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Cashman didn't make the wrong decision here
Here's another trade that could have been; before the Yankees ultimately acquired Martin Prado, they looked elsewhere for an outfielder who can play anywhere they need. Brian Cashman approached the Mariners about acquiring Dustin Ackley, but talks stalled when Seattle asked for Bryan Mitchell in return. It's not as funny as Ruben Amaro asking for Aaron Judge or Luis Severino for Marlon Byrd, but it is interesting nonetheless.
Ackley isn't that interesting of a player since he's hit just .240/.303/.343 over the last three seasons after an outstanding rookie campaign. He's played second base, first base, and the outfield, is under team control for the next three seasons, and is much cheaper than Prado for two, however the Yankees must have preferred Prado for only Peter O`Brien, considering the only thing Ackley has done this year that is better than Ichiro Suzuki is hit for power.
While Ackley for Mitchell isn't very outlandish, the Yankees likely value Mitchell higher because they need pitching in 2015. Given their rotation troubles in 2014, it's no surprise they want to hold onto someone like him who could end up as a real solution next year. The 23-year-old right-hander has always had great stuff, but was never really able to put it all together over a long period of time. This year in Double-A he maintained a 4.84 ERA and 4.11 FIP with a 8.80 K/9 and 4.26 BB/9, but since moving up to Triple-A he's had a 2.88 ERA with an improved 3.60 walk rate in only five games.
While Mitchell isn't someone to necessarily hold onto, Ackley isn't really someone who I'd consider a must-get. The Yankees would rather hope that Prado can regain form than expect Ackley to play better than he ever has. Ackley would have been a nice get, considering he's cheap and would be here for awhile, but Cashman didn't really do the wrong thing here. They need pitching now and next year and I think they did better by trading O`Brien for Prado.
