In discussing the Yankees' lack of activity at the trade deadline, general manager Brian Cashman remarked that Deivi Garcia had earned the start he got on Sunday, but, as always, had the Yankees made a move prior to that to add a starter, that opportunity may not have been there for Garcia.
After the way Garcia pitched against the Mets, it seems like more of those opportunities could be coming his way, but Cashman was non-committal.
"Stay tuned," he said matter-of-factly in a Zoom media call on Monday.
Common sense, of course, says Cashman is playing coy – the Yankees have another doubleheader Friday, when Garcia would be on turn to pitch again – but Garcia impressed a lot of people, including Pedro Martinez, who Tweeted after Garcia's debut that "he did a great job at mixing his pitches. His body looked stable and fully extended. I was impressed with the way he commanded his pitches."
Cashman, though coy with the opportunity answer, concurred on Monday.
"He was composed, throwing strikes, and looked like he was very comfortable out there – he didn't act like it was his first time, he acted like he belonged," Cashman said. "What I liked was that he had command of his pitches, was pounding the zone and getting ahead of hitters, and looked really comfortable. We're asking a lot about him at this stage of his development and at his age, and having seen some of his spring performances, we saw certainly a better version of Deivi Garcia yesterday – it's the one we envisioned, and have seen several times over several years, just not at this level yet."
Cashman credited his minor-league staff for "continuing to polish off the gem" that is Garcia, and putting him "in the best position possible to navigate MLB lineups when called upon." But, credit has to go to Garcia, as well, who has matured well beyond his 21 years on the mound.
"You can have the physical tools, but being able to execute on a consistent basis and follow your game plan is a whole other level," Cashman said. "I think a growth spurt has occurred, and it is exciting, because we know the talent he has."
One other thing Cashman said in his Zoom call discussing the lack of deadline activity was, in essence, the price for what he wanted was higher than what he was comfortable paying, and even said that "it doesn't take a lot to lead that horse to water" when asked if he was talking about top prospects like Garcia or Clarke Schmidt.
Clearly, though, his last thought on Garcia confirmed any questions.
"We've been asked a lot for him, not just now but going back, and clearly, there's a lot of value there," Cashman said, "but he's valuable to us. We want to get the benefit of retaining and developing him, and that was an exciting first step for us and for him. It was well worth the wait, and we believe there's a lot more to come in the future."
