Yankees: 3 forgotten Brian Cashman trades that put NYY in current position

A lot of big-time Brian Cashman trades have the 2021 New York Yankees in prime playoff positioning after their dreadful start to the year. And fans are certainly thankful.

Where would this team be without guys like Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, Giancarlo Stanton, Luke Voit, Jameson Taillon and others? Cashman’s acquired all of those guys within the last few years, but there are a number of other smaller, lesser known transactions that paved the way for other acquisitions.

Cashman’s not impervious to criticism, but he certainly deserves more credit more times than not from this unforgiving fanbase (us included). Almost all of his trades are strategic chess moves that either have the Yankees looking years ahead or preserving the talents they value the most.

So how far do we have to dig back? The first of these deals came in 2014 and actually helped fortify the Yankees bullpen over the last few years, then helped them overhaul it ahead of this year’s trade deadline.

You might remember some of these trades, but they certainly aren’t at the forefront of your mind right now. And the average Yankees fan might not even be aware they happened! The baseball world moves fast; we’re not faulting anyone here.

Even we forgot about one of these! Let’s take a trip back in time, shall we?

These three forgotten Brian Cashman trades have set up the Yankees well.

3. Francisco Cervelli for Justin Wilson (2014)

You might be asking how in the world this helps the 2021 Yankees, and you’ll be doing the same for the next one on this list. But this is the prime example of “ripple effect.”

The Yankees dealt catcher Francisco Cervelli to the Pittsburgh Pirates for left-handed reliever Justin Wilson. No need to groan, we know how you feel about him. This move was made in November of 2014, so Wilson spent the 2015 campaign with the Yankees before being dealt to the contending (ha!) Detroit Tigers the following offseason.

Who’d the Yankees get in return? Luis Cessa and Chad Green. We all know that deal. Green is still a competent (somewhat) bullpen piece for the Bombers when he’s able to locate his fastball and mix in his curve effectively, and, if we’re being honest, Cessa was very important in 2021. He helped stabilize a struggling bullpen up until he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds (with Wilson!) before the deadline.

That allowed the Yankees to free up some money and a couple of roster spots, which, in turn, led to the acquisitions of Clay Holmes, Joely Rodriguez, Andrew Heaney, Gallo and Rizzo. It also helped Albert Abreu find some more meaningful innings, and he’s been really good ever since the Rays bashed him in back in late July.

You see what we’re getting at here?

1. Jake Cave for Luis Gil (2018)

More fans have certainly been exposed to this trade given Luis Gil’s success in recent weeks, but it’s still not as well known as it should be! Many simply thought Gil was an international free agent signing since he started his career with the Bombers in the low levels of the minor leagues.

But that was because he was scooped up early in his career in a trade that sent outfielder Jake Cave to the Minnesota Twins. A stroke of genius for Cashman! The Yankees made this deal back in 2018 (the same year they traded for Voit) after having an already stacked cast of outfielders. This was trading from an area of strength, as Cave was a solid minor leaguer with some MLB potential.

He’s been a part-time outfielder with a little bit of pop for the Twins while Gil has skyrocketed through the ranks of the Yankees farm system before making his historic MLB debut with the team. The right-hander became the first pitcher in MLB history to toss scoreless outings in his first three appearances and he’s helped the Yankees on their torrid 17-4 run that has them back in the Wild Card picture and only a handful of games out of first place.

The results already show this one’s a winner for the Bombers because we have four years and 257 games of evidence on Cave. The sky’s the limit for Gil assuming he can harness his control and continue to come through when he’s called upon. Whether he’s starting or relieving, he looks to be a valuable piece on this pitching staff for years to come.

… or maybe Cashman will leverage him in another notable trade and this list will continue to grow.

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