Originally Posted by
Veovis
I wouldn't throw Brian Cashman under the bus. He has been trying to rebuild one of the best rotations the Yankees have ever had since Roger, Wells, and Pettitte departed the first time after the 2003 World Series.
And look at the moves he made. He brought in Javy Vazquez. Did anyone think he would flop as badly as he did? He brought in Kevin Brown who was coming off of a fantastic season. He brought in Carl Pavano, who took less money to come here than the Red Sox and Tigers offered. He traded for Randy Johnson, basically giving up nothing. Those were the RIGHT moves at the time. I can't fault him for that.
Plus, look at all the guys he has plucked off the scrap heap that found success here: Jon Lieber, Shawn Chacon, Aaron Small, Tanyon Sturtze. Without those guys we wouldn't have even made the playoffs in 2004 and 2005.
And now consider, since 2004 the Yankees, under Brian Cashman, have been stockpiling the best collection of young pitching talent in baseball, by far. The depth is amazing. Hughes, Joba, Kennedy, Horne, Marquez, Garcia, Whelan, Sanchez, Melancon, Robertson, Cox, etc.
I think Brian Cashman has done a pretty good job for the Yankees since he has gained control, but I'm not blaming this on Torre either. I am blaming what the Yankees are now, which is still a darn fine team mind you, on Steinbrenner's organizational philosophy. Big stars, big contracts, old veterans. Correcting the mistakes of the past wasn't going to happen over night.