thelesterlee
In 2003, my dad took me to the World Series to see my favorite team play the Florida Marlins. I will never forget the electricity at Yankee Stadium. Hideki Matsui was my favorite player and he pulled a homer to the left field section we were sitting in. It was as if he intentionally hit that ball near me to let me know he cared that I cared.
20 years later and it feels like no one on the Yankees cares anymore.
Brian Cashman has been the New York Yankees general manager since 1998. He is the longest-tenured GM in the sport. The second closest is Mike Rizzo with the Washington Nationals who’s had the position since 2009.
That’s insane.
Baseball has dramatically changed since 1998. The game isn’t played the same way at all yet Cashman continues to maintain this position despite missing the playoffs last season and then shitting on Giancarlo Stanton this week.
Here’s what Cashman said about Stanton at the GM meetings this week:
“We’ve gotta get Stanton up and running again. He’s injury-prone. We all have lived and known that, but he’s never not hit when he’s playing, and this year is the first time that that’s happened.”
“We try to limit the time he’s down. But I’m not gonna tell you he’s gonna play every game next year because he’s not. He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he’s right and healthy – other than this past year – the guy’s a great hitter and has been for a long time.”
Always great when your boss singles you out and says you’re using too many sick days. Naturally, Stanton’s agent felt a way about Cashman calling out his client’s health.
“I read the context of the entire interview. I think it’s a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York both foreign and domestic that to play for that team you’ve got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason.”
So why is Brian Cashman taking shots at Giancarlo Stanton?
Brian Cashman is right.
In Stanton’s 2017 NL MVP season, he played 159 games. In his first season with the Yankees, he played 158. He hasn’t come close to being that available since. Last season, Stanton only played in 101 games. He batted .191 with 24 homers and 60 RBIs. The 8th highest-paid baseball player on the planet Earth drove in 60 runs last season. Ok.
Cashman is annoyed he traded for a lemon. The man won an MVP trophy playing the outfield every single day and the second he put on pinstripes, he suddenly had to exclusively DH even though he’s one of the most physically fit humans in the world.
For a guy who seems like he doesn’t realize his team sucks, it’s cool seeing Cashman finally show a little disappointment in these underperforming players.
Do these Brian Cashman comments hurt the Yankees?
When you take shots at your own players, other players notice. Giancarlo Stanton’s agent has already fired back at Cashman. Well, Stanton isn’t his only client. He’s also the agent for Yoshinobu Yamamoto—the no. 1 pitcher available on the free agent market.
At 25 years old, Yamamoto has a 1.72 ERA in his seven years playing in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball including a 1.21 ERA last season with 169 strikeouts to only 28 walks. He’s an Ace and although Gerrit Cole is most likely winning the AL Cy Young award, the Yankees overall pitching staff was middle of the road.
But I reckon there’s no point talking about Yamamoto since Brian Cashman decided to burn that bridge this week.
So why is Brian Cashman still employed?
This is where the genius kicks in.
See, Brian Cashman has been penny-pinching since the day they traded for Giancarlo Stanton. Every year, the best free agents land elsewhere because this Yankees organization cries poverty even though, no matter where you live, you cannot go a full week without seeing someone wearing a Yankees cap.
This is one of the best free agent classes in years and Brian Cashman will be signing none of them. Maybe like, Aaron Nola but that’s about it. No Shohei Ohtani. Cody Bellinger. Blake Snell or Matt Chapman.
And Cashman gets to blame snowflake, thin-skinned modern athletes for not being able to take criticisms while he takes the winter off vacationing. What’s the worst that’ll happen? He gets fired??? Never.
He’s had the job since before Eleven from Stranger Things was even born. He has some sort of lifetime employment like a Supreme Court Justice. He can piss off agents and turn his phone off until opening day and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
Work smarter, not harder. Or in Cashman’s case, don’t work at all.
Is Brian Cashman secretly a genius for this? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee. Let me know who you think is more disappointing: Brian Cashman or Giancarlo Stanton.
