Oh yeah, it was a terrible analogy, it makes a little more sense in context and I think he was trying to make an Evil Empire joke.
But luckily his job isn't film analogies, it's building a baseball team.
2018 Yankees Offseason Discussion
- Thread starter jon abbey
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But luckily his job isn't film analogies, it's building a baseball team.
I enjoy Cashman's occasional tongue-in-cheek comments. I think he is well aware that Death Stars have vulnerabilities.
Sure, since 1998 and as Assistant GM before that. Four championships on his watch isn't too bad. But yeah, sometimes the Death Star blows up. It happens.
Stick and Watson own the patent on the pre-2000 design, Cashman was still learning how to parallel park a Death Star.
and then dad tossed him the keys.
and then dad tossed him the keys.
Eli Manning? Of the Manning Face Mannings? Really?
Come on man, you're better than that.
Ottavino has some insane numbers almost across the board (linked article below) and his slider is like a wiffleball, but he had a huge problem allowing SBs last year, a la 2017 Betances. Outside of that, he was up there with Diaz and Treinen and Hader as one of the best relievers in baseball, as shown in the below piece. I think he is the main reliever NY should target, but whoever they like the best, I think they should take two of the top options off for BOS.
https://www.mlb.com/news/adam-ottavino-will-be-reliever-in-high-demand/c-297936550
There are evidently 73 FA relievers this year and usually there are more like 40, so if there is ever a year to wait for the pricier top 5-10 guys to come off the board before going after guys, this might be it, lot of options if Dombrowski is really waiting as he says. NY can afford to pick the two they like the most though and go after them hard, not counting Kimbrel and maybe Britton.
https://www.mlb.com/news/adam-ottavino-will-be-reliever-in-high-demand/c-297936550
There are evidently 73 FA relievers this year and usually there are more like 40, so if there is ever a year to wait for the pricier top 5-10 guys to come off the board before going after guys, this might be it, lot of options if Dombrowski is really waiting as he says. NY can afford to pick the two they like the most though and go after them hard, not counting Kimbrel and maybe Britton.
Eli make many faces, but they aren't human emotions. . And none are nervous. Nervers of steel
OK, enough with the tangents, thanks.
NY has spoken to the agents for Ottavino, Britton and Miller. Robertson hasn't been reported, but he is acting as his own agent this time, so who knows. Anyway, just saying that NY seems to be in on all the guys you'd expect, in Brian we trust.
NY has spoken to the agents for Ottavino, Britton and Miller. Robertson hasn't been reported, but he is acting as his own agent this time, so who knows. Anyway, just saying that NY seems to be in on all the guys you'd expect, in Brian we trust.
Ottavino gave up 4.8 hits per 9 inning last year. I know he's got an excellent strikeout rate but my god. 4.8/9?! How many children has he sacrificed to BABIP?
And also once guys get on, they steal at will, but his average contact allowed is really soft, so that probably answers that. He's not a sure thing, also coming from the NL, but if you add in that 1) he is the guy who scares me most if BOS gets him and 2) his possible positive impact on the broken Kahnle, I think he should be NY's #1 relief priority. If Cashman decides he likes Britton and Robertson better, that works too, but I hope someone else besides BOS snags Ottavino then.
His patience is really impressive given what is at stake and the way that he has educated Hal in recent years is also very impressive.
I still don't get how he got Happ to agree to 2/34 when there's no way that was the high offer. I haven't seen anything reported afterwards yet but the Phillies reportedly had a 3 year offer out to him at one point and there's no way they didn't overbid 2/34 unless they are totally committed to going after Keuchel but even still, ‘stupid money’ doesn't let 2/34 get Happ unless Happ strongly preferred NY. Really curious for the high(er?) bids on Happ to leak...
I still don't get how he got Happ to agree to 2/34 when there's no way that was the high offer. I haven't seen anything reported afterwards yet but the Phillies reportedly had a 3 year offer out to him at one point and there's no way they didn't overbid 2/34 unless they are totally committed to going after Keuchel but even still, ‘stupid money’ doesn't let 2/34 get Happ unless Happ strongly preferred NY. Really curious for the high(er?) bids on Happ to leak...
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You might remember that CC missed a 500K innings bonus by two innings in his final start of the season after plunking Sucre in retaliation for TB throwing at Yankees previously. Today it leaked that NY gave him the 500K anyway, good for them:
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/yankees-pay-cc-sabathia-500k-bonus-for-2018-season.html
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2018/12/yankees-pay-cc-sabathia-500k-bonus-for-2018-season.html
This is (relatively) big IMO, I was going to say that once Cashman finished the roster, he needed to figure out a plan if he had to fire Boone midseason and it’s possible that’s what this is, yay:
“According to a source, Carlos Beltran is expected to join the Yankees as a special advisor to GM Brian Cashman. Beltran was repped by Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, who also reps Manny Machado. Will be interesting to see if Beltran is part of the Machado recruiting process.”
“According to a source, Carlos Beltran is expected to join the Yankees as a special advisor to GM Brian Cashman. Beltran was repped by Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group, who also reps Manny Machado. Will be interesting to see if Beltran is part of the Machado recruiting process.”
Right from The Boss’s management handbook. Boone now can see his replacement nearby. Beltran is a manager in waiting. The timing was just not right last winter.
Another potential manager, not done playing yet, is Brian McCann.
What did Beltran do this past year? He didn't coach, did he? Seems odd to think that they'd replace Boone with someone with no coaching experience. Cora had relatively little, but he did manage in winter ball and his year on Houston's bench was certainly high quality.
So the plan is to replace a manager with absolutely NO previous managing or coaching experience at any level with another individual with absolutely NO previous managing or coaching experience? And to do so at midseason, no less?!? If this is how the 2019 Yankees' season plays out, I'll be looking forward to watching the Yankees in yet another Wild Card Game (if they even make it that far).
I don't think specific experience matters that much honestly, Beltran spent 20 years in big league dugouts and was supposedly a crucial part of HOU's 2017 team off the field, taking guys under his wing, etc.
Boone's issue is that he isn't especially bright or capable of adapting as things change mid-game. Beltran is brighter and I'm guessing better at the latter, I wanted him or Granderson (still not retired, heh) last winter.
Also keep in mind no one is calling Beltran a manager in waiting except me and Terry, at least not quite yet.
Boone's issue is that he isn't especially bright or capable of adapting as things change mid-game. Beltran is brighter and I'm guessing better at the latter, I wanted him or Granderson (still not retired, heh) last winter.
Also keep in mind no one is calling Beltran a manager in waiting except me and Terry, at least not quite yet.
This is from the NYT piece before Beltran interviewed to be NY manager last year this time:
"Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said earlier this month that he and Beltran had spoken before Beltran announced his retirement on Nov. 13. But he declined to say at the time whether Beltran was a candidate for the managerial post.
“I do know he has an interest there,” Cashman said. “He’s played the game a long time, he knows the game inside and out, he’s got the respect of his peers. He brings a lot to the table.”
It was in the later part of his career that Beltran — whose instincts and baseball I.Q. have been long lauded — evolved into a leadership role on various teams. He counseled younger teammates, especially Spanish-speaking ones, in his stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees, the Texas Rangers and, finally, the Astros, where he became a confidant of the team’s young star shortstop, Carlos Correa, who, like Beltran, is from Puerto Rico.
Beltran also prodded the players’ union and Major League Baseball to have interpreters in every clubhouse so that Spanish-speaking players could more fully communicate with the news media, a step that has been in place since 2016. He has also been a fierce advocate for Puerto Rico — building a baseball academy there and donating $1 million to relief efforts on the island after Hurricane Maria.
Before the start of spring training in 2016, Beltran asked that his locker at Steinbrenner Field be placed next to a young Yankees prospect who was still not ready for the major leagues. That player was Aaron Judge.
While Beltran has described himself as an intuitive hitter who did not rely on video or analytics, he acknowledged late this season that his time with the Astros — who are heavily immersed in the use of data — had caused him to reconsider.
And while he has no coaching or executive experience, there might be few people as well-equipped as Beltran to relate to the current Yankees.
He understands the scrutiny of New York, having arrived there for the 2005 season with a contract with the Mets for seven years and $119 million, the richest deal in franchise history at that point.
He played well as a Met but infamously took a called third-strike curveball from Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals to end Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series.
But a lot happened after that, including a generally successful two and a half seasons in the Bronx, as Beltran gradually became an elder statesman on the field and in the locker room. And now he is entering still another phase — as a candidate to be a major league manager."
"Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said earlier this month that he and Beltran had spoken before Beltran announced his retirement on Nov. 13. But he declined to say at the time whether Beltran was a candidate for the managerial post.
“I do know he has an interest there,” Cashman said. “He’s played the game a long time, he knows the game inside and out, he’s got the respect of his peers. He brings a lot to the table.”
It was in the later part of his career that Beltran — whose instincts and baseball I.Q. have been long lauded — evolved into a leadership role on various teams. He counseled younger teammates, especially Spanish-speaking ones, in his stints with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees, the Texas Rangers and, finally, the Astros, where he became a confidant of the team’s young star shortstop, Carlos Correa, who, like Beltran, is from Puerto Rico.
Beltran also prodded the players’ union and Major League Baseball to have interpreters in every clubhouse so that Spanish-speaking players could more fully communicate with the news media, a step that has been in place since 2016. He has also been a fierce advocate for Puerto Rico — building a baseball academy there and donating $1 million to relief efforts on the island after Hurricane Maria.
Before the start of spring training in 2016, Beltran asked that his locker at Steinbrenner Field be placed next to a young Yankees prospect who was still not ready for the major leagues. That player was Aaron Judge.
While Beltran has described himself as an intuitive hitter who did not rely on video or analytics, he acknowledged late this season that his time with the Astros — who are heavily immersed in the use of data — had caused him to reconsider.
And while he has no coaching or executive experience, there might be few people as well-equipped as Beltran to relate to the current Yankees.
He understands the scrutiny of New York, having arrived there for the 2005 season with a contract with the Mets for seven years and $119 million, the richest deal in franchise history at that point.
He played well as a Met but infamously took a called third-strike curveball from Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals to end Game 7 of the 2006 National League Championship Series.
But a lot happened after that, including a generally successful two and a half seasons in the Bronx, as Beltran gradually became an elder statesman on the field and in the locker room. And now he is entering still another phase — as a candidate to be a major league manager."
I'm sure they would have been just as generous if they were $200,000 under the tax threshold.
Observation? There are other Beltran stories about how amazing he was in the clubhouse late in his career, especially with HOU, but I don't think I need to dig up more to back up an offhand comment about something that may or may not be happening. I do know that I've listened to Boone talk enough, as a commentator and since he's been hired, to know that he's not especially bright (he's not stupid either, somewhere in between).
I think Beltran will make a great manager at some point. Timing wise, I can't think of a worse time than in midseason with a team that's got legitimate Championship aspirations.
I also agree that Granderson would make a good manager down the road.
Regarding experience, on many occasions, Alex Cora made reference to how much his 1 year as Houston's bench coach prepared for him to take the reigns as manager. Further, he frequently cited Ron Roenicke's input and experience as being an extremely valuable resource.
The Yankees compounded Boone's inexperience with Josh Bard's relative inexperience.
But hey, if Cashman wants puppets in the dugout, I - as a Sox fan - will happily sit back and watch what unfolds.
As Jimi Hendrix so eloquently inquired: "Are you experienced?"
Because they won 100 games with him, you mean? He was terrible with the bullpen last year, and if you factor in that he had a gameplan given to him coming into each game by the front office, he was consistently bad at adapting on the fly mid-game when needed. He is mediocre at best and this collection of talent deserves better, plus NY should have hired someone bi-lingual to begin with, especially with the Sanchez situation.
Cashman talking about Beltran in February:
“Carlos is an exceptional baseball mind,” Cashman told The Athletic last week. “He was really impactful while he was here playing for us and somewhat of an extra coach even though he was at the time a player. He was someone who saw all aspects. He understood the job that I had to do, or the job that the manager at the time Joe Girardi had to do. He also understood how players could be impacting things on a positive level and he was really a good teacher and role model for players in that clubhouse. They gravitated to him for it. That’s something I wanted to tap into, something I wanted to keep as a part of us.”
https://theathletic.com/236142/2018/02/12/an-exceptional-baseball-mind-carlos-beltrans-return-to-the-majors-could-be-through-the-front-office/
“Carlos is an exceptional baseball mind,” Cashman told The Athletic last week. “He was really impactful while he was here playing for us and somewhat of an extra coach even though he was at the time a player. He was someone who saw all aspects. He understood the job that I had to do, or the job that the manager at the time Joe Girardi had to do. He also understood how players could be impacting things on a positive level and he was really a good teacher and role model for players in that clubhouse. They gravitated to him for it. That’s something I wanted to tap into, something I wanted to keep as a part of us.”
https://theathletic.com/236142/2018/02/12/an-exceptional-baseball-mind-carlos-beltrans-return-to-the-majors-could-be-through-the-front-office/
With jon here, though I don't have as much confidence in Beltran at this point. Boone is going to have to make some major improvements next year to win me over. He says all the right things, but his actions in the dugout aren't indicative of someone who deserves the post. Postgame, he gets it. During the game, clueless.
I don't even agree with the postgame part, a huge step down from Girardi there too. Again, he's not a Terry Collins-level dumbo, but this collection of Yankee talent deserves better.
I’m with Jon here. Boone obviously mismanaged Severino and Sabathia in the ALDS and I thought his frequent post-game references to getting his injured players back during the latter phases of the season was a mistake. Good coaches and managers talk about winning with the guys they have. I think what Boone did was potentially undermining. It’s impossible to measure but as a Sox fan, I found myself rooting for him to continue openly hankering for Judge and others to return, and Boone complied in spades.
Thanks for the links, Jon, and for the lively conversation that followed your original post. Yankee manager is a hot button topic. My only insight is the hiring of Beltran puts Boone on notice, especially if Carlos puts on a uniform in ST to help out the coaches. Would be better if he stays in civvies.
Yeah, I agree. I thought both he and Cora were inept. How the hell they fell ass backwards into 208 combined wins was probably more due to talent than anything.
Mets fans all think to themselves “then why was he sitting dead red with two Strikes against Wainwright...”
I think mediocre is a fair description of Boone. I suspect he'll be better this year with more experience under his belt. I like the idea of Beltran coming aboard too. I don't know if it really puts pressure on Boone, but regardless, I think he can be a big help, especially with Spanish speaking players. Beltran always seemed to be a pro's pro.
Boone was given the keys to a self driving car and asked by Cashman and the analytics department not to touch the wheel. Anyone of us could manage this collection of talent. His real job is to handle the media (which he does well) and keep the clubhouse from dissolving into a Bronx Zoo (which he has done so far). He’s a puppet who’s occasionally allowed to put the bunt sign on his own.
I've seen this a number of times on this board and I think it's far from the reality. Sure, Cashman has some control over aspects of the roster that other teams give to their managers. He isn't in the dugout making gametime decisions though. Boone is. You think Cashman is calling the dugout to say which pitcher to put in?