N.Y. Yankees: Cashman Acquisitions Overshadowed By Aaron Judge Injury

From the desk of:  BLAME CARLOS MAY

Brian Cashman Shores Up Pitching With Two Savvy Transactions

New York Yankees: Jury Remains Out on J.A. Happ and Zach Britton Deals Until Judge Returns to Lineup.

The true measure of Brian Cashman's trade deadline acquisitions will be Aaron Judge.  For now, his wrist fracture renders the Yankees newest pitchers somewhat inconsequential, as A.J. Happ and Zach Britton were meant to enhance the team, not supplant their best layer.

A tip of the cap is nonetheless owed Brian Cashman for masterfully restocking the Yankees farm system with an abundance of young talent.  Some prospects have earned regular work with the big club, others remain parked at Scranton, while yet another handful have been traded in order to procure active major league talent.

If you include last season, Brian Cashman has literally traded away a small minor league team within a year's time.  On July 31, 2017, Cashman acquires Sonny Gray from Oakland in exchange for James Kaprielian, Dustin Fowler, and Jorge Mateo.  During the off-season, he ships Jorge Guzman and Jose Devers along with second baseman Starlin Castro to Miami for Giancarlo Stanton.  Now he sends Brandon Drury (originally acquired from Arizona) and Bill McKinney to Toronto in exchange for starter J.A. Happ, which comes on the heels of acquiring Zach Britton from Baltimore in exchange for Dillon Tate, Josh Rogers, and Cody Carroll.  All told, that's ten minor league players other general managers found interest with.

By the same token, successfully rebuilding the big club according to his own design without ever falling below .500 is nothing short of remarkable.  Even more remarkable is how Cashman fit Giancarlo Stanton, A.J. Happ, and Zach Britton into the budget all while satisfying Hal Steinbrenner's mandate for staying under the tax threshold, with room to spare.  Meanwhile, Boston president Dave Dombrowski is spending John Henry's money like a drunken sailor on leave, just as he did at Detroit.

The Yankees entered the weekend already owning a slight pitching advantage in ERA and BAA over the Red Sox.  But by adding another sorely needed quality southpaw, the league's best bullpen just got better.  Not only is Zach Britton not a member of the Red Sox, he now brings the Yankees a step closer to reducing any game against the pinstripes into a more desperate five inning affair.

However, Brian Cashman's primary need was a starting pitcher, and he landed one.  J.A Happ, a 35-year old veteran of both leagues, is another lefty who seemingly should fit right in at Yankee Stadium.  His 4.18 ERA is presently the highest its been in four years, but his WHiP, H/9 average, and K/9 average are all improved over last year.  More importantly, he owns superlative numbers against the Red Sox.

Conversely, the Red Sox already own distinct advantages at the plate over the Yankees even with Aaron Judge in the lineup.  They've established a +36 run differential over the Yankees, and lead the American League in runs scored, total bases, team average, and OPS.  Meanwhile the Yankees lead the Red Sox in home runs, slugging, and strikeouts.  The latter should improve while Judge misses the next three weeks to a month.

Until his return, the jury remains out on J.A. Happ and Zach Britton.