2011, brian cashman, Yankees

NY Yankees Bid Farewell to Damaso Marte

The New York Yankees made their first move to gear up for their 2012 campaign: the Yankees declined lefty specialist Damaso Marte’s option. Marte’s contract was bought out for $250,000 instead of allowing him to sit on the DL next year for $4 million dollars.

Yankees GM Brian Cashman had egg on his face for trading Jeff Karstens, Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf, and Jose Tabata in 2008 for Xavier Nady and Marte. The Yankees missed the playoffs in 2008.

Granted Marte became a hero in the 2009 World Series, where he struck out 5 of 8 batters in high leverage situations. Yankees fans can play the “What If?” game, but more than likely the Yanks would have still beat Philadelphia in 2009 without Damaso.

brian cashman sucks

Marte’s Yankees career: Negative 0.5 WAR (Wins Above Replacement) and 6.02 ERA in 49.1 innings over 3 seasons. He was on the DL most of the time and sucked down around $12 million. The Yanks also had to take care of Marte’s medical bills, surgey, and rehab.

Even worse than the trade was Cashman not cutting his losses: he offered Marte a new deal after 2008.

With Marte injured most of the time, Cashman was “forced” to sign another lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano to a similar contract. The ironic part is that Boone Logan outperformed both of them these last couple of years for a fraction of the cost.

Damaso Marte’s Yankees career is a footnote to the mainstream media, but it is more evidence that Brian Cashman overpays and underestimates players. Jeff Karstans is good. Tabata may have no power, but he would be have been a great 4th outfielder in 2011 for the Yanks. McCutchen is better than Marte. Nady’s career has been injury plagued as well.

I’m nitpicking Cashman because he tends to pinch pennies when offering extensions to true Yankees superstars, yet turns around and flushes money down the drain on “minor” transactions.

The Yankees should not hire Brian Cashman back for 2012.

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