Yankees’ postseason exit should signal end of Brian Cashman era

With the Toronto Blue Jays knocking the New York Yankees out of the postseason on Wednesday night time, it is clear that the Yankees, when the October lights hit, are as soon as once more not among the many elite groups in Major League Baseball. Nobody is extra responsible for that than senior vice chairman and common supervisor Brian Cashman.

Cashman is the longest-serving GM in Yankees historical past and has the longest tenure amongst his MLB friends, serving in his position since 1998. Throughout that point, the Yankees have racked up greater than 2,500 regular-season wins and earned 4 World Sequence titles.

It is a formidable historical past, however it’s additionally one that ought to include a little bit of nuance as properly.

The final World Sequence win for the Yankees got here in 2009, and the storied franchise has been again to the Fall Basic simply as soon as since then, falling quick towards the Los Angeles Dodgers final yr. Round that one World Sequence look has been quite a few postseason disappointments with gifted groups and hefty payrolls, together with this yr’s Yankees workforce that has the fourth-highest energetic payroll amongst all 30 MLB groups, per Spotrac.

Commerce-deadline failures ought to doom Yankees’ Brian Cashman

Errors made at this yr’s commerce deadline might properly have been the ultimate straw for Cashman’s reign. Buying and selling for relievers David Bednar, Jake Fowl and Camilo Doval to strengthen the again finish of the bullpen has backfired horribly for New York, with Fowl lasting simply 2.0 innings in a Yankees uniform earlier than being demoted to Triple-A.

Whereas Bednar has rounded into kind not too long ago, posting a 2.08 ERA in his 4 postseason appearances masking 4.1 innings, none of Cashman’s different trade-deadline acquisitions have made severe impacts or fully dealt with the 2 positions have been the Yankees have been struggling (third base and reduction pitching).

Seeing the weaknesses is one factor. With the ability to repair them is one other, as Cashman has proved once more this season is less complicated stated than completed.

Cashman’s contract runs by means of subsequent season, and it might be simple for the Yankees simply to trip it out for yet one more yr and hope every thing falls in place for one more World Sequence run. Nevertheless, if the Yankees really need some form of change, appearing now relatively than ready might sign a brand new course for the franchise in time for what might be a pivotal offseason.

For many franchises, Cashman’s observe document could be untouchable. However for the Yankees, the place the usual is championships, 15-plus years with no title regardless of large spending represents failure to fulfill organizational expectations. A contemporary perspective is likely to be precisely what’s wanted for the Yankees to return to championship glory.