MLB: Ranking the Top 10 General Managers in Baseball
By Robby Sabo
6. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees
- 2015 Payroll: $216,472,857 – 2nd in MLB
- Assumed Position: February 3, 1998
- Yankees Accomplishments: 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009 World Series Champions
Let’s admit something right now. New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has talent. Let’s also admit he is by far the toughest general manager to rank on this list.
Because of his unlimited resources, Cashman has literally been given an advantage no other general manager has been afforded (up until Dodgers new ownership). For most of his tenure, baseball payrolls have been grouped with the Yankees in one category while the rest of the league toiled in the other.
He comes in at No. 6 on our list for a reason.
First of all, you can’t ignore four championships. While he was afforded the opportunity to go hog-wild after the disappointment that was 2008, he did spend the money wisely (Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, Nick Swisher).
He’s also had a few gems to call his own, namely Robinson Cano and Dellin Betances.
The reason the man doesn’t finish higher on the list is simply because the first three titles on his name weren’t directly built by him. Instead, it was Gene “Stick” Michael and Buck Showalter who created those great Yankee teams.
Michael and Showalter were afforded the opportunity when George Steinbrenner was suspended early in the decade. What resulted was a core of Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettitte – and four championships.
As we look at the 2015 Yankees, Cashman is no dummy.
If he had the opportunity to strip the Yanks personnel down right now and reload, he would do so (see the 2013 Red Sox). This would allow some of his youngsters – like Aaron Judge, Greg Bird and Luis Severino – to come up to the majors and feel their way around for a season.
The problem is Hal Steinbrenner simply won’t allow any Yankees team to project no hope for a single season – despite how crippling it becomes to the future of the franchise. It continues to clog every position with overpaid, overvalued veterans.
Because there are so many variables with Cashman, it’s difficult to know where he truly fits on this list.
Next: No. 5