If Yankees won't fire Brian Cashman, there's still 1 obvious way to improve front office

It's become painfully obvious in recent weeks that Hal Steinbrenner really does view Yankees GM Brian Cashman as a member of his family. Despite a stunning failure rate on big-money moves from 2020-2023 (if not before that), Cashman's job does not appear to be at risk at the conclusion of the season.

But, if Steinbrenner won't consider dismissing Cashman, he should at least weigh the optics of something in between. Perhaps ... an elevation to "higher position" that takes the meat of the decision-making off his plate?

Luckily, there's an impressive executive with Yankees ties whose GM contract somewhat secretly expires at the end of the 2023 season: Kim Ng of the Marlins.

Ng has built a playoff contender with a limited budget in Miami around homegrown pitching and shrewd acquisitions like Luis Arraez and Jake Burger, trading from a surplus to achieve roster balance (listening, Cash?). It seems her deal expires after the 2023 season, and Marlins owner Bruce Sherman reportedly prefers to "focus on the club's playoff chase" rather than entertain an extension in-season.

If Ng hits the market, Steinbrenner should do everything in his power to welcome the Yankees' assistant GM from 1998-2001 back into the family -- and should sell Cashman on how getting out of the line of fire to team back up with a former employee might not be such a bad idea.

Former Yankees Assistant GM Kim Ng would be perfect successor for Brian Cashman

Ng, initially recruited by Cashman in 1998, served as the youngest assistant GM in MLB during the Yankees' most storied championship season. She then cut her teeth in the front office of the NL's gold standard, the Los Angeles Dodgers, from 2002-2011 (just before Andrew Friedman's arrival), departing for a position in the MLB offices alongside Joe Torre.

After years of erroneously unsuccessful interviews, Ng was finally handed the keys to the Marlins franchise following the 2020 season, a shortened campaign that featured an unexpected playoff berth under Don Mattingly.

Ng's arrival in New York would likely mean a swift ending for the underground Mattingly managerial rumors, too; she dismissed him in Miami after successive 67-95 and 69-93 campaigns, allowing her plan to fully take hold under Skip Schumacher in 2023.

Fueled by an elite rotation, featuring breakout performances from lefty Braxton Garrett, rookie Eury Pérez, and Ng acquisition Jesus Luzardo, the Marlins' offense has shown a propensity to punch back. Give Ng credit for doing what the Yankees could not, securing the services of Yuli Gurriel to shepherd their youth movement through the seas of contention. Deadline acquisitions of Josh Bell and Jake Burger have also paid off perfectly.

The Yankees and Ng's Marlins were perilously close on a Gleyber Torres swap last summer. Who better to decide Torres' future in pinstripes than the woman who almost cut his tenure short in 2022?