Excuses Continue About Verdugo While The Yankees Continue To Plod Along

I continue to be underwhelmed by the Yankees. But what’s even more infuriating are the excuses Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman keep making about Alex Verdugo and Jasson Dominguez while their “championship caliber” team keeps plodding along. Honestly, they are taking the fun out of the pennant race because they continue to spin this long-playing record over and over again. Basically, their repetitive statement is “we always put the best team on the field.” I don’t believe you. Actions speak way louder than words. And the excuses keep on coming about Verdugo while the Yankees continue to plod along.

“It just comes down to what’s the best to help us win games?” Cashman said before a game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, according to a report from the New York Post’s Greg Joyce.“It’s as simple as that,” reported The Athletic. Cashman continued with, “Jasson is doing everything he needs to do right now, and Verdugo is playing better baseball recently,” Cashman said, via the report. “The evaluations that we’re having with our field staff and player development staff, front office staff, is just what is going to give us the best chance to win.”

I just can’t believe that Dominguez still remains in Triple A over a overinflated analysis of Verdugo who will be a free agent after the 2024 season and likely a one-hit wonder vs. Dominguez who has the potential to be a future-star.  I continue to be dizzied by the fact that the Yankees can’t string together a series of wins, particularly against teams that are below or barely hanging onto .500. And while this is all happening there is the ping pong between the Yankees and Baltimore over the Division lead, a lead the Yankees should have well-controlled over the last few weeks. Instead, they play Wild Card baseball in this defeated way that I just cannot accept. 

“I think fans care about us winning,” Cashman said. “If we’re not winning, they want something that potentially could change that up. That’s the attachment. It’s no different in any other sport. If it’s not playing up to [its] capabilities and the possibility of something might be better, then of course, slamming the fists down and demanding it and wanting it and, ‘Let’s just change it up.’ I get it. I understand that,” reported The New York Post. 

Of course, we care about winning and improving along the way. Of course we want to play the best players every game. But when that simply is not happening and you continue to trot out a player who has not been playing well offensively since June, you are wasting our time, our money and frankly mixing up the same recipe you have been since 2010. 

On Friday night I attended the NY Football Giants 100th Anniversary Celebration which was clearly about the fans. The Giants organization made us feel special. The former players who have won championships over the years all credited much of their success to the fandom, and respectfully called us the “best fans in football.” 

The Yankees and their brass seem to snub their noses at fans. And just continue to follow what they believe works. Guess what, guys, we watch all of the games. We read the articles. We listen to the analysis. We ask questions. We are not satisfied because there is a way to be better. We knew Clay Holmes had no control months ago. But yet, the experts kept trotting him out there. And then pow, the walk-off grand slam in Texas woke them up.

Play the best players. Don’t say you are going to. Don’t say you will re-evaluate. The season is coming to a close. The team won’t even win 100 games. Get your act together, stop plodding and start sprinting to the finish. Because if you don’t, it will be Wild Card mentality all over again. I don’t like the way that this philosophy ends. 

–Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Senior Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof