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Yankees News: Cashman Clears the Air About Betances, Gregorius and Rodriguez

By Lionel Olivo

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New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman spent the off-season trying to build a contender. After 2 years of being shut out of the postseason, failure is not an option. While this years spring training has had its fair share of ups and downs, there is good reason to expect a post season run from the Yankees.

One of the hardest decisions Cashman had to make was whether to retain the services of David Robertson or let him fly the coop. Dellin Betances’ performance last year (5-0 with a 1.40 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP and 135 strikeouts) made that decision considerably easier. However he’s had a rough spring. He’s been sporting a 7.11 ERA over 6.11 innings while allowing 8 hits which resulted in 5 runs according Wayne Cavadi.

Several media outlets reported that Betances’ velocity was not as it was last year, when he was blowing batters away with fastballs in the high 90s and sometimes in the low 100s.

Betances had the following to say about his velocity: “I’m not worried about the velocity being down because it was the same thing last spring training over the first five innings, Betances said. That’s how my arm functions. As long that I feel healthy, I know that it will come.”

Regarding his velocity Cashman commented the following: “Where has his velocity gone? Story is not accurate”, Cashman said. “He’s actually averaging a mile (per hour) higher at this time this spring than last spring. If it’s apples to apples, then he’s right where he was last year. Obviously his performance in the spring is different than the arm strength, but the arm strength is not the issue. Just want to make sure everybody knows that.”

Betances also commented that: “In spring training I never throw what I throw during the season. I’m not worried about it. The results haven’t been where I wanted it to be, but that is because the command of my pitches is not where I want it to be.

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For Cashman, finding a decent replacement for Derek Jeter turned out to be more complicated. For starters, the free agent market wasn’t deep. The only free agent that could be a decent fit for the Yankees was Hanley Ramirez. However, his play is prone to mood swings and he has been severely limited by injuries.

Cashman’s solution to the Yankees opening in shortstop was to platoon Didi Gregorius and Brendan Ryan. Didi, known for his defense, has surprised many with his strong spring training at the plate. So far he’s batting .300 with four runs scored and six RBI in 17 games. However, it remains to be seen if Gregorius will be able to translate his spring training performance into the season and win the everyday job.

"“It’ll be more of a Joe decision right now,” Cashman said. “I’d just say it’s something we could consider, but Ryan’s also here for a reason. We have two left-handers in the middle infield in Drew and Didi, and we have Ryan as an alternative, so I trust that Joe, like he does all the time, he’ll dissect the match ups and try to put the best team on the field to win. If that means Ryan in there ahead of Didi on any given day, so be it. Gregorius has shown me a lot this spring, which I’m happy with. He’s an exciting personality, and really, clearly, we hope that it plays well for us.”"

The last wild card Cashman had to contend with was none other than Alex Rodriguez. After serving a one-year suspension, no one really new what to expect from the 40-year-old slugger. So far he’s been a pleasant surprise, posting a .324 batting average. He’s also been able to keep his head down and focus on baseball.

Regarding Rodriguez’s relationship with management, Cashman offered the following statement: “He’s handled himself both on the field and in the clubhouse and in his interviews with you guys, extremely well,” Cashman said. “It’s been about baseball, and he’s done really well on that level too.”

All in all, Cashman has given Girardi the tools to build a winner. Only time will tell if the Yankees are deep enough to sustain injuries and still make it to the post season.

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