While Alfonso Soriano's gone hitless in first eight at-bats as the Yankees new 37-year-old DH, general manager Brian Cashman is probably sending an "I told you so" email to everyone inside the front office. In a conversation with the New York Post, Cashman was quick to point out that trading for Soriano was Hal's wish and not his.
Cashman would not directly confirm what he advised Hal Steinbrenner, but told The Post: “I would say we are in a desperate time. Ownership wants to go for it. I didn’t want to give up a young arm [Corey Black]. But I understand the desperate need we have for offense. And Soriano will help us. The bottom line is this guy makes us better. Did ownership want him? Absolutely, yes. Does he make us better? Absolutely, yes. This is what Hal wants, and this is why we are doing it.”
It's not hard to see where Cashman is coming from. Every year, it seems like they're giving up young prospects for past their prime hitters, and on most occasions Cashman's been against it. He was opposed to signing A-Rod to a 10-year, $275 million in 2007, he was against signing relief pitcher Alfonso Soriano and did not want to re-sign 39-year-old hitter Ichiro. Each turned out to be poor decisions.
It's unclear how much ccontrol Cashman has over front office decisons, but it sounds like it's not enough. Conversely, Hal's quickly developing a reputation as an owner as incompetent as his fellow pro franchise heir Jim Buss on the west coast.
