After a 6-1 loss for the Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders against the Rochester Red Wings, the New York Yankees might have stepped on their foot by not trading youth pitcher Deivi Garcia.
Garcia allowed six runs on eight hits over five innings after escaping the trade deadline and staying put in an impressive Yankees farm system. He’s the youngest player to reach the top level in the minors for the Bombers this year, but he’s struggled as of late due to the different grips on the ball and increased talent.
At just 20-years-old, Garcia has plenty of time to refine his skillset and adapt to the quality of players in Triple-A ball. There’s no rush to call him up to the big leagues just yet unless injuries being to mount and manager Aaron Boone has no choice.
However, he could have been used as a trade piece ahead of the deadline, and several teams were calling for him in a potential deal. The issue was — the Yankees had no leverage and were being asked for far too much in return for a quality pitcher.
They missed out on Zack Greinke, Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard and more, but staying put might have been the best move considering the asking price for most of the options available.
Was it a smart move for the New York Yankees to keep Garcia?
At such a young age, Deivi has a ton of potential that’s yet to be understood and unlocked. He can turn into an ace-caliber player with a bit more development and experience, but trading him for a proven option is justifiable. There’s no guarantee he will emerge as a starting pitcher in the Big Leagues, and the Bombers needed to add reinforcements to a rotation that has been awful recently.
Not a single starter has an ERA lower than 4.00 and injures piling up with CC Sabathia being moved to the IL. General manager Brian Cashman seems to have more confidence in his pitchers than most, considering the quality they displayed in 2018. They have taken a significant step back, but that doesn’t mean they can’t take two major ones forward to return to glory.
Maybe it’s Larry Rothschild at fault, or perhaps it’s a confidence issue. Something realistically needed to be done, and now we will have to bear the burden of staying put with the current rotation.