Brian Cashman has been the general manager of the New York Yankees for nearly 16 seasons, but several people around the game suggest that he could be getting "a little tired" of the organization, reports Nick Cafardo of the The Boston Globe.
Cafardo believes that, should an attractive GM position open up elsewhere, Cashman could be persuaded to leave New York. He cites the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim as a possibility, if owner Arte Moreno decides to can current GM Jerry Dipoto.
The Seattle Mariners asked to speak with Cashman about their GM opening prior to the 2008 season, but the Yankees used their contractual right to block the interview. It's unclear as to whether or not they would do so now.
Moving to a different team to fill the same position would be a strange move for Cashman. He's under contract with the Yankees for 2014, and he wouldn't have a larger role in his first season with a new team. If he were moving for a promotion of some sort, then it would make sense. Because he's not, envisioning such a situation is difficult.
This doesn't mean that such a move wouldn't be a good move for Cashman, though. The Yankees are entering a delicate stage in their franchise's history. The goal is to get under $189 million because of the luxury-tax threshold for 2014, and the Bombers are desperately in need of a roster overhaul.
Alex Rodriguez, 211-game suspension or no 211-game suspension, still has a contract large enough to ruin a team for multiple seasons. Mark Teixeira still has a ton of money on his contract, as does CC Sabathia. Robinson Cano is also in line for a massive new deal.
The pitching staff is old (and mostly ineffective), and the offense is stagnant. Mariano Rivera is also set to retire come the end of the season, so entering a rebuilding phase now may be the most logical step for the franchise.
Seeing as this would put Cashman in a difficult position with some of the team's biggest stars, a lateral move may not be a terrible idea.
Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com says that both parties do not want to "sever an overwhelmingly positive longstanding relationship," so it's not easy to choose whom to believe. Cashman has disagreed with the Steinbrenners in the past, but he's mostly built winners in his time with the Yankees.
This is a situation to monitor moving forward, though there's really no indication that Cashman has plans to leave.
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