Brian Cashman shares huge revelation about Yankees job amid uncertainty about future

Brian Cashman was serving as the assistant general manager of the New York Yankees when he was named the club's senior vice president and general manager in February 1998. Since that time, he has experienced being a king in the country's largest sports market and has endured being viewed as a villain by members of a passionate fan base. 

In an interview that aired during Wednesday's edition of Yes Network's "Hot Stove" program, Cashman admitted that he never planned to be the Yankees' top executive when he first joined the organization in 1986 as a 19-year-old intern.

Brian Cashman never wanted his current Yankees job

"I never, never wanted to be the GM of the New York Yankees," Cashman explained, per Manny Gomez of NJ Advance Media for NJ.com. "I’ll be honest. It’s a very tough environment. And the GMs under (former Yankees owner) George Steinbrenner, you know, didn’t last very long. It was a year, a year and a half, maybe two (years) tops, and it was a difficult situation, no doubt about it."

Per ESPN, Steinbrenner took the Yankees over in 1973. According to Baseball Reference, the Bronx Bombers were guided by 15 different regimes under "King George" until Cashman was placed on the throne.

"George Steinbrenner was a tough boss and...he didn’t have much patience, and he was driven to non-stop success. And in baseball, you can’t have success every day," Cashman continued. 

Under Cashman, the Yankees won World Series titles on four occasions from 1998 through 2009. However, the Yankees didn't return to the Fall Classic until 2024, and they lost that series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. 

Most recently, the Yankees didn't get past the Division Series of the American League playoffs. 

In December 2022, the Yankees signed Cashman to a four-year contract that runs through next season. Last February, the club signed manager Aaron Boone to a two-year contract extension set to run through the 2027 campaign.

Neither man is all that popular among Yankees fans who think the franchise won't claim its next title under its current leadership, but Cashman seems to still be happy in his role. 

Brian Cashman glad to be where he is today

"...It was not something I was ever aspiring to be," Cashman added about becoming the Yankees' GM. "But I was smart enough to (know), when I had an opportunity offered to me by 'The Boss,' I was smart enough not to turn it down."