Will Defense Improve With Amed Rosario?

The New York Yankees are spiraling, flailing, gasping for air — and finally, Brian Cashman is showing signs that he knows it. Saturday night, the Yankees made another move to try and salvage this slow-motion disaster of a season, acquiring infielder Amed Rosario from the Nationals in exchange for Clayton Beeter. It’s the kind of move you make not because you’re confident — but because you’re out of ideas and desperate for any spark. My opinion of course.

The timing of the trade raised eyebrows. New York just sent Allan Winans back to Triple-A and clearly needs arms, not more infielders. But instead of patching the bullpen or upgrading the rotation, they grabbed Rosario, a serviceable bat who’s mostly bounced around the diamond like a utility pinball. It’s almost like Cashman rolled the dice in the dark and hoped the ball landed somewhere near competence.

Let’s talk about the elephant in the clubhouse: Anthony Volpe. The kid is still in the lineup every day. Still the starting shortstop. Still struggling. This “Volpe Experiment” was supposed to be the next Derek Jeter. Instead, it’s closer to the next Pete Kozma. And yet Aaron Boone coddles him like he’s some sacred relic — or maybe a lost puppy he can’t bear to give up.

The signing of Ryan McMahon earlier this week was a proactive step, we’ll give them that. It was a real move. A legit player with a decent glove and some pop. But it didn’t solve the Volpe problem which I believe is a major one. Now, with Rosario in the mix, maybe — maybe — Volpe can actually ride the bench once in a while instead of trotting out there and giving Yankees fans indigestion four at-bats a night.

Rosario himself is no savior though. His bat is solid enough — hitting .270/.310/.426 with five homers over 158 plate appearances in Washington this season. But don’t get too excited. He’s mostly played second and third for the Nats, and his defense has always been… let’s call it “adventurous.” At shortstop, his range is limited, and his instincts are suspect. So no, he’s not exactly a gold glove solution.

In other words, the Yankees just added another maybe to a roster already bursting with them.

This isn’t even the first time New York has gone after Rosario. Cashman’s had his eye on him before, which just tells you how long they’ve been running in place — chasing the same names, recycling old trade targets, and praying something clicks.

Let’s be clear: the Yankees should’ve handled third base back in the winter. But instead of doing their homework in December, they waited until July to do group project triage. And now, the damage is visible. There’s no rhythm, no consistency, and no plan. McMahon and Rosario might provide a slight offensive boost, but the real question is whether any of this matters if Boone keeps giving Volpe the royal treatment and the rotation continues to unravel.

When Cashman promised to “go to town,” fans envisioned fireworks. Instead, we got… duct tape. And not even the heavy-duty kind — we’re talking off-brand stuff that peels up after a few hours.

So here we are: Rosario’s here, McMahon’s here, and Volpe is still here. The Yankees are frantically rearranging the furniture in a burning house, and Cashman’s trying everything — short of admitting the Volpe mistake.

Hope is not a strategy. Let’s see what happens next… but don’t hold your breath.