Tag: Brian Cashman

Yankees Autopsy: What Is Next for the Deceased?

There are two things to observe about the debacle we just witnessed. First, the “Aaron Judge can’t perform when it counts narrative” died with every ball smacked into the field of play. Secondly, the New York Yankees were eliminated in a playoff series by an American League East rival for the fourth time in the Aaron Boone era. I don’t want to belabor what we just saw. There will be enough anger over the coming weeks to last us through Spring Training. The goal now is to try to guess what is next for a franchise that is pretty close to matching their longest championship drought.

Does Jason Dominguez fit with the Yankees in 2026? Credit: NY Post

Let’s make one assumption: both Boone and Brian Cashman will be back. That assumption will not please many fans. But rather than wasting time arguing about it (which might come in a future post), let’s figure out what they should do. This is a quick snapshot of what my thoughts are in this moment.

To me, the first order of business is deciding what to do with Jasson Dominguez. Will he get a full time gig or will he be just another Yankee hyped prospect that does nothing with the team? If we assume they are done with Dominguez, then package him to Cleveland for Steven Kwan. I am sick of the strikeouts. Do you know who doesn’t strike out? The Toronto Blue Jays. You know, the team that just sent the Yanks packing. My preference would be to keep Dominguez but trading him for Kwan is a step in the right direction. Kwan is the type of high average, low strikeout player the Yanks desperately need. If that’s the move, then re-signing Cody Bellinger (if he opts out) makes a lot of sense. Trading Jazz Chisholm Jr. and giving second base to Oswaldo Cabrera is something I would entertain. Jazz is good but in keeping with my (which should be their) philosophy, I won’t miss the 148 strikeouts. As for Trent Grisham, I don’t think we will see another season like that from him again. I believe he will want too much money and therefore, will be playing elsewhere in 2026.

The pitching staff is is 90% complete. The rotation is pretty set. Maybe the bullpen gets another arm. Not much more to do.

And so another early offseason begins. Plenty of time to complain about why Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman still have jobs. Don’t waste your time on things you can’t control. The only way moves are made is if we all made an effort to ignore the Yankees next year. That won’t happen.

Brian Cashman and the Meaning of Going to Town

Brian Cashman, the longtime General Manager of the New York Yankees, recently used a phrase that is sure to be remembered for a long time. When asked about his plans for the upcoming trade deadline, Cashman declared, “We’re going to town”. The implication is that the Yankees are ready to make a significant move or moves to try and return to the World Series. With the Yanks now 6.5 games behind the Toronto Blue Jays after their third consecutive defeat today and with Aaron Judge now on the injured list, Cashman has to make good on those words.

Brian Cashman hope to “go to town” We shall see. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Let’s look at the first trade made and determine if it was “going to town”.

On Thursday, the Yankees made a deal for Colorado Rockies’ third basemen Ryan McMahon. He has an excellent glove but his bat is suspect. He was hitting .217 while striking out at a clip in excess of 33%. Part of that can be attributed to being part of a Rockies’ franchise that has been arguably the worst over the past two seasons. That being said, McMahon was not the top third baseman that is rumored to be on the move. That would be Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks who has hit 36 home runs. Now, it’s true that the D’backs may not actually trade Suarez until the right offer comes along. But did Cashman seriously engage in talks?

If Arizona asked for Spencer Jones and George Lombard Jr., the organization’s top two prospects, then of course trading for just Suarez is out of the question. However, would it be worth it to trade Jones or Lombard for Suarez and Merrill Kelly, Arizona’s best starting pitcher? I would strongly consider that. If the D’backs starting point was Ben Rice for Suarez straight up and Cashman said no, is that really “going to town”? Not even close. Again, this is hypothetical and we have no knowledge at the moment of what, if anything was discussed or even if a conversation took place. If Cashman didn’t even pick up the phone to find out what it would take to get Suarez, then he didn’t go to town, he didn’t even get in his car.

I am willing to give it until Thursday to determine the merits of Brian Cashman’s “going to town” quote. The early return is not promising. At least McMahon shores up the infield defense. If Cashman is not willing to part with Ben Rice to land a big piece, then this trade deadline will be a failure. We have five days to find out.