Yankees’ Girardi, Cashman safe with top prospects in pipeline
You want a concrete prediction about what’s ahead for the New York Yankees this summer? Sorry, the range of possible outcomes is just too vast. For every baseball executive who imagines a bestcase scenario of, say, 86 wins and a run at the wild card, there’s a concurrent reminder of an uglier flip side.
That is, the Yankees are young, mostly unproven and will have to contend with a superior Boston Red Sox roster. Throw in a couple of injuries, and the scenario turns into a wasteland. “I could easily see 76 ( wins),” one scout said last week. “I like where the Yankees are going down the road, but I’mnot sold on them for this year.”
That raises a second, salient question. If the long- term trend line is as good as everyone agrees, does that give general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi a pass for 2017? Both are in the final year of their respective contracts, and in any other scenario it’d be fair to say they’re on the hot seat.
The Bombers, after all, haven’t won a postseason game since 2012, a slump that’s occurred while the Mets have ascended across town. But no one thinks Cashman is in trouble. The Steinbrenner family loves him, and the efficiency and effectiveness of last summer’s overhaul should be enough to earn him another contract. Thanks to Cashman’s willingness to trade Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran in 2016, the Bombers now have one of the industry’s best farm systems.
Girardi is safe, too, or least should be. It’s hard to believe he won’t get the chance to manage all those prospects who’ll be auditioned this year and should be ready for what’s supposed to be the start of a golden era in 2018.
Of course, it’s still possible the Yankees could tank, as that worst- case scenario suggests. But even 70- plus wins wouldn’t necessarily doom Girardi if he was still in control of the clubhouse. His relationship with the players will ultimately determine whether Girardi sticks around for the next generation of Yankees and becomes a modern- day Joe McCarthy, who managed the Bombers for 16 seasons between 1931- 46.
Girardi is beginning his 10th year after replacing Joe Torre in 2007. He came to the job with a reputation for hard work and preparation, but he’s since developed a distinct set of strengths and weaknesses.
Girardi takes his work seriously, gives off an air of competence, uses advanced metrics to his advantage and treats his players the same — no one gets special favors. Given the Yankees’ - 22 run- differential last year, he deserves high marks for squeezing out 84 wins.
But Girardi’s one- size- fits- all policy has proved to work against his relationship with older players. Torre knew how to inspire loyalty from those who could help him most in the clubhouse, notably Derek Jeter andMariano Rivera. Girardi hasn’t had the same luck; Jeter kept him at arm’s length, as did Rivera.
Alex Rodriguez was among Girardi’s strongest supporters — until it became obvious the slugger had lost his bat speed and didn’t belong in the lineup anymore. A- Rod turned against Girardi the moment he found himself on the bench. At least there was a point in which Rodriguez and Girardi got along. The chemistry with Mark Teixeira was bad across the board.
But all that’s behind the Yankees; the current rebuild is the main reason Girardi is poised to have a successful season in 2017. He’s at his best with younger players, who are more impressionable and thus, more responsive to Girardi’s emphasis on work, preparation and watch- what- you- say policy with the media.
Girardi, of course, could help himself with a better sense of humor. Girardi doesn’t have to play Game 7 of theWorld Series every night. The constant churning has a corrosive effect on his players, who take that anxiety with them to the batter’s box.
Still, it’s unrealistic to think Girardi is going to change. Put it this way: He is almost 50 and still sports a tight crew cut. It’s all you need to know about his management style. But that’s not to say Girardi won’t do a fine job nurturing Gary Sanchez over a full season and reassuring Greg Bird that he doesn’t have to make up for a lost year all at once. Those are just two examples of how Girardi’s serious demeanor will benefit the club.
The real test comes in 2018 and beyond. That’s when the Yankees will start looking for a dividend. Until then, Cashman and Girardi aren’t going anywhere.