3 disasters Yankees avoided by ignoring their fans' wishes in 2023

Jeimer Candelario Overpay at Trade Deadline

Of all the stunning choices Brian Cashman made in 2023, forgetting left field still stands atop the mountain for me. But it's pretty neck-and-neck with "doing nothing at the trade deadline," when the Yankees had a unique opportunity to either sell off a few appealing assets or make a misguided attempt to reattain relevance.

Instead, they did ... neither, trading only for reliever Keynan Middleton and since-released pitching prospect Spencer Howard. What da heck!

But look on the bright side. This obviously undermanned team instead could've traded for Jeimer Candelario, the Nationals third baseman with career-best numbers and metrics who was very obviously headed for a second-half trend down.

Instead of the Yankees, the Cubs were the ones who took the Candelario bait, trading shortstop Kevin Made and lefty DJ Herz (now Washington's 15th- and 16th-ranked prospects, per MLB Pipeline) in exchange for the 29-year-old. Pre-trade, Candelario had 16 bombs and an .823 OPS and flirted with All-Star contention on a one-year flyer. Post-trade, he's hitting .237 with a .773 OPS in 36 games and has landed on the injured list.

For those who desperately wanted Cashman to do "something, anything" ... that's what happens when you do that. And for those who are claiming you can't predict second-half injuries ... yes, you can. It's called "joining the Yankees."