So either you are saying that if Cash had dealt for Santana, those injuries wouldn’t have happened, or you’re saying that Santana by himself would have made up the 6 games that we missed the play-offs by.

What part of your brain can’t grasp the fact that the 2008 Yankees wouldn’t have made the play-offs even if they had Santana, and that the 2009 Yankees are a MUCH better team with CC AND the prospects they would have had to trade for Johan, than they would be w/ Johan minus the prospects.

Mmm…revisionist history. When they signed CC, the big man himself said that one thing that really impressed him was Cash coming to him and telling him that they’d passed on Santana partially because CC was already on their radar. They could hold on to Hughes et al AND get a lefty ace for nothing but a bit more cash. They’re not paying CC that much more than they’d have had to have paid Santana. The contracts are the same length.

So…actually, Cash’s eyes were plenty “open”; he just had a long-term plan that was aware that it made no sense to blow his load on Santana, because it would have screwed the development road map without putting the 2008 team over the top.