Brian Cashman started Friday by rappelling down a Connecticut building
Rappelling down the Landmark Building in Stamford, CT has become a holiday-season tradition for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
But don’t worry Yankees fans, your thrill-seeking decision-maker isn’t the least bit distracted by his preparation for this annual stunt. If anything, it appears he’s actually motivated by it. Well, that, or the timing is just really remarkable.
Whatever the case, just hours before completing one of the more notable trades in recent Yankees history — a three-team trade with Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers that will see 25-year-old Didi Gregorius lined up as Derek Jeter’s successor — Cashman experienced a rush of another kind, rappelling 22 stories in preparation for Sunday’s Heights and Lights Christmas event, which will feature Cashman rappelling the building again while donning an elf suit.
Just like this one.
Like last season, once Cashman’s feet are back on solid ground Sunday, his sole focus will turn toward San Diego, where all thirty teams will begin to gather on Monday for the annual Winter Meetings. But also like last season, he squeezed a lot of his hot stove-season shopping into the time between his stunt preparation and the Winter Meetings rush, which is mighty impressive.
In addition to the trading for Gregorius on Friday, Cashman also reached an agreement with free-agent reliever Andrew Miller on a four-year, $36 million deal, allowing him to cross another need off the shopping list.
All in a crazy day’s work, you might say. But apparently that’s the norm for Cashman.
On the Friday before the Winter Meetings last year, Cashman answered questions atop the Landmark Building after learning that Robinson Cano was leaving for the Seattle Mariners and Curtis Granderson was headed across town to the New York Mets. Hours later, he responded by re-signing Hiroki Kuroda and signing free agents Carlos Beltran and Kelly Johnson.
Granted, that won’t be remembered as his greatest series of moves, but they fit team needs and seemed reasonable at the time.
The question now is: Will Cashman have an ace up his sleeve like the signing of Masahiro Tanaka in January, or will Friday mark his biggest footprint of the offseason?
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
