Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury speaks to cosmic Yankees-Brian Cashman problem

When Brian Cashman went on a tirade in front of reporters at the general managers meetings after the 2023 season, he refuted criticisms about his player acquisitions because "injuries happen, it sucks!" While fans totally understand that, it doesn't take away from what's happened to the New York Yankees over the last seven years.

Whether it's Cashman's fault or not, his trade acquisitions either largely underperformed or are constantly injured. Save for Juan Soto, Cashman's big-name offseason/deadline moves via the trade have been bad. There's no disputing it.

The latest in that line was Jazz Chisholm Jr., who suffered a UCL injury in Monday's loss to the Chicago White Sox. After undergoing an MRI, Chisholm is headed to the injured list and could very will miss the rest of 2024. More of the same.

For whatever reason, this is just what happens with Cashman's trade subjects. It'd be unfair to blame him for every single one that doesn't pan out, but something is terribly off with the process. And perhaps it's because every single deal he makes is to minimize risk, which comes back to bite him in some capacity.

Look at this year's trade deadline as the most recent example. The Yankees stayed away from the big names because the cost was famously "too high" — as it is every year when you're trying to gain a significant edge over the rest of the league's contenders. Cashman once again didn't "go for it" and throw caution to the wind despite this "championship" roster revealing obvious holes.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. injury speaks to cosmic Yankees-Brian Cashman problem

Shall we go down the list, dating back to 2018?

• 2017 (Before 2018 Season): Giancarlo Stanton deal with Marlins
• 2018: Brandon Drury deal with Diamondbacks
• 2018: Zack Britton deal with Orioles
• 2018: JA Happ deal with Blue Jays
• 2018: Lance Lynn deal with Cardinals
• 2018 (before 2019): James Paxton deal with Mariners
• 2019: Edwin Encarnacion deal with Mariners
• 2021: Jameson Taillon deal with Pirates
• 2021: Rougned Odor deal with Rangers
• 2021: Joey Gallo deal with Rangers
• 2021: Anthony Rizzo deal with Cubs
• 2021: Andrew Heaney deal with Angels
• 2022: Josh Donaldson/Isiah Kiner-Falefa deal with Twins
• 2022: Andrew Benintendi deal with Royals
• 2022: Scott Effross deal with Cubs
• 2022: Frankie Montas deal with Athletics
• 2022: Harrison Bader/Jordan Montgomery deal with Cardinals
• 2023: Alex Verdugo deal with Red Sox
• 2024: Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez deals with Dodgers
• 2024: Jon Berti deal with Marlins
• 2024: Jazz Chisholm deal with Marlins

That's 21 trades either characterized by injury woes or performance detrimental to the team. And this is in the midst of the team's championship window after they came within a game of the World Series in 2017. Have you noticed a trend with most of these deals? An overwhelming majority of them were the Yankees "buying low" in some capacity.

It all started with inheriting Stanton's contract in 2017. Cashman knew that taking that money off the Marlins' hands would limit the return package. And he was right. But for what? To pass on the next group of top-tier position player free agents? Stanton's injuries have directly (and drastically) impacted the Yankees' ceiling.

The Verdugo/Chisholm moves are the latest examples to complete the sandwich. Both players were deemed (or perceived to be) problems for their former organizations, so Cashman saw a lane to, again, limit the risk in surrendering assets. Verdugo has been good for a month, but has otherwise been felled by ... whatever it is that keeps happening to players not named Aaron Judge or Juan Soto. Chisholm played in 14 games before suffering an elbow injury that's expected to end his season.

Some of Cashman's trades from 2017-2024 were omitted from the list above, but only the Soto trade stands out as a clear winner. The others can't be deemed a "success" for a big-market GM looking to push his team to the next echelon.

There's a clear problem with the process. Cashman can only shrug for so long about injuries and regressions. There's a pattern here, and it starts with the bargain bin talent he targets all so he can hoard a bunch of "top prospects" that never pan out anyway.