Yankees Brian Cashman will continue to surprise us at the trade deadline

Luke Voit

On July 28, 2018, Cashman sent relievers Chase Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos to the Cardinals for first baseman Luke Voit and international signing bonus pool money. Not much was known about the young St. Louis native, as Voit only had two hits, playing in 11 games during the 2018 season. At the same time, he was hitting .299 with nine home runs and an OPS of .891 in 67 games down at Triple-A.

Shreve was the most notable proven big-leaguer in this deal, as the former Yankee left-hander was emotional during his final press conference in the Bronx, stating that he knew a move had to be made.

“I knew we had to make a move. I just didn’t know what it was going to be. I had prepared myself for it,” Shreve explained. “I love it here. These are my friends. I’ve been here four years. It’s going to suck to leave.”

In 39 outings, Schreve posted an ERA of 4.14 in 37 innings during his 2018 campaign in the Bronx, finishing his time in pinstripes strong, by not allowing a run in his final five appearances.

This was a move, at the time, that had many Yankee fans scratching their heads, as the club still had high hopes for highly-touted first baseman Greg Bird, who had the potential to be a big-time star in the Bronx; however, has been met with injury time in and time again.

Voit would make his Yankee debut at Fenway Park on August 2, 2019, as the Yanks fell to a red-hot Red Sox by a final score of 15-7. Steve Pearce tagged Yankee pitching for three long balls over the Green Monster, en route to a four-game series sweep over the Bombers, running away with the American League East in the process.

Voit’s bat would go unnoticed in his opening series, but would soon display his brute strength when the Yankees paid a visit to Camden Yards in late August, as he would club three home runs in three days, as the Yankees sweet Baltimore.

It would then become apparent that Voit’s confidence at the plate was only getting stronger, as the slugger would end the season with a .333 batting average, 14 home runs and 33 runs RBIs — playing just six weeks in pinstripes.

In the first half of 2019, Voit has picked up right where he left off, slugging 17 home runs, while slashing .280/.393/.509, in the midst of serving as the cleanup hitter in a lineup that has Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez and Edwin Encarnacion in the meat of the order.

Voit currently is sidelined with an abdominal strain that has him on the 10-Day IL, but the Yankees are more than confident that the big man will be able to pick up right where he left off, as Voit went 4-for-4 with three doubles before exiting London’s Game 1 versus the Sox.

Gio Urshela

After batting .225/.274/.315 in 167 games across three seasons with the Cleveland Indians (2015, 2017) and Toronto Blue Jays (2018), the “happy fella” was acquired by Brian Cashman from the Jays on August 4, 2018, for cash considerations and was sent to Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre.

After an impressive Spring Training in 2019, Urshela was sent back to Scranton with a chip on his shoulder, as the former Indians top prospect was snubbed due to the overwhelming amount of talent that the Bombers walked in with on Opening Day,

With the likes of Miguel Andujar, Gleyber Torres and Troy Tulowitzki in the infield, things would change on April 6th.

Miguel Andujar would go down with a labrum tear in his right shoulder after sliding back into third base awkwardly, forcing the 2018 Rookie of the Year Runner-up to the 10-Day IL. Just days later, Troy Tulowitzki would go down with a calf-strain, landing the former All-Star on the 60-Day IL, and giving Gio Urshela his chance to shine.

After a month on the big league roster, coming up in multiple key spots, playing the hot corner with ease and embracing the pressure of the pinstripes, Aaron Boone made an appearance on WFAN Radio with Mike Francesca to explain why Urshela had earned his spot in the Bronx.

“Absolutely. I think what we’ve seen, really on both sides of the ball, and because he’s so good defensively too, he has earned a place on this team right now,” the Yankee skipper said. “It’s hard to envision him not (in the majors)… he has gotten several big hits for us. He’s driving the ball. He has just been a steady guy right in that lineup.”

It wouldn’t be realistic to believe that every role player that the Yankees relied on early in the season would pan out; however, Gio Urshela has been exceptional in replacing Andujar at third base, slashing .307/.472/.832 with seven home runs and 39 RBIs.

Urshela’s play almost earned him a spot on the 2019 American League All-Star team after finishing second in voting behind Houston Astros standout, Alex Bregman.

Not much thought ran through the heads of Yankee fans when Urshela made his way onto the big league roster in April. Many viewed Urshela as a temporary platoon option at third base, while Andujar rehabbed his shoulder.

Yet here we stand on July 9th, and Gio Urshela is taking his game to another level, increasing his walk rate by 6.5% from last season, while decreasing his strikeout percentage from 23.4% to 18.9%. Gio has improved his contact rate as well, going from 58.1% in 2018 to 75.9% through four months in 2019.

His timely hitting, outstanding defense and positivity in the clubhouse have played a major role for the Yankees in 2019, as teams around the league continue to scratch their heads when trying to figure out how Cashman finds these type of players.

DJ LeMahieu

DJ LeMahieu should not be considered an under-the-radar signing by anyone. However, he was undervalued during the offseason that saw the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado being swarmed by many teams.

However, Brian Cashman wasn’t salivating when laying his eyes on either player, instead, inking LeMahieu to a 2-year, $24 million dollar contract on January 14.

LeMahieu won the NL batting title with the Colorado Rockies in 2016, after hitting .348 on the season. In 2019, Lemahieu is trying to out-do himself, currently hitting .342 for the Bombers while driving in 64 runs in the process.

Similar to Urshela, LeMahieu did not find himself in the Opening Day starting lineup, as the former Rockies All-Star was in a platoon situation behind Voit and Bird at first base, as well as Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar at second and third base.

However, since being inserted into Aaron Boone’s lineup, LeMahieu has proven to be one of the best signings in recent Yankees history, being the Yanks’ MVP through the first half of the season, earning him the starting second base job in this year’s MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland.

LeMahieu is hitting .429 in his last 21 at-bats and is coming off an impressive display across the pond in London, England, where the Yankee second baseman went 7-for-12 with seven runs batted in while picking up three extra-base hits in the process.

It’s up to Cashman

The list goes on and on when it comes to crucial acquisitions that Brian Cashman has made for the Yankees over the years. However, with the pitching depth in the organization currently the only question mark, who will Cash surprise us with this time around?

The Yanks’ GM has made it apparent that he will not go after the big names like Madison Bumgarner or Corey Kluber, despite showing strong interest in Nationals two-time CY Young Award winner, Max Scherzer, over the last couple of weeks.

Cash has been smart about keeping his highly-touted prospects, such as Clint Frazier and Estevan Florial, who are sure to come up in most trade talks. He has also been smart about spending money and staying under the luxury-tax threshold, as sluggers like Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez are due for max-contracts in the near future.

“I’d love to add pitching if I can,” Cashman stated before the Yankees took the field in London, England on Saturday. “Whether it’s bullpen, rotation. Just reinforce our pitching, and get our pitching that’s hurt healthy, and then have the pitching we currently have stay healthy.”

Domingo German recently returned from an injured left hip flexor. After making his first start back against the Mets on Wednesday night, German picked up his 10th win en route to a 5-1 Yankees victory. German is currently 10-2 overall, with an ERA of 3.67 and a strikeout/walk ratio of 83:19.

Luis Severino, who missed the entire first half of 2019, isn’t due back until late August or early September as he has suffered multiple setbacks in the rehab of his right lat.

Dellin Betances has also missed the majority of this campaign, as the big man has suffered from shoulder inflammation and a low-grade lat strain. Boone recently stated that Betances is a week to 10 days away from throwing.

Who will the Yankees acquire?

Even with starting pitchers making their way back from injury, Brian Cashman is going to think outside the box when it comes to acquiring pitching. Given the number of good arms being made available, the Yankees GM has moves to make to ensure a successful run in October.

New York Mets right-hander, Zack Wheeler, comes to mind when thinking about starting pitching, as the Amazins’ phenom has posted a 4.42 ERA in 2019, with a 6-5 overall record to go with it.

The numbers aren’t exactly overwhelming when looking at them on paper, however, given Wheeler’s strikeout: walk ratio (123/32), the 29-year old could fair much better with a change of scenery after spending his entire major league career, thus far, in Flushing.

Another name is the Cleveland Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer, who has two years left on his current contract. Bauer’s 3.74 ERA would compliment the rotation nicely, as Bauer’s K:BB ratio is also very impressive at 140/48.

Bauer’s off-field tactics may be concerning, as the right-hander has made it known to be very outspoken with his YouTube channel, Bauer Bytes, where he sits down with teammates and players from across the league to discuss their lives and careers.

Despite his overwhelming confidence, Bauer would be an interesting piece in a clubhouse that has a ton of personality.

The Diamondbacks’ Robbie Ray has been the latest victim of Yankees trade rumors, as Arizona’s left-hander has flown under-the-radar this season, only posting a 4.10 ERA in 18 starts.

Ray has allowed 14 home runs this season; however, that currently stands as the least amount for any D-Backs starter this season.

Provided Ray can keep the ball low in the zone at Yankee Stadium, the Tennessee-native would fit in perfectly with James Paxton, J.A. Happ and C.C. Sabathia as left-handers in the rotation.

Only time will tell what Brian Cashman has up his sleeve, but given his past success of finding hidden gems, don’t be too surprised if the Yankees go out and get a name we’ve rarely heard of before, which results in success.