Brian Cashman’s style at the trade deadline is to find a hole and fill it with a relatively small piece that does not cost the Yankees big prospects.
And if you can get beyond the size of the name acquired Monday — Ichiro Suzuki — that is exactly what the general manager did again.
For Ichiro is among the one-name icons who conjure greatness. However, like, say, Madonna or Cher, the fame remains, but the game is just not the same.
In Ichiro’s prime, it would have been an insult of magnitude to compare him to Brett Gardner. But that is essentially who he is now. Ichiro can provide the defense and speed lost with Gardner, who is almost certainly out for the rest of the season.
Ichiro should benefit in going from one of the worst offenses in the majors to one of the best. Perhaps he will be energized by a pennant race and rediscover some of his past magic.
And the Yankees know this: Nothing will be too big for Ichiro. Not playing in a Yankees uniform. Not playing in the most important games on the hugest stage. Not the size of a media throng.
Ichiro has been in the most glaring of spotlights with a personalized media crew for most of his adult life, whether in Japan or in the States. He is a star, even if he isn’t a star any longer.
In fact, it is probably best to remember he is Ichiro these days in name only. The seasons of batting well over .300 with well over 200 hits are gone at age 38. He was hitting just .261 as a Mariner and pretty much should be a platoon player these days. His .510 OPS vs. lefties was the fifth worst in the majors among players with at least 100 plate appearances against southpaws.
Also, once among the most feared hitters in the clutch for his ability to make hard contact and run, Suzuki will fit right into the clutch-challenged 2012 Yankees. He was hitting just .175 with runners in scoring position.
You may remember the Yankees tried this kind of move in July 2008 with another future Hall of Famer, obtaining catcher Ivan Rodriguez with Jorge Posada out for the season. But Pudge — another one-name character — was unable to re-enact his past. Of course, learning a pitching staff in midstream is more difficult than just playing the corner outfield.
And, really, despite all the downside, this was a deal the Yankees had to make. They gave up just middling pitching prospects D.J. Mitchell and Danny Farquhar and will pay Ichiro just $2.25 million, roughly half of what is left on his contract. The demoted Dewayne Wise was playing well for the Yanks in limited time, but nothing in his past suggested he would keep that up or be trustworthy in big spots.
Ask yourself this: No matter how faded Ichiro might be, do you want him batting as the pressure intensifies the rest of the way — and into October — or Wise?
In the short term, the Yankees have Nick Swisher sidelined through at least the remainder of this current West Coast trip and Ichiro can slide into his familiar right field.
In the bigger picture, he can limit the on-field playing time of Raul Ibanez and Andruw Jones. The Yankees have been thrilled with the production they have received from the duo. But they did not imagine they would be playing the veterans nearly as much as became necessary with the long-term injury to Gardner.
Plus, the Yankees know the teams behind them in the AL East are planning to be active between now and next Tuesday’s trade deadline. They see the league’s strongest teams upgrading (the Tigers got Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante from the Marlins yesterday) and the Rangers and Angels almost certainly will act soon. Both would pay for Cole Hamels if the Phillies make the ace available.
The Yankees did not perceive the need for a huge move, but did feel pressure to deepen their outfield and upgrade their speed. Ichiro brings that, but also a big ego. We will see if he can handle a diminished role. He did ask for the trade, but the Mariners were also ecstatic to see him go. They no longer wanted to nurse that ego or deal with the pressure to bring him back as a free agent after this season.
Ichiro is just a famous supplementary part these days. That works just fine for the Yankees.
joel.sherman@nypost.com