Yankees August 2016 GM Approval Poll: What do you think of the job Brian Cashman is doing?

Last month I asked PSA readers what they thought of the job that Brian Cashman was doing, and his approval rating actually bounced back up to a solid 59%. Cashman reached his season high of 76% near the beginning of April when Yankee fans everywhere had no reason not be optimistic. Unsurprisingly, Cashman’s approval rating took a nose dive when the team struggled in May and June. However, it seems like Cashman just might finish the season with an approval rating back in the 70s.

For much of the season, the Yankees hovered right around the .500 mark, but were unable to go on any extended winning streaks. They just were not a very good team, which is why it was initially frustrating to hear that Randy Levine and Hal Steinbrenner didn’t want to sell because they thought the team could still contend. Cashman was more vocal about selling, but obviously he is unable to make trades without permission from the front office.

There was a lot of "will they or won’t they" leading up to the trade deadline, then the Yankees announced that they had traded Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs in exchange for Adam Warren and prospects Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, and Rashad Crawford. After this move, the Yankees’ front office wanted to wait and see how the Yankees played over the next few days before they decided whether they would sell off more pieces. Of course, the Yankees ended up being swept by the Rays, and the team went into full-fledged sell mode.

Following the Chapman trade, the Yankees shipped Andrew Miller off to the Indians and officially dismantled the bullpen. The Yankees got back Clint Frazier, Justus Sheffield, Ben Heller, and J.P. Feyereisen. Cashman also traded the Yankees’ best hitter, Carlos Beltran, to the Rangers for Dillon Tate, Erik Swanson, and Nick Green.

Just when it looked like the Yankees would never find a taker for Ivan Nova, despite dangling him on a string, it was announced that Nova was being sent to the Pirates. The Yankees were promised two players to be named later in the deal, and it appears that there still isn’t any word on who those players are. Still, Cashman got two players back for Nova. He also added Tyler Clippard to the bullpen after sending Vicente Campos to the Diamondbacks.

When all was said and done, the Yankees were sellers at the deadline for the first time in ages, and it looked like they had moved past this season and were looking toward the future. The Yankees had holes to fill after the trades, so they called up prospects Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge, and Tyler Austin. Selling at the deadline should have meant that the team was waving the white flag, yet the Yankees have gone 15-9 in August, and team looks better than it has all season. Sanchez is absolutely raking, and the Yankees have been slowly gaining ground in the standings.

Anything can happen, but for now it looks like the Yankees could surprise everyone and make their way into the playoffs despite selling at the deadline. Now that the deadline has passed, what do you think of the job that Cashman is doing? Vote in the poll and let us know below.