I will tell you what, I have uttered the words "Fire Cashman" over the past 24 months more than a few times. I thought he had a very vanilla off-season. I thought his passing on the chips moving at the deadline was a mistake. Turns out, I was wrong.
Start with the off-season. Re-signing Chase Headley. The other 3b options on the market are at a total of -1.7WAR. Headley's WAR of 1.3 is rather pedestrian, but when you consider that his value is dropped by an uncharacteristic 18 errors and you see a guy who is proving to be the cream of that steaming shitpile of a crop.
Dealing Shane Green for Didi Gregorius. I wasn't the biggest fan of this move because Greene was trending up and Didi lost out on the SS spot in Arizona. As it turns out, Cashman sold the stock at its highest and bought low on Didi. Didi is at a 2.7WAR and has played defense unseen at SS in these parts for more than 20 years. The kid is starting to hit as well and is looking like a future franchise SS. Greene came out gangbusters, but sucked to the point of being the worst starter in the AL and eventually ended up on the DL for the year. Kudos.
Dealing Prado and Phelps for Eovaldi and German. German ended up getting TJS, so we shall see how he develops after surgery. Prado is under .700 in OPS and missed time due to injury. Phelps has a 0.0WAR and has been just as bad in the NL as he was in the AL. Eovaldi started off as a 5 inning pitcher who somehow managed to win his games. Since the ASB, he's averaging 6+IP per start, the K rate is up, the WHIP is down and his HR allowed are down. He's showcased a nasty splitter which has made his 100mph fastball much harder to hit. The guy is also only 25 and trending up. We dealt away a 31 yr old with 1 yr left on his contract who hasn't played well and a 5th starter type for a guy who looks to be a future top of the rotation starter.
Going to the deadline...Not dealing Severino has turned out to be a find. This kid looks like an ace. He has the stuff, the demeanor, the control. Girardi is managing him well also, making sure to keep him from imploding. He's a rook, so I know there will be bumps in the road, but he has the makings of a front line starter.
Not dealing Greg Bird. He has been promising and has shown an advanced approach to the dish in his short time here. But shortly after the deadline, we lost Tex. Bird single handedly won one game and has proven to be no pushover in the box against big league pitching. He looks like he should be a productive big leaguer for years to come.
Somehow Cash did the unthinkable. He lost the offseason. He lost the deadline. But he somehow turned over an old team, invigorated it with youth and ended up keeping us in contention. I am willing to eat my crow Brian, good work