Meet the Steinbrenners

 

It seems New York Yankee general manager Brian Cashman didn’t know what he was getting into when he signed a three-year contract extension in 2005 to remain with the Yankees through 2008. Now, under the ownership of Hank and Hal Steinbrenner, the major league’s most powerful executive has been relegated to more of an advisory role when he was promised autonomy over the baseball operations department at the time of the extension.Cashman notes, “When I signed up with this current three-year deal, and this is the last year of it, it was with full authority to run the entire program. George had given me that. But things have changed in this third year now with the emergence of Hal and Hank Steinbrenner and that started this winter…So I’m focused fully on doing everything I possibly can to assist them in their emergence now as decision makers.” Hank has made that very clear, “I always told [Cashman], `I’m going to make the final decisions because when you’re the owner you should.’ He is the general manager, and he has the right to talk me out of it and he has talked me out of some things.” I agree with Hank to an extent, but nothing screams meddling-owner like a statement like this. I’m of the opinion leave the baseball to the baseball men, leave the business to the businessmen. There is a lot of careful consideration that goes on in making these decisions, sometimes calculating dollars in the tens of millions, sometimes calculating expectations to the single run.

There was a time, not so long ago (2004), that it seemed like Cashman had been relegated to a similar advisory role. You know how that ended up? They signed a 35 year-old Gary Sheffield over a 28 year-old Vladimir Guerrero. They also signed Tony Womack, then 35, to a two-year deal–he ended up as their left-fielder, at one point–remember that? They ate that contract when they traded the disgruntled Womack to the Cincinatti Reds.

The fact is, Brian Cashman is very good at what he does. It seemed, for a very short while (2005-2006), that the Yankees, with their thin farm system and aging expensive team, might come back to earth and finally miss the play-offs. It almost happened in 2007. The Yankees survived and begun to produce players of value from their farm system and with the importance of player development re-established, they will continue to do so. With $200 million, they don’t need to fill their 25-man roster on young guns alone.

For that reason, it must come as a surprise to have to answer to a higher power all of a sudden. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, if it hampers their pursuit of Johan Santana or any future plans. Things will begin to get tricky in the coming seasons as the offensive nucleus, including Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui, get into their mid and late thirties and get very expensive. It will take some careful maneuvering and Cashman, now at the end of his contract, may not stick around to see it all through.