Yankees February 2021 Approval Poll: GM Brian Cashman

A month ago, I restarted the Pinstripe Alley tradition of running monthly approval polls on Brian Cashman. This season figures to be a big one for the Yankees’ general manager, as it’s now been 11 years since the team’s last World Series win, and after making it to Game 6 of the ALCS in 2019, they regressed slightly to a tough five-game ALDS loss against the division rival Rays in 2020.

January saw the Yankees re-sign DJ LeMahieu, bid adieu to Masahiro Tanaka and Adam Ottavino, and bring Corey Kluber, Jameson Taillon, and Darren O’Day into the fold. As the month ended, Yankees fans on Pinstripe Alley gave Cashman an approval rating of 61 percent. It’s a bump up from the 51 percent he held when we last ran this poll at the end of 2019, but also probably below the C grade he received from fans around here for the 2020 season (though that’s admittedly a different scale).

Now, it’s time for a new poll. As a refresher, February was understandably quiet in comparison to January, but Cashman did make some moves. Another reliever was added in lefty Justin Wilson, who previously wore the pinstripes in 2015. After some haggling back and forth, Brett Gardner officially re-signed with the Yankees for his 14th season. If all goes according to plan, he’ll be the fourth outfielder in 2021.

To make room for Wilson, Gardner, and O’Day (who technically didn’t officially sign until February 10th), Luis Severino was transferred to the 60-day injured list in his Tommy John surgery rehab, and the Yankees sent reliever Ben Heller and outfielder Greg Allen packing. The latter only ended up being a Yankee for about a month and a half. Starter James Paxton was a long shot to re-sign anyway, and his departure was confirmed when he signed with the Mariners. Cashman also made some small additions in preparation for spring depth, signing veterans Jay Bruce, Derek Dietrich, and Robinson Chirinos to minor league contracts.

So as of the end of February, do you approve of Brian Cashman? As always, there’s a lot to factor into a “yes” or a “no,” and you might feel like your answer is more of a soft “yes” or “no” than a stamp of approval or a sharp rebuke. However, the binary question is the best way to get a direct read on fans’ thoughts.

Vote in the poll below and let us know! We’ll revisit the results in a month.