Yankees general manager Brian Cashman told reporters this morning that he’s agreed to a new contract. The final details aren’t official, but Cashman said the deal is in place.
With manager Aaron Boone also returning next season, the Yankees will run it back with both their on-field leader and their head man in the front office. New York earned the top AL Wild Card spot and cruised past Boston in the Wild Card round. The club was swept in the ALDS by the Rays, the eventual AL pennant winner.
Cashman is the longest-tenured front office leader in the game. He’s been the Yankees’ GM since 1998. His most recent contract ran from 2023 through this season. Given his longevity in the organization and the success over the years, a contract extension doesn’t come as much of a surprise. New York’s lack of interest in extensions is likely the main reason the deal didn’t come together until the conclusion of the previous contract.
The Yankees have been knocked out in the divisional round in each of the past two seasons. They’ve lost to the AL’s World Series representative both times. Owner Hal Steinbrenner did not place blame on Boone or Cashman for the team coming up short, instead citing a lack of offense. “I don’t think you can pin the season and the unacceptable end to it on Aaron [Boone],” Steinbrenner told reporters (h/t Greg Joyce of the New York Post). “I don’t think you can pin it on [Brian Cashman].”
After hanging nine runs in both games against the Red Sox, the Yankees’ lineup scored just five times in three matchups versus the Rays. That included a Game 1 shutout in which Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning. New York had more players with errors (4) than hits (3) in a sloppy Game 2 loss.
The offensive outage wasn’t just in the postseason. After Aaron Judge went down at the end of May, the Yankees ranked 25th in scoring over the next three months. They were tied with the Angels for the worst wRC+ in the league from June through August. Judge’s return didn’t last long, but New York did improve to middle-of-the-pack at the plate in September.
Cashman will face a handful of interesting decisions this offseason. Closer David Bednar and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. are free agents. Both could be candidates to receive a qualifying offer, though that burned the Yankees with Trent Grisham this year. Cashman could look to improve an aging pitching staff that dealt with a ton of injuries this past season. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Max Fried are in their mid-30s. Clarke Schmidt is entering his age-31 season.
The team will also have to sort out the health of Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Judge pushed to return from a calf injury in the postseason but never made it back on the field. Stanton missed almost the entire regular season with lower leg issues, but did appear in the playoffs. If both are healthy, the lineup configuration could get tricky with Luis Garcia Jr. and Ben Rice also in the mix for first base/DH playing time.
Jack Curry of YES Network was among the first to report Cashman’s comments about the new contract.
Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images
