You say he's inherited other people's teams and won the World Series with them as if he hasn't been in the organization in some capacity since 1986 when he was an intern in the Minor League and scouting departments. So he's been around and advanced through the ranks and certainly worked under his predecessors, so he did have a small hand in everything leading up to his tenure as GM. And as for the draft, more than one man is responsible for the decisions made on draft day. There's a whole amateur scouting and player development staff who influence what decisions are made, so don't put all the blame on Ca$h, it's not like it was him out there scouting every potential draft pick. And don't lose sight of the fact that there have been quite a few good players drafted, many of whom were key parts of deals in which landed key vets. So keep that in mind Gom, aka Mr. "I'd trade a prospect for a veteran anyday," and don't underestimate the importance of trading chips. Even more reason why Cashman shouldn't take all the heat for everything that's occured throughout his tenure is the atypical circumstances under which he's had to work, with the strong influence of the ownership group and their highly trusted Tampa faction. Not until 2005, when he negotiated for more control has he really had complete authority of baseball operations. Yes, ideally he would have came out made a big impact after gaining his increased power, but with it he decided to take a stand and really focus on youth and the rejunivation of the farm system and placed an added emphasis on inexpensive youth, which is something that takes time. Yes granted the Yankees have a huge payroll and ton of talent there really shouldnt be time or need for a "youth movement," but that really wasn't the intention, it's just that the infusion of the youth with the strong veteran presence hasn't worked out so quickly as intended and produced the optimum results that were expected. And as for the 2008 Yankees I really can't blame Cashman too much when you consider the biggest reason the Yankees will more than likely be missing the playoffs for the first time since 1993 is the inconsistent offense, even more so than the injuries, the struggles of the rotation early on, and decision to pass on Santana. And the lack of consistent hitting really isn't Cashman's fault when you look at the roster he's assembled and the lineup that goes out onto the field every night.
With all of that being said, I don't lean strongly one way or the other as to what his future role in the organization should be. I'm not against bringing him back one bit, while I would also certainly entertain the possibility of someone else taking over. That's a decision the Yankee hierarchy is going to have to make, and thankfully not me. We're just gonna have to wait and see. But Gom, I definitely agree with Y228 that your opinion of Cashman definitely seems to be very much influenced on this year alone. He's always tried to push the right buttons and make the right moves. Always aggressive and trying to improve. His understandably conservative approach this past year seems to have really struck a chord with you.