CINCINNATI, OHIO - AUGUST 04: Luis Cessa #85 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches during a game between the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins at Great American Ball Park on August 04, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
The all-powerful, all-encompassing Yankees faced a conundrum at the trade deadline.
They wanted to add talent to a middling roster, but they wanted to do so without paying even a single penny, lest they get closer than $3 million away from the imaginary luxury tax line at any point.
Luckily, ownership (along with Brian Cashman) devised a plan: get us some wiggle room by trading from a strength and attaching a problematic contract to a useful pitcher.