BBB writers on the Yankees trade deadline moves

Clint Frazier Photo Credit: Cheryl Pursell | Pinstriped Prospects

Trade deadline sellers for the first time in over 25 years, the New York Yankees made an abundance of trades in an attempt for a rebuild of some sort. Although the Yankees will remain competitive, the moves made were clearly in the interest of the team in the long term as opposed to this year's team. First, they went out and dealt Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs for four players including Gleyber Torres and Adam Warren. The Yankees next move was trading Andrew Miller to the Indians for four prospects including Clint Frazier. Then, the team acquired Tyler Clippard from the Diamondbacks to fortify the bullpen for the time being. But the Yankees weren't done there. On the day of the trade deadline, the Yankees traded Carlos Beltran to the Rangers for three prospects, and they got rid of Ivan Nova for two players to be named later from the Pirates. Now, hear from our very own writer's with their thoughts on the trade deadline.

Chad Raines (@Chad_Rain)

This season’s trade deadline left the Yankees and their fans in unfamiliar waters, as the Yankees - for the first time since 1989 where they dealt Rickey Henderson to the Athletics at the deadline - were sellers. Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees played this year’s trade deadline incredibly smart by electing to become sellers as opposed to being buyers. A ballclub ridden by mediocrity, it was clear that they were pretenders in a competitive division, and they are much better off playing toward the end of this decade, and into the 2020’s. From the beginning, everyone could tell that Cashman was on a mission, and he would not be denied. Trading Aroldis Chapman was a given, but to receive a haul from the Chicago Cubs including proven arm Adam Warren AND top prospect Gleyber Torres was highway robbery. And the best part is, Chapman may actually end up returning to the Bronx as a free agent this winter.

After the Chapman deal, Cashman began mulling offers for Andrew Miller, and it did not take long for him to receive a deal that he could not turn down from the Cleveland Indians. Cashman was able to bring back two of the Indians top-tier prospects, including their top prospect Clint Frazier - a five tool outfielder who plays like his head's on fire...literally. Justus Sheffield is also a very nice developing arm as he is already in MLB Pipeline’s top 100, and he just turned 20-years-old. In that deal, the Yankees also acquired reliever Ben Heller, who has a fastball regularly touching the upper 90’s. That acquisition is under the radar, as many expect Heller to potentially be the Yankees seventh inning guy in 2017, and become a closer in the next five years.

I won’t go into as much depth on the Tyler Clippard deal, but that was a nice trade dealing Vicente Campos for a proven bullpen arm to sure-up the eighth inning and work the middle innings next year as he is under team control through 2017. Campos has trouble staying healthy so the Yankees will not feel his loss as a major hit. The Yankees then took a bit of a leap with the Carlos Beltran trade agreeing to deal the heart and soul of their offense. However, it was a necessary move with Beltran in a contract year, and for the Yankees to receive the number four overall pick in the 2015 draft for him in Dillon Tate is something Cashman should receive an abundance of credit for. Sure, Tate’s stock has fallen, but he still has that top five pick upside if he can pull it all together. And finally, the Yankees were somehow able to deal Ivan Nova, which, I’m sure, was a very pleasing move to all Yankee fans.

The Yankees now have a strong case for the top farm system in all of baseball as they are definitely one of the winners of this year’s trade deadline. They have now stockpiled assets which they can continue to develop, or piece together in a trade for a superstar if they choose to. Overall, the Yankees are setting themselves up for a string of championships starting within the core of their youth.

Steven Eareckson (@SteveTheScholar)

Click HERE to view my thoughts/reactions to the approach taken by the Yankees at the deadline.

Phil Akre (@PhilAkre)

It sure didn’t look like this was Brian Cashman’s first time selling, because he absolutely nailed it. The Yankees’ GM turned Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman into Clint Frazier, Gleyber Torres, and Justus Sheffield, (three top 100 prospects), four other prospects, and Adam Warren. Those deals alone would have made it a successful deadline, but Cashman didn’t stop there, as trading away free agent to-be Carlos Beltran was a smart move, netting a high-ceiling prospect in Dillon Tate and two others. Perhaps Cashman’s greatest feat came in the final minutes leading up to the deadline, where he found a taker for Ivan Nova, as he was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates for two players to be named later. The acquisitions of Frazier, Sheffield and Torres have unquestionably made an already improving Yankees’ farm system to one of, if not the, best in the game. Despite giving up on this mediocre 2016 season, Yankee fans should be excited for the not so distant future. These new additions paired with the likes of Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Gary Sanchez, and Luis Severino have the makings of a future dynasty. If this young core develops into a formidable group, the Yankees will be in prime position to take advantage of the historic 2018 free agent class and add some star power to a young team. All in all, the Yankees received a massive haul and we should be commending Brian Cashman for his excellent work.

Peter Marshall (@PMarshall2138)

It took a certain amount of humility on Brian Cashman’s part to sell at the deadline. Essentially, he had to admit that he had done a poor job of assembling a competitive team, looking instead towards a brighter future. In doing so, he all but guaranteed that the Yankees will not be playing playoff baseball this year, which is often met with mixed reactions from fans. However, Yankees fans seem to have the right mindset--although we love the winning culture and perennial contention that the Yankees have traditionally provided, we also recognize that, in this instance, it is imperative that they regroup and plan for future success. As a hardcore Yankees fan, this is a bittersweet moment for me. I love to see my Yankees win any game, but I especially love to see them contend for a World Championship. What the Yankees have done this trade deadline is necessary in order for them to get back to the World Series as soon as possible, and even though that means diminished success now, it is an exciting time for the Yankees organization and its fan base.

In fact, I think I enjoy watching Yankees baseball even more right now than I did pre-trades. There’s no pressure, no expectation that they’ll make a playoff push or even finish above .500. The first half of baseball wasn’t entirely unsuccessful, but it stressed me out to watch players like Aaron Hicks perform poorly. As I watched Hicks step into the batter’s box in a potentially pivotal ninth inning against the Mets on Monday, I didn’t see him as a player who has overstayed his welcome in the Bronx. I saw him as a young player who is getting a chance to put on the pinstripes and show the organization what he can do. After all, that’s where the Yankees’ future sits now--in giving young players a chance and hoping that they’ll rise to our expectations. And if they do, there’s a good chance that the Yankees will be back to their winning ways in the blink of an eye.

Julian Bussells (@JuneYank6)

I honestly can't think of a more exciting trade deadline in recent memory. The fact that it was the most exciting and we were selling makes it even more incredible. What Brian Cashman has been able to pull off is good for the future of the Yankees, even though throwing in the towel wasn't the original plan this season. The fact that Cashman was able to trade Ivan Nova for more than a box of rocks is amazing in my mind. With all the top prospects we've acquired for four players and three of them being free agents at season's end make me excited for what the future holds.

Matt Cote (@MCote31)

The Yankees hit a grand slam with their trade deadline moves. The obvious ones were getting Aroldis Chapman and Carlos Beltran out of town due to their expiring contracts. I seriously am dumbfounded at the return they got for Chapman. Gleyber Torres is going to be a heck of a player so, job well done, Brian Cashman. When Beltran got shipped to Texas the Yanks got three more prospects including the talented Dillon Tate. For an aging outfielder, this is another stellar move by New York. It's good to see Ivan Nova get dealt because he just wasn't going to be successful in pinstripes and that was painfully obvious.

I hate trading Andrew Miller. He was the best reliever in baseball and under team control for 2.5 more years. That being said, I love Clint Frazier and the package received from Cleveland. Have to give talent to get it but losing Miller was tough to swallow. However, Cash has replenished the farm and I'm confident the Yankees future is very very bright.

Spencer Schultz (@SpenceSchultz63)

As a Yankee fan, this trade deadline was very different than what we're all used to. Cashman really did a great job compiling talent in return for a few rentals and Andrew Miller. The Aroldis Chapman trade I loved. Warren was really good with us last year and then Torres is a top prospect, as well as McKinney. Not only did the receive two top-notch prospects along with Warren and speedster Rashad Crawford, but there's a legitimate chance that Chapman could come back this offseason.

The one I had the most difficulty with was trading away Andrew Miller. In my opinion, the Indians are getting the best reliever in baseball. Along with that, they're getting the rest of this season with him, where he will largely contribute in the postseason, and for two more seasons, as he's locked up until 2019. I would've loved to see the Betances/Miller duo stay together until at least 2019, as they were the best in the game. The Yanks did get back two more top prospects, outfielder Clint Frazier and pitcher Justus Sheffield, along with two dominant minor league relievers who will likely contribute in 2017. So even though it was difficult parting ways with Miller, the return was too much to pass on.

Now, Beltran’s trade is the one with the questionable return. The centerpiece of the haul to the Yankees, right-hander Dillon Tate, reportedly experienced his slider suddenly vanish along with a major decrease in his fastball velocity. This is a bit concerning, but he was the fourth overall pick in last year's draft so he certainly has potential. For a 39 year old rental, that's not a bad return and Cashman said that this would mean Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez will possibly get ABs in Beltran’s spot. The Yankees also got a veteran reliever in two-time All-Star Tyler Clippard, who's more than capable of filling the eighth inning role for them. Last, but not least, Cashman somehow got rid of the atrocious Ivan Nova! This will give a young starter (Chad Green possibly) a chance to prove themselves the rest of the season.

Overall, I give Brian Cashman an “A” grade for this trade deadline, as he couldn't have done much better. You also have to applaud him for the trades he's made in recent memory, acquiring Didi Gregorius, Starlin Castro, and Aroldis Chapman (before getting traded away) for low-level prospects. Some scouts around baseball now think the Yankees possess the best farm system in the league and that doesn't even include Greg Bird, Luis Severino, or Rob Refsnyder (all graduated the “prospect” label). Regardless, the Yankees got much younger in this past week and should help them be annual contenders once again in a few years.

Omar Qureishi (@OQureishi)

I echo many of the sentiments of the experts, as well as many of my fellow writers here at the Bronx Bomber Blog: 1) For any Yankee fan under 30, this felt weird as it was the first time you can probably remember the Yankees being sellers, and that probably brought up a range of emotions - frustration and sadness at this year’s performance or lack thereof, but also hope for the future and 2) The Yankees finally took meaningful steps to shorten how long it will take to go from mediocrity to a consistent elite contender and Brian Cashman should be commended for that. That’s the biggest implication of what happened these last few days.

I won’t delve into the specifics of the trades themselves - the fact of the matter is the Yankees now have a top three farm system in baseball, which should lead (via call ups or trades) to elite major league assets down the line. Incredibly for a team that just did a “fire sale”, the Yankees still have a decent team on the Major League level. No, I am not delusional enough to suggest this team has realistic dreams of October baseball in 2016, but with Jacoby Ellsbury, Didi Gregorius, Brett Gardner, Brian McCann, Starlin Castro, Masahiro Tanaka and Dellin Betances, the Yankees are still a middle-of-the road ballclub, just now with much greater upside potential.

The priorities moving forward for the organization should be two-fold: 1) Nurturing and developing the prospects at the minor league level; 2) What has gotten lost in a lot of the buy/sell debate, is that many of the players on the major league level (that list above) have really underperformed their “baseball card this season.” The reason for that, in coaching/development and culture has to be diagnosed and dealt with so the good assets that the team has can thrive and support the new additions as they become major league ready in 2017 and 2018.

Sammy Criscitello (@SCriscitello11)

August 1st, 2016 marks the first day of the Yankees’ tomorrows. Truth be told, I’m a little sad to see my team wave the white flag before the pennant race even began, as being born in 1996, I’ve never seen the Yankees do. However, there is not a doubt in my mind that Brian Cashman should be heralded as a hero in the Bronx for his various moves at the trade deadline. In addition to the Yankees current top MLB 100 prospects in Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo, Gary Sanchez and Blake Rutherford, the farm system now also boasts even more prospects on the list in the likes of newly acquired prospects Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield.

In addition to these three, the Yankees acquired eight other prospects -- including Dillon Tate, the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft -- as well as some major league bullpen relief by reaquiring two former Yankees in Adam Warren and Tyler Clippard. It’s interesting to think that the Yankees could be an exciting team to watch as soon as next season now. These two relievers will help bridge the gap to Betances in 2017, and the recently-traded Aroldis Chapman has expressed interest in returning to the Yankees bullpen next year too. Ben Heller, a prospect acquired in the Andrew Miller trade, is expected to join the bullpen later this season, and he frequently hits 99 mph and currently boasts a. 159 batting average against and .084 WHIP on the year. Should these five arms join together in the bullpen next year, it could once again be scary to trail the Yankees after the fifth or sixth inning. Additionally, prospects Bill McKinney, Tyler Austin, Frasier, Judge, Sanchez, and Heller will likely join Greg Bird and Luis Severino either this season or next to form what should be an elite Yankees core for years to come. Rejoice Yankees fans! The future is as bright as it’s been since the late ‘90s.

Dan DeGregorio (@DanDeGregs)

I know it's been said a million times already, but this year the Yankees were treading on unfamiliar ground, both for the organization and the fans. Being only the fourth best team in their own division, Brian Cashman, Hal Steinbrenner, and the rest of management finally gave in to the inevitable: it was time to become sellers for the first time in nearly 30 years. While this excited much of the fan base, the general thinking was that Brian Cashman has never been in a predicament like this before, and nobody knew if he'd be able to get a good haul for our trade pieces. After this past week, nobody should ever question him again. Cashman passed with flying colors, turning expiring contracts and two great relief pitchers into a solid bullpen arm and several big name prospects. After years of criticism that the Yankees lacked prospects and home-grown talent, we now have one of the three best farm systems in all of baseball. Our eight Top 100 prospects are the best in the majors, topping the seven that the Houston Astros have in their system. While our farm is looking arguably as good as it ever has, what does this mean for the rest of the season and beyond?

Cashman did a fantastic job of taking impending free agents (Carlos Beltran, Aroldis Chapman, Ivan Nova) and getting great value in return. On top of that, another underrated aspect of shipping them and Andrew Miller is the immense money the Yankees will be getting off the books. The free agent market won't have a ton of big names over the next two offseasons, but that all changes after the 2018 season. At that time, there will be several big names on the market, headlined by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, neither of which will be more than 26-years-old. By that time, the Yankees will have cleared plenty of money, and will have also built a strong core of players around those superstars. Ballplayers like Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, Greg Bird, Gleyber Torres, Clint Fraizer, Ben Heller, and Dillon Tate should have big league experience by that time. This gives the Yankees the opportunity to have a solid team for years to come, the likes of which we haven't seen since the late 90’s/early 2000’s.

Aaron Carroll (@Caaronll)

I must say I am so impressed and optimistic about the Yankees future success after this trading deadline. I must confess I have questioned Brian Cashman over the past few years but what he pulled off over the past week and a half was nothing short of impressive. The Yankees received a king's ransom for 3 rental players and Andrew Miller. With all of this newly acquired young talent the Yankees suddenly have one of the best farm systems in all of baseball and I certainly believe they will return to their prestigious level of play as these young guys begin to develop. I think the prospect I’m most excited about is OF Clint Frazier. This kid is an absolute stud and he’s already at the Triple-A level at just 21-years-old. Give it a year or two before the Yankees outfield is made of up Clint Frazier, Jacoby Ellsbury and Aaron Judge. I was also impressed they received several solid pitchers with vast amounts of potential as well as established relievers Adam Warren and Tyler Clippard.

After the moves at this year’s deadline, 11 of the Yankees’ top 30 prospects are pitchers which certainly gives them options moving forward. Certainly the Yankees playoff hopes for 2016 are all but decimated, but for the first time I can say I’m truly excited for September so I can get a sneak peek at what’s to come for this promising Yankees roster.

James Grande (@The_Real_Grande)

It's been quite a long time since the Yankees were classified as "sellers," longer than a lot of its fans have been alive. What Brian Cashman did, given the keys to the car was masterful work.

Landing five top 100 prospects in the entire game for three players was incredible. Albeit those three players -- Andrew Miller, Aroldis Chapman, Carlos Beltran -- were stars in their own right. Once the Yankees were swept by Tampa Bay, the Yankees did their due diligence to acquire as much as they could for their pieces.

Having Gleyber Torres, Clint Frazier and Dillon Tate alone makes the top half of the farm system very strong. The thing is, they are added to an already solid farm, pole vaulting them into the top-three Minor League systems in all of baseball.

The Yankees have put themselves in prime position to acquire one, two or even three massive names come the winter of 2018. Surely, the pending free agents have noticed what the Yankees have done and what they have on the way.

Conclusion:

It seems as though the majority of our writers are in agreement that the Yankees' decision to sell at the trade deadline was not only necessary, but essential for success down the road. What do you think about the Yankees deadline moves?

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