For some, the Orioles acquiring ace Corbin Burnes is a poor reflection of the Yankees’ offseason.
Sure, general manager Brian Cashman landed Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the Padres, Alex Verdugo from the Red Sox, and signed free-agent pitcher Marcus Stroman, whom he previously had a beef with, for a bargain. It doesn’t take away from the fact that all the Orioles had to give up was DL Hall, Baseball America’s No. 93 prospect in 2024, and Joey Ortiz.
On Friday, WFAN’s Brandon Tierney urged Cashman to wake up as Baltimore, the 2023 AL East winners, added Burnes, a Cy Young Award winner, to their pitching staff.
“Cashman is evidently still in hibernation in the cave with the rest of the bears,” Tierney said, via Audacy. “It’s OK to come out of your slumber while a team in your division just got somebody that you can really use.
“I was pissed… I’m not saying they gave up scrubs, but, man, Cashman missed this one. … Are you telling me there wasn’t some deal the Yankees couldn’t make to top this deal?”
On Friday, Baseball America wrote that criticism of the Yankees minor league talent is a “tad overblown.”
Perhaps Tierney felt that the Yankees could match what the Orioles offered. New York has six prospects in Baseball America’s Top 100, including outfielders Jasson Dominguez (16), Spencer Jones (46) and Everson Pereira (67), shortstop Roderick Arias (68), catcher Austin Wells (71) and right-hander Chase Hampton (72). Could the Yankees have parted with one or more of them like Baltimore did with Hall?
After parting with four pitchers — Drew Thorpe, Jhony Brito, Michael King and Randy Vásquez — and Kyle Higashioka in the Soto trade, another two pitchers — Richard Fitts, Nicholas Judice and Greg Weissert — for Verdugo, and losing Wandy Peralta and Keynan Middleton in free agency, the Yankees need as to refill their pitching depth.
That’s no excuse for Tierney, who fears the Orioles, under new ownership, will be a force in the division for the foreseeable future.
“I still think (the Yankees) will be very, very good. But understand what’s happened in two days here,” Tierney said. “The Orioles got sold from a guy who never spent a penny… they now have ownership that is possessed to win. Then they make this monstrous trade.”