3 Reasons New York Yankees Shouldn't Fire GM Brian Cashman

The New York Yankees head into the offseason with a lot of questions unanswered.

Will Alex Rodriguez eventually be traded? What free agents will be signed? Will Joe Girardi lose his job?

All of these questions can only be answered by one man—general manager Brian Cashman.

But what happens when Cashman’s job is in question as well?

He’s been at the forefront of some successful deals like bringing in CC Sabathia and Curtis Granderson. However, he’s also been the head of failed signings as well—the experiments with A.J. Burnett and Javier Vazquez didn’t work out too well for the Bronx Bombers.

On paper, the 2012 Yankees were too good to fail. From Derek Jeter all the way down to Russell Martin, every batter could hit the ball well. Even the Yankees starting rotation was one of the best in the league. Unfortunately for fans, they did fail, and now some changes are in store.

However, Cashman should not be one of those changes. He is a very successful GM, and the Yankees would be lost without him at the helm.

Consistency

Brian Cashman has been the center of the New York Yankees front office since he became general manager in 1998.

Every year, Cashman does what he can to bring the best players to New York. He traded for Alex Rodriguez in 2004 and signed CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira in 2009.

He, along with the fans, expects to win a World Series every year. It’s this consistency of high expectations that proves why Cashman is the best GM for the Yankees.

The Yankees may have the highest expectations among all MLB teams, but it comes with the territory. Having made the playoffs in 14 of the last 15 years and winning 12 AL East titles, including nine straight from 1998 to 2006, will spoil fans a little bit, but that is the consistency Cashman brings as the general manager.

Input with the Lineup

Many fans and analysts were surprised at how badly the New York Yankees struggled against the Detroit Tigers in the 2012 ALCS.

Manager Joe Girardi tried all sorts of lineups to get the hitters going. The injury to Derek Jeter didn’t help matters, either. Robinson Cano and Mark Teixeira were flopping between third and fourth in the lineup, while Alex Rodriguez was removed from Games 3 and 4 completely.

Girardi made the final decision to bench Rodriguez, but he wasn’t the only one involved in the decision. According to NY Daily News, Brian Cashman had considerable influence on all of the bold lineup decisions for Game 3, including the benching of A-Rod.

He said he didn’t care about A-Rod’s success against Verlander, considering he was 0-for-18 against right-handers in the postseason. “It’s something you really don’t see, especially in a playoff situation with players of such high caliber,” he said.

This type of input from the general manager is usually unwarranted, but it’s different with the Yankees. Cashman is heavily invested with these high-profile players, not only from a contract standpoint.

He wants the best lineup on the field to win every possible game and will let Girardi know about it.

Trust in Joe Girardi

Managers and general managers rarely see eye to eye. Joe Girardi and Brian Cashman are no exception.

According to CBS Sports, Cashman said he usually agrees with Girardi's choices, but he doesn't always.

Both Cashman and Girardi plan to be back for the 2013 season. Owner Hal Steinbrenner has endorsed the 2012 Yankees and what they accomplished. According to Yardbarker, he said, “I am proud of the accomplishments of this year’s team. We earned the best record in the American League and were one of the four teams to advance to the League Championship Series.”

Girardi led the Yankees to victory in the 2009 World Series, his second year as manager. Despite recent playoff struggles, Girardi is trusted as the Yankees manager, and rightfully so.

According to the New York Post, when Cashman was asked if Girardi's job was on the line, he simply said, "No." He also said that Girardi would remain the manager regardless of what happens next season.

This also bodes well for Cashman's job. It is easier to replace a manager than a GM, especially the general manager of the Yankees.

With everyone on board to improve next year, Girardi should lead the Yankees back to the playoffs in 2013.