Yanks Sign A Pitcher. But Where's The Big Fish, Cashman?

Jon Heyman reports the Yankees signed Drake Fellows to a minor-league deal. And sure, on paper, it comes with all the usual buzzwords we’re supposed to clap for: “pen candidate,” “big strikeout rate,” “nasty slider.” Sprinkle in a strong comeback story — Fellows beat non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is genuinely admirable — and suddenly the front office expects a standing ovation.

Let me be clear: Drake Fellows is not the problem. His story is legit. Former Vanderbilt star. College World Series champ. Reached Triple-A with Pittsburgh. Projectable frame. Slider that misses bats. In 2025, he threw 112.1 innings with a 4.41 ERA and 94 strikeouts. That’s fine. That’s… fine.

But this is the Yankees now. Fine.

This is what “improving the roster” apparently looks like in Brian Cashman’s universe: minor-league deals, lottery tickets, and guys who might be useful if three things break right and the moon is in retrograde. Meanwhile, every real impact player gets labeled “too expensive,” “too risky,” or “not the right fit” — a phrase that has become front-office code for we’re not actually trying.

And let’s talk about this obsession with stockpiling the farm system. Normally? I’m all for pitching depth. Hoard arms. Collect sliders like Pokémon cards. No issue there. The issue is why the Yankees are doing it. It’s not strategy — it’s insulation. It’s hoarding these minor leaguers because the development system can’t actually finish the job, so they just keep cycling bodies through like spare parts.

They’ve traded away damn near everyone except George Lombard Jr., and now we’re supposed to believe this is the master plan? Develop what, exactly? Another wave of “interesting” arms who peak at Scranton and become trade filler two years from now?

Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner keep saying the Yankees want to “get better.” Okay — how? By signing players who have never been red-hot at any point in their professional careers? By shopping exclusively in the clearance aisle while pretending its savvy roster construction?

The Yankees don’t need more “holes filled.” They need difference-makers. They need top-tier free agents. They need bold trades. They need an actual plan to compete instead of this endless scavenger hunt for value.

And at some point, fans have to ask the uncomfortable question:

Is it even worth it anymore? Is it even worth rooting for this team with just how awful our front office has been?

Because right now, this doesn’t feel like a serious franchise. It feels like an organization treading water, hiding behind spreadsheets and minor-league depth while selling us hope in bulk — cheap, generic, and never quite what was advertised.

That’s not building a winner. That’s just surviving.