The Yankees constantly rave about the unexpected contributions from Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia.
That, combined with the exorbitant price for Ubaldo Jimenez and others, meant a very quiet trade deadline.
It is also the reason nobody should be surprised that a deal was not consummated by GM Brian Cashman.
“My reaction to not making a trade is: I didn’t expect one,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I didn’t foresee one coming. As I’ve said, I worry about the guys in the room, and they’ve done a great job.”
The Yankees felt their pitching staff — which has the AL’s third-best ERA —did not need Jimenez, Hiroki Kuroda (who wouldn’t waive his no-trade clause anyway) or the Astros’ Wandy Rodriguez.
Cashman explored those options, but his decision was aided by the performances of Garcia, a 10-game winner with a 3.22 ERA and Colon, with eight wins and a 3.30 ERA.
Jimenez wound up in Cleveland because the Yankees were unwilling to meet Colorado’s “Herschel Walker”-like asking price of catcher Jesus Montero and pitchers Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos — and possibly Ivan Nova.
“I know it feels like we’re in dire straits, but the reality is: If you look at what these guys are doing and what collectively they’re all doing, it’s pretty good,” Cashman said. “We’ve got a lot of depth, and we have lot of different ways to go.”
