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AL East: A mid-term front office assessment of all five teams

By Bill Felber

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 08: New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media prior to the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on April 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 08: New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman speaks to the media prior to the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on April 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Yankee catcher Jose Trevino makes a play at the plate. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Yankee catcher Jose Trevino makes a play at the plate. Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

1. New York Yankees front office +7.3

Cashman’s various personnel moves this past winter and spring transformed the Yankees from a divisional contender into a powerhouse. His front office created value in all five areas of measurement, and that value has totaled 7.3 games through the season’s first half.

Since the end of the 2021 World Series, Cashman has made 25 roster moves impacting either the Yankees or another major league team. An astonishing 18 of those 25 moves — 72 percent — worked out in favor of the Yankees, while only five imposed negative value on the team (two were neutral).

Here’s a synopsis of the most impactful of those moves through July 1.

April 2: Cashman acquired catcher Jose Trevino from the Texas Rangers for Albert Abreu and a minor leaguer. Trevino is batting .263 with a solid .749 OPS, figures that translate to +1.5 WAA. That ranks him fourth among all Yankee position players behind only Aaron Judge, Gleyber Torres and D J LeMahieu. As a bonus, Cashman later reacquired Abreu.

Nov. 22: Cashman shipped utility player Tyler Wade to the Angels for a player to be named later. In Anaheim, Wade has been a liability, batting just .21 and generating -0.9 WAA.

Nov. 23: As a start to the process of improving the team’s middle infield, Cashman released veteran Rougned Odor. It was a smart move. Odor signed with the Orioles, where he has been terrible. He’s hitting .198 with a .638 OPS and -0.8 WAA.

March 13, 2022: The biggest trade of the team’s off-season acquired Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ben Rortvedt from the Twins in exchange for Gio Urshela and Gary Sanchez. Donaldson was the key catch. He’s only hitting .225, but his 21 extra base hits translate to a .700 OPS and +0.7 WAA.

May 26: Cashman signed veteran Matt Carpenter, who had been released one week earlier by the Rangers. With the Yankees, Carpenter has been a valued pinch hitter. He’s hitting .250 with six home runs in just 46 plate appearances, and his 1.178 OPS has already generated +0.7 WAA for the Yankees.

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