What Are You Waiting For?

What, exactly, is Brian Cashman waiting for? While the Yankees have tumbled and staggered into the AS break, Yankee fans are left wondering what the rest of 2008 has in store for them. Our team is no stranger to this situation, as they have faced similar perils in years passed (like last year). However, as Phil Allard notes, Brian Cashman’s lack of action is somewhat startling as the team just doesn’t seem good enough to break through this year or make an extended playoff appearance. What will he do, really? After pegging this year on aging players and young starters, what is his backup plan? Essentially, what will he do (via trade or signing) to make the team better for the second half?

These are questions that need to be asked. Some Yankee fans may say, “well, for years we have traded away young talent and were left with a barren farm system. Fans complained about that, and now that we’ve built a strong system, once again, you want to trade away the pieces?” With that, I respond, “is Brian Cashman incapable of making smart trades that won’t entirely drain the farm?” This is a GM’s job. He’s going to have to figure out the best way possible to ensure contention for his team as they head into the second half. So yes, you don’t want to trade away pieces, but you also need to engage teams with smart moves. After all, isn’t this all part of why you build your farm system (so that it can sustain itself after trades)?

With that said, there’s still one guy who’s widely available and his name is Barry Bonds. In light of Matsui’s recent setback, when asked about Barry Bonds, Brian Cashman had the following to say:

“I would say any rampant speculation on us involving a player of that magnitude would be extremely premature,” Cashman said. “I would caution everybody to not misunderstand that since I’m not saying no to it, that that means, ‘Oh my gosh, that that might be happening down the line.’ It’s not something we’re focused on at this point. We’re focused on getting Hideki Matsui back rather than, you know, what we’re going to do if he’s not back.”

I mean, we get it. He delievered it in a roundabout way but we understand what he’s saying. Hopefully, Brian Cashman will stop providing us with safe answers and start making some moves. Something needs to be done, don’t you think?