Brian Cashman, General Manager of The Yankees

I’ve been following the New York Yankees for a long time. My first vivid recollection of the team was on October 2,1978.  I had just gotten home from school and my dad was getting ready for work. We watched the game in amazement and that moment solidified my attraction to the team. I was nine years old. The “Bronx Zoo” days have changed over the years. The team transitioned from a compulsive organization to a more business oriented corporate ideology. The interlocking “NY” brand is world renowned and, for better or worse, remains in the spotlight. I was more of a fan then, whereas I’m more of a student now. This is why I would like to discuss the roles and responsibilities of the New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman.

Some of the many roles and responsibilities concerning a modern day GM are identifying personnel needs, preparing for an amateur draft, player development scouting, negotiating contracts, managing payroll, and representing the franchise.

Brian Cashman faces a great deal of pressure working for an organization that expects to win the World Series every year. Even though he has access to a substantial amount of financial clout, sound business decisions need to be made. He has realized that throwing money at free agents can create a serious ripple effect causing long term consequences; the franchise cannot rely solely on the free agent market. Regardless of payroll, Mr. Cashman understands that a large market team still needs to apply resources towards home grown talent. In this endeavor, the Yankees have struggled to meet that objective. Not since the days of Gene Michael has the team been able to cultivate their minor league system. Yes, there have been a handful of prospects, but the majority of the players in the system do not match up with the talent in other organizations.

 Like other teams, Mr. Cashman and his front office personnel have turned towards finding potential prospects that are in high school. I understand this from a longevity standpoint as well as the benefit of getting the prospect in the pipeline sooner.  My only question is: Does the organization have the right vision and commitment towards these prospects? The concern is that they’re being groomed for trade bait rather than actually being developed for future roles at the big league level.

As far as current player contracts, they have been problematic in the past and continue to be so. Brian Cashman and the Yankee brass now realize, it’s a recipe for disaster when you negotiate long term contracts based upon past performance, public perception or the idea of preventing the player to sign with a rival. This methodology has hampered the club’s ability to remain competitive in the future year’s to come. Unfortunately, Mr. Cashman had inherited that methodology from George Steinbrenner. From a team-needs perspective, I understand the signings of Jacoby Ellsbury and Brian McCann. The player procurement and scouting perspective looks for players to be strong up the middle. So, you have your centerfielder and catcher, but what about your future shortstop and future rotation? 

Moves have been made to bring in temporary solutions, but the organization as a whole needs to adapt to the changing economic environment regarding personnel. Mr. Cashman has attempted to control payroll by signing players to short-term contracts and fill voids with dependable players, not necessarily the splashy superstars, but everyday players that strengthen the ballclub. This has been difficult to balance in large part due to the high profile of the New York Yankee brand. Whether it be fan or media pressure, the business of baseball demands a winning product in New York more so than other parts of the country. 

Overall, I appreciate what Mr. Cashman has done during his tenure as the New York Yankee General Manager. He has been able to navigate the expectations of the New York spotlight and not lose sight of the big picture which is being competitive and winning. He works hard to get the best players available. Granted, while Mr. Cashman is fortunate enough to have a much larger budget than other teams, he still remains focused on staying under the $189 million dollar budget. This is crucial in today’s market. If you stay under budget, assets can be allocated for player development and procurement. With that said, I am not sure that the organization as a whole puts enough emphasis on the developmental side. For this reason, the big league club will struggle to remain competitive in the foreseeable future.