Cashman: Joe and I would love to be back

On last night's episode of "Yankees Hot Stove" on the YES Network, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman expressed his and manager Joe Girardi's desire to stay with the team after their contracts expire at the end of the year. "Certainly I know that (Joe would) love to be back and I'd love to be back," Cashman said. "And I think if we have some positive things take place hopefully we will have that opportunity. But that's all for another day. We control the here and now and our decision-making." Cashman has been the Yankees general manager since 1998 and an employee of the organization since 1986, when he started out as an intern in the minor league scouting department. He signed a three-year deal in October 2014, but only recently was given the opportunity to construct the team to his liking. Last July, after plenty of convincing on Cashman's part, Hal Steinbrenner allowed him to trade proven veterans Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran for prospects, thus starting a "rebuilding" era in the Bronx. As for Girardi, 2017 will be his tenth season as Yankees manager. Sandwiched between his first season in 2008 and the down year that was 2013 are four fantastic seasons; the Yankees won the 2009 World Series, three A.L. East titles and appeared in the 2010 and 2012 American League Championship Series. But since then, the Yankees have been in a transition period as they've said goodbye to the Core Four while trying to strengthen their farm system and cut payroll. It's hard to imagine another manager leading the Yankees to winning seasons in each of the last four years, which Girardi has done despite sub-.500 pythagorean records in 2013, 2014 and 2016. He's also credited for working well with young players, and the Yankees will have their youngest roster in years in 2017 with the likes of Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge and Greg Bird expected to receive significant playing time. Having just started the rebuilding process last summer, Cashman will very likely be retained for at least the 2018 season. By letting him sell at the trade deadline, Steinbrenner effectively committed to giving Cashman a few seasons to turn the Yankees into championship contenders again. As for Girardi, his future with the Yankees isn't set in stone. After nine years at the helm, Yankees fans have been clamoring for change and that feeling will intensify if Girardi fails to lead this young team to prosperity. It's also well-known in professional sports that no matter how successful, a coach's message can get stale and fail to resonate with players, creating the need for a new voice in the clubhouse. The Yankees clearly still like Girardi, but they need to decide if he's the manager they want to lead this next generation of players.