It looks like the Yankee front office will stay together for at least a few more seasons:
Brian Cashman will return as the Yankees’ general manager. The Yankees announced Tuesday that Cashman has re-signed for three years with the only team for which he has worked. Cashman, who had been wavering about the decision for weeks, will address reporters at a news conference on Wednesday.
“I know I’ve said it before, but it’s an incredible opportunity and honor to hold the title of general manager for the New York Yankees,” Cashman said in a statement. “With it comes a great responsibility to ownership, the people who wear the uniform and our fan base. I’ve got a job to finish here. That’s the bottom line.
“I consider coming off a season where we didn’t reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993 as a personal challenge. I’ve never been one to run from a challenge, and I look forward to having the chance to go after this thing again.”
The Yankees’ hierarchy – including co-chairmen Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, as well as the team president Randy Levine – wanted Cashman to return. But the Yankees also wanted an answer quickly, because they face a busy off-season after missing the playoffs to end a 13-year streak.
Cashman, who was named general manager in 1998, must fortify a rotation that returns only one proven starter, Chien-Ming Wang. He also must find a way to revitalize an offense that underperformed this season.
Some of the elite free agents this winter include starters C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Derek Lowe, first baseman Mark Teixeira and second baseman Orlando Hudson.
Now, he just has to put together some decent deals.
