the flaws in his bat. I am not convinced he can be, but he has time to prove it. Maybe not this year, but next Spring at the latest. 

Gerrit Cole should easily be the 2023 AL Cy Young Award winner, beating out former Yankees starter Sonny Gray. Cole is 14-4 with a 2.75 ERA. He has started 32 games, with one to go. He has pitched 200 innings and has 217 strikeouts. The gap between Cole and Gray is substantial enough that it does not matter what happens in the final starts for either pitcher. Cole is the AL’s best.  It is too bad the Yankees (i.e., Brian Cashman) did not give him a better-supporting cast for his greatest year in Pinstripes.

As always, Go Yankees!

Rising Out of the AL East Cellar...

  

Aaron Judge & Friends (Photo Credit: @Yankees via Twitter)

Yanks move past Red Sox to shake division-worst label…

The World always seems to be a little better when the New York Yankees win. Before the start of the latest series with the Tampa Bay Rays, it kind of felt like this might not be the Yankees’ year. Injuries have derailed what should have been the AL East’s best for the Yankees, while the Rays jumped out to a terrific start that put them as many as ten games ahead of our favorite team early into the season.

The Rays won the series’ opening game Thursday evening in convincing fashion, an 8-2 drubbing of Domingo German and the Yankees. With the win, the Rays became the first team to reach thirty wins in the Major Leagues this season. German was the luckless starter in the game. He did not pitch badly, giving up only one earned run, a total of two runs, in 5 2/3 innings. The bullpen, behind Ron Marinaccio, Albert Abreu, and Ryan Weber, let the game get out of hand.

Despite the convincing victory, the game proved costly for the Rays. Rays starter, Drew Rasmussen, who had pitched seven strong shutout innings, yielded only two hits and kept all Yankees out of scoring position to pick up the win, was placed on the 60-day Injured List. He was diagnosed with a flexor strain in his forearm. Although he will not require surgery, he has been shut down from pitching for two months. Tough break for the Rays. We wish Rasmussen the best for a speedy recovery. As I always like to say, to be the best, you must beat the best, and the Rays are better when Rasmussen is pitching.

The Yankees needed to make a statement in this series if they intend to make noise in the AL East. Yes, it is still early in the season, but we are reaching the point where wins and losses make a difference later in the season. Losing the first game of the series was ‘not what you want’, yet the Yankees came back to take the next two games as the series prepares to conclude later today that could either give the Yankees a tremendous three-to-one series win…or a disappointing two-game split.

Friday night’s win was huge. It always seems like the Rays score first in their games with the Yankees and Friday was no exception when Randy Arozarena belted a first-inning home run off Gerrit Cole. Rizzo tied the game in the bottom of the first with his shot to right. Cole gave up another home run in the second inning (so much for the thought that he had overcome the tendency to give up dingers this season after last year’s disaster). It set the stage for Anthony Volpe to be the hero. Dropped in the batting order, his fifth-inning homer tied the game, and his run-scoring single in the seventh put the Yankees ahead. Oswaldo Cabrera added an insurance run on a line drive to right field, but he ended the inning prematurely when he was thrown out trying to stretch the single into a double.

Sadly, the lone insurance run was not enough. A three-run home run by Josh Lowe in the top of the eighth inning put the Rays ahead, 5-4. Not to be denied on his bobblehead night, Anthony Rizzo belted his second home run of the evening after Aaron Judge had walked in the bottom of the eighth. 

Anthony Rizzo (Photo Credit: @Yankees via Twitter)

The two runs were enough to give the Yankees an improbable 6-5 victory, aided by a clean ninth-inning save by Wandy Peralta.

Saturday, I cannot say I was optimistic when the Rays jumped out to a 6-0 lead, highlighted by scoring five runs off Nestor Cortes, Jr. in the fifth inning, which included a Yankee Stadium-silencing grand slam by Yandy Diaz.  Thankfully, Aaron Judge decided to match Rizzo’s performance from the night before and his two home runs helped the Yankees overcome the deficit, the second homer put the Yankees ahead, 7-6. Oswaldo Cabrera, who saw his insurance run erased on Friday night, added two insurance runs that held up this time when he hit a two-run single in the bottom of the sixth after Judge’s second home run had given the Yankees the lead.  DJ LeMahieu’s slide at home with his hand reaching the plate before the catcher could get his glove down, scoring the second run, was a thing of beauty. The Rays scored a couple of funs to make it interesting, but Wandy Peralta picked up his second save in as many days to give the Yankees the come-from-behind victory. A sweet victory a week after the Rays had done the same against Gerrit Cole and the Yankees.    

(Credit: @Yankees via Twitter)

I am worried about Nestor Cortes, Jr. With the debut of Carlos Rodón in Pinstripes delayed indefinitely, and Luis Severino working his way back through rehab starts, the Yankees have had to rely upon Nasty Nestor more than they should have. With his struggles facing lineups the second and third time around, there is the question of whether Cortes will need to spend some time on the Injured List too if the hamstring injury at the start of Spring Training has continued to affect his performance through the shortened preparation for the regular season. Severino should be able to make his season debut soon, but I was (am) hoping he would (will) be replacing Clarke Schmidt and not Nestor. Hopefully, this is an unfounded fear and Cortes will show improvement in later innings as the season progresses.

The two wins put the Yankees in a position to win the series against the Rays this afternoon. Of course, Clarke Schmidt is pitching so it lessens the optimism but if the Yankees can beat a great pitcher like Shane McClanahan yesterday despite spotting him a six-run lead, the Yankees can win with Schmidt on the mound. He will be opposed by former Philadelphia Phillies starter Zac Eflin, who signed with the Rays as a free agent in the off-season. 

The Yankees’ win yesterday, coupled with a loss by the Boston Red Sox, allowed the Yankees to slip past the Red Sox in the AL East standings. The Yankees (23-18) are only a half-game up on Boston (22-18) so the cellar escape could be short-lived. Yet, it is a first step “upward” and if the Yankees can get back to winning series again, they can make further gains as the inevitable “stumbles” hit every team eventually. Getting Luis Severino back soon and hopefully, Giancarlo Stanton by month-end will be huge pickups for the team. You can add Josh Donaldson to the mix but frankly, I have not missed the guy. 

The Yankees are a game behind the Toronto Blue Jays, two in the loss column. It is hard to look much further than the Jays. Despite Tampa’s hot start, I continue to believe the Jays are the team to beat in the division. Surprisingly and despite their struggles, the Yankees have a better record than every team in the AL Central. Only one team in the AL West, the Texas Rangers (24-15), is better than the Yankees. As things stand now, in a way too early view, the Yankees hold the final Wild Card spot. While the Yankees’ struggles have been magnified by the media, not much is said about the Houston Astros and their 20-19 start. 

Luis Severino Update

Since beginning his rehab assignment, Luis Severino has started one game for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Earlier this week, Severino threw forty-nine pitches in 3 1/3 innings of work. He surrendered two hits, including a home run, but was optimistic about the overall performance. He felt all his pitches were working. He is scheduled to suit up for the Double-A Somerset Patriots on May 16 to pitch against Reading.

Luis Severino (Photo Credit: @swbrailriders via Twitter)

Severino is expected to be activated either later this month or early June. There is some talk that he could be activated after the upcoming game, but it seems like he will need more time to build up his stamina. The Yankees cannot afford for Severino to stumble deep into games like Cortes is currently doing. When Sevy comes back, he will be viewed as the second-best starter in the rotation. He must pitch like a solid #2 starter for the Yankees to succeed since Rodón will not be helping anytime soon. Cortes has not been “that guy” even if he was the best starter last season. Gerrit Cole and a bunch of struggling starters are not the right answer for long-term success despite Cole’s greatness.      

I am happy that Severino is nearly ready. Hopefully, the comments about his frustrations with how the Yankees have handled him are overblown. Sevy can help the Yankees overcome their slow start, and I hope his Yankees career extends beyond this season. I think Sevy understands the business side of baseball and sees the value of staying in Pinstripes.

Outside of bringing in the Brinks trucks to lure Gerrit Cole to the Bronx, the Yankees have not proven to be adept at bringing in elite starting pitchers, either through trades, free agency, or the farm system.  Okay, I should qualify that…healthy elite starting pitchers. They seem very good at picking the unhealthy ones.

The Invisible Man Makes an Appearance

Ben Rortvedt has been a Yankee since March 2022, yet there is not much visual evidence to support his presence. Injuries have held back the man who was intended to be Kyle Higashioka’s catching partner, which led, of course, to the acquisition of the invaluable Jose Trevino.

There may still be hope for Rortvedt in Pinstripes. He was recently activated off the Injured List and optioned to Triple-A. He contributed a walk-off three home run on Saturday afternoon, leading the RailRiders to an 8-6 victory over the Omaha Storm Chasers. Not known for the long ball, Rortvedt has homered in two consecutive games. 

Ben Rortvedt (Photo Credit: Kirsten Peters)

I am happy for Rortvedt and genuinely would like to see him succeed. It seems that it will take an injury to Trevi or Higgy to earn the Major League promotion, yet he can position himself to be ready for the call when/if it happens. The power to succeed is his. 

Happy Mother’s Day!

As always, Go Yankees!

The (Less Rocky) Road to the World Series...

  

Photo Credit: Mary Altaffer, AP

Yankees gaining momentum toward goal…

It’s great to be a Yankee fan. No stress. Just casual winning every day with monster bats and stellar pitching. Life is good.

As The Greedy Pinstripes’ Daniel Burch (@GreedyStripes) continues to say, nearly every day from the start of the season, these are just more highlights for the World Series DVD. I may have laughed at first, but it is looking more and more like the odds are in Daniel’s favor and he might truly have the last laugh. A fervent believer despite the many earlier challenges, credit goes to him for never taking off the rose-colored glasses.

The August success for the Yankees does not typify the bumpy roads we’ve travelled to get here but I am feeling so much better about the state of the Yankees than I did last month. I find it hard to believe that I was wondering early last month if the Yankees should be buyers or sellers at the trading deadline. I guess I had become too accustomed of being disappointed about moves not made at the trading deadline (case in point, 2019) that I could not have imagined the brilliant job GM Brian Cashman was about to do this past July. Everyone acquired has contributed in some way.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

It’s goes without question the biggest acquisition is first baseman Anthony Rizzo. He’s the consummate pro who is brilliant on the field, both offensively and defensively, and a leader in the clubhouse. He brought such a winning attitude to the team. Not saying the Yankees don’t have other guys of the same mindset, but Rizzo has been the glue to pull it all together. The presence of his left-handed bat, along with Joey Gallo, finally provided the balance in the lineup that all of us Twitter GM’s have endlessly been calling for.  This is just another plug that I hope the Yankees re-sign Rizzo in the off-season. He’s another great in a long line of great first sackers.  @Yankees, make it happen!

To briefly digress, I do believe there is room on this team for Luke Voit. His homer and four RBIs last night are a testament to the production of a healthy Louis Linwood Voit III with regular playing time, and he should play. Historically, I’ve been against playing Giancarlo Stanton in the field (health concerns), but Voit changes the equation. Stanton should play left (or right on the days Judge is given a breather) and let Voit be the team’s DH. Nothing against Voit but I prefer to see Anthony Rizzo and his glove at first base. There’s risk of injury for Stanton, but he seems to be in the right place this year and I am hopeful he stays in good health.

Back to the trading deadline acquisitions, I like Joey Gallo on this team. I know there are those who are frustrated by strikeouts, but his ability to get on base and his outfield defense are so strong. He always says the right things in interviews and he is clearly a team-first guy. He has also melded into the cohesiveness of the clubhouse. I feel the home runs will come more regularly in time. I remember it taking at least a year before Jason Giambi truly settled in as a Yankee. It is not easy. There are very high expectations when you put on the Pinstripes. Some guys, like Rizzo, can come in and produce from the start. For other guys, there is a bit of a ramp up. I don’t blame him. I want to give him the necessary time because I know how good Gallo can be, and I will continue to support him. The Yankees open the 2022 season in Texas against the Rangers, and I am sure it will be a terrific moment for Gallo given how much he loved his time there. I am sure he will be very motivated to perform well in front of his many friends. I know, that doesn’t mean anything for this year. For now, I will just enjoy Gallo’s name written into the lineup every day and know that his next titan home run might only be an at-bat away. He can be one of the guys who deliver their signature Yankee moment in October.

Photo Credit: AP

Even the pitching acquisitions have been strong. It goes back to the Mike Tauchman trade when the Yankees acquired Wandy Peralta (angering the fan base). I can’t imagine the bullpen without Peralta through the ebbs and flows of the unit’s success. Meanwhile, Tauchman struggled in San Francisco and is currently a Sacramento River Cat after being designated for assignment and clearing waivers. Adding Clay Holmes and Joely Rodriguez have proven to be solid moves. I was down on Andrew Heaney for his first two starts, like many fans were, but I have held out hope and optimism Matt Blake and Eric Cressey saw something in him they thought they could fix. His last start against the Boston Red Sox, a win, was an example of the pitcher he can be. The guy was once a very highly rated prospect. He is older and has never reached his potential, but it doesn’t mean he can’t. Granted, they are not the same type of pitchers, but I always think of Randy Johnson as a pitcher who took awhile to figure it out, but when he did, he was one of the best. That’s not to say I think Heaney will be bumping Gerrit Cole off the ace’s perch but I do believe, if Blake and Cressey are successful, he can be a valuable member of the rotation. There is nothing wrong with a consistent and effective #3 starter. 

So, the acquisitions have helped the Yankees seemingly turn their season around. Before, I didn’t feel like the team had the right drive or passion. That’s an unfair comment on my part because I am not in the clubhouse every day. But the team has bonded and they are winning and having fun while they are doing it. Yes, winning is fun and that’s part of it, but you don’t win by accident. I am proud of the Yankees for erasing Boston’s 10 ½ game lead from early July, finally catching and passing them this past week with a sweep of the Red Sox in New York. If you had asked me on July 6^th if I thought the Yankees could catch Boston, I probably would have said no. But here we are with nearly a month and a half left in the season and Boston is in the rearview mirror. Not only that, the Yankees are only four games behind the division leading Tampa Bay Rays which is certainly well within reach. As the Yankees continue to get their players back from the injured list, they will continue to get better and better.

There was a time when I thought just getting the second Wild Card spot was huge. Now, the AL East division title is a possibility if the Yankees continue to play this well.  Someone posted on Twitter that the Yankees are never hot in August. Generally speaking, that seems to be true. I didn’t look up the stats but in past years, it has seemed like the Yankees have always run into a rough patch during this month. But just because it happened in the past, doesn’t mean it has to happen in the future or now. This is a resilient team that has proven they can change and adapt. I am sure other American League teams are fearful of the Yankees right now. They should be.

Hats off to the in-house “acquisitions” too. Nestor Cortes Jr is clearly the leader of the guys who have stepped up as part of the ‘Next Man Up’ brigade. I remember nearly losing him to the Baltimore Orioles a few seasons ago, actually losing him to the Seattle Mariners last year (November 2019 trade for international bonus pool money), and then getting him back on a minor league contract last December. After his less than successful season as a Mariner, I know I didn’t have high expectations for him, but he has delivered far greater…consistently…than I could have ever imagined. He, along with the magic of young Luis Gil, are the reasons the Yankees have maintained solid starting pitching despite the injury and COVID losses in the rotation.  Nasty Nestor deserves so much of the credit for the Yankees’ recent success.

Luis Gil will come back to Earth but what a breath of fresh air he has been. I love seeing his early success even if it is not sustainable. He is a guy that can get better and better, and even if he is not pitching shutouts every game, he can put the team in position to win every time which is very powerful.

Andrew Velazquez has been another great story. The Bronx native enjoying success in his hometown. When the Yankees signed him in January, I didn’t think much of the move. It seemed like just more fodder for Triple A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. But the 27-year-old utility man and one time Diamondback-Ray-Indian (Guardians?) has fully taken advantage of Gleyber Torres’ time away. I am happy to see his success. I don’t know what his long-term future will be. When Gleyber comes back, decisions will have to be made to open room. Never a great Tyler Wade fan, I’d prefer Velazquez but there are those who can make the legitimate argument for why Wade should be the choice to stay. I hope Velazquez can continue to make this a very difficult and complicated decision for the Yankees’ front office. For now, I will enjoy his play and the smile on his face when he comes up with a key hit or makes a challenging fielding play. 

Photo Credit: Charles Wenzelberg, NY Post

Here is an image certain to bring a smile to the face of any Yankee fan:

As always, Go Yankees!