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If only the Yankees had a young lefty starter, and some better alternatives vs. southpaws, and improved athleticism, and a few more young bodies, and, well, they did.
Since the end of last season, the Yankees have done some helpful stuff (for example, picking up Clay Rapada and Cody Eppley were strong, low-cost acquisitions). But they have made five personnel moves that you can argue are hurting them badly in their current fading predicament. Let’s look at them in chronological order:
1. The Yankees did not put Jose Quintana on the 40-man roster last winter. In fact, when I have asked general manager Brian Cashman about this, he has told me there was not even much of an argument to do so, even after Quintana went 10-2 with a 2.91 ERA at High-A last year. That turns out to be an utter failure of development and/or being able to self-analyze.
The White Sox signed Quintana as a minor league free agent, put the 23-year-old lefty at Double-A, brought him up May 7, and saw him go 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA in his first 15 starts. Now, it is possible either the long season or reality is striking, because in his past two starts Quintana has been strafed for 12 runs in five innings.
Nevertheless, it still seems that a team that has been challenged to develop a legitimate lefty starter since Andy Pettitte would have been better off in both 2012 and the future keeping Quintana. The White Sox are probably not in first in the AL Central without him.
2. The Yankees traded Jesus Montero as the key piece to get Michael Pineda. This feels like some Monday morning quarterbacking, because Pineda hurt his shoulder and never pitched this year. But if you are a reader of this space, well, first thank you, and second, you know I hated this trade from the outset. In this age, I felt it was as difficult to find a middle-of-the-order bat as a top-of-the-rotation starter. And I saw Montero as potentially growing into the middle of the order by the end of this season for an aging lineup.
Now, Montero’s overall numbers (.264, 15 homers, 54 RBIs) are not extraordinary. But Montero is hitting .311 with an .809 OPS away from pitcher-haven Safeco Field. Anyone who saw him capitalize on the Yankee Stadium short right-field porch last year could imagine him doing bigger damage playing home games in The Bronx, especially because he would be protected by a far better lineup than he has in Seattle.
In addition, Montero has hit .338 with a .902 OPS vs. lefties, and the Yankees’ recent struggles against southpaws suggest he would have helped. Plus, he is 22. There potentially is a big offensive future here. He could have played for the struggling Russell Martin more often now and potentially been part of a long-term solution, since Martin is a free agent after this season.
Again, it is hard to extrapolate what it would have meant to have Montero all season (for example, Raul Ibanez who really helped the Yankees in the first half, probably wouldn’t have been signed). Still, as of today, would you rather possess Montero’s future or Pineda’s?
3. The Yankees traded George Kontos for Chris Stewart. With Montero gone as a catching option and Austin Romine facing a long absence with a back injury, the Yankees worried about their receiving depth should anything happen to Martin or Francisco Cervelli. Because Cervelli had an option left, the Yankees decided to trade Kontos for Stewart, whose defensive traits they adored.
It is impossible to know what the pitching/defensive impact would be had Stewart never joined the Yankees and Cervelli
or someone else had to absorb the innings behind Martin. I will say this: The Yankees front office loves Stewart.
And another unknowable is how Kontos would have fared in the AL East. Remember that former Yankee Mark Melancon excelled as an Astro in 2011 and has been a part of the Red Sox’s demise this season because of his inability to pitch for a team in this division. Still, Kontos, with his above-average slider, has become a valuable set-up piece (1-1, 2.41, 35 games) of first-place San Francisco’s bullpen. He potentially could have kept the Yankees from needing to rush Joba Chamberlain, who clearly was not ready for the majors upon his return from Tommy John surgery.
4. On the same day the Yankees traded Kontos, they designated Justin Maxwell for assignment, and four days later Houston picked him up. Maxwell was out of options and there was no place to save Maxwell on the 25-man roster despite a strong spring training showing. The Yankees already had cast their lot once again with an older player, Andruw Jones, as their righty-hitting outfielder.
Maxwell (.227, 14 HRs, 41 RBIs,
242 at-bats) has had a season somewhat comparable to Jones (.206, 13 HRs, 31 RBIs,
214 at-bats). But Jones has stopped being a force against lefties (.703 OPS) while Maxwell has been real good (.843 OPS) in that area. Plus, Maxwell is 6 1⁄2 years younger than Jones.
You may ask: Why would the Yankees want a player from the woeful Astros who excels against lefties? Well, they traded for just that type of player, Steve Pearce, who hit third in mid-August for Houston with Maxwell as the cleanup man. Ultimately, the Yankees might want a much more athletic player than Jones available in these days when they look old and slow.
5. The Yankees designated Dewayne Wise to make roster room after acquiring Ichiro Suzuki in late July. The logic was that Suzuki would give them a skill set similar to the absent Brett Gardner and, perhaps, touched by a pennant race, he would rekindle some of his prime. Also, Wise had played well for them, but the Yankees looked at his career and did not expect that to continue.
Except aside from a glimpse here or there, Ichiro has appeared the same fading icon he was in Seattle and, it should be noted, that since the trade, the Mariners were 24-17 and the Yankees 20-21. Wise, meanwhile, moved to the White Sox and is regularly hitting either leadoff or third with an OPS (.817) better than in his Yankee time (.778). At this moment, he appears much more spry (15 steals in 16 tries) than Ichiro, at a time when the Yankees sure could use that quality.
joel.sherman@nypost.com