Yankees November Approval Poll: Brian Cashman

Dec 1, 2022 - 6:00 PM

Ah, December. The temperatures are dropping, students are fretting over exams, and Mariah Carey blasts fifty times a day through every store in the mall while you get an early jump on your holiday shopping. You know what that means? That’s right, it’s time for our monthly ritual here at Pinstripe Alley, where we ask you, our dear readers, to tell us your thoughts on Yankees “Not technically under contract but still acting as general manager anyway” Brian Cashman.

As Peter noted in our last round, this year has been quite a rollercoaster for Cashman in the eyes of the fanbase, as anger and disgust over the refusal to add an impact shortstop gave way to euphoria about the team’s historic start to the season. August’s collapse turned this excitement to anger, however, and while the pitchforks were briefly put away after the team rebounded in September, a noncompetitive ALCS exit in October led to their return, as the Yankees GM ended the year with just an 18 percent approval rating.

So, how did the month of November shape out? A lot happened, and yet at the same time, it felt like nothing happened. The Houston Astros, to the chagrin of literally everybody not from the city of Houston, beat the Philadelphia Phillies to claim their first World Series trophy in the post-trash can era. Several Yankees were honored with awards — Jose Trevino won both the AL Platinum Glove (and the Gold Glove for his work behind the plate), DJ LeMahieu received the first-ever AL Utility Gold Glove for his defensive prowess at multiple positions, and Aaron Judge took home his first career AL MVP and third career Silver Slugger.

With the 2022 season firmly in the rearview mirror, the 2022-2023 offseason got underway. Anthony Rizzo opted out, joining Judge, Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton, Andrew Benintendi, Jameson Taillon, Chad Green, Miguel Castro, Marwin González, and Matt Carpenter on the free agent market, with Rizzo and Judge both receiving (and rejecting) qualifying offers. Within an hour of Rizzo officially rejecting the QO, however, he re-signed with the team with a two-year, $36 million contract with a club option for 2025.

The deadline to non-tender players came next, and the team tendered a contract to everybody on the roster (although they did, technically, waive Stephen Ridings and Tim Locastro beforehand to free up space), adding multiple prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Later in the month, the team claimed reliever Junior Fernández off waivers from the Pirates, hoping to cash in on another hard-throwing sinkerballer (since the last one, Clay Holmes, has worked out pretty well so far).

The news that everyone has been waiting for, however, has yet to materialize: Aaron Judge is still a free agent. Sure, rumors abound — the San Francisco Giants brought him in for a visit the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and Jeff Passan reported yesterday that the Yankees had offered Judge a record-breaking eight year, $300 million contract that would give him the highest annual salary for a position player in MLB history — but words are wind. While there’s plenty of reason for Yankees fans to be optimistic that the team won’t let their biggest star walk, at the moment, he’s still out there, blowing in the wind.

And so, once more, we turn the question over to you: do you approve of the job “Yankees GM” Brian Cashman has been doing early this winter? Vote in the poll, and then let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.