NEWSLETTER
In the couple days since Jim Hendry’s firing was made public, New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has emerged as a vogue “favorite” to become the Chicago Cubs’ next GM (not to be confused with the apparent fans’ favorite (Andrew Friedman) or the media favorite (Rick Hahn)). He satisfies all of Tom Ricketts’ criteria – in spades – and he’s a free agent at the end of this season. That Ricketts would be interested makes plenty of sense.
And it turns out, he may have been interested in Cashman for months.
[A]ccording to reliable sources, the Cubs chairman privately was feeling out the postseason availability of Yankees general manager Brian Cashman sometime around the All-Star break, which is when Hendry originally was “fired.”
A very highly placed Major League Baseball official talked Rickets out of jettisoning Hendry completely at that time, according to the source. But his interest in Cashman may not have waned.
Obviously, Ricketts is not thinking second-city for his ballclub as he believes one of baseballs most highly coveted franchises deserves one of baseballs most successful general managers. chicagotribune.com.
I actually heard this rumor around the time it was allegedly happening, but was asked by the source not to share the information just yet. I wonder now if that is because Hendry’s future – i.e., whether he’d be booted immediately, or later, as he was – was still in doubt.
For his part, Cashman is denying any interest in leaving the Yankees, as all professionals do.
“I have a job and I’ve been proud to be associated with this franchise,” Cashman said. “I’m not looking to remove myself from this franchise …. Every year my contract has expired, there have been unnamed experts that throw hand grenades about their suspicions with what I’m gong to do. At some point, they’ve always been wrong.”
The Daily News reports that there is an “understanding” in the Yankees organization, which does not negotiate contracts during the season, that Cashman will return next year.
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