The Yankees are once again riding the Brian Cashman Analytics Express in 2023, this time on a new four-year tour.
We’re barely past the All-Star Break and the man’s tenure continues to resemble the MTA. Hit or miss. Unreliable. Generally frustrating. The parade of disappointing adjectives doesn’t end.
In fairness, Aaron Judge missing almost two months with a toe injury isn’t the beleaguered general manager’s fault. He didn’t make the reigning MVP and heartbeat of his team run through a fence at Dodger Stadium.
But otherwise? Cashman’s only saving grace in 2023 is ace Gerrit Cole. Everything else has been a rolling, thundering reminder of his mistakes of the last five years.
Injuries derailed Josh Donaldson’s bounce-back season but it’s all right, 10 of his 15 hits being home runs justify the $21 million salary. Aaron Hicks got chance after chance before being released with three years left on his deal in June. He’s since had a renaissance in Baltimore.
Another injury-riddled and unproductive year for former MVP Giancarlo Stanton. Only four years, $118 million remaining. The lineup has been unproductive from top to bottom.
The cherry on top? Carlos Rodon was injured until July and is 0-3 with a 7.36 ERA in his first three starts as a Yankee after getting $162 million this offseason. He capped his latest disappointing performance by blowing a kiss to jeering fans as the Angels swept the Yankees in Anaheim. Not quite Jack McDowell giving the finger, but still not a good look.
We’re two weeks out from the trade deadline and the Yankees are expected to be buyers. But does it even matter? The lineup was barely hitting even when Judge was healthy. What does adding a different catcher or maybe Dylan Carlson accomplish?
It all comes back to Cashman, probably the most frustrating general manager in baseball. Any success in the post-Girardi era has been because of juiced baseballs, overachieving, or both. His roster moves make perfect sense on paper and subsequently fail miserably on the field.
Donaldson and Hicks are just the tip of an iceberg of disappointing acquisitions. Beneath them are even more random names to don the pinstripes. Neil Walker. Frankie Montas. Brian McCann and too many more to name.
All signs point to Cashman scapegoating manager Aaron Boone and picking a successor, and that accomplishes nothing. If anything, Boone has done a good job succeeding despite Cashman and his continued mistakes.
We’ll instead hope Cashman continues to break out of his comfort zone and dig the Yankees out of last place. He’s out of touch, but just good enough at the job to at least finish out this contract.
Because to be honest, what’s three more years of gambling on upside compared to 14 without a World Series?
