Yankees' quiet trade deadline a microcosm of their season so far
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman looks on before a game against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium on May 3. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Yankees probably had a dozen ways they could have improved their playoff chances by Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.
But the team that already possessed the best bullpen in the majors -- the only relief corps with an ERA under 3.60, as trumpeted by the Yankees’ own game notes -- chose to make exactly two.
Oddly enough, for a pair of relievers, and an unremarkable duo at that. Just bizarre. Almost as if GM Brian Cashman, undecided on which direction to go, automatically switched into his default position of grabbing bullpen help, as he does every year at this time.
Otherwise, crickets. And the message from upstairs was heard loud and clear in the clubhouse, which was library-quiet Tuesday night after a second straight loss to the Rays, this one by the score of 5-2. When pinch-hitter Giancarlo Stanton whiffed for the final out, the fans that remained barely cared enough to muster some half-hearted boos on their way to the exits.
“It’s on us as players,” Aaron Judge said afterward. “We’re fully capable with the guys that we got in this room to go out and compete on a daily basis.”
That’s one way to put it. Here’s another: The front office didn’t see these Yankees as worthy of any further investment, whether it was money or sacrificing player capital. As for sending a High-A pitcher to the White Sox for Keynan Middletown or shipping a bag of cash to the Rangers for the DFA’d Spencer Howard (10.80 ERA), Cashman’s pair of buzzer-beaters as the deadline clock expired felt, well, unnecessary at best.
At worst? Almost negligent.
What was the point? If Cashman didn’t think these Yankees were deserving of a significant upgrade or two -- and frankly, I’d agree with that opinion -- then why not sell off a surplus reliever or walk-year player, such as a Harrison Bader or maybe even Luis Severino. See if you could collect some young talent for the future.
Instead, Cashman’s deadline effort was reflective of the Yankees’ impotence this season, made worse by the GM’s chief competitors aggressively fortifying their playoff hopes. The Orioles, Angels, Rays, Astros, Blue Jays -- all of them pulled off difference-making deals that should help improve their postseason odds.
At first, Cashman said he was unaware of the flurry of activity among the Yankees’ rivals, having been in meetings until the GM had a chance to face the media shortly before 8 p.m. But that premise was ludicrous for someone that’s been neck-deep in deadline business for days now, and Cashman seemed more dejected than anything, perhaps realizing that fixing this malfunctioning roster was beyond his control.
“We could have gone a different way,” Cashman said. “We could have obviously taken a wrecking ball to it. But I honestly felt, based on the opportunities that presented themselves, that didn’t make any sense whatsoever.
“And that kind of forced us to do a double-down. Three and half games out, let’s double-down and go for it.”
Double-down? Getting Middleton and Howard? The disenchanted fan base would have preferred the wrecking ball.
As the GM explained, some teams getting hot near the deadline shut off some obvious upgrades, most notably the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger. What the Yankees really need, however, is a time machine. Their thirty-something core of Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Giancarlo Stanton are hitting like retirees more suited for the pickleball courts. As long as the Yankees have to rely on them, Cashman’s hands are tied.
“They’re professionals,” the GM said. “They’re obviously extremely talented. And hopefully they’re saving their best baseball for the last few months.”
There’s not a zero percentage chance of that happening. Baseball is a streaky game. But from what we’ve seen to this point, it’s highly doubtful. The Yankees have been at the bottom of the majors in most key offensive categories, and that’s not the result of a bad stretch of two. Losing Aaron Judge for seven weeks certainly put a huge dent in their productivity, but his return isn’t making their problems magically disappear either.
Tuesday’s loss -- spurred by another clunker from $162 million lefty Carlos Rodon -- was the Yankees fourth in five games since Judge was activated last Friday in Baltimore. This week isn’t getting any easier, with the Astros coming to the Bronx on Thursday and old friend Justin Verlander -- freshly acquired from the Mets -- expected to start at some point during that four-game series.
Cashman didn’t officially wave the white flag when the deadline expired at 6 p.m. But what transpired was the next-closest thing, only without the benefit of spinning off some parts for future profit. While Cashman said Hal Steinbrenner didn’t put any financial constraints on improving the club at the deadline, we’d hardly blame the Yankees’ owner if he cut off the cash spigot. Steinbrenner already has dumped $294 million into this underachieving group, a record sum for the Yankees, and it would be folly to throw more good money after bad.
So that’s the Yankees’ post-deadline strategy going forward: figure it out. We’re sure the Astros, Blue Jays, Angels and Rays are shaking in their cleats.
“Tomorrow’s another day and we have to show up -- whether it’s with a new guy or not,” Rodon said. “Doesn’t really matter.”
Too often, the Yankees have been no-shows this season. And that’s why Cashman himself took a pass on the deadline, too.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
