There are two kinds of people in the world: those who know Brian Cashman is one of the best GMs in baseball and those who are wrong. The Yankees’ General Manager has done an outstanding job of rebuilding the team and farm system into a legitimate World Series contender much faster than most could have dreamed.
Multiple prudent trades have brought in talent that the Yankees can use now and in the future as they begin their push to be postseason relevant again. Sonny Gray, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle were all brought in as multi-year options without breaking the prospect bank. Trading Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman at the 2016 trade deadline brought in the best prospect in baseball in Gleyber Torres, as well as promising options such as Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield.
With the farm system already beginning to bear fruit, Cashman has put the Yankees in a position to succeed for years to come. Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez have become bonafide stars before our eyes, and Greg Bird looks worthy of the confidence Cashman had in him after his injury when so many were willing to give up on him. More reinforcements are on the way for a team that surprised everyone on their way to Game 7 of the ALCS.
Although Cashman’s contract for next season has not officially been renewed yet, it seems like a near certainty that he will be back. His first task will be a big one, as he’ll need to find a suitable replacement for Joe Girardi as Yankee manager in 2018. If the speculation that there was a growing divide between Cashman and Girardi is true, it seems like only one could be reasonably expected to return beyond 2017, and the easy choice there is Cashman.
The Winter Meetings are just around the corner as well, which is primetime for Ninja Cashman to strike. With all of his successes lately, it’s hard not to trust that he will have some promising moves up his sleeve before spring training begins.