Cashman drama could embarrass Yankees into making a change

When I first wrote about Brian Cashman's messy personal drama, I took the position that it did not seem to be anything more than a distraction and was unlikely to affect his status as general manager of the New York Yankees. That was before reports surfaced that Cashman may have shared insider information that he shouldn't have with his alleged stalker.

I will preface this by saying that this woman could be lying when she says that Cashman told her he misled federal officials about the Yankees’ knowledge of the steroids abuse by their own players. She could easily be doing exactly what she allegedly promised Cashman she would do: make him look bad in the media if he didn’t pay her off. But to me, this seems like exactly the kind of thing a person would say to someone he was seeing, especially if he was feeling guilty or nervous about misleading the feds. It would have been incredibly foolish for Cashman to share such details with anyone, but that does not mean it didn’t happen.

As a Yankees fan frustrated by the extent to which performance-enhancing drugs were abused by Yankee players, I’ve often wondered exactly how much the Yankees knew about what their players were doing. I find it impossible to believe the Yankees had no clue about the problem and there has been some circumstantial evidence that the Yankees may have at least had an inkling, as much as they denied it. In truth, I’ve always thought the Yankees just chose to look the other way.

But the Steinbrenners are not going to be able to look the other way if hard evidence surfaces to back the woman’s claims. If this case goes to trial, and I really doubt that it will, it’s entirely possible that embarrassing – and possibly criminal – information surfaces that will force the Yankees to let Cashman go. I’m fairly sure Cashman’s job is completely safe for now, but it might not be if these revelations continue. 

Can the Yankees really pull off AJ Burnett trade?

Can the New York Yankees really convince another baseball team to take AJ Burnett off their hands?

Brian Cashman has pulled off a number of stunning moves in his tenure as Yankees general manager. But it would be completely shocking to see him somehow sell one of his GM counterparts on the merits of Mr. Erratic.

To a certain extent, I can understand why another team would be interested in Burnett. He has undeniable talent and has pitched some very solid games in big situations for the Yankees. Burnett helped stave off elimination for the Yankees in the 2011 divisional series, even though it was only for one game. And truthfully, I think Burnett could do well in a place like Pittsburgh with extremely low expectations, a lot of young talent and a lack of media glare.

But if I were running another team, I would wonder why Burnett has not been able to harness all his talent into a winning record, even with the mighty Yankees lineup backing him up and relatively low expectations in 2010 and 2011. I would question whether Burnett’s psyche is simply too fragile to ever live up to his potential, even though the Yankees, and Cashman and manager Joe Girardi in particular, have gone out of their way to protect him.

The Yankees are probably going to have to pay almost all of Burnett’s remaining salary over the final two years of his contract, which even in this age of austerity they would happily do in exchange for a good, young prospect. But if I’m the Pittsburgh Pirates, or any other baseball team for that matter, I probably smellblood in the water with the Yankees desperate to move Burnett before the start of the 2012 season. If they wait long enough, they might even get the Yankees to give Burnett away for practically nothing.  

Giants victory parade a fun day for all

I'm interrupting this regularly scheduled baseball blog for a day in honor of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. I was one of the hundreds of thousands of people who played hooky from work, with permission, of course ;)  to attend yesterday's victory parade. Here are some of my pictures from what was a great party, except for the cold wind gusts that made it feel like it was in the 30s rather than above the 40 degree mark.

Despite my relative height disadvantage, I got some pretty good player pictures, including this one of David Diehl, who was loving the crowd attention.

And Justin Tuck, who apparently likes us but is not as fond of Mr. Bundchen, I mean Tom Brady.

And Chris Canty, who accurately predicted the Giants would win, but was slightly off on the final score. He also won the prize for hat of the day.

I only got Eli Manning from behind because some dope got overly excited by the mere presence of the two-time Super Bowl MVP and jumped into my perfectly framed shot. You will have to take my word for it that it would have been an award-winning photo. By the time I recovered, Eli's float had long moved on. But if you're looking for a place in Tribeca, this photo is pretty helpful.

And some daring/crazy chick courting danger in her quest to get better pictures. In her honor, that movie should be renamed Woman on a Ledge. 

Can Rangers manage Hamilton's weak moments?

The Texas Rangers stood firmly in Josh Hamilton’s corner this weekend as he confessed to having a weak moment and succumbing to the temptation of alcohol once again. But I can’t help but wonder if the Rangers are close to deciding that enough is enough and cutting him loose.

The Rangers are not the first baseball team to deal with a player battling substance abuse issues. The New York Yankees welcomed both Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden, among others, into the Yankee family despite repeated suspensions for both players. For all his faults, George Steinbrenner recognized addiction as something beyond the control of the players. He showed them a lot more support and sympathy than he did other players under his control, even though there were always questions about why he kept giving them second chances.

The Rangers have given Hamilton several chances. It’s not altruistic, of course. When Hamilton is healthy, he can be one of the most productive hitters in the American League (something the Yankees know all too well), as shown by his 2010 Most Valuable Player award. And Hamilton helped lead the Rangers to consecutive AL pennants. It would be incredibly difficult to walk away from such a talented player. 

But at some point, you wonder if Rangers’ personnel will simply tire of having to constantly monitor Hamilton to ensure he does not slip again or decide it is too much of a risk to build a lineup around someone with Hamilton’s problems. He is going to be a free agent after the season, which will force the Rangers to make a decision sooner rather than later. Can they give him a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract not knowing if he can maintain his sobriety? It’s an awfully big risk to take. I would not want to be the person having to make that decision.

I hope for Hamilton’s sake that he can find a way to stay sober and free of his addiction demons. I also hope the Rangers can find a way to continue to show him compassion. But baseball is a business and compassion only goes so far, as Hamilton will probably find out soon.

Thanks to Mikejames19 via Wikipedia for the photo.  

Ugly story not a huge distraction for Cashman

Brian Cashman’s messy personal drama does not seem to have had an impact on his ability to function as general manager of the New York Yankees.

Yesterday’s news that Cashman was allegedly being blackmailed and stalked by a woman he may have had an affair with was shocking. Rumors of Cashman’s alleged infidelity have circulated for some time so that was not the part that was surprising. But the shocker was that the story deteriorated into such a nasty situation that the police had to become involved.

The story is making headlines because it’s Cashman and anything remotely having to do with the Yankees is front-page news, even during Super Bowl week. But if it weren’t for the criminal charges, it would be just a personal matter that would probably have gone unreported by the mainstream media. Cashman’s romantic dalliances are not nearly as interesting to the media as those of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez.

But the ugly story does not seem to be a huge distraction for Cashman from a baseball perspective, at least not yet. The Yankees general manager somehow managed to pull off a surprising and solid trade for Michael Pineda despite his personal predicament. He avoided potentially nasty arbitration fights with all his eligible players. Cashman put together a roster that is almost ready for spring training despite the drama in his personal life.

Of course, Cashman will continue to be asked about the situation, although he will likely decline to answer questions given the criminal case. It is a situation that I imagine will cause him a lot of stress, particularly because of the embarrassment it will cause his family. But I doubt it’s going to impede his ability to do his job, which, quite frankly, is the only thing Yankee fans really care about. 

Cashman protecting or pitching Burnett?

Is Brian Cashman back to protecting AJ Burnett or is he trying to drum up interest in his erratic right-hander?

The general manager of the New York Yankees was ostensibly trying to give the embattled Burnett a vote of confidence at a recent event. But his use of the word comfortable several times in his comments has me thinking Cashman is actually less than comfortable with the fact that he will probably go into spring training with Burnett still on the Yankees roster.

I suspect Cashman’s positive comments about Burnett’s talent, effort and accountability are actually designed to try to drum up interest in AJ. I think the Yankees have finally come to the realization that Burnett will not have the success they envisioned for him in New York and are trying to move him, even if they have to swallow the vast majority of his salary.

Could I be reading too much into Cashman’s comments? Absolutely. Plus, I wasn’t there to get a feel for the tone and context of his words. It’s entirely possible that Cashman truly meant it when he said he will have AJ’s back, as long as the frustrated Burnett does not give up on himself.

But I can’t help but think that there has been too much damage done to Burnett’s psyche and reputation for him to remain in New York much longer. Plus, I don’t think his relationships with Cashman or manager Joe Girardi is particularly good these days, as they both have taken some of their harshest hits for defending Burnett, something they must be sick of by now.

Of course, if the Yankees are stuck with Burnett, they will put the most positive spin on it that they can come spring training. But I think Cashman is doing his best to spur even the slightest interest from other baseball teams so that someone else can become Burnett’s defender. 

Yankees should not give up Phil Hughes

Why are people so intent on trading Phil Hughes all of a sudden?

Ever since the New York Yankees traded Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda, speculation has run rampant that the Yankees will send Hughes away in exchange for a serviceable designated hitter. Putting aside the fact that the Yankees don’t really need a DH with all of their aging stars, I would hope Brian Cashman is not ready to trade away the talented youngster, even after his disappointing, injury-plagued 2011 campaign.

In a perfect world, the Yankees would find a way to trade AJ Burnett, but that’s not going to happen. However, I think trading Hughes would be a big mistake. He has shown us what he is capable of doing when he is healthy, with an All-Star campaign in 2010. I also think most of his problems last year were caused by his health issues. If he comes into camp in good shape, which he has fully committed to, I expect to see the 2010 version of Hughes and you do not trade a guy like that.

Plus, there is the old adage: you can never have too much pitching. I think that applies to the Yankees current scenario, as it has in the past. Not that I would ever root for a pitcher to go down with an injury, but the Yankees have to be prepared for the possibility that someone could get hurt. Rather than being forced to pay exorbitant prices on the trade market mid-season if that happens, the Yankees could tap into their starting pitching surplus. Hughes, if he does not win a starting job in spring training, could come in from the bullpen to fill any injury voids.

But the main reason I do not want the Yankees to trade him is because we have all seen his promise. I haven't given up on Phil Hughes. I hope the Yankees don't either.