The fact that Brian Cashman delivered the Yankees' concession speech only minutes before the start of the Subway Series, at Citi Field of all places, made what he had to say feel even more surreal.
For the record, the Yankees raised the white flag on their 2016 season at 3:42 p.m. EDT Monday, when Carlos Beltran's trade to the Rangers became official. Beltran, a former Met, said his farewell outside the visitors' clubhouse and then was gone, off to play for the seventh team in his 19-year career.
Down the hallway, the Mets had just completed a deal for Jay Bruce, the hitter they hope can keep them afloat in the National League wild-card race. Both Cashman and Sandy Alderson had worked to exhaustion before the 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline, just toward opposite goals.
Cashman's sell-off in the past week, capped Monday by Beltran and Ivan Nova, imported a dozen prospects, including four first-round draft picks, but they were postmarked for Scranton, Trenton or Tampa instead of the Bronx.
If any New York team plays in October this season, it will be the Mets, a franchise that is painfully familiar with what lies ahead for the Yankees during the next two months and beyond.
Cashman had resisted the surrender narrative in the week leading up to the deadline, but trading Beltran was the clincher.
"We've been contending for a long time," said Cashman, whose Yankees advanced to the playoffs in 18 of the previous 21 seasons. "We're damn proud of that. That's a hell of a run. From my perspective, there's no shame in anything we've done today. We've made good, sound business decisions. We'll see where it takes us."
The Mets' own rebuilding effort took more than five years and culminated in last October's World Series loss to the Royals. In their current state, battered by injuries, they're a long shot to return after being a favorite on Opening Day. And while the trade for Bruce should provide an offensive jolt, it doesn't have the feel of the Yoenis Cespedes stunner a year ago. Even Alderson had to admit that Bruce, a left-handed-hitting corner outfielder, "is not an absolute perfect fit for us."
The Mets also went down to the wire angling for Jonathan Lucroy but were rebuffed in the final hour when the Brewers traded him to the Rangers. Bruce brings 25 homers and his NL-leading 80 RBIs. Expecting another Cespedes-type boost, however, might be asking too much.
"There are a few other verbs I would use _ like hope," Alderson said with a chuckle. "Look, it was an extraordinary turnaround last year. All we can do is try to acquire as many good players as we can to put ourselves in a position to maybe have that magic again."
It was an odd juxtaposition: the Mets talking about a playoff push and the Yankees discussing what sabotaged a season that already was kaput, aside from the chance to evaluate the parade of youngsters heading to the Bronx. This drastic a role reversal hasn't been seen in these parts since the late 1980s, when Cashman was first hired for an entry-level job by the Yankees.
Cashman now is presiding over the franchise's first makeover in more than three decades, a process he hinted was kick-started by getting swept in Tampa Bay over the weekend. Since every trade requires Hal Steinbrenner's approval, Cashman suggested his superiors ultimately were swayed by the team rolling over days before the deadline.
"I think it influenced the people above me more," Cashman said. "The inconsistency of our club reared its ugly head. A true playoff contender wouldn't have done that."
So what now? As demoralizing as Sunday's trade of Andrew Miller was, dealing Beltran _ the Yankees' most dangerous hitter _ basically told everyone in the clubhouse they were on their own. And good luck with that.
"I believe that we can win," Joe Girardi said. "Some people are probably going to think I'm delusional, but there's no reason to put the uniform on if you don't think you can win."
The Yankees didn't do it nearly enough to prevent Cashman's historic sell-off in the hectic days leading up to Monday's deadline, the point where the Mets hope their season was renewed.
