If New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman likens a team’s season to a ship out at sea, then his club’s start to the 2021 campaign was immediately steered into a maelstrom.
The preseason American League favorites currently have the worst record in the junior circuit, with the general manager opting to go straight into the storm by addressing the New York media on Monday afternoon.
“The purpose of me being on this call is it’s an off day. I don’t want to run and hide from it,” Cashman said. “I want to acknowledge our disappointing play but also reinforce that we’re not going to have 15 games make us adjust course. We’re going to fire our way out of that start and hopefully by the end of the month, you’ll see a more reflective record to get us back on line.”
Of the numerous shortcomings plaguing the Yankees, their offense has been the most egregious misfiring aspect.
“Our offense is a prime target of what ails us because it’s something that’s a strength of ours,” Cashman said. “It will be a strength of ours but it’s currently not a strength of ours… It’s magnifying those deficiencies when we’re not scoring like we’re capable.”
It doesn’t help that pitching has been slacking, as Gerrit Cole and Jordan Montgomery are currently the only two arms providing serviceable starts. But after an offseason of signing recovering arms in Corey Kluber and Jameson Taillon, Cashman doesn’t have any regrets about how he handled the offseason.
He also understands that this is the time for the rest of the league to meet the Yankees.
“We would be a team that an opponent would want to play because we’re not firing on all cylinders,” he said. “Our strengths are not showing themselves right now, so if you had a chance to catch us right now, you’re catching us at the right time.”
That doesn’t mean that the hot seat beneath manager Aaron Boone is warming. In fact, Cashman gave the skipper a decent vote of confidence considering the Yankees are off to their worst start in 24 years.
“I think we’re all in the same boat with performance,” Cashman said. “Our record is reflective of our organization, obviously Aaron is a piece of that, as am I. Otherwise, he’s doing everything he needs to do. Whether it’s lineup-related, how you deploy the troops from a defensive standpoint… He’s doing everything he needs to do and most importantly, supporting these guys.”
Instead, Cashman is looking at the slow start as though it was any other ebb and flow of a normal MLB season — even if it’s not befitting of the Yankees brand over the last three decades.
“These are different segments that you get into,” he said. “Our patch is happening right on the front end. That’s not to dismiss it, but We are disappointed clearly of where we currently stand but know there are better days ahead.”
