Yankees: Four Takeaways From Spring Training 2017 So Far

Brian Cashman Knows Best

If there’s one thing that should be clear in Hal Steinbrenner’s mind, it should be that he jumps at the chance to give Brian Cashman an extension when his contract expires at the end of the 2017 season.

The talent that Cashman has assembled for the Yankees is bearing witness in Spring Training that this guy, despite all the credit given to Theo Epstein and his Chicago Cubs, knows what he’s doing.

His shrewdness alone in pulling off the deal with Epstein that sent Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs as a rental last July, in return for Gleyber Torres, Billy McKinney, and Adam Warren is proof of that. And then to turn around and sign Chapman away from the Cubs in November only serves to hammer home the point.

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Seriously, has he made one mistake in the last year and a half? Maybe the Chris Carter deal was a bit of overkill, but even on that one, what did it cost the Yankees?

And despite outcries from everywhere, including some from this writer, to expedite Gleyber Torres through the farm system, Cashman is more than likely doing the smart thing instead of the expedient one. Torres will benefit from a full season in the minors, and this ultimately means that the Yankees and their fans will too.

Ditto all the other prospects in the system like McKinney, Jorge Mateo, Miguel Andujar, and even Mason Williams. They’ll only get better and their chances to make the team in 2018 will be significantly better than they are now.

Next: Yankees Fans: Are You Willing To Be Super Patient In 2017

Sometimes, as in the case of Cashman’s refusal to add a quality starter to the staff, either through free agency or a trade, can be frustrating and exasperating. But the one thing we can be sure of with Cashman is that he has a plan, and that plan is probably better than yours or mine.