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July 28, 2006
Cash: No One Is Untouchable
From the Hartford Courant -
Labels might be imaginary, but Yankees general manager Brian Cashman removed all perceptions about his top minor league prospects.
"I don't have any `untouchables,'" Cashman said Thursday, with four days left before the deadline for non-waiver trades. "No one is untouchable."
Does this mean that even Philip Hughes, the Yankees' 20-year-old pitching prospect who has been dominating Double A, is available?
"Some guys are easier to get than others," Cashman said. "I'm more willing to talk about some guys than others. If some special circumstance came up, you might consider something like that, but no one has presented anything like that to me."
Hughes and outfielder Jose Tabata are considered the Yankees' hardest-to-get prospects, but that is as close as Cashman has come to saying he'd be willing to trade them.
Hmmmm. Is Cashman planting some seeds here?
Posted by Steve Lombardi at July 28, 2006 08:47 AM
Comments
Mo is Untouchable. Even for Johan Santana, Liriano and you throw in Trevor Hoffman.
Posted by: rbj ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.waswatching.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at July 28, 2006 09:04 AM
Clearly a rhetorical argument but you wouldn't trade Mo for Johan, Liriano, and Nathan? I ADORE Mo but you'd have to seriously think about it, no? 2 more years of the best closer in history or 10 years with 2 of the best lefty starters in baseball plus 5 years with a pretty good closer?
Again, clearly a rhetorical argument since a) there's no shot in hell that it's happening and b) I'm emotionally uninvolved since if Mo was traded I'd probably feel like I was shot.
Posted by: MJ at July 28, 2006 09:45 AM
Of course no prospect is "untouchable". If Terry Ryan called Cashman and offered Nathan, Liriano, and Santana for Hughes, even for Hughes and Tabata, Cashman would be fired for not saying yes instantly.
Or if Walt Jocketty called and offered Pujols for Hughes.
Or if the Marlins called and offered Willis and Cabrera for Hughes and Tabata.
OTOH, are any of those things going to happen? Of course not.
Posted by: Shaun P. at July 28, 2006 10:47 AM
I think that Cashman is engaging in a little bit of strategy here. It makes it easier for other teams to justify talking to the Yankees if the 2 prospects are theoretically available. Also, the possibility might help keep lines of communication open. That is important because Cashman is playing the waiting game now.
Posted by: jonm at July 28, 2006 10:50 AM
There's something about knowing that if you have a lead late in the game, you'll win with Mo on the mound. Can't say the same about any other reliever -- despite what Bill James shows with his stats.
Posted by: rbj at July 28, 2006 02:09 PM