Being the General Manager of the Yankees is pretty much a lose-lose job. No matter what, you’ll always be criticized for something. When Brian Cashman traded for Aroldis Chapman, many people were upset that the Yankees brought in a guy who was involved in a domestic violence dispute. When Chapman was traded away, people were upset that a valuable piece of the bullpen was gone.
The bottom line is, Cashman deserves credit where it’s due. That trade he pulled off yesterday was a great example of how to play the stock market. Buy low, sell high. Â They had to trade Chapman and get something of value in return. They passed on trading David Robertson and Robinson Cano during their free agency years – two guys who ended up signing elsewhere. This was a no-brainer.
Think about it. Look and who the Yankees gave up to get Chapman back in December in the first place. Rookie Davis, Eric Jagielo, Tony Renda and Caleb Cotham.
Davis, the center piece of the deal, has pitched well in Double-A, going 8-3 with a 2.63 ERA. Jagielo is hitting .218 in 80 games in the minors. Renda, a light hitting infielder, is hitting .271 with a homer and eight RBI in Triple-A. Cotham has a 7.40 ERA in the big leagues this year.
I’m not losing any sleep over not having these guys in the Yankees organization. Cashman bought low on Chapman and gave the Yankees a luxury item in the back end of the pen that they necessarily didn’t need. He knew Chapman was a free agent after this season and that he could ultimately trade him for assets while still competing for a playoff spot. Remember, the bullpen was just fine with Dellin Betances and Andrew Miller holding things down last year.
The fact that the Yankees received the Cubs’ best prospect (Gleyber Torres) and the fifth best prospect (Billy McKinney) for a reliever and a rental is almost mind boggling. Not to be lost in the deal is Adam Warren, a valuable piece to Joe Girardi in years past who can now immediately slot into the seventh inning. Add Chad Green to the mix, and all of a sudden, the Yankees seem to have the middle innings covered for the first time all season.
Speaking of  Warren, this means the Yankees pretty much traded Brendan Ryan for Starlin Castro. If Chapman re-signs with the Yankees in the offseason – and it seems like he wants to – then Cashman will have essentially turned Ryan into Chapman, Castro, Warren, Torres, McKinney and Rashad Crawford – the last piece in yesterday’s deal.
Cashman has done a good job getting the Yankees younger while still competing at the big league level. With a growing farm system and money coming off the books in the coming years, the Yankees are positioning themselves to be great again.
Whether you like him or dislike him, Cashman deserves credit for this one. For the first time in what seems like forever, the Yankees fleeced someone else.
