Whether he helped or hurt Boston is only relevant to Boston. He wasn’t going to help the Yankees make the playoffs and that’s all that matters. Getting him just to block Boston would have accomplished very little since, again, the Yanks weren’t catching Boston by adding a league-average 5th starter to their rotation when they were already that many games behind AND still couldn’t score runs consistently.

I don’t think there is any question that Byrd helped the Red Sox out. A 96 ERA+ is fine from a number five pitcher. He did what was expected: pitch well enough to give them a chance to win and not get yanked in the fourth inning. He helped the team you were chasing, and Cash let him through waivers.

Maybe he meant a starter in the lineup?

his refusal to trade for a starter was ridiculous
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Which starter(s) should he have traded for mid-season?

FYI, Paul Byrd in Boston: 8 GS, 49 IP, 4.78 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, ERA+ 96.

Big deal that the Yanks didn’t grab him. If you think Paul Byrd was the difference between making and missing the post-season, I’d say you’re probably mistaken.

I usually am a Cash defender, but you are 100% correct. Although I personally don’t think it was a mistake to rely on Kennedy and Hughes, his refusal to trade for a starter was ridiculous. He watched Boston pick up Byrd off waivers; he didn’t do anything.

PS on my last response: why justify the expenditure just because you can when you can just as easily use that money to develop young, cost-controlled arms that can be horses at $300K a year instead of $25M a year?
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Besides, it appears a good chunk of that $200m is tied up in the offense.

how many recent Yankees teams would meet that?
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How many teams in general would meet that?

For this year alone, it would be TB & CHI, if I’m not mistaken.

It has to be looked, at the very least, within the context of the leagues. Maybe it’s a Yankee-centric thing, maybe it’s a league-wide thing.

Raf, what if we lowered the bar, slightly, to:

27+ starts, 165+ innings pitched, and 12+ wins each…

how many recent Yankees teams would meet that?

Hey, when you’re the New York Yankees and have $200 million to spend on payroll, it shouldn’t be a tall order.
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The Yankees have always spent.

Like I said, from 1996-present, the Yankees have had only one year that fit the criteria; 2003. Even the vaunted 1998 club, didn’t have the rotation that fit your criteria.

Even the Braves weren’t able to do it, and their organization was known for pitching.

That it doesn’t happen often, tells me that it’s a tall order.

Is there any way you can run something in the CBE? I may be missing something…

PS on my last response: why justify the expenditure just because you can when you can just as easily use that money to develop young, cost-controlled arms that can be horses at $300K a year instead of $25M a year?