Yankees GM Brian Cashman goes to bat for players
In this file photo, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman listens as Gerrit Cole is introduced as the newest Yankees player during a baseball media availability, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019 in New York. Credit: AP/Mark Lennihan
It’s still too soon to determine if the Yankees truly have pulled out of their recent tailspin, even after Monday night’s 4-2 victory over the Mets. But the fact that general manager Brian Cashman chose to hold an impromptu news conference on this Subway Series stage — a mere 90 minutes before the first pitch at the Stadium — was an indication of just how dire things had become.
The losing was bad enough, and the Yankees have done plenty lately. But the past weekend’s events surely convinced Cashman that it was time to make a rare media appearance — for only the third time this season — in an attempt to shift the narrative. From manager Aaron Boone pounding the table during Saturday’s postgame news conference to Hal Steinbrenner getting booed on Paul O’Neill Day, Cashman felt the need to step up to a microphone again.
A few hours later, the GM’s show of faith was rewarded. Aaron Judge snapped his season-high nine-game homerless streak with No. 47 as the Yankees strung together back-to-back wins for the first time since July 30. As for making a statement against their crosstown rival, the Yankees aren’t quite thinking that big yet.
“The statement will be made if we’re standing at the end,” Boone said. “That’s where the statements come. We think we’re capable of being the best team in the world. That’s what we’re working to get to. If we play this brand of baseball, we’ll be in good shape.”
The Yankees hastily notified the media Monday afternoon about Cashman’s briefing roughly an hour before he planned to speak, scheduling him in the same room 20 minutes after Mets manager Buck Showalter. The first mistake was thinking Showalter would be finished within that time frame, but turns out he delayed him by only about 15 minutes.
And when Cashman did get his opportunity, the GM’s message wasn’t as pointed as a year ago, when he called those Yankees “unwatchable” — not long before they rallied in the second half to save their season.
On this occasion, despite an alarming downturn in which the Yankees dropped 14 of 18 entering Monday, Cashman chose to go the positive route.
“If you had a meter for testing commitment and caring and all that, it would be off the charts with that crew,” Cashman said. “I believe in this group. I know Aaron Boone believes in this group. I know our ownership believes in this group. It’s a good crew that’s dedicated, that’s hungry, that’s really talented — and that’s just happened to play poorly for a little longer than maybe we would have expected based on how we got out of the gates for the first three months. I’m not going to forget that.”
Problem is, too many of the Yankees’ paying customers have much shorter memories, as evidenced by the increasing boos.
Gerrit Cole and even Judge are hearing them, and after these all-too-frequent losses, the entire team gets razzed off the field before Sinatra kicks in with “New York, New York.”
While that seems extreme for a first-place team, it was a terrible look when boos rained down on Paul O’Neill Day at the sight of Steinbrenner and the mention of Cashman’s name.
“You get the bouquets come your way when things are flying high, and you get the slings and arrows when things aren’t going well,” Cashman said. “That’s just the nature of the beast — there is no in-between. And it’s our job to find a way to be flying high and make sure that the product out there is something that everybody’s excited about.”
To this point, Cashman’s effort to improve that product at the Aug. 2 trade deadline has not only failed but resulted in the opposite effect. Andrew Benintendi is building some momentum after Sunday’s homer and two RBIs in Monday’s win, but Frankie Montas (9.00 ERA) has pitched like the second coming of Sonny Gray. Reliever Scott Effross was placed on the IL before Monday’s game with a shoulder strain and Harrison Bader — obtained for Jordan Montgomery, who is 4-0 with a 0.35 ERA for the Cardinals after his one-hitter on Monday night — remains in a boot.
Cashman was asked if he has any second thoughts about his own deadline performance.
“Let’s get through our season and see where we finish,” he said. “I’m not going to jinx ourselves by guaranteeing anything. But once we’re in October and see how we play in October, I’ll be in a better position to answer that question.”
The Yankees had better make it pretty far or the booing will be nothing compared to the outrage that follows this winter.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
