The New York Yankees were falling in the standings and the fans of the Bronx Bombers were once again feeling the dread of a team with many holes. The saving grace was that New York had their eyes set on the trade deadline and what GM Brian Cashman could do to correct the flaws in this team.
The pinstripe faithful know that time is wasting for this team to do something big. Aaron Judge and Gerritt Cole are both getting older and Juan Soto might leave if New York falters this year. That meant Cashman had to make some big moves and sacrificing the minor league system might be in order.
Cashman was active at the deadline bringing in some bullpen help in Mark Leiter Jr., grabbing Enyel De Los Santos, Kelly Austin, and his big splash was grabbing Jazz Chisholm Jr.s from the Marlins. Jahmani Jones, JD Davis, Caleb Ferguson, Agustin Ramirez, Jared Serna, Jack Neely, Ben Cowles, and Abrahan Ramirez are gone, and none hurt the Yankees chances this season.
The concerns over Jazz were valid. Where will he play? Will his personality fit in? And, can he stay healthy? Jazz quieted some of that right off the bat, not only with 4 home runs right away, but his willingness to move positions and play third base, which he had never done in the majors, speaks volumes.
Chisholm solved two of his biggest question marks with that move. Playing third opens up options for manager Aaron Boone and shows what kind of teammate Jazz might be. The concerns over his personality were overblown, as a selfish player would never make that move. So, while the green belt, backwards hat, and over the top antics might be frowned upon by the yelling at clouds generation, the fact this star player walked into a new clubhouse and showed them he will do anything to win has to win over even the biggest cynic.
Brian Cashman may not have done enough at the deadline to satisfy Yankees fans, but his big splash move has already shown dividends and answered many of the questions.