Yankees' roster move to welcome Luis García Jr. confirms wasted offseason trade

The Yankees have plenty of work to do before the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline and already made their first roster move to reflect their impact deal on Sunday. Luis García Jr. is officially in the Bronx and will wear No. 26 against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday night.

The Yankees had an open spot on their roster after trading reliever Yovanny Cruz to the Nationals in that deal, so they didn't have to make a corresponding transaction here. That said ... they needed some more pitching help given how exhausted their staff is as they endure 13 games in a 13-day stretch.

So after activating García Jr., they recalled reliever Kervin Castro to help in the bullpen. Now they had to clear roster space. Instead of simply waiting until closer to the deadline for whatever moves were on the way, they optioned offseason trade acquisition Max Schuemann to Triple-A.

On the surface, there's no issue with this. Schuemann's play has suffered greatly as the Yankees' injuries piled up. He's hitting .194 with a .694 OPS and 95 OPS+ in 40 games. His defense in the outfield was a bit questionable, too.

But what do you know ... there's a reason why! Schuemann's time with the Athletics was mostly spent as an infielder. And my "mostly" we pretty much mean "exclusively." Out of his 234 games with the A's, he played 117 at shortstop, 54 at third base, and 48 at second base. He appeared in the outfield 23 times over that span, sparingly.

He arrived in New York and immediately started playing the outfield. Thirty-three out of his 40 games were played in left, center and right.

Yankees demoting Max Schuemann confirms offseason trade was a mistake

In the offseason, the Yankees needed insurance on the infield. Both shortstop and third base were major problems (and still are!). Schuemann figured to be a key piece there, but he's played just three games at shortstop and one at third base. Another genius brain Yankees move. Mismanaging a player when the blueprint has already been given to you. There's no doubt this affected his offense, either.

The Yankees needed to import real impact talent. Not trade out Schuemann for García Jr., who is historically nowhere close to the player he is this year. Since debuting in 2020, García Jr. has accumulated 5.5 WAR in 708 games, and 2.2 of that WAR has been accrued in 104 games this season. They more than likely will not be getting the player they traded for.

There are still a few hours left before the deadline, but Cashman's already gotten walloped by the Dodgers, Red Sox, Brewers, Rays, Pirates, Phillies and Cubs. Can't say we have much faith left, especially after they admitted defeat on Schuemann, who should've been helping out a lot more than he was.

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