A Big Decision Is Coming...

With the trade deadline soon approaching and rumors flying about players the Yankees should acquire, there is yet another issue that’s being discussed. What is going to happen to Brian Cashman?

With his current contract about to expire at the end of the year, I believe that he is the biggest free agent the Yankees have to worry about this upcoming offseason. That being said, I came across this nugget from NJ.com… wondering if his days with the Yankees are numbered…

“When the 2017 Yankees season ends, major decisions on impending free agents must be made by general manager Brian Cashman.

That, of course, assumes Cashman is back to be the person making critical decisions with a roster poised for big things in the next few years…

ESPN’s Buster Olney speculated that another team — possibly the Miami Marlins — could try to poach Cashman with a record-breaking offer in the fall….

‘…Theo Epstein set a new bar for front-office pay last year when he and the Cubs negotiated a five-year, $50 million deal, and that standard could help Cashman in his talks in an era in which high-end executive talent is being valued more and more. What is unknown is whether competitive bids begin to develop for him as his contract expires, whether it be from whoever takes control of the Marlins at the end of the bidding process or a team looking for new direction…’”

The Marlins… who would have thought. Wow.

Now look, while it is normal for these issues not to be discussed during the season, this is an issue that will soon have to be addressed when the season ends. After all, it’s pretty much necessary to have a GM in place before you can really worry too much about contracts and free agents.

Brian Cashman has been the only GM, we Yankees fans have known for the past 20 years, taking over the full-time GM role from Bob Watson in 1998. He is also the longest tenured GM since Ed Barrow who was GM from 1921-44. The Yankees have the first chance to sign him to a deal if they want to keep him around and he wants to stay. I’m really not sure if he will sign a deal without seeing what he can get elsewhere. The Yankee brass may also be thinking that it might be time for a change. It’s a major decision they need to make, and trust me, they don’t want to blow this.

Regardless of what happens, I’ve really have to give it to Cashman.  He’s has been able to do a lot of rebuilding and we are now starting to be a more competitive team.  And cutting salary and stacking the system with talent has been a long time coming and in my eyes, he has done one hell of a job. If he goes, his hand print will be on this team for quite some time. If he stays I hope he can keep up the great work.

Stay tuned…

–Michael Carnesi
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @sevn4evr