Insider clarifies Yankees' Brian Cashman stance

Upset New York Yankees fans should prepare for club senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman to stay put through at least next year. 

MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY reported Thursday that "there will be no legitimate discussion about Cashman’s job status after this season" regardless of where the Yankees finish in the American League East and wild-card standings. 

Martino offered his update after a Wednesday story said that Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner potentially firing Cashman this fall "isn’t even on the table" and is "not up for discussion." Cashman first became the club's general manager in 1998 and signed a four-year contract that runs through the 2026 season this past December. 

Martino noted that, under Cashman's watch, the Yankees have never posted a losing season. 

"What employer in their right mind would consider firing an employee after 25 consecutive winning years and one disappointing one? This is not going to become a thing, period," Martino continued. 

The Yankees have won the World Series four times with Cashman serving as GM but last did so in 2009, which happens to be the franchise's most recent appearance in a Fall Classic. This year's Bronx Bombers entered Thursday sitting in last place by themselves in the AL East standings, and New York was also five-and-a-half games back in the race for a wild-card berth at that time. 

The AL's most expensive squad seems destined to fall short of earning a postseason spot. Martino mentioned that Cashman nevertheless remains respected throughout MLB. 

"I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard other GMs refer to Cashman as a certain Hall of Famer, which he is, and as one of the very best to have done the job," Martino added. "They say this because he finds a way to win across eras, and without ever taking a three-to-five-year break. Virtually no one else knows how to do this. Rivals don’t often cite the Yankees' high payrolls as a reason for this streak, because no other rich team has won this frequently. They see only accomplishment." 

Yankees insider Bob Klapisch of NJ Advance Media suggested Wednesday that Aaron Boone may be managing for his job between now and Oct. 1. Steinbrenner could go in a different direction if Boone fails to guide the club to the playoffs for the first time since the 50-year-old took over following the 2017 season.

It looks like Cashman will help Steinbrenner make a final decision about Boone roughly two months down the road.