Musings on the Trade Deadline

By On June 14, 2011 · 7 Comments · In Trade Musings

In my post from yesterday about , reader/commenter nyyankeefanforever said:

What we need is pitching. Period. We’re already scoring plenty of runs. We need fresh arms, not castoff bats – no matter how cheaply they come. If Brian Cashman is wasting a single minute of his time between now and the deadline on anything other than shoring up our rotation and bullpen, I will be very unhappy indeed.

I’ll admit that pitching should be the priority on Brian Cashman’s shopping list during the coming trade season. The first thing he needs to do is find a reliable starting pitcher to back up . That’s obviously a lot easier said than done, but all efforts should be made to make that a reality. After that, I could see the Yankees trying to trade for a bullpen arm, but I doubt that happens.

A trade for a bat may not happen and may not be very likely, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen or that it’s a bad thing if Cashman goes that route. The two things are not, in my eyes, mutually exclusive. Just because Cashman aims to do one thing doesn’t mean he can’t be working to do another. While we may have a “one track mind” in terms of team improvement, a general manager shouldn’t and can’t be thinking in the same way. He should always be trying to improve the team in a meaningful way and if that means acquiring a bat, so be it. Like I said, I doubt that’s number one on his mind and it shouldn’t be, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t keep his eye out for bats that could become available.

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7 Responses to Musings on the Trade Deadline

  1. Adam B says:
    June 14, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    I agree, if the price is right then there is no reason not to.

    Reply
  2. Cris Pengiuci says:
    June 14, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    We all multi-task in our jobs. No reason Cashman can’t focus on enhancing the pitching while listening to other offers and perhaps making a deal if he feels it makes the team stronger. Besides, with the pitching market so tight at the top, he may have plenty of free time to explore these other possibilities.

    Reply
  3. Bpdelia says:
    June 14, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    Yup

    Reply
  4. UYF1950 says:
    June 14, 2011 at 2:11 pm

    Gentlemen, in this very humble Yankee fans opinion sure the pitching should be Cashman’s first priority, a quality starter and another lefty in the bullpen are a must. But I have to disagree with the comment that Yankees offense basically doesn’t need any help. Sure it’s good but has anyone looked at the team BA lately the Yankees are a middle of the pack team in BA and next to dead last in 2 base hits. Sure they hit a lot of home runs, but home runs alone aren’t going to bring a team to the promised land. You need look no further then the Jays success or shall I say lack of success last season. Right now and even with Posada’s recent success at the plate Swisher the catching position and yes the DH in many cases are dead weight. All batting at or near .200 plus or minus. And the bench right now with the likes of Jones isn’t much better. So yes the offense does need to be kick started, in my opinion. When 3 out of the bottom 4 batters are producing the way the Yankees batters are something needs to change.
    Granted pitching needs and should be Cashman’s first priority but the offense needs a shot in the arm as well. This is not the same offense as last year or the year before that or the year before that let’s not fool ourselves. The Yankees have several issues that need to be address and pitching is just 1 of them. At least that’s my opinion.

    Reply
    • Cris Pengiuci says:
      June 14, 2011 at 4:05 pm

      Definitely agree the offense could use a shot in the arm. One of the options to do that could be in AAA if Montero is brought up and shows he can hit MLB pitching. I’d also be in favor of an OF bat, as Swisher hasn’t looked too good this season (better lately) and Gardner is probably where he should be this season (able to get on base, but doesn’t have a clue once he’s there). If there’s a good option out there that provides solid or better defense and adds to the offense at the right price (Beltran?), go for it.

      Cashman needs to keep his eyes open for bats/bench help, while focusing on starting pitching and a lefty for the pen.

      Reply
      • UYF1950 says:
        June 14, 2011 at 5:52 pm

        I’m leaning more and more in the Yankees could really use Beltran camp. Swisher with only a few exceptions so far has not looked good.

        Reply
        • T.O. Chris says:
          June 14, 2011 at 6:53 pm

          I just can’t see the Mets giving up Beltran. There is no way we are going to give up legit prospects for him, and I have read they are willing to eat some of the salary to get more in return. It’s really a lose-lose for the teams. If he does well for us and the Mets don’t get enough back it’s terrible for them, if we give up anything and he doesn’t succeed for us it’s terrible on our end. You always have risk in a trade, but cross town trades add to the fallout.

          Reply

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