Baseball Musings: Drezner on Cashman

May 28, 2007

Drezner on Cashman

Although Dan comes from this point of view as a Red Sox fan, I have to agree with the last two paragraphs of this post:

Please, please, pretty please with sugar on top, let George fire Cashman. He's made some short-term mistakes as GM (I believe Cashman is officially the only person in the known universe who believed that Carl Pavano would be healthy all season -- and this includes Pavano). Long-term, however, he's started to restock the farm system and shed grumpy old ballplayers. The best thing that could happen to the long-term plans of the Red Sox is if Steinbrenner fires Cashman in favor of a Steinbrenner toady. At that point, I bet you that the new GM would trade Philip Hughes, Jose Tabata, and Melky Cabrera for Johan Santana.
In which case, there will be seven fat years for the Sox, and seven lean years for the Yankees.

Posted by David Pinto at 04:40 PM | Management | TrackBack (0)

Comments

I hope the Yankees don't get rid of Cashman, imagine what they would do if they had a competent GM. You think he's a good GM because the Yankees actually have a few prospects (who haven't done a thing at the major league level yet)? Remember, this is a guy who passed on both Vlad and Beltran, preferring other, worse options. I fear the day when the Yankees actually hire someone who knows what they are doing. Although I'm sure Yankee fans would like that.

Posted by: Tom at May 28, 2007 07:01 PM

It's interesting to hear people speak of Steinbrener as if he's some out of control fool. Cashman wanted complete control--he got it. Trading old guys for young prospects was great--problem is he took other peoples damaged goods. 40 million for Igawa, Pavano, trade grumpy Sheffield to Tigers--now #1 offense to go with young pitching. Get Sanchez in return surgery time--admits knowing it at time. Other than Bruney who has he acquired?
There are consequences for poor performance when you work in results oriented environment.

Posted by: Mark at May 28, 2007 07:31 PM

Actually Cashman didn't pass on Vlad. Steinbrenner wanted Sheffield and made Cashman sign him instead although he did pass on Beltran which clearly was a mistake.

Posted by: Matt at May 28, 2007 08:03 PM

Mark, Steinbrener isn't a true nut, but he have a pretty long history of making moves completely out of complusion.

Your right that this is a result oriented busniess, which is why Cashman probably will get hooked without a big comeback, but did that mean he didn't make reasonable moves or knew what he was doing?

As for the kids, Cano / Wang /Melky last year combined for 53 win share and 24 above average, if that's not result, what is?

We could look back this year's off season with hindsignt and think he's a fool, but without it? Abreu vs Sheff, Abreu's much younger, around the same career line and not nearly as much of an ass and a lot healtheir and both cost the same, how on earth do you argue that they shoulda kepted Sheff?

Igawa vs other options, he got beat on Matsuzaka, though i highly doubt you would have agreed at that time that Yankees should have throw 60M in the big for Matsuzaka. Lilly 's career isn't nearly as good as you might think. (career ops+ 101, never pitched 200 innings, walks a lot of guys and 4 years older ) was Igawa a gamble? sure, but was he a gamble that made some sense? he was a guy who's less than a year older than Matsuzaka and his career in Japan saw his ERA ony .20 points higher while having a better K/BB ratio than Dick-k

it's easy to say things with hindsight, but at the time those decisions were made, it's hard to see why Cashman should have gone differently. even Carl Pavano, of the guys in his range at that time (Clement and Lowe) he had the best season AND was the healthiest of the 3 (yes there was a time when Pavano pitched 2 strait years of 200IP!)AND the Youngest, Clement was a disastor as well, and i'm not quiet sure if Lowe would have lived up to his contract if he pitched in the AL east instead of the NL west

Posted by: RollingWave at May 28, 2007 08:37 PM

And the guy who never entered the bidding for Bartolo Colon, because trading prospects for the can't miss Javier Vasquez was clearly the right move. He is rebuilding depth in the farms system, is anyone in baseball not? He is batting .200 at best in his pro player evaluations, and you guys think that merits a job anywhere in baseball? Please! Minky at first? Nice job backing up the aging catcher. Has anyone done less with that payroll? Half that payroll? Seems like a swell guy, but his rep is all press. He will not be missed.

Posted by: abe at May 28, 2007 08:39 PM

Even as a Red Sox fan, I disagree that Steinbrenner's an insane old fool (old yes, insane maybe, but fool? NO) and Cashman's blameless. Sure, Cashman's been hamstrung by the suits in Tampa, but he's made more than his fair share of mistakes, as pointed out by other writers here. Sure, he was forced to skip over Vlad and go for Sheff, but he was the one who decided not to pursue Beltran while throwing money after Wright and Pavano. He overpaid for Damon and althought it looked like the Red Sox had made a mistake there, look who's laughing now with Damon practically breaking down in front of our eyes. The trades for Vazquez et al has been mentioned here already. Sure, Theo has made his own sure of mistakes GMing for Boston too, but Cashman's made more. So I do agree with Steinbrenner, Cashman wanted full control, he got it, but he doesn't have much to show for it. So if he's fired, you can't really argue.

Posted by: Yamen at May 28, 2007 08:51 PM

Cashman is a nice guy Catholic U ballplayer. He got his Yankee job because his father ran Steinbrenner's Ocala. FL horse farm. Cashman may have passed on Bartolo Colon but so did Red Sox GM Epstein who wouldn't give Shea Hillenbrand up for Colon but instead traded Hillenbrand to Colorado for the immortal Boom Boom Kim.

Posted by: Bob S at May 30, 2007 08:02 PM

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