2026 MLB Season

[Rabidraider]

The off season is just about over and the 2026 season starts this week.

Looking forward to the computer strike zone.

Go Yankees!

[Rabidraider]

Ill give you Severino. He had 2 full seasons as a starter and was elite. Then he got injured. But the rest of your list justs points out how futile the Yankees have been at developing starters who became a mainstay in the rotation. Im refering to guys like Pettite who played many years and was solid to excellent during their tenure. Including Phil Hughes as a success story points out how barren home grown starting pitching has been. Hughes played 7 years for us and was bottom of the barrel. The only year he posted an ERA<4 was the year he was a reliever, and Im sure you are aware what that ERA would translate to as a starter. In 3 of the other 6 years he posted era's from 5.50-6.70. The other 3 years, 4+ mediocrity.

Cortez was a flash in the pan. 1& 1/2 very good years. The rest mediocre. Rivera was developed under Gene Michaels, not Cashman. Betances, a failed starter because of a lack of command.

Dont get me started about King. He is a perfect illustration of why Cashman should be fired. He never was a starter in our rotation. He spot started. He mostly relieved here. He had 3 years of control left. He was traded going into his Arb1 year for a FA to be. San Diego on day 1 hands him the ball and he has been a 3-year very good to elite inning-eating rotation piece for them on an arb-eligible salary. Cashman all over. Even when he has a winning lottery ticket, he forgets to cash it in.

King got us Soto. Soto got the Yankees to the World Series. You have to give to get. Granted Soto left, but the Yankees dodged a bullet on not over paying Soto.

Your statement about Cashman only providing one quality pitcher (Andy) is false.

Even the Dodgers get most of their starters from other teams free agents.

If teams could develop five #1 starters they would. Most teams can't develop one #1 starter.

Right now the Yankees have one of the best starting staff in baseball. Granted they went the free agent route mostly. Cam and even Warren have been pretty good.

As for position players, the team is starting to fill out the roster with kids from the farm system.

I get it, you don't like Cashman.

I've had it with Boone myself, or at least the analytic guys guiding him.

[Cruisin with Tooz]

Your statement about Cashman only providing one quality pitcher (Andy) is false.

That is not my statement. That is your statement. And I agree with your conclusion that it is false. Its false because Andy Pettite was not Cashman's doing. Pettites first year in the majors as a fulltime starter was 95. He was drafted in '90. Cashman became GM in '98. Cashman had nothing to do with Pettite. Pettite was all Gene Michaels, the last good GM we had. In fact Gene Michaels stood up to Big Stein who wanted to trade away Pettite and Bernie Williams. You see were doubly cursed having Stein and Mark Davis. And Cashman is emblematic of what the Raiders were before Davis finally saw the light and cleaned house and put in competent leadership in the GM and HC positions. Im amazed you dont see the parallel between your two fave organizations.

You mentioned the Soto trade. How can you possibly justify that? And I love Soto as a hitter who is money in the playoffs the way that Reggie was. But that was a horrendous trade. A nascent staff ace that you have for at least his 3 arb years for a 1 year rental of an elite OF bat? And in reality you have King for prolly 6 years. The model is you buy out their 3 arb years for an additional 3 guaranteed years to offset the risk of injury. The player gets the security and a taste of big money which is still far below the market rate and we get the player for 6 years. Not coincidentally, this is the negotiation model that creative teams like TB employ going back to Evan Longoria or the A's did with Eric Chavez. Cashman couldnt even be bothered to find out what he had in King by throwing him into the regular rotation even though he was excelling in long outings. The Padres acquire him; plug him into the rotation immediately and instantly he is staff ace with a 2.95 ERA and close to 200 IP. Like taking candy from a baby. I swear, opposing GM's and player's agents must be smiling ear-to-ear when they know they are about to negotiate with Cashman. An elite starting pitcher in baseball is like the qb in football. It is the hardest thing to develop or acquire. How would you feel about trading Mendoza for a 2027 FA like Johnathan Taylor or Puka Nacua?

You concluded with the current staff which Ill grant you is a top staff. True. But you are unknowingly conceding my original thesis. With the exception of Schlitter, the staff was built by money, not by player development. Again another parallel to the Raider draft futility. That is the only thing that Cashman is good for. He's nothing but a bean counter and a check writer. He has no baseball acumen. And a dilettante when it comes to hard negotiating. I think it would be a miracle for the Yankees to win another WS under his tenure. I think youre going to see serious decline in Judge and Cole moving forward. Those 2 are going to be eating up 100 million in salary every year. Things arent going to end well for Judge at his age and size. Injuries piling up and time missed. More and more time transitioning to permanent 50 million dollar DH. Slowing bat speed means he wont be able to turn on pitches on the inner half or catch up to heat high in the zone. And this will make him susceptible to put away sliders. Youre looking at a guy who, sooner rather than later, is going to be a 50 million dollar, oft-injured DH strike-out-machine, who hits .220, .700-ish OPS, with some preserved power against lesser pitchers.

[Rabidraider]

When they traded for Soto they expected him to sign a reasonable yet expensive contract probably in the 500-550 million area. When it went to close to 800 million and 14 years they made the smart move and passed. Soto will be an anchor of crap to the Mets.

To get quality you trade quality. And again, his one season helped the team reach a world series.

Would you give up a high #1 draft pick to reach a Superbowl even if it turned out worthless a year later?

I see no similarity between Yankees and Raiders. Yankees have won 5 tiles and numerous playoff appearances the last 30 years. Raiders not even close.

But Al and George did have the same birthday...

PS Judge has won 3 MVPs...his contract is almost half way over and its a a reasonable 40 million a season.