Yankees general manager Brian Cashman got an earful Wednesday from WFAN’s Brandon Tierney over the team’s quiet MLB trade deadline on Tuesday.
Cashman was pressed on the team’s urgency compared to the past during the exchange with Sal Licata and Tierney.
“If the urgency was always there, why was [Joey] Gallo given the leash that he was? Why was [Aaron] Hicks given the leash that he was?” Tierney said of former Yankees who struggled for long stretches before the team gave up on them.
“I know that [team owner] Hal Steinbrenner wants to win. And I know that you want to win. But the highest of urgency to win, I have not seen that the last couple of years quite the way we used to in the past. I haven’t. And I don’t think I’m alone. So that’s why I ask. It doesn’t feel different with Hal this year, at all?”
Cashman appeared flustered before answering the question.
“I guess I’d have to get that drug tester over there and let you pee in a bottle so we can get that sample tested,” Cashman said sarcastically.
He then pivoted to roster highlights, notably locking up Gerrit Cole and Aaron Judge to monster deals, and acquiring Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade with the Padres before the start of the 2024 season.
“The retention of Aaron Judge. You’ve got an MVP. You’ve got a Cy Young Award winner. You got an MVP candidate imported at big money. You’ve got a retention of an MVP candidate a couple of years back with [D.J.] LeMahieu when he was a free agent,” Cashman said.
“These are just examples. All designed – as the payrolls go higher – of improving your chances, of trying to stay in it, trying to fight for it. So I would refute what you’re saying. It doesn’t make any sense.”
With the Yankees starved for their first championship since 2009, Cashman knows the urgency questions will come into play if the team falls short of expectations once again.
“When the dust settles, it just comes down to, did we win the World Series or did we not? And if we didn’t win the World Series, then obviously all this stuff comes into play, where you question their hunger,” Cashman said.
“You ask about, why did Gallo get the leash he had or why did Hicks get the leash he had? Well, it depends on what the alternatives were and the ability to import on those alternatives at the time.”
The Yankees — winners of five of their last six, including a three-game sweep over the Phillies — acquired Jazz Chisholm from the Marlins on Saturday, with the infielder already bolstering the lineup.
However, Tuesday was more subdued with the team settling for relievers Mark Leiter Jr. and Enyel De Los Santos in a pair of deals.
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