NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- A few weeks ago, I wrote an article criticizing Brian Cashman. Chalk it up to temporary delirium brought on by a virulent form of Lyme disease. I know better. Once again, the Yankee GM has set the standard for doing an incredible job at the trade deadline.
He’s stealth…He’s got killer eyes…He’s Brian Cashman, The Michael Corleone of GMs.
Ask Pittsburgh Pirate fans, and their writers, how they feel about losing Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for “a bag of balls.” To be fair, time will tell if Jose Tabata reaches his potential. But all indications are that the guy has major attitude problems. He displayed little power this year and fell precipitously on the minor league depth chart, as Austin Jackson passed him as the “outfielder of the future.”
The powerful, right-handed Nady has yet to break out as a Yankee, but he will. He strengthens the Yankee lineup dramatically and allows Damon to play the bulk of games at DH. Nady shows signs of being a late bloomer and his best days may actually lie ahead. He could move into the right field slot in 2009 if the Yanks don’t retain Bobby Abreu.
The addition of Marte gives the Yankee their best left-handed reliever since the hey-day of Mike Stanton. He will be pivotal down the stretch and he fills a crucial need.
Cashman also sold high with Kyle Farnsworth while vastly improving the offense at the catching position with the acquisition of Pudge Rodriquez.
The Pudge for Farnsworth deal is an absolute heist. Jose Molina is doing a wonderful job defensively for the Yanks this year. But the Yankee brass is concerned that he might break down since he is not in the best shape and is not used to catching full-time. Clearly, Pudge is an offensive upgrade and he is still an above average defender. Molina will likely continue to catch Mike Mussina, however, as Girardi will want to continue making Moose as comfortable as possible.
The Yanks were delighted to learn that Pudge lobbied for this trade. He told reporters:
“Right now, I'm going to be there for two months. I hope I can stay there. We'll see what happens, but at the same time, I'm just going to concentrate every single day there and try to make the Yankees make the playoffs again."
Give Girardi credit for instilling confidence in Farnsworth and making him attractive to suitors. Girardi put Kyle in situations where he was more likely to succeed, but did not trust him in the most high-leverage situations. The truth is Kyle is no Edwar Ramirez.
Meanwhile, Seattle Mariners’ Interim GM Lee Pelekoudas continues to make a fool of himself by grossly overvaluing Jarrod Washburn. Brian Cashman bowed out of talks for Washburn when Pelekoudas asked for Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner, in addition to other high-level prospects. Seattle then tried to dump the over-rated Washburn on the Mets and the Rockies. According to Rotoworld:
“The Seattle Post Intelligencer reports that the Rockies were "shocked" when the Mariners asked for both Dexter Fowler and Casey Weathers in exchange for Jarrod Washburn. No wonder the Yankees backed out of the rumored deal for Washburn. The newspaper also notes that the Mariners asked for "Jon Niese and/or Fernando Martinez or another top prospect" from the Mets, which is even more laughable.”
The fact is that guys like Washburn, Paul Byrd and others could still pass through waivers in August. No need to overpay for them now when they aren’t much better than what you already have.
In another deal, Cashman actually got a warm body for LaTroy Hawkins. The Houston Astros, who inexplicitly think that they are in the playoff hunt, receive the embattled righty in return for Matt Cusick , a Minor League second baseman. Cusick hit .285 in 351 at bats this year for Class A Lexington, 9 home runs, 38 RBIs and 40 walks.
The Yankees are now poised for a strong playoff run in these last two months. Cashman assembled the missing parts that Girardi needs, without mortgaging the future---truly a great job.
A word to the wise, however; despite the euphoria in Yankee land, the team has their work cut out for them. For one thing, with 55 games remaining, they have 10 games left against the Angels – more than 18%.
Girardi told reporters: "Obviously, we're going to have tough 10 games with them, and we're going to need to find a way to win series against them."
Buckle up, folks…it will be a great ride ahead as the Yank battle with the Red Sox, Rays and Twins for a playoff spot.
*****************************************************************************************
Congratulations to Mariano Rivera. He just threw his 1,000 inning and is Major League Modern-era leader in ERA.
CAREER
1920-2007
ERA
Mariano Rivera 2.30
Hoyt Wilhelm 2.52
Whitey Ford 2.74
Sandy Koufax 2.76
Dan Quisenberry 2.76
Ron Perranoski 2.79
Pedro Martinez 2.80
Bruce Sutter 2.83
John Hiller 2.83
Spud Chandler 2.84
E-Mail Story
Print Story
