Brian Cashman jumped onto YES’s ‘Yankees Hot Stove’ this evening to talk about the moves made this off-season and what else is on the table for the New York Yankees before Spring Training kicks off. Here are some of the big points that Cashman talked about on the show.
The first question Jack Curry asked Cashman was if there was more fire burning, or if the team as constituted is what we will see heading into spring. Cashman responded, “I’m open and listening to anything, but I don’t expect anything major to happen.” This is an answer we could have scripted before seeing his appearance, but it is one you like to hear. You want your GM to be listening to other offers to at least consider if they make the team better going forward.
Speaking of which, Cashman was asked if he has considered moving an outfielder for starting pitching to open a spot to potentially sign Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton on a one year deal. “We did float names, like Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller out to teams, but we found more value to keep those guys, who are a big part of our success, here,” Cashman answered. I’d like to take his word and believe that he at least tried to see what what other GMs would offer for these two established vets.
I found the most interesting part of what Cashman said on the show to be how he and the front office targeted players in the off-season (both free agents and trades). He outlined a process of ranking all free agents, both positionally and overall. Then they go through every team in the league (one day = one team) from top to bottom and find the other team’s weaknesses and strengths.
They then try to align what positions of need the Yankees have to each team’s strengths to make a reasonable deal. Cashman then reaches out to said team and sees where they stand on certain players and gauges their interest. He explained this was the process that led them to landing Aaron Hicks, Starlin Castro and Aroldis Chapman.
Hicks was a player who Cashman targeted at least a month before the transaction was completed. He feels that Hicks brings youth and athleticism to the team. Cashman touched on Castro’s ability to step into the second base role and also his potential ability to play third base. Even in Cashman’s business-like approach, he sounded a bit excited at the flexibility that Castro brings to this team. He also mentioned bringing Chapman in strengthens an already top-notch backend of the bullpen.
Cashman came back on the show later to talk about Greg Bird‘s availability and where he will start the season. “We’ll have to see how the roster shapes up, but I would say he starts the season in Scranton,” Cashman explained. “If we need him to spell Mark Teixeira for a day or two, we will definitely use him there.” This is a response we’ve heard for a couple months now and Yankees fans aren’t too happy about. The fact of the matter is there really is no spot for Bird in the Bronx and Cashman laid it out clearly tonight.
Cashman is most excited to see Gary Sanchez make the step to the backup catcher role. “I call him Kraken because of the crack of the sound when the ball comes off his back. His defense has taken the next step and has put him on the map to be the backup. His ceiling is super high and we are excited,” stated Cashman.
The last point Cashman made was about a prospect all fans are excited about: Aaron Judge. “He needs to continue to make improvements has he works his way up. He needs more reps in triple-A and if he continues his trajectory, he will have an impact in the future,” Cashman explained.
With Spring Training roughly a month away, Cashman has put together some very savvy moves to help a team strapped with a bunch of big contracts. I would expect a few other small moves, mostly minor league deals before pitchers and catchers report.
