New York Yankees Editorial: Why Did the Yankees Ever Trade For Lance Berkman?

Five years ago the Yankees were in a very similar situation. They were in a battle atop the A.L. East and gearing up for a second half playoff run. To bolster their roster, GM Brian Cashman dealt two prospects to the Houston Astros in exchange for veteran slugger Lance Berkman.

Who were these two prospects? Just Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes.

During his brief stint with the Yankees and Red Sox, Melancon posted a 5.79 ERA over a 56-game span, and for a while it looked as if he was another promising prospect who couldn’t hack the pressure of playing in the A.L. East. However, Melancon was brilliant for Houston, and in 2 1/2 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he’s developed into a stud, recording 75 saves and a 1.62 ERA, which according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, is the second-lowest in the MLB among the active 112 relievers with at least 125 appearances.

Paredes was the epitome of a suitcase. He was constantly placed on the waiver wire, had cups of coffee in the majors, but he never seemed to find a defined role in any of the organizations he was a part of. That all changed this season, as the now 26-year old has emerged as the full-time DH of the Baltimore Orioles against right handed pitching, batting .319 with 10 home runs and an .867 OPS.

Orioles skipper Buck Showalter told Sherman:

"“His offense is not an accident. You cannot pitch him one way all the time. He will make an adjustment. Just when I think he is ready to tail off, he picks it back up again.”"

Five years later, when all the dust had settled, it’s now safe to say that both Mark Melancon and Jimmy Paredes would have benefited the New York Yankees much more than Lance Berkman did. The Yankees might have made a similar mistake by trading away Peter O’Brien in exchange for Martin Prado during lat years trade deadline as well, but that’s rather here nor there.

The point is, with the major league trade deadline looming in the not-so-distant future, if Brian Cashman decides to part ways with some prospects to boost the Yankees in the second half of 2015, let’s hope we don’t see history repeat itself.

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