The Yankees now move from buyers to sellers at the trade deadline – or at least they should. These Yankees are expendable and must be gone.
The Yankees, with their $201 million payroll and only $9 million to spend before hitting Hal Steinbrenner’s luxury tax stop sign, would have been challenged as buyers before or at the trade deadline on July 30.
Now, fresh off their second series sweep in June at the hands of the Red Sox, the Yankees are suddenly 6.5 games removed from first place in the AL East standings and stranded in fourth place.
Reportedly, Brian Cashman was traveling with the Yankees this weekend, and if he had his eyes half-open, he must have seen the debacle we saw, as well as the players who contributed to it.
With Steinbrenner holed up in his bunker in Tampa and seemingly incapable of even the weakest imitation of his explosive Dad, it’s all on Cashman, who will have free reign to alter the Yankees – for next year!
If Cashman follows the wishes of Yankees fans, and you can see their comments from an article featured here yesterday, he will clean house, and some big names will be sent on their way, hopefully in return for prospects who will be major league ready in no more than two seasons.
The list of personnel in jeopardy of the purge is much larger, but this will get things rolling.
Yankees Manager, Aaron Boone
Aaron Boone has yet to play a single game for the Yankees, but fans, including this one, have had it with him.
A genuinely nice guy, Boone was hauled from ESPN’s booth with no managerial experience at any level of baseball.
Boone may be baseball savvy, but if he is, we’ll never know it, and that’s because he was hired to be a follower, not a leader.
Disposing of Joe Girardi‘s go my own way style of managing, Cashman saw in Boone someone who longed to join the Yankees manager’s legacy, as a “patsy” who would follow orders coming from Cashman’s almighty analytics team.
Everything was fine when the Yankees turned in two 100+ win seasons back-to-back, but this year when the full impact of Cashman’s team construction errors came into full view, Boone is exposed and must take the fall.
If Cashman’s ego tells him to make a big splash with fans in naming a replacement for Boone, he needs to look no further than Brett Gardner, who has hit a wall as a player at 37.
Already a leader in the Yankees clubhouse, Gardner “knows” his teammates better than anyone, and he will sit the “sleepwalkers” if he cannot convince Cashman to trade them.
As a placeholder or not, the Yankees have nothing to lose. Otherwise, we can expect Cashman to find another patsy, and the nightmare will go on.
Yankees Shortstop, Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres not only looks like he’s sleepwalking through the season, but he is also lost in space.
Thought to be the steal of the century when he came to the Yankees in a trade with the Cubs for Aroldis Chapman, Torres is on a downward spiral, and nowhere near the expectations he garnered as a 21-year-old rookie with the Yankees in 2018, when he finished third in the ROY balloting.
Gleyber Torres made two more errors yesterday, giving him 11 for the year, and is the12th worse AL shortstops of 13 ranked. Like yesterday, the errors do not come trying to make a spectacular play; they’re routine throws made every day in the major leagues.
With three home runs (he had 38 in 2019) and 23 RBI, Torres has a BA of .242, an OPS of .639 (the MLB average this year is .712), and a slugging percentage (SLG) of .316, compared to the MLB average of .435 in 2019.
Still risky to trade at only 23, the simple fact seems to be that Torres does not have the makeup of a New York Yankee, and this becomes glaringly so when the name Derek Jeter comes to mind.
Nevertheless, the time is now for the Yankees to trade Torres while his value is still relatively high.
First Baseman Luke Voit
Luke Voit‘s worst crime is he was born as a right-handed batter while playing for a team that notoriously lacks left-handed power to take advantage of the “short porch” at Yankee Stadium.
But his second crime is he was born with the body of a football player masquerading as a ballplayer who has managed to play in only 18 of the Yankees’ 70 games this year.
Listed at 6’3″ and 255 lbs, Voit’s legs have not been able to take the constant pounding that’s required at first base and all those sudden starts and stops when holding a runner on.
Voit’s power numbers will always be there, but that’s precisely what needs to change regarding the makeup of this Yankees’ team.
Only 30 and in the middle of his prime years, Voit is on the books for $4.7 million and eligible for arbitration after this season, meaning he will get a nice bump from the generous Yankees if he stays on the team.
One of the few Yankees who has a fire under his butt, Voit’s temperament will be missed, but you have to give that in exchange for younger talent.
Yankees Left Fielder Clint Frazier
Clint Frazier‘s time with the Yankees has run out.
Perennially in the forefront when the matter of trades comes up, Frazier belongs and will thrive with a small market team like the Brewers or Royals.
Ironically, for the first time in his five seasons with the Yankees (yes, it’s been that long), Frazier is behaving like a grown-up, but his numbers can only be described as atrocious (.187 BA, 5HR, 15 RBI, etc.).
Oddly as well, Frazier’s play in the outfield has become a comical reminder of the fact he was in the running last year for a Gold Glove.
Too often, Frazier has been seen catching a ball, hesitating and then hesitating again, trying to get his brain working to tell him which base he should throw to.
Well known throughout baseball for the quickness of his bat, Frazier, at 26, will yield a decent haul for the Yankees, and if packaged with another player, even more.
There’s More Coming Tomorrow
We’re not done yet. There’s more, and we haven’t even touched the pitchers, but let’s take this group first.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Mike Harrington They should be sellers, but there’s so much denial in the organization, I’d put money Cashman getting some minor pickup that’s supposed to save the day but won’t. It’s nearly July, they can’t win a game against the Red Sox. This team stinks, and we’re tired of the “turning the corner” nonsense. Yeah, they’re running in circles. looking forward to publishing your comment, as always.
Al Pratt Goodbye Luke. 
Glenn Robert Straffi I’m as frustrated as the next true Yankee fan but realistically if they are 5/6/7/8 games out at the All-Star break that really does not put them out of contention, but they’d have to play 700 ball or so to get there.
David Trifilo There’s a simpler solution get rid of Boone now and get a real manager you will see how quickly this team turns around
Joseph O’Connor If Hal Steinbrenner has any common sense, he’ll reject any foolish trade proposals this summer. Over 200 million and the team is a wreck
Joel Albert Won’t be sellers…
David Edelman I agree with all so far. Too bad we can’t move Hicks.
Steven Red Cano Aaron Judge I think will be traded. I really don’t think the yanks are going to want to pay him when it’s time and they can still get a nice haul for him
Andrew Pal You can certainly make a case for trading just about anybody on this team, but the real problem is that we’re still left with Cashman as its architect. He’s had a few successes in finding lightning in a bottle with guys like Gio and Voit, but his roster construction has no rhyme or reason. And if winning championships is still a goal, he’s been a perennial failure. Coupled with a terrible drafting and player development program, this organization is simply circling the drain. Author’s Note: Andrew is on point but with an absentee owner how does it happen?
Kevin McNamara Not a chance. Then Cashman would be admitting he screwed this up.
David Edelman Steve Contursi I would love to see Gleyber packaged with Hicks for a left-handed hitting Centerfielder. David Edelman That might work with Hicks back to the Twins and Torres there as an enticement. Think Byron Buxton.
Frank Tedeschi Yanks can’t think about selling now. They have till the end of July to figure that out
Final Note:
This will close off comments on this one. Readers are mixed as to what the Yankees should do. We’ll take it to Part Two tomorrow.
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
