Tiki Barber's WFAN promotion might be the worst thing for Yankees fans

When Craig Carton announced he was leaving WFAN, there were mixed reactions. His die-hard fans were upset, but those who didn't care for his commentary were elated. Plus, Yankees fans didn't care for two Mets fans calling the shots on the highest-rated New York radio show.

OK, time to regroup, WFAN. Gotta hit a home run here. Gotta elevate somebody worthy or bring in a renowned outsider to talk shop with Evan Roberts, an actual learned sports fan with worthwhile insight on all New York teams.

Not too long after news of Carton's departure leaked, it was reported Tiki Barber, the co-host of Tiki & Tierney (the 7a.m.-11a.m. WFAN slot), would be promoted to the afternoon gig at the station. OK! New Yorkers weren't overly impressed, but they also weren't outraged by the move.

Barber's a Giants legend. The former running back has a career in professional sports that spanned a decade. He knows how the media operates here. He's well entrenched in the scene and understands the stakes.

But so far Yankees fans have gotten nothing but nightmare previews of what Barber's about to bring to the table when he officially joins the airwaves with Roberts in the fall. Behold some of the, objectively, worst takes you'll hear in the Yankees-verse this year.

Tiki Barber's bad Yankees takes are a nightmare for WFAN listeners

If you're a WFAN listener and a Yankees fan -- a rational one, to be specific -- you're probably sick of the shock value takes that are spewed solely for ratings, clicks, exposure, etc. Is Barber doing that here? We'd like to think not, but what's the other explanation? How are we having measured conversations about these kinds of topics and pretending they provide a semblance of realism?

The Yankees regretting Aaron Judge's contract? Because of a freak toe injury suffered due to Dodger Stadium's archaic and irresponsible layout, which they've now pledged to fix because of how terrible it was? Yes, Judge has an injury history, but a large majority of it has been bad luck. It hasn't been the same as Giancarlo Stanton going down year after year with groin, calf, hamstring, quad and hip injuries.

Aaron Judge IS the Yankees! Without him they are a chum bucket.

But before that, he had an even more egregious assertion that the Yankees should trade Anthony Volpe if it meant acquiring Shohei Ohtani at the deadline. There's only three issues with that.

First off, this was in the midst of Volpe's resurgence after tweaking his batting stance. Since then, he's been one of more productive shortstops in the sport and has dug himself out of the grave. Secondly, you're now without a shortstop if you do that. It'd be irresponsible to think Oswald Peraza, who had a chance to prove himself earlier this season, would out-perform Volpe in the interim. There's a reason the Yankees chose Volpe for the Opening Day job. And lastly, you're trading Volpe plus at least three more top prospects for less than a half-season of Ohtani with absolutely no guarantee to sign him in the offseason? Without a guarantee Judge will return this season or at the very least return to full strength? We're all for trading prospects, but to gut the potential future of the organization to prop up a largely uninspiring roster in what's feeling more and more like a lost year would be a death knell.

Barber isn't wrong that Ohtani's international stardom would bring in millions for the Yankees, but unless there's an extension in writing upon his arrival in a trade, this cannot be part of the front office's plan if they hope to remain relevant throughout the primes of Judge and Gerrit Cole.

These are conversations to be had in the comfort of your own home with a small audience and a number of alcoholic drinks in your system -- not live on the air for millions of listeners to entertain.