New Contract Extension Is Brian Cashman’s Last Chance to Rebuild Yankees
October 10, 2014 · Jason Catania · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
This could very well be Brian Cashman‘s last chance. The New York Yankees general manager has been in place since the 1998 season, presiding over a long run of success with the club that decided on Friday to grant him a three-year extension, as Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.
The deal, which runs through 2017, isn’t exactly a surprise, given the 47-year-old Cashman’s history with the franchise and the Steinbrenner family. Those four World Series titles and 12 AL East crowns certainly help, too.
But it does come at a time when the Yankees have had two October-less campaigns in a row for the first time since 1992-93.
Such results never fly for long, if at all, in New York. So if Cashman, who’s been in charge for 17 seasons now, wants to make it to 20 and beyond, he’s got some work to do. And he knows it, as he said via Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York:
Being in this chair for 17 years, I’d say every winter has got its challenge. I don’t feel that this one is any different. Obviously, we know from our fan base’s perspective that we need to do better than we’ve done for the past two years. I say that for myself as well. Being in my chair, I’m responsible for it all—offense, defense and pitching. I’ve got to find a way to get our fan base back to enjoying October sooner than later.
And this may be telling: At the same time the Yankees ownership was extending Cashman, it was almost firing a warning shot in his and manager Joe Girardi’s direction within the same few hours by firing longtime hitting coach Kevin Long and first base coach Mick Kelleher, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
With Cashman, who had been in the final year of his contract, now sticking around, here’s a rundown—a “to-do” list, if you will—of some issues and concerns he needs to fix. And fast.
Brian Cashman’s To-Do List
Fix the Farm
This is the biggie, the No. 1 priority. A good farm system has become arguably the most important, valuable piece of property in baseball today.
It can act as an asset for acquiring big league talent via trades or, better yet, as a cost-efficient way to build from within and put together a consistent winner.
Heck, that’s the way it worked for the Yankees these past two decades, what with homegrown stars like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada, Bernie Williams and Robinson Cano all being key contributors to 17 postseason appearances in 18 seasons from 1995 through 2012.
A haul like that ain’t happenin’ ever again, but the Yankees need to do better. Their prospects haven’t panned out on the whole in recent years, and the system either has stalled out (at best) or regressed (at worst).
Sure, there have been a few nice pieces—David Robertson, Dellin Betances and Ivan Nova come to mind—but almost entirely on the pitching side.
Brett Gardner remains the last Yankees pick to be developed by the organization into an everyday position player. In case you’ve forgotten, he was drafted in 2005.
That needs to change. And with the reported retirement of senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman, according to George A. King of the New York Post, maybe it will.
After a disappointing 2013 season, owner Hal Steinbrenner said he was going to look at all aspects of the system, including player development and amateur scouting.
Damon Oppenheimer’s recent amateur drafts have been solid, and he is believed to be safe.
There is some belief that if Newman didn’t retire, the Yankees wouldn’t renew his contract. The contract expires this year.
This also will have the benefit of making the team younger and, likely, healthier.
Make Health a Priority
Speaking of which, the Yankees have had more than their share of ailments, injuries and disabled list stints the last two years.
To wit, here’s just a quick list of starting players who have spent time on the DL since the start of 2013: Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Beltran, CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and Nova.
If not for so, so many lost weeks and months, it’s possible this team might have made it to the playoffs in one or both seasons.
Even if the Yankees’ roster featured among the oldest pitchers and the oldest group of position players in 2014, it’s imperative they find a way to keep their best players healthy (or at least, healthier).
Get Offensive
Simply put, the Yankees of the past two seasons have finished 20th and 16th, respectively, in runs scored and 12th and 22nd in home runs.
Then there’s this disturbing little tidbit: Catcher Brian McCann, last winter’s biggest offensive acquisition, led the club with 23 home runs in 2014, but that was the lowest team-best homer total by a Yankees player since Paul O’Neill hit 22 in…1995. That year, by the way, was abbreviated by the players’ strike the season before.
That’s just not the Bronx Bombers everyone expects.
Whether Long’s firing or the addition of another big bat does the trick, Cashman needs to up the offense.
Use the Bargain Bin Wisely
Just because you have one of the biggest payrolls in MLB, Brian, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to scrounge for underrated or underperforming talent.
Hey, you did a fair job of that this year by bringing aboard infielder/outfielder Martin Prado (.316/.336/.541 as a Yankee), third baseman Chase Headley (.262/.371/.398) and right-hander Brandon McCarthy (2.89 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8.2 K/9).
Better yet, you got those players without having to give up all that much of the future. Well, unless someone out there really likes Vidal Nuno.
Solve Shortstop
Perhaps you’ve heard: The Captain himself is now gone.
Without Jeter to hold down the position, Cashman is going to need to find a new shortstop for the first time in 20 years.
There’s nobody in the system, and the best in-house option is all-glove-no-hit Brendan Ryan, who fits better as a late-inning defensive replacement than a starter on a team with championship aspirations.
Oh, and one good candidate, J.J. Hardy, already has been taken off the market after re-upping with the Baltimore Orioles for $40 million over three years, as Dan Connolly of The Baltimore Sun reports.
This is going to require Cashman to make either a savvy free-agent signing or trade, and he’ll need to choose wisely to replace a Yankees icon.
Address the A-Rod Issue
Last and pretty much least, Cashman needs to figure out what to do with Alex Rodriguez. Please, for the good of every Yankees player, coach, fan—and especially, New York sport-talk radio—either keep him around or cut bait. But don’t waffle.
And if you’re going to keep A-Rod around, Brian, make sure it’s on your terms, and he’s on board, even if that means, say, giving him a new position.
After being suspended all of 2014, Rodriguez remains under contract for more than $60 million through 2017. In other words, he’s not going away, unless the team decides to actually cut its losses by releasing him in order to part with the sideshow that’s sure to follow in 2015.
Clearly, Cashman has a lot on his plate going forward, both in the short and long term. The good news is, he has three more years to fix some of these problems.
The bad news is, if Cashman doesn’t get the Yankees back on track, he might not have any more beyond that.
Statistics are accurate through Oct. 10 and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted.
To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.
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