With his staff sitting in final place, Yankees common supervisor Brian Cashman spoke to reporters for practically half-hour earlier than Wednesday’s sport in opposition to the Guardians.
Cashman, sitting within the Yankees’ dugout, mentioned his staff’s plethora of accidents, roster development, failing to make further strikes over the offseason, organizational depth and extra. He additionally had a message for followers with the Yankees amid a tough stretch that has seen them wrestle to attain runs and win video games.
“We have time to make up ground,” the overall supervisor mentioned, including that he nonetheless thinks the Yankees can contend for a championship. “Don’t count us out. Don’t give up on us.”
Below are the most important takeaways from Cashman’s first media session of the season.
INJURIES, INJURIES, INJURIES
Even although the Yankees entered spring coaching with a handful of query marks, Cashman pushed the concept that his staff’s woes are primarily the results of accidents.
The Yankees do have a dozen males on the injured listing, together with Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Luis Severino and Carlos Rodon, the staff’s greatest — and costliest — offseason addition.
“Obviously, it’s not the team that we put together,” Cashman mentioned. “We’ve got a lot of injuries, so we had to turn our attention to some alternative choices. Obviously, we’re not playing our best baseball with what we currently have.”
Cashaman referred to as Severino, Rodon and Frankie Montas “huge losses,” and he additionally admitted that some lively gamers have underperformed. The GM added that a few of the Yankees’ inexperienced gamers are nonetheless being “baptized,” or adjusting to life within the majors.
Cashman additionally mentioned that the Yankees’ present issues and desires can’t influence harm timelines.
“We’re going through the careful process of making sure whenever we get them back, that they’re back to stay,” he mentioned.
‘WE’RE NOT DONE YET?’
After the Yankees re-signed Judge and inked Rodon, Hal Steinbrenner mentioned, “We’re not done yet.”
But they had been, though left discipline, amongst different issues, was a urgent want. When requested about failing to observe by means of on Steinbrenner’s declaration, Cashman famous “it takes two to tango” and cited the proprietor’s optimism.
“We had a lot of conversations that there was some optimism if things went a certain way, but it didn’t play out that way,” Cashman defined. “So I can’t speak specifically to his comment. I can speak from our area on the baseball ops side that, yeah, there’s some players that other clubs coveted but not enough from our perspective to actually make a move that we were willing to make. I know, right now, that we’d be in a worse position if we did make those because they weren’t good deals.”
When requested if the Yankees had been solely occupied with trades at that time within the winter, Cashman mentioned “probably” earlier than including that free agent conversations had been taking place as properly.
ADDRESSING LEFT FIELD
After an offseason of worrying in regards to the place, the Yankees have predictably obtained abysmal manufacturing from their left fielders. So Cashman was naturally requested if a transfer must be made there.
“We’ve got what we’ve got, and we’re gonna go with what we’ve got unless something can be obtained elsewhere that makes sense, but there’s no guarantee that will happen,” Cashman mentioned. “But that doesn’t mean we’re not engaged with it. But right now, there’s really no realistic chances in May. We just got out of April. Those opportunities don’t necessarily exist this early.”
When requested particularly if he’s comfy with the flailing Aaron Hicks persevering with to obtain enjoying time, Cashman added, “I think Aaron Hicks is having a similar season to a lot of people.”
RELIANT ON INJURY PRONE PLAYERS?
Is the roster development flawed when the Yankees are counting on so many gamers with giant contracts and in depth harm histories?
Cashman, talking significantly about Stanton, Severino and Rodon, sidestepped the query.
“They’re elite players when they’re healthy,” he mentioned. “And we just need to get them healthy. Whether it’s an over reliance on them or not, they are our players and I know what I can get when they’re healthy. And I’m looking forward to getting them healthy.”
RODON IS FRUSTRATED
A left forearm harm initially sidelined Rodon early in spring coaching, however a nagging again subject has been hindering the lefty these days. Cashman mentioned the Yankees’ solely prized free agent addition will see a again specialist on Thursday. He’s able to throwing, however he doesn’t really feel “fully comfortable.” The Yankees don’t need him to start out ramping up simply to wind down once more.
“He wants to throw right now and we’re holding him back until we make sure he sees the doctor and checks all the boxes,” Cashman mentioned. “Carlos is frustrated. He wants to throw. He wanted to throw today. We said no.”
PERSONNEL CHANGES NECESSARY?
The Yankees shook up their coaching and energy and conditioning departments just a few years in the past following a wave of accidents. So what’s the difficulty now?
“I just think we’re getting hit with injuries,” Cashman mentioned. “I’m not blaming any particular person for that. It’s not our energy and conditioning division. It’s not how we prepare our gamers.
“I believe we have really good personnel on the healthcare side of this thing from doctors to trainers to strength coaches. I think we have players that are wired the right way, that care and compete.”
Cashman added that he has “nothing I can convict others [of], other than if you want to convict somebody, convict me.”
DEPLETED DEPTH ON THE FARM
With so many injury-prone gamers on dear offers, it’s essential for the Yankees to develop gifted prospects — not simply this 12 months, however for the longer term. So how would Cashman consider the group’s minor league depth proper now?
“It’s more of a challenge at the upper levels because of more recent trade activity we’ve had,” he acknowledged. “But we certainly have, I think, a strong minor league system that has continued to produce valuable assets that other teams want.”
MISTAKE MOVES
Every main acquisition the Yankees have made since final summer time’s commerce deadline is harm or has been since coming over. There was additionally two deadlines in the past, when the Yankees made the ill-fated choice so as to add Joey Gallo, who proved a poor match within the Bronx.
Cashman conceded that he hasn’t had “much success” with massive strikes these days. He added that he “wished” final 12 months’s commerce deadline had “gone better.”
Cashman additionally mentioned “no” when requested if there was something he ought to have finished in another way due diligence-wise when it got here to the additions of Montas and Rodon.
INFIELD SURPLUS
Finally, Cashman implied the Yankees’ infield depth might be an space the staff may commerce from just a few instances. At the main league degree, logical candidates embody Gleyber Torres, Oswald Peraza, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Oswaldo Cabrera, although the final two have largely been outfielders this season.
Shortstop Trey Sweeney, the group’s sixth-best prospect, is one other chance, as Anthony Volpe is obstructing the place on the massive league degree.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com