Cashman Needs To Get Players or Get Fired

Yet again, here we are at the All-Star Break and the Yankees a few games out of first place or a wild card spot.

Since 1995 the Yankees have made the playoffs every season, sometimes by the string of their teeth.

But why has it been so close so many times? They have he highest payroll in baseball, should that not mean they have the best team in baseball? Well, apparently not.

Often the Yankees would trade away young up and comers for a two month rental player - something that GM Brian Cashman is trying to reverse.

Through scouting and trades such as sending Randy Johnson back to the Diamondbacks and Gary Sheffield to the Tigers, the Yankees are trying to build up a solid farm system to use.

The Yankees have many great arms in the minors with about 25 big pitching prospects, but just a handful of really solid position players.

With this youth movement, Cashman's modo is that before he trades any of these young stars for a player that can help them down the stretch he wants to see the ability for the current team to win.

Tell me that isn't the most stupid thing you have ever heard.

He put the team together prior to the season, and I will mention it again, that he did it with the highest payroll in all of baseball, he had expectations of winning the world series or at least making a playoff run, so why wouldn't they have the chance to win?

If some injuries occur, what can he do? Either he gets someone from this farm system he has been trying to put together or if no one in the system is ready to step up, you use a couple prospects and trade them for someone who can help.

This is not saying you trade everyone away, but you can't hold on to everyone.

There is a farm team to help the main team. If they can't come up and help immediately, some need to be traded for a superstar that has already shown they can help.

The players in the minors are prospects because you think but do not know what you can get from them. Some prospects are higher than others, but a few of these players are "disposable."

Not every prospect will end up like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and more recently, Joba Chamberlain. There will be duds - that is why you take a chance and trade some of these prospects for players that can help you know.

Even if the players you trade turn into good players, will it cost you a couple championships to hold onto them now? It may.

Imagine if the Yankees didn't trade someone like Eric Milton to get Chuck Knoblauch or Ricky Ledee for David Justice. Those two players they got led the Yankees to several championships while Ledee - a high prospect - wound up being a career fourth outfielder and Milton had a decent career, currently recovering from Tommy John surgery and is back in the Yankees minor league system.

Point is, you need to take a chance sometimes and you can't hold on to every player that comes through your system. Some players may come up and play at a very high level and help the team that way, other players may help the team just by acquiring other players for them.

And fact of the matter is, the current Yankees minor league system is not producing enough high quality players that can help with Johnny Damon going down, as well as Hideki Matsui, not to mention Phil Hughes still being sidelined, Ian Kennedy not playing anywhere near par in the majors and Joba Chamberlain being moved from the pen to the starting rotation.

The Yankees need another bat and need an eighth inning man.

As far as what is probably considered the bigger of the two needs - pitching - the Yankees could go after the Pirates' Damaso Marte who also has a team option for next season, meaning that he would not necessarily be a rental player. Then there is of course Brian Fuentes of the Rockies. On ESPN Insider, Fuentes said he would love to play for the Yankees but really wants to be a closer and believes he can close for anyone - much like the Tom Gordon situation and why he left for Phili. However, if he doesn't get an offer he really wants and really wants to play for the Yankees, maybe he signs past this season as a set-up man and if not, the Yankees get probably two high draft picks for him if he leaves, so how much do they lose?

They could also go after a starter such as a Joe Blanton or even a Bronson Arroyo who is signed after this season. Arroyo has played for Boston, so although h is having an off year, you know he can play in pressure, you know he is usually an innings eater and maybe a change of scenery from the losing Cincinati may be just what he needs to turn things around for himself and help the Yankees mightily.

As far as a bat, obviously, Mark Teixiera is out there. Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn of the Reds are both out there. Matt Holiday, who is signed through next season, is out there and of course, there are lesser known or expensive, both in money and prospects, such as a Richie Sexson who was released. Take a chance on him. Why not? He can't do any worse than Wilson Betemit currently is for the Yankees and is actually a pretty descent first baseman - while Betemit's natural position is shortstop.

And go to Seattle and get Miguel Cairo back. Why do we have young kids who are every day players in the minors coming up and sitting on the bench. Cairo is a great utility player who can play every infield position, can play as an emergency outfielder, is a good contact player, doesn't strike out much and has descent speed - not to mention, he is used to being a utility player, unlike these kids from the minors who were playing every game.

Wit Cairo, Betemit becomes dispensable and can get something pretty good back in return for him as he is a young player with power and is a switch hitter. If he played every day, he probably would be a good player, but he is never going to get a chance to play every day for the Yanks with Jeter at short, A-Rod at third, Cano at second, and currently Giambi at first and probably in the future, Mark Teixeira.

This also makes big prospect Alberto Gonzalez expendable as well as he is also an infielder. He has shown he has the good in the field and just needs his bat to catch up with him. You can get something good back in return for him. And if you are trading for a reliever anyway, that also makes Kyle Farnsworth and LaTroy Hawkins expendable.

Imagine who you can get in a trade where you give up a nice prospect in Gonzalez, proven veterans who can still throw - where pitching is so needed on every team with Farnsworth and Hawkins, along with Betemit and even give up either Ian Kennedy. He has the lowest ceiling of the currently big Yankee pitching prospects and the Yankees have a wealth of pitching prospects in their system.

I have a million ideas for trades - these are just a few of many thoughts, so why can I thin of them and Cashman can't? Well, problem is, as mentioned earlier, it surely isn't that he doesn't think of them but doesn't want to trade ANYONE.

It is great to keep prospects but not at the expense of championships. This isn't to say that the Yankees should go back to how they did things in the past by trading anyone and everyone to the point that their farm team is completely depleted and useless, but everyone can not be a must have for the team either. Somewhere there is a happy medium for how they use to do business and how they are currently doing it.