The New York Yankees didn't do much at the trade deadline, passing on selling. Here are three players Brian Cashman is going to regret not trading.
The New York Yankees are in last place in their division entering Aug. 1, the day of the MLB trade deadline. While the team has played uninspiring and lifeless baseball throughout the season, especially recently, the Yankees. are still not far out of a Wild Card spot. That has created a big debate across New York about whether the team should buy or sell. But then there's the fact that general manager Brian Cashman would be the one making the deals, who fans have soured on over the years after his recent signings and trades have haunted him.
For those who wanted the team to give up on a playoff push and sell, that's not what happened. Instead, all the Yankees did was acquire middle relief pitcher Keynan Middleton from the Chicago White Sox, and bring in Texas Rangers pitcher Spencer Howard. No starting left fielder. No catcher. Nothing major at all. Cashman and the Yankees have put the onus on the players to turn things around. If not, who knows what will happen next? Meaning, who will stay and who will go at the end of the season. And will members of the front office and managerial staff be in danger if they were to miss the playoffs?
Not selling has caused the Yankees to receive some criticism from fans. Here are three players that Cashman should regret not trading.
Yankees trade Brian Cashman should've made but didn't No. 3: Harrison Bader
Let's start with outfielder Harrison Bader. Yes, the Yankees desperately needed outfield help, but if they were to sell, the move would be to trade any player with value, especially those who are set to become free agents at the end of the year. It just so happens that the Yankees received interest in Bader.
MLB insider Jon Heyman reported earlier on Tuesday that Bader was drawing trade interest. Yet, it is up to the Yankees to make up the move. Despite Bader not being in the lineup, manager Aaron Boone insisted that it was just a scheduled off-day, not trade-related. As it turns out, Boone was telling the truth, as Bader did not get dealt with at all.
Bader is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the season. The Yankees trade acquisition from last year has recorded a .256 batting average, a .283 on-base percentage, a .417 slugging percentage, 7 home runs, 28 runs scored, 33 RBI, 51 hits, 34 strikeouts, and 6 walks in 199 at-bats.
The Yankees needed to come up with a decision regarding their strategy for the trade deadline. They didn't buy. They didn't sell. They made a move for a rental relief pitcher. Selling might have been the way to go, and with Bader receiving interest, that may have been a missed opportunity for Cashman.
Yankees trade Brian Cashman should've made but didn't No. 2: Wandy Peralta
When looking at the New York Yankees' bullpen, they had plenty of tradable players to get some sort of return from interested teams. Look at how much the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals received for Paul Sewald and Jordan Hicks, respectively. So, general manager Brian Cashman should have heeded notice and flipped some relief pitchers for any sort of return, especially for impending free agents.
One that fits the category was Wandy Peralta, a left-handed option that throws in late-game situations and does quite well in that role. Peralta would be a good fit for the teams looking to make the postseason. After all, having reliable options to come out of the bullpen and hold a lead or escape a jam is a must.
In 47 games this season, Peralta recorded a 2.29 ERA, a 1.195 WHIP, 4 walks, 32 strikeouts, and 21 walks over 39.1 innings.
Now, the Yankees are in danger of watching Peralta leave for nothing in return as a free agent. Not the wisest of moves from Cashman.
Yankees trade Brian Cashman should've made but didn't No. 1: Clay Holmes
If the New York Yankees were to sell, trading away their best assets would help them build for the future. It's as simple as that. The issue is, there weren't many players who carried incredible value that would give them two-or-more Top 100 prospects in baseball. 2016, this was not. But there was one player who may have netted the most value in a return package, and that's closer Clay Holmes.
As mentioned in the previous slide, teams who moved on from their closers saw them get big returns. The St. Louis Cardinals received the Toronto Blue Jays' No. 7 prospect Sem Robberese and Adam Kloffenstein for Jordan Hicks. Then, the Seattle Mariners received the Arizona Diamondbacks' No. 19 prospect Dominic Canzone, their No. 29 prospect Ryan Bliss, and third baseman Josh Rojas for closer Paul Sewald.
The Yankees always find a way to develop and build a good bullpen, so trading away Holmes could have been an option. Again, look at the trade packages above. Oh, did we mention that Holmes is under team control for one more year, so his trade value is only going to decrease?
This season, Holmes recorded a 2.21 ERA, a 1.131 WHIP, a 4-2 win-loss record, 14 saves, 50 strikeouts, and 16 walks in 40.2 innings (43 games).
Cashman decided against selling, that's fine. But he didn't buy either to make the team better. So, it's a path that fans and reporters just don't understand. The Yankees may regret selling, especially with the return that Holmes could have gotten them.
