Part 30 in the series analyzes the New York Yankees.
There was a time when Brian Cashman did not want to be George Steinbrenner’s general manager.
“From the beginning I was together [GM] Woody Woodward, whose nickname is ‘The Pharmacist’ because his office drawer is full of vitamins to try and keep him healthy when he is surrounded by The Boss, ” Cashman recalls recently when making a fundraising call for the Family Center’s Emergency Family Aid Fund. “I remember saying to myself, ‘I would never want that job.’ Why don’t I want the job? Because this is without victory, very stressful. ‘
Game or not game, this is Cashman’s 23rd year in a job he never wanted but landed on 3 February 1998, after Bob Watson resigned.
Across from 34 years 34-year-old Cashman works for the Yankees, there are challenges, successes, broken hearts, difficult decisions and failures.
“This is an extraordinary magic carpet trip that has taken us to this season, ‘is the way Cashman has described it as part of the organization since 1986, when he was 19 years old apprenticed in the minor league scouting department.
This season was supposed to start March 26 in Baltimore, but coronavirus stopped spring training on March 12. The players and owners are trying to get a schedule of 82 matches which were launched in July. Health, safety and financial issues will decide whether there is a game or not.
Brian CashmanThe AP
If it starts, the Yankees will be favorites to add to their 28th World Series title. This is the hope of Cashman who has never been a duck.
“We believe we have another championship caliber team in our hands, and we just want to do it as best we can. We have knocked on the door and are always in champion mode, “Cashman said.
The addition of Gerrit Cole’s right-hand free agent immediately pushed the Yankees to the top of the AL pile. It was a move arranged by Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner to agree to a nine-year deal of $ 324 million.
However, if it only throws millions of dollars at the players sending the championship, the Yankees will not be looking for their first World Series title since 2009.
Signed through the 2022 season, Cashman’s attention to the Yankees minor league in the final days of training last spring, when he led a staff contingent that fed the players and distributed money, was appreciated and did not escape the attention of those working under him.
“Brian played an important role in our success, and I have known long enough how lucky we are to lead him in our baseball operations department,” said Steinbrenner after Cashman was appointed Executive American Baseball Year in 2017. ” He cares deeply about this franchise and our fans, and he is skilled at navigating the many challenges that come with holding the position he does in the world media capital. ”
Although Cole is a headliner, Cashman has made some lesser-known steps that have yielded excellent results.
Getting the first baseman Luke Voit from the Cardinals for busting Chasen Shreve and Giovanny Gallegos became the first baseman to hit power.
Getting outfielder Mike Tauchman from the Rockies for left-handed Phillip Diehl gave the Yankees depth last year when Aaron Hakim, Aaron Hicks and Giancarlo Stanton spent a long time.
Trading Aroldis Chapman closer to the Cubs for Gleyber Torres in return in 2016 is a good move even before Chapman returns to the Yankees as a free agent after the season.
Adding free agent DJ LeMahieu to the mix with a two-year contract of $ 24 million before last season was a big plus. The relievers of Chad Green and Luis Cessa of the Tigers to Justin Wilson in 2015 were stealing. Getting Gio Urshela from Blue Jays because of money considerations turned out well.
Of course there are mistakes like Jacoby Ellsbury. Not maintaining Didi Gregory could backfire if Torres could not play short. But if there is a schedule, it is expected that the Cashman team will be built to play in the postseason.
