Brian Cashman's regrettable media session at GM Meetings says everything about current Yankees

For whatever reason, the younger generation of Yankees fans think any complaints against Brian Cashman are tone-deaf screeds because (in their mind?) there's no reason to criticize a very good front office executive. But that's hardly the issue.

Cashman's been with the Yankees since 1986. He's been top decision maker since 1998. The Yankees have one championship in the last 25 years — the same number as the Angels. It's Cashman's repeated ineffective processes and poor relaying of information to the media that send many Yankees fans into an apoplectic state.

Some don't see it that way, and that's OK. Everybody has their own perspective. So if you love Cashman, wholeheartedly believe in this front office, and believe every word he says, feel free to exit this window of your browser.

At the GM Meetings in Las Vegas — the last such meaningful get-together before the lockout takes hold on Dec. 1 — Cashman held a lengthy media session with reporters to follow up the Yankees' cowardly end-of-season Zoom press conference. The all-time corporate escape: going remote only when it suits the suits.

Cashman spoke on a number of topics. And hey, we'll give him credit for addressing them and being as candid as his personality allows him to be. But once again, Yankees fans feel like the mark has been missed by a wide margin.

We'll go in no particular order. Starting with the Jorge Posada situation, Cashman issued a response to the Yankees legend's comments about not feeling welcome when he's been around the team. And while Cashman said he spoke with Posada and insisted he's open-minded on ways to improve, he actually had the gall to compare Posada and the Dynasty Years to this current limp iteration of the Yankees.

"He was able to win five World Series titles. But there's a lot of years he wasn't able to push through with his teammates and stuff like that." What does that even mean? The Yankees are currently in their longest championship drought in franchise history and Cashman is trying to remind us that Posada wasn't standing atop the baseball world for 12 of his 17 MLB seasons? Maybe that's not what he meant, but that's sure what it sounds like! Posada lost many times. Everybody loses many times. The 2010-2026 Yankees have lost every time.

Also, if the Yankees are so open-minded and always available for a conversation, then why are so many former players feeling a certain way or have distanced themselves from the organization?

Next up: fundamentals! We love this conversation, don't we? Anybody with barely serviceable vision knows the Yankees lack in this department. Their defense is largely poor, from an athletic standpoint and a baseball instinct/preparation standpoint. Argue against it all you want. It's the reason they were eliminated in two of the past three postseasons. Their at-bats leave a lot to be desired, most notably how they get less and less competitive when the stakes are higher. Their ability to build a productive bench over the last six years has been horrid for the most part.

But again, Cashman thinks it's all hogwash that anybody has something to say about it. Why? Because one of the Yankees' coaches got poached this offseason and also because he tries really hard every year to diagnose what's wrong. Our rebuttal? Nobody's sitting here saying Cashman is twiddling his thumbs and unwilling to improve the Yankees. The larger conversation is that Cashman and the people he surrounds himself with do not have the solutions. They've communicated they are trying. The results aren't there.

In the Posada response, Cashman admitted the Yankees have been good but not great. Yet, in the same breath, he's denying the fact the team isn't fundamentally sound and insists the "smaller details" are constantly being examined. Maybe that's the case. But there's been no tangible evidence to suggest any of that outside the Yankees improving their athleticism/baserunning over the last couple years. The problem with that? They didn't get on base enough to see the desired results! They ranked 24th in on-base percentage in 2026.

On that same note, analytics as well as roster/lineup construction were other topics that came up. Cashman had a snarky response to all of that, of course, suggesting that it's "impossible" to construct a lineup of "the best f---ing hitters you can get that can play great defense and run perfect baserunning."

Again, nobody is asking for a roster of All-Stars and a lineup of future Hall of Famers. Fans just don't want Trent Grisham leading off for 50% of the season in addition to the 6-9 spots in the lineup comprised of some of the worst hitters in the league.

And lastly, the Yankees revealed their hand with how future payrolls/expenditures are going to look like. Cashman said both Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya were let go from their positions in the front office because of a "tough decision" he had to make with "costs continuing to stretch".

Ah, yes, we see the private equity has already gotten to work here. Trimming those costs at the expense of ... well, it doesn't matter! Time to cut back anywhere possible after restructuring debt. We're sure life after this lockout/salary cap discussion will be as constructive as ever for a Yankees team that has misappropriated funds more times than not via free agency/trades since 2012.

So there you have it. More of the same. Nothing inspiring. Hardly admitting fault. Gaslighting the fanbase. And using the guise of "trying" as an excuse to try and shield rightful criticism.

Hat tip to Cashman for spending this much time with the media. But as always, the Yankees PR machine reigns supreme. The power structure remains in place whether fans like it or not, and there's no end in sight to any of it.

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