Brian Cashman is intereviewed over at No Maas today. Some good stuff in there, including this:
No Maas: During the offseason you stated that you wanted a right-handed OF on the bench to hit LHP, which is understandable considering Granderson’s track record versus lefties and that Brett Gardner is not yet proven. We advocated for Reed Johnson who is better against left-handed pitching than both Randy Winn and Marcus Thames. Why did you move in another direction?
CASH: We looked at Reed Johnson quite a bit. He’s a tremendous player. He smashes left-handed pitching. But he has had health issues.
This is how I looked at it. I just traded Melky Cabrera, I just traded Austin Jackson, I don’t have much outfield depth in the farm system…so my 4th outfielder has to have a history of playing full seasons. I need an everyday guy. My outfield depth is an area of weakness. I need someone my manager can turn to.
Randy Winn didn’t hit left-handed pitching this past season, but he has in previous seasons. He can play all the all the outfield positions, he can pinch hit, pinch run, steal a base for you….he gives you better coverage for our lack of outfield depth.
Reed Johnson plays like Brett Gardner. He plays hard. He plays really hard. He has make up. He has tenacity. Everything I want. He gets after it extremely hard, but I can’t afford any health issues with our lack of depth.
I really wrestled with some of these decisions, more so on the smaller ones than the bigger ones. But I have to give my manager more coverage. If someone gets hurt, I’ll be happy we have Randy Winn there.
Nice job by John Kreese. Kudos to No Maas for a good get.
Ha! I was just coming over to post this answer based on yesterday's discussion:
SJK: If the season were starting tomorrow, who would be your starting CF?
CASH: Curtis Granderson. But if Gardner proves our team is better with him in CF and he can be an everyday outfielder…he has a lot to show in a short amount of time in Spring Training. We believe he is better in CF and we believe Granderson would be terrific in LF. But, Granderson was acquired to be our everyday CF and that is our expectation.
Great work, indeed.
Hilarious interview too. Some of those questions took brass balls. Good for them.
By the way, that's pretty good analysis from the GM for the 4th OF position too. And of Montero:
Whether he stays behind the plate, is a first baseman, a rightfielder, a DH - that remains to be seen.
First time I've seen anyone mention RF.
[2] Makes sense - he supposedly has quite the arm. And the bat would obviously play there.
Its nice to see Cash thinking outside the box, or at the very least, knowing his audience for a NoMaas interview is going to be very interested in knowing just how the Yanks plan to get Montero's bat into the lineup everyday if he can't catch.
I was also very interested in Cashman's comment about this, regarding Hughes:
"We will mandate what his innings limits will be and Joe Girardi and Dave Eiland will have full authority on how they would manage those innings . . . They could truncate it at the beginning, it doesn't matter me. It only matters to me if they exceed their limits."
[1]
Ummm ... since when does the GM decide who starts where? Or is he just speaking on behalf of Girardi?
As a Matsui fan, I thought Cash's response to the quesion about not rewarding veterans for past performance was dismissive of Hideki's contributions. He did quite a bit more than have a hot week in October, and will likely give the Angels considerably more than that. I don't doubt Cashman knows this, but he gave a thoughtless answer, and Matsui deserves better than to be dismissed as a wash up who had one big postseason Series.
[5] I'm sure its not a matter of Cashman telling Girardi, "Joseph, I decree that Gardner is our starting centerfielder" and Girardi bows and says, "Yes, my master" - I imagine there is very much a collaborative process which involves Cashman giving his input and it being part of the decision-making process. After all, its his team too, and Cashman has just as much riding on the success or failure of the team as Girardi does.
That said, it would have been a great follow-up question for the Sensei to ask.
Great snag by Nomaas. Good to see the Yankees GM giving an interview to a blog, the blog asking tough questions and Cashman answering them.
[6] I don't think he was referring to Matsui with that quip, but the context was poor, so I agree. The reason to let Matsui go has nothing to do with sample size and everything to do with a very precarious set of knees.
[6] [9] Here's the whole Q & A:
"SJK: Over the last few years, it seems like the Yankees are becoming less inclined to pay players based on nostalgia and public opinion. For example, early in this offseason you said Hideki Matsui's World Series MVP wouldn't be a factor in your valuation of him. How has the decision-making process changed?
CASH: I will say that I've been educated about sample sizes and the true value of a player's abilities. If a player has a hot week in October, I don't think that necessarily gives you an idea of his abilities."
To me, Cashman skips right past the invitation to discuss Matsui, and goes right to a hot week in October not necessarily giving you an idea of a player's abilities. And he's right - recall that Jeff Weaver kicked ass in the 2006 Serious for the Cardinals, how well Scott Brosius hit in 1998, etc., etc. I see nothing in there about dismissing past performance of veterans.
I'd also add that the reason that Matsui did not return - it was his decision too! - was because the Angels have (supposedly) promised him a chance to play the OF, while the Yanks said no way, as william points out, because of his knees.
One other thing: No Maas's "Cashman as stealthy ninja meme" is getting beyond silly. And Cash seems to buy into it suggesting the secret to his success (i.e landing Teixeira) is streamlining his process, and working as secretly as possible. Don't most GMs try to avoid leaks (or manipulate them) -- but how many can afford to thow $180 million at a free agent first baseman?
Don't get me wrong. I think Cash is doing a fine job, and No Maas is a fun and informative site - but didn't the acquisition of Teix have more to do with the Yankees needs, and budget (as well as Teix's desire to play here) than Cashman's cunning deceit?
[9] he was asked about Matsui, so who else could he have been referring to?
[10] I wouldn't compare Hideki's 2009 W.S. to Weaver's '06, or Brosius's '98. Matsui was a much more consistent producer whose sucess or career can't be defined by one flash of postseason greatness. We'll see about his knees. I suspect they'll hold up well enough that his bat will be an asset to the Angels.
On Teixeira? No. The Sox were all over him and I'd venture Henry wouldn't have run from the table if they knew the Yankees were involved, especially after Sabathia and Burnett. No, Cashman took them totally by surprise and it was one instance when Boras was telling the Sox the truth that their offer wasn't enough.
I'd also venture that the Tigers could have probably gotten much more for Granderson had the Yankee interest been more obvious from the get go. Probably true of Vazquez too.
Maybe, maybe not. But all the leaks surely weren't helping and they weren't serving the purpose that other teams use them for - to drive up fan interest.
[12] It's his now rote response. He could have given a better answer ("the knees were a concern") but I wouldn't hold that statement against him, especially since he's not specifically referencing Matsui. You're criticizing based on context not on what he actually he said.
I guess this thread may be over, but I think there is a pretty clear explanation for why Cashman mentioned small sample size. He was asked specifically about Matsui, and even more specifically:
That's what the "hot week in October" was about. Hideki's WS MVP wasn't a factor, because it was an award for a hot week in October.
[15] Agreed.
[12] I'm not comparing Matsui to Weaver or Brosius - I'm just demonstrating that, like Cashman himself said, they way to value a player is not too overweight a hot week in October.
If anything Sliced, I think Cashman probably values Matsui as highly as you do - but I think to say the Yanks/Cashman let him go is somewhat unfair. Matsui clearly wants to play the OF again. The Yanks didn't want him to because of his knees. The Angels said they'd let him play the OF. Ergo, Matsui signs with the Angels.
All things being equal - and they weren't - I think Matsui comes back to the Bronx.
[16] The Angels said they'd consider letting Matsui play the field, depending on how his knees are holding up. He's going to mostly DH as I understand it.