4 offseason moves Yankees fans are already grateful Brian Cashman didn't make

Brian Cashman has drew the ire of New York Yankees fans over the past five years or so, and for good reason. This team's roster construction was poor for the caliber of play that's expected in the Bronx. I mean, how do you forget to acquire enough lefties? What planet are we on?

In the grand scope of it all, however, Cashman is probably a Hall of Fame executive. It's just the reality, whether or not you're mad at him for whatever reason. As it pertains to the 2024 Yankees, this roster certainly has its flaws, but the turnaround Cashman helped orchestrate is undeniable.

The Yankees have begun the year as one of the best teams in MLB thanks to the offseason makeover. Was it Cashman fixing some of his previous transgressions? Yes. But he did it. You know how many other general managers don't do that? A lot. Look around the league. There are far bigger problems elsewhere.

And while some fans were yearning for more, more, more after the Juan Soto trade and Marcus Stroman signing, it's actually a blessing (at the moment) Cashman stood pat before Opening Day. Beecause some of these moves are looking diastrous in the early going.

4 offseason moves Yankees fans are already grateful Brian Cashman didn't make

Sign Blake Snell

OK, well we'll be the first two say that Snell's 2024 probably would've been completely different if he took the $150 million from the Yankees, had a somewhat regular offseason, went through a full spring training, and teamed up with Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Clarke Schmidt.

But Snell's offseason turned out much differently after he reportedly turned down the Yankees' first overture. He had to wait until March 19 to sign a late-night deal with the San Francisco Giants. That was barely a week before Opening Day.

Snell's first few outings were bad, and he just landed on the IL with a hip injury. Can't tell us the delayed start didn't play a role. We're just glad the Yankees didn't make that second push to sign him to a short-term, high AAV deal.

Re-Sign Wandy Peralta

OK, we'd still take Wandy Peralta back for the vibes. He was a fan favorite and a truly fun modern day Yankee. But the front office might've been onto something when they opted to keep any pursuit at arm's length.

Peralta got himself into a lot of trouble last year. He constantly put runners on. His command was very much off. But the man was an escape artist. Whatever mess he made, he usually cleaned it up.

So far, it's pretty much been the same in San Diego (the Padres signed him to a four-year, $16 million contract), but Thursday represented an envisioned worst-case scenario. Peralta put forth arguably the worst showing of his career when he surrendered four earned runs on three hits and a walk in just 0.1 innings of work. The six-run inning allowed the Colorado Rockies to win the game by a run.

You might be surprised by his numbers, because before that outing he was largely doing a great job. But again, the peripheral metrics aren't producing the results that make you feel comfortable. His now-5.66 FIP has been elevated all year, very much not in line with his ERA, and his Baseball Savant page is full of concerning blue. It unfortunately feels like the wheels could fall off at any moment.

Sign Cody Bellinger

Quite frankly, we're liking this outfield of Aaron Judge, Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo. Yes, perhaps Verdugo over Cody Bellinger was the right choice. In terms of star power, Belli has the edge, there's no doubt. But in terms of availability and situational hitting, Verdugo is defintely the superior option.

We've still yet to see Verdugo at his peak powers, but Bellinger was only hitting .220 with a .760 OPS in 22 games before fracturing his ribs this week and immediately hitting the IL. For what the Yankees need, the best trait is a clean bill of health. Bellinger's mostly been injured since 2020 and would've been another bloated expenditure with fans likely wanting more.

Don't get us wrong, we'd take Bellinger on our team in a second, but from a PR perspective, it's best to not have an additional star player hanging out on the IL.

Sign Josh Hader

Ohhhh MAMA! Imagine if this were the Yankees. IMAGINE. IF. THIS. WERE. THE. YANKEES! Remember, New York reportedly expressed interest in the star lefty closer as their bullpen construction remained out of focus for much of the offseason with various injuries, departures, and lack of roles properly filled.

Hader would've been an easy (and largely supported solution). He's probably the most electric closer in the game, so there you go. Hader gets the ninth, Clay Holmes gets the eighth, and the Yankees could effortlessly fill the sixth and seventh. Come on, what do you think this is? The organization's one consistent ability is building a bullpen.

But Hader has gotten sucked into a black hole. The real Josh Hader is no more. Through 11 games, the left-hander owns an 8.38 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 9.2 innings of work. Though his 2.73 FIP and 16 strikeouts suggest he'll probably be "fine," he's the highest-paid reliever in the game and has already blown two games, put one fully out of reach when he was tasked with keeping it close, and allowed runs in his two saves.

Had the Yankees paid another record contract to a closer and saw these April results, the back pages would've burned the city to the ground.

There's obviously time for all of these players to change the narrative and eventually make the Yankees regret staying away, but at the moment, New York fans are very much happy with the personnel on this roster and how far it's gotten the team to this point.