Yankees April 2019 Approval Poll: GM Brian Cashman

The first full month of the season is in the books, which means it is time to resume our monthly Brian Cashman approval poll. This year’s version of the poll started in late January, when we asked Yankees fans how they thought the offseason was going. At that point, both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper remained on the market, and the Bombers had made a plethora of moves. 72% of Pinstripe Alley readers approved of the job Cashman was doing then, down from 95% in January 2018. Has that changed now that the season is officially underway?

Since spring training, the Yankees have suffered more than their fair share of injuries. In fact, only three players from the Opening Day lineup—Brett Gardner, Luke Voit, and Gleyber Torres—survived the month of April without a stint on the injured list. Injuries swept through the lineup, bullpen, and rotation, and forced the Bombers to turn to their Triple-A players again and again. Improbably, the Yankees still finished the month with a 16-10 record, and even took six out of seven games against the Angels and Giants on the road.

Last week, Cashman admitted that he hasn’t seen injuries run this rampant since 2005. After Clint Frazier went down with an ankle injury, the GM was forced to use his “Statue of Liberty play.” “...like the plaque on the statue says: ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…’” He made it clear to teams that he needed a warm body quick, and that he didn’t want to give up significant prospects. That is how he eventually acquired Cameron Maybin from Cleveland in exchange for cash.

The Yankees’ minor league depth has certainly been tested early, but everyone who has gotten the call up has contributed in a big way. The likes of Gio Urshela, Mike Tauchman, Mike Ford, Thairo Estrada have kept the team in games, and have helped them win. It’s not reasonable to plan for 14 players to be on the injured list at any given time, but they’ve been able to weather the storm so far. Cashman deserves a lot of credit for that.

Some Yankees fans have pointed to all the injuries as reason to be upset with Cashman, however, for not acquiring Machado or Harper when he had the chance. It was admittedly a gamble to put faith in Troy Tulowitzki’s ability to stay healthy, but for all we know, Machado and/or Harper could have been on the IL for the Yankees right now, too.

So, do you approve of the job Brian Cashman is doing as the Yankees GM? Are you more upset than ever that he passed on Machado and Harper? Vote in the poll below and let us know in the comments section.