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At long last, the offseason has come to an end and the Yankees officially have their first game under their belts. Back in January, I asked PSA readers if they approved of the job that General Manager Brian Cashman had done over the offseason to that point. 69% of readers approved of Cashman's quality of work. Now that we have a clear picture of the offseason as a whole, do you still approve of the job Cashman is doing?
This was an unusual offseason for the Yankees. When all was said and done, they were the only team in baseball that did not sign a free agent to a major league deal. The Yankees said early on that they weren't looking to spend money, and they stuck to that plan. Obviously Cashman cannot control how much the Steinbrenner family is willing to spend, so he focused on improving the team through trades.
First, he shipped John Ryan Murphy to the Twins in exchange for backup outfielder Aaron Hicks. Then he traded Adam Warren and Brendan Ryan to the Cubs for shortstop Starlin Castro. Cashman also traded Justin Wilson to the Tigers for minor league pitchers Chad Green and Luis Cessa.
After somewhat dismantling the bullpen, Cashman made the most surprising trade of all by bringing in Aroldis Chapman for a package of prospects including Rookie Davis, Caleb Cotham, Eric Jagielo and Tony Renda. At the time, Chapman was under investigation for his involvement in a domestic dispute and was facing suspension. Now we know that he will serve a 30 game suspension and rejoin the team in May.
Cashman also traded Rob Segedin to the Dodgers for Tyler Olsen and Ronald Torreyes. The latter actually made the team as the Yankees' backup infielder. Kirby Yates also made the team out of spring training after the Yankees' acquired him from the Indians for cash.
Not a whole lot happened after January, but Cashman said that he explored every avenue possible. "If you knew all the different things we tried for, you'd really have a story." Although we don't know everything Cashman tried to do, he apparently tried to acquire an unnamed young starting pitcher. Perhaps Shelby Miller is the pitcher in question, as the Yankees reportedly looked into acquiring Miller from the Braves. Talks died down after the Braves asked for Luis Severino. Before they traded for Castro, the Yankees also discussed making a trade for Jose Reyes with the Rockies.
Some other rumors have recently come to light, such as the Yankees attempting to acquire Tyson Ross prior to the trade deadline. The Yankees also discussed another trade possibility with the Padres near the trade deadline. It would have involved the Padres sending over Craig Kimbrel and Jedd Gyorko (along with a good portion of his contract) in exchange for some type of deal including Jorge Mateo. Cashman is said to have balked at the idea of including Mateo in the trade at first, but eventually offered him up and the Padres declined the deal. Instead, the Yankees remained quiet at the trade deadline.
All things considered, Cashman found a way to make upgrades to the team (Castro, Chapman, Hicks) without giving up too much in return. Do you approve of the way that Cashman handled the offseason? Vote in the poll below.