Brian Cashman's Trade Deadline Failure Shows Why It Be Should His Last as Yankees GM

Luis Garcia Jr. may have been the best bat moved at the deadline, so credit to Brian Cashman there. His impact has already been felt. Outside of that, the New York Yankees had a lackluster deadline, even though reports indicated they would be one of the most active teams. Instead, once 6 p.m. hit on Monday, they didn't address their biggest need: a catcher and more relief help.

The two teams that added catching depth were the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox. Both walked away with two potential targets: Liam Hicks and, of course, Adley Rutschman. Instead of figuring out a way to plug some holes and distinguish themselves from the rest of the American League, they watched as the other teams around them got better.

What Cashman couldn't do is have a deadline like this one, and that's exactly what happened. It was almost fitting that the Yankees lost the way they did right after.

Garcia, who was a solid add, helped his new team overcome a 6-0 deficit with a late-game blast, but the bullpen — a place of need — immediately gave the game back. Ryan Yarbrough allowed a leadoff triple, and Angel Chivilli became a pumpkin. He allowed six earned runs, and if his emergence played a part in why the Yankees didn't add bullpen help, that plan crashed and burned, like ships sailing toward the sirens.

New York Yankees reliever pitcher Angel Chivilli is seen walking to the dugout during a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. — New York Yankees pitcher Angel Chivilli imploded in Monday night's loss to the St. Louis Cardinals and was sent back down to Triple-A. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cashman will get respect for building teams that consistently win. He always puts the Yankees in a position to win. It's just that finally winning a championship seems to be his biggest crutch.

Cashman's time with the Yankees has long run its course, and acting lackadaisically every opportunity he has to put his team over is any indication that he should be at the end of the line; really, it makes one wonder just how motivated he actually is to put his team over the top. It's almost like there's a fear of going all in and potentially failing.

What does a new voice in the room do in that situation, with that starting rotation, and two aging stars in Aaron Judge and Gerrit Cole, who may not have many prime years left? Do they stand pat the way they do?

Not Cashman's first disappointing rodeo

This deadline wasn't so different than the one in 2019. That year could have been the best team ever constructed around Judge, and, outside of Edwin Encarnacion, who had been added a month before, Cashman stood pat at the deadline. His excuse was similar to the one he had here, in which he claimed he couldn't find a match in the trade market.

Everybody else seemed to figure that part out, though. Just not him.

Unless the Yankees win a championship, the Cashman era will be defined by complacency. What's most unfortunate is that owner Hal Steinbrenner is content with the job his GM has done. He'll mention that every time he shows his face to the public, which seems to be every two years.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and owner Hal Steinbrenner look on during Spring Training workouts. — New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman (left) and owner Hal Steinbrenner (right) have many questions to answer about the team's inactivity at the deadline. | USA TODAY Sports

By all accounts, Cashman may be at the end of the line soon, and he'll have a say in who his predecessor is. Anybody hoping for change will be disappointed.

He'll help Steinbrenner find his own carbon copy. That will likely be another general manager who will have more excuses than championships and who'll find a manager to paint a rosy picture of what's going on on the field, no matter how devastating a loss.

Anyone who feels demoralized by what happened at this deadline is well within their right. Cashman botched this one.

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