 Brian is Michael and Peter. How are you today? I'm doing all right. How are y'all doing good? How do you think your team comes into this series? And I'm sure that as the architect of this team you could not have been too pleased with the way they played yesterday No, yesterday, you know uncharacteristic game for us, and you know, we know we're better than that, but It's over with and you turn the page and I'm sure nothing can jolt this like a red sox Yankee slug fessed up in Fenway Park So, you know what our guys will you know get ready to go compete and hopefully do what they do best Which is you know play great baseball. Do you believe? Brian that Sonny Gray could be successful as a Yankee because with his stuff It has not manifested itself in enough good outings. What are your thoughts? It's been a while now Makes you makes you wonder You know if this you know, I think Sonny Gray is you know a very good major league pitcher We just haven't had the opportunity to really see that play out in a extended period of time here So, you know, I know that you know, he winds up somewhere else You know pitching he's gonna be pitching extremely well because the equipment's all there the stuff still there their consistency that's not playing out right here is just hasn't happened yet and It's you know, the odds are probably it won't play out the way. We hoped it would you know, but We've made a move he's gonna go to the pen and Lancelot is gonna take that start as we move forward and and You know, we've got a sprint now And so, you know, we just gotta realign and do what we think is best And you know, it's I thought he turned the corner for us It doesn't mean he won't participate in somehow helping us as we move forward here and when did you think he'd turn the corner? Well, July, you know, look his numbers He was three wins one loss 18 of the third innings 15 hits eight walks 23 K's with a 3.44 ERA in the American League and so, you know, that that followed up with you know He had a horrific month of May and April and May were bad and then in June, you know, he was 33 innings 32 hits Eight walks and 29 K's with a 4.6. ERA and then and then he you know combined that in the May I mean, I'm sorry into July with the numbers I read you there. So his June and July work or You know made the appearance and the results being that he's going in the right direction, you know He's doing great quality work with with roll nine and with Larry Cross out our pitching coach and we thought we were building momentum towards something and then you know We hit the wall yesterday and you know, you know so he's been fighting he obviously wants to do well and But the other results have not been, you know, obviously something great like You know pre Yankee and And so here we just haven't been able to get out of him in this environment What you know what he's capable of and that's you know something that you know, you know I would be first and foremost responsible for because I'm the one that imported them in here And so, you know, we just have to make an adjustment here so far And so Aaron Boone and Larry Brouch held met with him in Boston and broke the news that we're gonna You know realign and you know my understanding although I wasn't you know in the room Was that he was professional. He'll do whatever we ask He recognizes obviously where things are he would prefer to take the start as he moves forward But but he will do it whatever is necessary But being a good teammate to try to help this team win and if it's a different capacity, you know He'll be ready when called upon and hopefully results will follow now Obviously, this is a results oriented business So if he goes to the bullpen in all likelihood Brian He's gonna be used as a guy if a starter gets knocked out early And you might be better served having an arm from the minor leagues My question to you is this Brian does he have options and would you think about sending him down to triple A? He's got over five years of service. That's not something that's gonna happen Now you can't get him to you can't get him to triple A not that he would want to go either But you know, so hopefully again, you know, you'll see, you know We'll see something different, you know in a different capacity and That's frustrating because obviously, you know You know, we certainly expected more and better and he did too and as I said More frustrating is the fact that we thought yeah, he had turned the corner and until yesterday and So it is what it is and we just have to continue to make tough decisions Some of them become more obvious by the performance because it is a performance oriented situation and and so I Guess it makes it that much more valuable that we were able to acquire Lance Lynn And you know, we'll continue to look at what we have a triple A and lean on that one necessary now Obviously, you're you're aware you hear the conversation that's going on every day on this show and elsewhere leading up to the deadline Everyone was calling us every day about DeGram Was there a point at which Jacob DeGram was a really serious possibility for the Yankees at any point? I mean, I can't speak to any individual player. I can tell you that, you know, I did my job which is connect to all clubs and I can tell you that the direct Person I was dealing with from the medicine side was Omar Minaya and I know he did his job on there on behalf of their squad by connecting with all clubs and So for my job, I've added all opportunities that that you know That were available in the marketplace and tried to match up and what we were able to do with the imports of Zach Britton Lance Lynn and Jay Hap as well as a Voight Man the international money was the results of that effort from our end all other opportunities were vetted every which way possible and And matches obviously couldn't be made, you know in all locales whether it's minor leaguers or major leaguers So I can just tell you I'd you know rest assured from Yankee fans perspective that we knocked on all doors Checked all boxes asked all questions made offers rejected offers but on in various locales and and you know, I think everybody did the best their ability in each locale if you're buyers or sellers and And the results, you know are what you were able to accomplish and everything else Was that it's all right now now Brian? I've read some interviews that you did right after the the deadline that that teams did inquire about sunny Gray, are you regretful now that you didn't make any moves or were the offers not good enough? No, the offers weren't good enough. I mean and in fairness as I said first I think we had there's no question that sunny gray and I think teams look at and see why we we have someone that is struggling in this environment in New York, which has happened and and you know They've gone on elsewhere to pitch effectively or return to form. We understand see that Time and time again, so I had definitely teams that were in contention And then teams that were not in contention, you know, because of his control year next year that asked about sunny gray because they know You know what his capabilities are they see that the stuff is still the same But they approached it in the by low situation where you know It did not make any sense, especially when you saw what he was doing for us in July, you know, it knows More recent for starts and as well as June so it is June and July it looked like he was building a momentum turning the corner Did he have some bad starts during those two months of June and July? He did but they were nothing like, you know how it wasn't April of May and as I said it looked like he was going the right direction Especially in his four starts in July So I was not presented with anything would make me feel like I I missed an opportunity or I should have done something Brian, I was lucky enough To do the national broadcast for ESPN radio and I happen to be working with Aaron Boone When the A's face the Tigers in the playoffs and I want sunny gray go pitch for pitch with Justin Verlander I mean he looked electric So I'm wondering Has he failed himself is he Ed Whitson or has the Yankee staff failed him because they can't make him the picture that he was Why has it gone wrong? You know that that's obviously the head scratcher Because again the equipment's there the the abilities there the stuff's there And just tapping into it on a consistent basis, you know has been the challenge and And so if I have a full answer for you that you know, I'd be able to provide it But I definitely I think this environment's not you know brought out the best in him for whatever reason And you know it could be as simple as you change locations and you get off on the wrong side of the mountain is hard to stop You know that that avalanche From coming in and that's all of our responsibilities I'm responsible for importing them here and expecting obviously to get the same results that we saw in Oakland and So, you know, I would say that's on me But but at the end of the day we try to create an environment of support and every which way by providing You know, you know all aspects for our athletes to maximize their abilities and clearly when We're not able to tap into the that capability. It's it's our responsibility with that athlete So I think it's all of our responsibilities to continue to find a way to get consistently out of sunny gray You know the best that he's got and and then while he's struggling and he's not gonna be the first He's not the first one that's struggling. We've had other guys, you know Year-in and year-out that aren't you know that that hit the low points in their career And and it's our job to try to limit them and that limit that period of time as long as we can And salvage it and get it back on track. That's been the challenge. That's been the frustration That's been what's hasn't happened. We thought it was occurring And then yesterday occurred so You know, you just got at some point you make a call and right now the call is To try another way and see where that takes us but that doesn't preclude sunny from entering back into the mix and this stuff because To go to your question about the starting side as people were trying to Buy low on it, you know, I know on a few occasions like listen, I know you're looking for a starter But I saw my and I need the starting. You know, we'd lost Lois Saiga and Hermann, you know to injuries Certainly wouldn't want to run into another injury along the way So as I had dialogues with others, they were knocking on our door on certain things I remember telling one general manager I need starting pitching as much as I can get so I'm not necessarily looking to subtract from it and You know, but in the meantime that first start after the all-star I mean after the trade deadline just didn't really go obviously the way anybody would have expected so I'm curious Brian I mean you made two deals for starters and Jay Hap who's Not gonna be able to start Saturday because they have foot-and-mouth disease and then Lance Lynn And then I look at Justice Sheffield down in the miners who you acquired in the Miller deal and in nine In his last nine starts at 1.89 ERA 51 strikeouts and 42 and two-thirds ending 39 hits 18 walks. Why is he not a consideration? What are you guys not seeing that you want to see in him? Doesn't mean we're not seeing something You know, but obviously if you're asking why why did I import Jay Hap instead of Justice Sheffield? That's because obviously You know, we think Hap is more equipped right now to assist us in the penalties as compared to justice But you still like justice of course, I mean a chef was asked for a ton in in every deal and we said no and Because we see what what the future, you know Can bring potentially and and so no we love Sheffield. We don't like him. We love him So we we think he's doing everything he needs to do while he's there and his time will come, you know In the future when that's gonna be I don't know You know, so obviously I have ahead of him right now in terms of providing Opportunity and chance at him is much much better of late as well So I'd say that if you're looking for us to dig down into an alternative at triple A When and if we need another start that has to come from our system It's probably gonna be a decision You know between those two if we dip into the system But right now Sessa is gonna want to take a Saturday start if he doesn't doesn't get you in replace a haps DL If he doesn't get used out of the bullpen Thursday or Friday in Fenway and And if he doesn't he'll start and if he does then we'll we'll be looking at something from outside or We're something from the system. All right final thing before we let you go and we appreciate your time Players always say they can't look the broad scope of a series and say we have to do this in four games But as the vice president GM of the team these four games in Boston, what's the minimum that you want your team to do? I mean, I want us to win every game no question about that But if we don't it's not our season doesn't end you know Regardless of what happens between the next four days. So when we leave their Sunday, whatever happens both good or bad We're gonna continue to fight for that division going forward because it's still enough time Have we dug ourselves a hole? Yeah, have we played our best baseball late? No Do we have time to change all of that? Yes, and that's all that matters and that's all our focus is so That's that's how we're approaching it