Brian Cashman has done a terrific job of taking the pressure off first-year Manager Joe Girardi. With the Yankees sitting nine games out of a playoff spot with 13 games to play, the media has been looking for scapegoats for some time now.
Cashman has been extremely vocal in his defense of Girardi, so much so that he's drawn even more scrutiny to himself. Admirable, but perhaps the beginning of the end to a bittersweet tenure in New York.
Cashman has been emphatic in his claims that Girardi has done everything he could, given the players he has been provided. Unfortunately for Cashman, he's the man responsible for that.
The list of Cashman's mishandling of personnel is a long one. While it may yet pay off in the long run, as of now, refusing to trade Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy for perennial Cy Young candidate Johan Santana in the offseason looks to be a colossal blunder.
Adding insult to injury, the crosstown rivals capitalized on this blunder, trading for Santana, and are in prime position to make a playoff run.
The signing of Jason Giambi back in 2002 has not paid off. Giambi has never come close to approaching the success he had in Oakland, and the Yankees have not won a World Series since the signing.
Carl Pavano, another Cashman signing, has set a new precedent for market blunders. Since joining the Yankees in 2005, Carl has won a grand total of six games, and amongst his list of "serious" injuries, are bruised buttocks and a sore neck. Sounds devastating, Carl.
Cashman's refusal to go after the likes of CC Sabathia, Joe Blanton, Greg Maddux, and even Randy Wolf in 2008 left the Yankees in the very unenviable situation of having to incorporate Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson into their five-man rotation for extended periods of time.
I'm not sure even the 1927 Yankees (The Murderers Row team) could make a playoff push with those two being run out there every five days.
It's unfair to put the entire blame on Cashman. I think strengthening the farm system and letting prospects develop is an essential part to maintaining success for any organization. However, a GM cannot do so without exception. Adapting to the situation is critical in a cutthroat business (especially when the Steinbrenners control your fate).
When Johan Santana is available for a reasonable price, and your rotation going into the season has three (out of five) question marks, you sign him.
When your team is several games back of two teams right before the trade deadline, and CC Sabathia is still available, you have to at least take a look at him. It's on page one of the General Manager's Manual.
Cashman can talk all he wants about building for the future and developing young players, but when your payroll exceeds $200 million, someone is going to want a return for that investment. That someone happens to be George Steinbrenner.
The Yankees will not appear in the postseason for the first time in the past 14 years. Someone's going to have to take the fall for that, and since Cashman insists it should be him, and not Girardi, the Steinbrenners' inevitable wrath seemingly await him.
9 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Naveen Maliakkal 9 months ago
There is no doubt Cashman has made some mistakes, but he is turning the club towards a new philosophy. It will take one or two more years for Cashman's work the past three years to show. I'd still give him one or two more years
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Jersey 9 months ago
I don't blame Cashman for not chasing Randy Wolf. The man is awful outside of uber-friendly Petco in San Diego, and Yankee Stadium is not exactly a huge ballpark. I'd rather have Ponson any day.
You also can't really blame Cashman for the Pavano debacle. He overpaid, sure, but no one could have foreseen the injuries.
And as for Giambi: he was very, very good the first few seasons in New York. He's since deteriorated, and this is part of why Cashman didn't chase Santana. In three years, Johan will still be good, but not the same pitcher he is now, yet he'd be earning the same money. It could potentially turn into another Giambi situation, and Cashman would rather keep his future ace (Hughes), former first-round pick (Kennedy), and, for at least this the bulk of this season, his starting center fielder (Melky).
(Please note that I'm not saying Johan will be as bad as Giambi, but he won't be the same Johan in a few years, and Cashman didn't feel like overpaying, when he could keep his young guys for the future. He'd prefer not to acquire a guy who will soon be out of his prime, much like he did when he signed Giambi, hence the comparison.)
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Jersey 9 months ago
Phil Hughes is in the majors. I won't argue the stupidity of the rest, because I know it's utterly pointless, but I may as well mention that your facts are incorrect.
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Andrew Smith 9 months ago
Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy have no future on the New York Yankees as far as i'm concerned. Kennedy has shown not only is he lacking physically, he's mentally weak as well, and that will get you burned in this city.
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Jordan Schwartz 9 months ago
Good article. I don't think Cashman is the only one to blame, but he's definitely in the top three of most to blame. He's failed to find the middle ground between trading away all your prospects and holding onto all of them in lieu of acquiring a much-needed pitcher.
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Todd Jackson 9 months ago
Cash would be revered had Pavano worked out, or Hughes became a 15 game winner. This is baseball and one thing is proven time and time again. No one and I mean no one knows what will happen. Experts this and analysts that. Those were the same people calling for Detroit to win it all and wondering if Tampa Bay would have a succesful season finally and betted against them. The same people knew Arod would wind up somewhere else. Point Im trying to make is Cashman made some educated guesses or gambles if you will on young talent this year, or proven talent in the past, and not throwing everything under the kitchen sink out there to pick up pitchers that would cost way more than anyone wants to talk about. Santana in pinstripes sounds great, Sabathia a bomber wow, then you get to dollars. With current payroll it would have been tuff to justify. He is biding his time in my opinion and given the time needed may prove a genious. Yet again, no one knows. Thats this game and why we love it. I think the front office needs to meet somewhere in the middle of keeping and not overrating prospects, not convincing themselves that anyone is untouchable until the prove that they are worthy of that, and spending the money necessary to bring in the top shelf talent needed to lead and acheive, without signing every big name on name alone hoping that the past is a predictor of the future. Great article, I dont think Cash is going anywhere but hey Im just a fan and cant predict the future any more than Cash can.
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Andrew Smith 9 months ago
"Phil Hughes can only perform well in the minors."
Actually, one of Phil Hughes' best pitching performances came in the MLB playoffs, but that's OK, keep revealing your lack of knowledge of the game.
Phil Hughes was rated the #3 prospect in all of baseball in 2006, and for good reason. I think i'll take the scouts' take on him and my own perceptions ahead of your clearly uninformed ones.
Besides, even if he does turn out bad, can't be much worse than Buchholz or the worst 17-2 pitcher in the history of baseball, Five Inning Dice-K.
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a c 9 months ago
Ignoring Eddie, this article is relatively stupid and pointless.
1. The author claims cashman made a mistake for not going after Greg Maddux and Randy Wolf. Wolf who had a horrible ERA on the road, and has turned out to be terrible for the Astros, or Maddux who had a no trade clause and refused to go to anyone but the Dodgers. Hmm yes because Cashman could have hypnotized him to come to the yankees oooo.
2. not getting Johan does not appear to be a mistake. The Yankees were asked to give up far more talent wise than the Mets were. The Mets signed him and he has shown that his homerun rates are up, his fastball velocity is down, and he is starting to show the age and ovework. So lets trade for a guy and give him 10 years 100 million.
3. Giambi was a Steinbrenner move not Cashman.
4. Weaver was an ACE in Detroit, the trade was viewed as a steal at the time. Weaver never lived up to his talent level while he was in NY but just saying its a bad trade is stupid.
5. Carl Pavano was offered MORE money but other teams including Detroit and the Red Sox. The injuries were unpredictable, as well as his low level of testicular fortitude.
6. The Yankees did try to get C.C. and Cash said the asking price was to high, and they wanted badly to do the deal with the Brewcrew.
Clearly you are not interested in facts but just putting the blame on someone to get attention and write an article. The Payroll is a worthless statistic when you consider you lost your best starting catcher to an injury. You lost Your best PItcher who was 8-2 for the year. Your 2nd baseman has a horrid slump, and your centerfielders seem to forget how to hit, cannot be placed on the GM, not in this case. If the Steinbrenners want to place blame it should be on themselves.
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Andrew Smith 9 months ago
Way to be on top of things, a.
1. As the GM of a team, you take responsibility for all of the team's moves. Jason Giambi is Brian Cashman's responsibility, sorry. That's how the sports works, buddy.
2. I didn't even mention Jeff Weaver in my article, so it's pretty sad you put that in your post. Trying to add fodder to your weak argument? Sad.
3. It's not acceptable to say the asking price was too high for C.C. after the Johan debacle. If the Yankees had Johan for the season, they would be headed to another postseason with a chance to send the stadium off in the style it deserves.
4. You point out Wang's injury as one of the reasons for our downfall, all the more reason to go after Sabathia. You're contradicting yourself in order to try and make me look bad, pretty sad.
So clearly, it's you who is not interested in the facts and just trying to garner attention with your post, not me.
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