Brian Cashman needs to watch the movie Trading Places, because to quote Randolph Duke:”Turn those machines on and sell. Sell!”
It’s becoming that time in the Bronx.
With the second half underway, the Yankees continued their meandering though the 2016 campaign. A 5-3 Red Sox win put the Bombers a game under .500 and as of this writing they are 8 ½ back in the AL East and six in the Wild Card.
Simply put this 10-game home-stand is the make or break of the season. With the Red Sox, Orioles, and Giants coming it, if the Yankees don’t get it together, then it will become very lonely in the Bronx come August.
“We talked about it here and we talked about it with the group in (the clubhouse),” manager Joe Girardi said. “You just run out of days.”
Time is certainly running out. The trade deadline is a little over two weeks away and general manager Brian Cashman has to make a decision. Does he sell at the deadline, waive the white flag and restock the farm system? Or does he roll the dice with the team that he has right now and maybe add a piece or two.
Well, doing nothing is just silly. What’s the old expression? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results. That’s standing pat for the Yankees. They are a .500 team with this current squad and with Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira both acting as a big gaping hole in the middle of the lineup, it going to be tough to see the Bombers having a major turn-around in the second half.
And just remember, three members of the rotation have ERAs of over 5. With Michael Pineda ballooning to a 5.56 mark today. Ivan Nova and Nathan Eovaldi are they over two culprits.
In the bullpen, you may have No-Runs DMC, but in the rotation the Over-5 Club.
Heck, TOS suffering Matt Harvey ended his year at 4.86. But the Yankees don’t have anyone else out there, so Girardi just has to keep rolling them out.
No, they have to do something. Selling is the best option. They can get a mint for either Andrew Miller or Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran may bring back a nice piece or two.
It’s obviously the best option. The Yankees can bring up some young kids and hopefully keep the fan-base interested as they look to 2017.
However, it’s not in the Yankee DNA to sell. With the Tiffany prices they charge for tickets, the Bombers don’t want to losing season. It would be a disaster for the bottom line and frankly, some of those corporate dollars, they so preciously love, may move to Queens.
It’s an unfortunate mentality and one that so adeptly employed by the Knicks over the years. You see where that got them.
The writing is on the wall. They are too far back and should just pack up and get ready for the off-season.
Now if they don’t do that and they can’t stand pat, the Yankees should then just go out and buy at the deadline. And when I mean buy, they need to go on a Paris Hilton type spending spree. Just damn the torpedoes – and minor leaguers too – and build this roster for October.
Sure they are going to need two starters, a first baseman, a third baseman and an outfielder, but at least the bullpen is fine. So there’s a start.
But why do that for the long shot chance of making the World Series. The Yankees need to come to their senses and just start selling off their pieces. Maybe they will catch a desperate team that will take Teixeira or A-Rod.
One can dream.
Without a fire-sale, this season will just play out as a .500 club and they Yankees will get no benefit from it.
And that would be a nightmare.
Where the hell is Clarence Beeks?
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