BBB writers react to 2018 Trade Deadline
Trade deadline summary:
Yankees received:
JA Happ, Zach Britton, Lance Lynn, Luke Voit,
maximum amount of international spending money
Yankees traded:
Brandon Drury, Billy McKinney, Tyler Austin,
Luis Rijo, Chasen Shreve, Giovanny Gallegos, Adam Warren, Caleb Frare, Dillon
Tate, Cody Carroll, Josh Rogers
Here is how our staff perceived the
deadline:
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| Photo Credit: NJ.com |
Jake Graziano, Follow@JakeGraziano
The Yankees had two needs ahead of this year’s trade deadline: a
starting pitcher and a left-handed reliever. Considering Brian Cashman went out
and filled both of those holes at a fair price, the deadline has to be
considered a success. Starter J.A. Happ (11-6, 4.05 ERA) has had a solid year
and represents a major upgrade over Luis Cessa, Domingo German, etc. New York
also didn’t part with any major prospects to get him. Brandon Drury could
become a quality player for Toronto, but he was blocked in New York. Lefty
reliever Zach Britton (3.57 ERA) is a huge step up from Chasen Shreve and the
Yankees dealt only one meaningful prospect (Dillon Tate) to acquire his
services. Both of these were solid, if unspectacular, moves.
As for the Lance Lynn and Adam Warren trades, I’m more on board
with them than most Yankees fans. Lynn has had a rough season overall (5.10
ERA), but he has an ERA under four over the last two months and has made two
good starts against Boston this year. His 8.37 April ERA also becomes more
palatable when you consider he wasn’t signed until March 12th. He will serve as
rotation insurance in case of injury or further struggles from Sonny Gray. As
for Warren, the rise of Jonathan Holder, and acquisition of Britton, made him
expendable. While his 2.70 ERA and 11.1 K/9 suggest he’s had a great year, he
also has a 1.27 WHIP and wasn’t really reliable in big spots. These trades also
brought back more international signing money and further 40-man roster
flexibility.
Overall Grade: B+
I am satisfied with Brian Cashman’s work at the deadline this year
because I think he was able to address some team needs without forcing the
issue and making a bad deal. The Yankees’ need for an “ace” was talked about
endlessly during the first half but the Verlanders and Gerrit Coles were not
out there to be had, and they would've had to pay an extremely high price.
Cashman was clear that his preference was to not give up any of the Yankees’
top prospects like Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield. He dealt only one top 10
prospect while getting back a group of guys who could be useful in multiple
roles down the stretch.
These deals also cleared valuable 40-man roster spaces that can be
used for guys that the team will need to protect this offseason. Having a deep farm
system is a great thing, but you can't keep everyone, and the Yankees were able
to move a few guys whose futures in the organization were unclear or perhaps a
lower priority than others on the way.
With Britton they got a lefty than Chasen Shreve who can be
dominant when he's at his best. Lance Lynn could factor into the rotation
sooner rather than later after Sonny Gray's latest meltdown and he has playoff
experience as well. Happ is a solid veteran who can help stabilize the back of
the rotation and also has good numbers against the Red Sox. Luke Voit may just
be a depth replacement in Triple A right now but he's been red hot for the last
few months and might be worth a look for some ABs at DH while Judge and Sanchez
are out. Cashman also made a lot of moves for International signing money,
which may seem trivial at first but a lot of the Yankees best players or
prospects are international signings. Using the international market is a good
way to keep top flight talent coming into the organization since their draft
picks likely won't be very high for the foreseeable future.
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| Photo Credit: NYDN |
Overall I thought Cashman did solid work on a few fronts. This
Yankee team has had some bad luck with injuries but the core remains very good
and Cashman did well to stabilize some weaker areas.
Grade B+
Maxx Hotton, Follow @getinhottonhere
This trade deadline was a bit underwhelming for the Yankees, but
that is not by the fault of Brian Cashman. The Bombers needed to add a starting
pitcher, ideally a top end of the rotation starter, but none were available.
Cashman was able to maneuver his way through a busy market to add a lethal
lefty bullpen piece in Zack Britton, an experienced lefty starter in JA Happ,
and a depth pitcher/long reliever in Lance Lynn. These three players will help
the Yanks chase down the Boston Red Sox in the division race, while also
helping them succeed in late October.
The most impressive thing Cashman pulled off this trade season was
making all these trades and adding $3.75m in international pool money all while
giving up only one prospect in their top 10. These moves will let the Yankees
add elite young talent despite poor draft position in the upcoming years to
help maintain their top five farm system. Cashman has shown his ability to
improve his roster for the now while keeping his options open for the future as
well.
Grade: A-
Nick Simonelli, Follow @nicksims14
The seemingly impending move on deadline day never came from Brian
Cashman… And maybe that was a pretty good thing. The Bombers didn’t want to
make a trade that they would have had to sell themselves on just because of a
few unforeseen circumstances (Severino’s recent struggles, Judge’s injury).
I think Cashman did a great job of acquiring the starting pitching
help that the team needed in J.A. Happ, and great timing considering German’s
injury during his first AAA outing. Happ is a veteran pitcher with a good
fastball who can hopefully slot in as a fourth starter for a possible playoff
run should Sonny Gray continue to pitch terribly. Zach Britton was the left
handed relief pitcher everyone had been hoping the team would acquire. Then, Cashman also adds Lance Lynn, who just last season pitched to a 3.43 ERA in
186.1 innings. Lynn slots in as a decent long reliever who can also come in as
a spot starter for injuries or even if Boone wants to add a sixth starter every
few times throughout the rotation, like Joe Girardi did last year with Jaime
Garcia. Along with these additions, Cashman also acquired a ton of
international signing money and opened up some spots on the 40-man roster for
some younger prospects during the September call ups.
Grade: A-
Ryan Thoms, Follow @RyanThoms_
The Yankees did a fantastic job solving the main issues with the
team at the trade deadline. They improved the bullpen’s lone weakness by adding
Zach Britton and shored up the rotation by adding JA Happ and Lance Lynn.
Britton is a monumental improvement over Shreve and both Happ and Lynn are
veteran pitchers with postseason experience that are major upgrades from the
Yankees’ Scranton Shuttle pitchers and even Sonny Gray. Yankee fans were
critical that Cashman didn’t deal for an ace, but after seeing the haul the
Pirates gave up for Archer, who has pitched like a 3 or 4 this season, Cashman
definitely made the right move to go for veteran rentals who are more than
capable of pitching better than their numbers. Cashman was able to acquire a
trio of solid players, while improving the state of the 40-man and without
giving up one of the Yankees’ premier prospects.
The only move I was disappointed Cashman didn’t make was for a
right-handed bench-bat that could play outfield and DH. Clint Frazier’s
timetable is uncertain and this would have allowed the Yankees to not have to
rush Aaron Judge back and possibly jeopardize the rest of his season. Not
making this move shows me that the Yankees trust Neil Walker to handle a
majority of at-bats at the designated hitter slot during Judge’s absence. This
was not a move the Yankees had to make, but it would have been nice to see
someone other than journeyman Shane Robinson get at-bats in the thick of a
pennant race. The Yankees seem to think highly of 1B/DH Luke Voit they acquired from STL, so he may garner some at-bats down the stretch.
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| Photo Credit: AP |
The most unheralded moves of the deadline were Cashman’s moves to
stockpile international spending money. Teams are given a certain amount they
can spend and are then allowed to deal for more. Cashman acquired the maximum
amount the Yankees could spend and was able to cash a in on a massive haul of
young international talent that will help stock the farm system. This is
crucial with the Yankees likely having low picks in the upcoming drafts.
Grade A-
Alex Weir, Follow @waelierx
This year’s trade deadline reminded me a lot of 2014; the Yankees
didn’t make any trades that were too big, but mostly just to plug the holes on
the team. Obviously, their biggest move was for Zach Britton, but trading away
Shreve, Gallegos, and Warren in order to acquire international slot money,
while also acquiring Lance Lynn and J.A. Happ were not as big. Happ is the
starter they desperately needed, and Lynn quite possibly could see his starts
as well. Overall, I like the job that Cashman did, and I especially like the
fact that he wasn’t thinking with a win-now mentality. He was thinking with a
win-this-year-and-the-next-four-years mentality, which is something not many
other teams do. The moves at this years deadline make the Yankees a better team
moving forward, and for years to come, and that’s a success in my mind
Isabella Anton, Follow @isabella_anton
The Yankees did a decent job with the trade options that were out
there. This team is not significantly better or worse off after the deadline,
but the moves made improve this team right now and in the long run. Cashman
managed to collect enough international bonus pool money to reach the maximum
amount ($3.75M) allotted to sign international prospects. He also acquired four
solid players without giving up a top prospect in Florial, Sheffield, or
Acevedo, among many others.
I’m never one to count Cashman out on any possible deals, but I
had little faith that we would see a blockbuster trade with players such as deGrom or Harper this season. The team's two most imperative needs, a starting pitcher
and lefty reliever, were addressed. I wasn’t thrilled about the deal for J.A.
Happ but seeing as Drury had no place on this team and their influx of
outfielders left little opportunity for McKinney, it was a sensible trade. My
favorite acquisition from Cashman was Zach Britton. He is a huge upgrade over
Shreve and another reliable lefty to accompany Aroldis Chapman in the pen. It
hurts to see fantastic clubhouse guys like Shreve, Austin, and Warren get traded, but it
will all be worth it if the Yankees finish the 2018 season as World Champions.
Overall Grade: A-
Follow @BronxBomberBall
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