At least Brian Cashman seems to have learned one lesson from Yankees postseason meltdown

The aftermath of the 2024 World Series has largely been an exercise in frustration for fans of the New York Yankees. Aaron Boone was brought back almost immediately after the final out of Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who spent a not-insignificant portion of their post-championship victory lap dunking on New York's sloppy brand of baseball. Rather than showing urgency to fix what went wrong in October, GM Brian Cashman has instead opted to stay the course, not just backing the current regime but even going out of his way to defend them in the face of all available evidence. It's enough to make you wonder whether anyone in the Bronx really understands what needs to happen to get this team over the hump.

But fans looking for glimmers of hope finally got it this week, with some news that finally suggests that Cashman is ready to solve some problems this offseason.

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Yankees GM Brian Cashman 'aggressive' in seeking bullpen help this offseason

Most of the focus at this week's GM Meetings has revolved around Juan Soto's free agency, and where the Yankees might stand in their pursuit of the superstar outfielder. Soto is obviously the biggest domino to fall this offseason, and whether he decides to stay or go will have a massive impact on New York's fortunes in 2025 and beyond.

But Soto isn't the only item on Cashman's to-do list. There are plenty of other roster holes that need to be filled, and Cashman appears to be getting the ball rolling on a big one: According to MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Yankees have been "among the most aggressive teams in speaking with reps for free-agent relievers" this week.

This is no doubt welcome news to any fan who had to sweat through repeated late-inning meltdowns, both in the ALCS and especially in the World Series. Boone's decision-making certainly didn't help, but it's also true that his list of trustworthy options was pretty small by the end of the year. And with three of those options (Clay Holmes, Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill) set to hit free agency, work needed to be done to rebuild this bullpen.

The good news is that there are plenty of directions that Cashman can go this winter. He could pursue a trade, with Brewers closer Devin Williams among those expected to be available. Or he could opt to throw money at the problem, with former Marlins lefty Tanner Scott, Phillies righty Jeff Hoffman, Dodgers setup man Blake Treinen and more on the market. Bringing Luke Weaver back will help, and the Yankees do have quite the track record when it comes to developing relief arms, but this needs to be a position that Cashman attacks early and often.