I’m not one to care much about PR. Coaches and players have to say something to reporters after 162 games every year. They have to say something after a bad loss or tough performance, but they also aren’t going to embarrass their colleagues. I almost never want to read anything into the exact words that Aaron Boone or Gerrit Cole or whomever mentions to a few beat reporters after a loss.
But sometimes comments to the press are revealing. I think Brian Cashman’s press conference yesterday was one of those moments. Here is that press discussion, awkwardly held in the round on some random street:
A few reactions:
Cashman says that he thinks that the Yankees are pretty fucking good
This was an odd way to start the press conference. I’m split on whether to think about it as just something to say, or a true representation of what Cashman thinks about the team. Hal Steinbrenner started his press conference with essentially the opposite tone: he acknowledges that it was a disaster season and that a lot of things need to change. But maybe Cashman was just showing his employees that he had their back.
But when you dig deeper into the conversation, I think it is clear that Cashman is saying that the Yankees are doing just fine. He defends everything: the Yankees player development, approach to analytics, roster construction decisions, all of it. The impression that you get from Cashman is that the 2023 season was an aberration caused mostly by injuries, but he feels like they their front office has been successful from 2017-2022. Thus, big changes are not necessary. Let’s not overreact.
Obviously, I disagree. But I think we know Cashman’s position on the 2023 season.
Cashman Doesn’t Think There is a Player Development Problem
The most striking exchange between Cashman and the press came when one reporter asked if something was wrong about minor league hitting development. Cashman wouldn’t even entertain the premise of the question. He sharply bit back, saying that Anthony Volpe was a huge success as a hitter and maybe Oswaldo Cabrera was a disappointment. He didn’t even seem to consider any of Pereira, Peraza, Wells, Rortvedt or Florial as failures.
The first step to solving a problem is recognizing that the problem exists and deserves your scarce resources. I think it’s clear that Cashman does not think that the Yankees have a problem developing young hitters. Again, I disagree. But I wouldn’t expect any major changes out of the Yankees player development process.
Cashman Wants Two Left-Handed Hitting Outfielders
When asked what his goals were this offseason, Cashman mentioned that he wants to get two left-handed hitting outfielders. That makes sense. It doesn’t sound like they are planning to sit back and get by while Jasson Dominguez is healing. He doesn’t say much more about what types of outfielders.
The news here is that he doesn’t mention third base. He said that they have an surplus of infielders that he might trade from. I think the subtext here is that DJ LeMahieu is yours starting third basemen in 2024, possibly with a significant timeshare with Cabrera or Peraza. Don’t expect a Jeimer Candelario or Gio Urshela signing, or a big trade.
Big Picture
I think the big takeaway here is clear: Cashman thinks that a lot of the criticism of the Yankees is wrong. He might make some changes to the Yankees processes, but don’t expect huge changes. Don’t expect a huge roster turnover. Don’t expect a lot of people to get fired in the front office. Tweaks, not big punctuations.
I disagree pretty strongly with Cashman. But I think that we shouldn’t expect a long-entrenched general manager to be the guy to make big changes. He is who he is. If the Yankees wanted to make big changes, there were plenty of excellent GMs on the market this season.