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.
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.
Threeunassisted 