Brian Cashman Talks About Yankees Role In World Series

Was it sheer luck or blind fate that two ex-Yankees relief pitchers would square off for a World Series title only months after being dealt away from their former club?

On Thursday evening in New York City, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman was in attendance for the 22nd Annual Lou Gehrig Sports Awards Benefit. Merely hours after the 2016 World Series had wrapped up, Cashman was asked to speak about his involvement in the blockbuster trades that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs and Andrew Miller to the Indians. Cashman shied away from taking any of the credit bestowed upon the teams that did the bulk of the work reaching baseball’s biggest stage.

“Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, they gave everything they had and then some. They went above and beyond on behalf of their teams,” Cashman said. “That’s a big reason why their teams were where they were and that they were all playing in Game 7. Very special, talented individuals that obviously earned the right to have a lot of accolades thrown their way, to be performing under that type of pressure. That’s why the Chicago Cubs stepped up and that’s why the Cleveland Indians stepped up at the trade deadline when we thought we had to do what we did, to give up the present to have a better future.

“We have to wait on that from our end and wait for our future to be delivered down the line,” Cashman added. “But they certainly got what they bargained for in the present. Epic world champion effort by the Cubs and the Indians, although I wish we were in there fighting it out ourselves.”

Both Chapman and Miller were absolute workhorses for their respective clubs during the Postseason, as Chapman pitched in 12 contests for 15.2 innings, as compared to Miller’s 19.1 innings in 10 appearances.

Next: Bring Me Nolan Arenado

Regardless of the fact the Chicago Cubs were the last team standing when the dust settled from one of the most intense World Series battles of all-time, both clubs cannot be mad about the large haul of Minor League prospects they gave up on Aug 1 to acquire two of the games most elite late inning relief pitchers.