My Reactions to Brian Cashman's Interview on WFAN

by Paul Semendinger

October 27, 2025

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Brian Cashman was on WFAN last week. You can watch the entire interview below.

Following the video are my thoughts on Cashman's remarks.

1. Brian Cashman didn't really answer the first question which was (essentially), "Does there come a time when a leader needs to be changed because the message and approach loses its effectiveness - and was that a consideration at all with the Yankees and Aaron Boone?" Instead of answering that, Brian Cashman discussed how difficult it is to win. He also noted that he won with Joe Torre and Joe Girardi and while he hasn't yet with Aaron Boone, he still feels his message resonates with the players.

   
   

   I have stated, often, that Boone does do something right - he gets the Yankees wins and they reach the postseason year-after-year. At some point, though, it has to be clear that Aaron Boone isn't the manager that is going to get the Yankees their championship.

   
   

   I also have to note that if Cashman honestly answered the question as it was asked, "Can a leader's message get old?" (which is, of course, yes), he would implicate himself because his message and approach and much older than Boone's.

   
   

2. Brian Cashman then denied, absolutely, that in-game decisions are made by the front office. He said that when Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez made that claim they were wrong - and that they do not know how the Yankees operate. I agree with Cashman here. I have said so many times. It would be impossible, except if someone was wired to Brian Cashman (or his team) to get real-time decisions from him. Of course Cashman and his "people" don't make in-game decisions. This is obvious and has always been. All of those bad in-game moves are made by the manager, Mr. Aaron Boone.

   
   

3. But, that does not mean that situations aren't discussed before the game and that influential members of the organization don't make strong suggestions to Boone about what he might do in certain situations. That, of course, also does happen.

   
   

4. Maybe the problem with the Yankees and their manager is that Aaron Boone does not know how to take the pre-game information and the real-time in-game information and process it all together quickly in order to make great decisions in the moment. This, in fact, might be exactly the problem. Maybe Boone cannot do it. We have all seen many instances where Aaron Boone in big moments looks confused. The decisions are his, but when what he sees does not match up to the information he was given (which will always happen because they cannot plan for every single game eventuality) Boone does not adapt well in the moment. This could also explain why so many Yankees decisions seem to be reactive - rather than proactive - and why Aaron Boone seems to be innings behind the best managers in games when strategy matters.

   
   

5. This is yet another (one of a gazillion) examples of how the manager, not the front office, directly impacts a team's ability to win.

   
   

6. When the Yankees win, by and large, they win big. Most Yankees wins do not come through brilliant strategy. The Yankees win when the formula (probably discussed pre-game) works. When the formula does not work (such as in extra innings), confusion reigns and the Yankees, most often, do not win. (This is also why statistics such as run differential don't necessary mean as much for the Yankees. Yes, they score runs. When they win, it works. But they don't win often enough when the plan doesn't work. The Yankees are good at winning when strategy isn't involved. The Yankees do great in games they win 9-3.)

   
   

7. Brian Cashman also stated that he and the analysts do not make the line-ups. I agree. As noted, I'm sure they discuss these things, but the decisions are the manager's. (But, what Mr. Cashman is missing here is so obvious - the lineup decisions are often (to be nice) simply not good. They often make no sense. If those decisions are strictly Aaron Boone's, he is making a case, often, and almost daily, that he is not a very good decision maker. That, right there, is enough reason to bring in a new manager.

   
   

8. There seems to be a disconnect that Brian Cashman tired to talk through between how Aaron Boone and he saw the injury to Anthony Volpe. What is clear, and has been reported here by many including Andy Singer, almost from the moment it happened, was that the injury did impact Volpe's season - absolutely. That this wasn't clear to the Yankees is actually a big problem. If the Yankees cannot see what is obvious, they will never win a World Series.

   
   

9. What Cashman also doesn't really address is that the Yankees played a clearly injured player all season rather than doing the right thing and helping the player get better (which would have also helped the team). Also not mentioned was the fact that these injury problems keep coming up - the way the Yankees mishandle injured players. The excuse that players have a higher tolerance for pain doesn't really explain this well enough for me.

   
   

10. In the Luke Weaver question, Cashman noted that they haven't yet talked about the "pro scouting stuff" yet. Shouldn't that be on-going, especially during the season and postseason? Again, maybe he revealed a lot here. Are there aspects of the team's preparation that aren't discussed in real time and always - especially as it relates to the actual games being played? This would also give credence to the claim that lineups are not given to the manager because it seems different parts of the organization haven't even spoken to discuss issues that impacted the team's performance. Shouldn't those types of conversations be continual and on-going... always?

    
    

11. It took him a few minutes to get to the point, but Mr. Cashman and I agree! Too many strikeouts are a problem. Yes. (Maybe it's time, finally, for the Yankees to get a leadoff hitter?)

    
    

12. "Should Aaron Judge play first base?" was asked. Cashman basically said, "No. At least not in the short term." I agree there as well. First base is a more difficult position to play than most realize. (And, by "play" I mean on a Major League level for a team that desires to win a championship. To be a quality first baseman takes a lot more than an off-season or a spring training, or even a few years, to do it at the highest level.)

13. There is a reader here who pushed back, all summer long, when we called the Yankees' failing a swoon. Brian Cashman just called it a swoon. That settles that, at least.

    
    

14. I give Brian Cashman credit for coming on the interview.

    
    

15. Finally, it seemed for the last half that Shaun Morash wanted to ask a question but Evan Roberts didn't give him an inch there.