Does Brian Cashman deserve a new contract?
Yankee fans are calling for the heads of Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman. They once again missed the World Series and continue to be dominated by the Houston Astros. They might lose Aaron Judge and will continue wasting money on guys like Josh Donaldson. If owner Hal Steinbrenner has any brain cells, he won’t bring Cashman back.
Cashman said in a press conference Friday that he currently doesn’t have a contract. It expired on October 31, leaving Cashman to do free labor until he signs somewhere. Laura Albanese of Newsday was first on the news, also mentioning that Steinbrenner and Cashman will discuss contracts.
Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the Yankees crash and burn. I’m sure a lot of people would, but Yankee fans need to hope Cashman doesn’t come back.
Assuming he’s back as GM, his No. 1 priority has to be re-signing Judge. Is it going to happen? Probably not, because this Yankees team just loves to settle for scraps. Last offseason, the Yankees were in the market for a shortstop. There were four top-tier shortstops on the market: Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Carlos Correa, and Javier Baez. Cashman was sleeping at the wheel I guess because he didn’t sign any of them.
Instead, his shortstop solution was trading for Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Apparently, Kiner-Falefa is better than Correa, Seager, and Story. Give me a break. That’s not even the worst of that trade. The Yankees also got Donaldson, whose prime is long over and who loves to watch fastballs down the middle. He’ll be 37 next year and is owed $21 million.
Who did Cashman trade for those two? Gary Sanchez wasn’t much of a loss but getting rid of Gio Urshela and replacing him with Donaldson is stupid. Urshela had a better WAR than Donaldson this year and was a better overall hitter and defender. Not to mention Urshela is about six years younger.
That’s not all. We remember when Bryce Harper was a free agent back in 2018 before signing with the Phillies. The Yankees were in the mix and honestly should’ve signed him for that push to get to the World Series. A 2019 lineup with Harper, Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton would’ve been powerful. But Cashman didn’t like that idea.
Let’s look at those six outfielders that Cashman thought were better than Harper.
- Aaron Judge: Only one on this list that isn’t laughable.
- Giancarlo Stanton: Turned into a full-time DH, can’t stay healthy.
- Jacoby Ellsbury: Didn‘t play a game from 2017-2019 and was later released.
- Clint ‘Jackson’ Frazier: Never played more than 70 games in a season, was DFA’d in 2021.
- Aaron Hicks: Due for $30 mil over next three seasons, also hasn’t stayed healthy since 2018.
- Brett Gardner: Actually, had a good 2019, but sucked after that and isn’t on a team now.
The Yankees’ outfield could’ve been Gardner/Stanton, Judge, and Harper. They would’ve actually been a threat. But Cashman would rather have a bunch of bums on his team. And don’t tell me money is an issue, they’re the damn Yankees. To put it into perspective, Harper is making $22 million in 2022. Meanwhile, the Yankees are paying Aroldis Chapman and Zack Britton $28 million in 2022.
Not to mention all the holes the Yankees have to fill this off-season. If they lose Judge, you need an outfielder. Anthony Rizzo is expected to opt-out, so they’ll need a first baseman. That infield in general is just so weak. D.J. LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Donaldson, and Kiner-Falefa are supposed to be taken seriously. I’m pretty sure the Oakland A’s or Pittsburgh Pirates could field a better team.
The Yankees can’t be taken seriously. They’re not a threat, and there’s a strong possibility this team goes downhill. They can beat teams like the Guardians and Mariners in the playoffs all they want, but when it comes to facing a real team like the Astros, they crash and burn. Don’t expect Judge to come back and be ready to blame Cashman when it happens.
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