The Yankees are continuing to bring in new voices to the Front Office with the hiring of Omar Minaya. The first Hispanic General Manager in the history of MLB, Minaya was the GM of the Expos (now Nationals) and the Mets. He has an extensive history of building playoff teams, executing some successful trades, scouting internationally, and drafting some of the best talents in recent Mets’ history. While an advisor role isn’t the same as being the President of Baseball Operations, it should still serve as another veteran voice for GM Brian Cashman to draw insight.
Improving the Yankees Eye For Talent
Omar Minaya drafted multiple All-Star caliber talents in his tenure as the GM of the Mets, and his scouting and player development with NYM was paramount in their World Series run in 2015 despite being fired after 2010. The Mets were led by the likes of Jacob deGrom and Matt Harvey at the top of their rotation, both of whom were selected by the New York native, also selecting solid MLBers like Daniel Murphy, Jeurys Familia, and Lucas Duda as well in his tenure in Queens. He was very active in trades as well, acquiring talents like Carlos Delgado, Billy Wagner, and Johan Santana, who all provided tons of value to the Mets.
His eye for talent is noteworthy, as he was the one who gave R.A. Dickey a shot to become a full-time starter in his last season as GM of the Mets, and he would give them a 2.95 ERA over 91 starts and a 2012 NL Cy Young Award. The Yankees are getting an advisor who has an extensive track record with acquiring, drafting and developing talent that has made an impact at the Big League level, and with the Yankees youth movement in 2023, it’s imperative that the organization is well-positioned to handle their progress and development well.
Brian Cashman Continues To Add Veteran Voices
Alongside Omar Minaya was the hiring of Brian Sabean, who played a role in the Yankees selecting Derek Jeter in the 1992 MLB Draft and later constructed the dynasty teams from 2010-2014 with the Giants. Brian Cashman is bringing in former GMs who have tons of experience with multiple organizations through the years. They specialize in developing and identifying talent, and that should aid the Yankees as they make tough decisions as to who should start and where alongside what trades they can get the most value out of. What this is not is Hal Steinbrenner or the Yankees as an organization moving away from Brian Cashman.
Feel however you want about Cashman, but the 29 other organizations would hire Brian Cashman within hours of his firing, and for good reason. The Yankees have never been under .500 in his tenure as the GM, and that’s something many organizations would heavily value. Consistently making the playoffs means consistently having a good roster, and while I hate this expression, there’s no denying the validity of it: the playoffs are a crapshoot. As long as you get a ticket to the dance, anything can happen. It’s all about getting a shot at the postseason, and that’s something Brian Cashman and the Yankees have done consistently over 20 years.
Adding voices like Minaya to the fold isn’t the same as adding an impact position player, but it does help internally. The F.O. is the foundation of any strong team, and the Yankees continue to improve and evolve as the years go on.