Yankees GM Brian Cashman insists he has “no regrets” with the team he put together in 2019. Kind of rubs the wrong way…
The team leader of the Yankees, Aaron Judge, touched the soul of most fans when he said, ” No matter how many games we won in the regular season or what else we did, this season is a failure.” Is that not an accurate assessment of another season that fell short?
Not so fast, because Yankees GM Brian Cashman has a different take, and he’s not backing down.
Cashman’s hair was raised a bit when, during his annual season-ending press conference, a reporter asked him a question about his inability to add to the starting staff at the trade deadline.
A fair question, and one that he has been asked many times. Except that this time, Cashman cut the questioner off with a terse, “I didn’t pass on them.” As though on the witness stand, he then went on to document each instance where he declined on an available pitcher, even tracing back to the Yankees’ failure to sign Patrick Corbin (the Nationals offered more money).
“You can’t always get what you want,” Cashman added. Really? Since when?
Cashman: A Detachment From The Fan Base
Somehow, Brian Cashman has lost touch with the New York Yankees. He’s in a total disconnect with Yankees fans, and not only is this out of character for Cashman, but it might be seen as a sign he is getting a bit worn on the job.
In character for Cashman should have been to echo the sentiments of his star player, insisting he has to do a better job for the 2020 season.
From there, it’s an easy transition to the usual talking points we have grown accustomed to – budget constraints, making sure we add players who are a “good fit” on the team, etc.
When a Yankees General Manager insists he has “no regrets” when the fires of disappointment are still burning, there is a reason for concern among Yankees fans.
Many of us taunted Derek Jeter because he couldn’t live with a season that didn’t end with a Championship – despite the five rings he had. But that is the Yankees spirit and the reason for its being – to win!
Anything less, including the two 100-win seasons in a row, is a pure rationalization for failure.
The Yankees Do Not Make Excuses
As Yankees fans, most of us can live with failure. There can be a team better than we are. But we cannot live with the denial of failure.
And that, in a nutshell, is what rubs the wrong way about Cashman’s assessment of the Yankees season.
He’s right – you can’t always get what you want. But you don’t step down a notch by saying it aloud as the spokesman for the New York Yankees.
It’s an excuse and something Aaron Judge walks away from, as does Aaron Boone and everyone in the Yankees clubhouse who put their heart and soul into the 2019 season.
Will Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner permit the Yankees to be outbid by the Nationals or some other team when Gerrit Cole comes on the free-agent market? Stephen Strasburg, when he opts out of his contract as he’s expected to – him too?
Shame on you, Brian. Get back in the saddle. Most of us would rather believe you just had a bad day…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
