Yankees GM Brian Cashman Blames ‘Horrific’ Astros For Team’s Troubles In Recent years

Sure, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has done nothing to improve the Yankees roster this offseason after their disappointing end to their season last year. And even as fans all over the Bronx are calling for his head, he’s trying convince everyone that none of it is his fault.

In Cashman’s latest public comments, he even went as far as blaming the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal for the Yankees’ inability to win a championship over the last five seasons.

“We had a World Series-contending team that year,’’ Cashman told The Post of 2017. “Every year, we’re building a World Series-contending team, obviously, but I think we built a team that more than likely would have won that season. I’m surprised we got as far as we did given what they did.

“[Houston] had an advantage on both sides of the ball, and despite that we got to Game 7 [of the ALCS] and got eliminated from World Series contention in a series that would have more likely than not gone the other way. I think we all think that. I think that’s the only thing that stopped us. … I feel like I can technically put ‘American League champion’ on that season.”

Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still bitter about the Astros cheating scandal in 2017. pic.twitter.com/87kOWalBhq

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 31, 2022

For those who don’t remember, Brian Cashman’s Yankees are actually accused of their own sign-stealing from the same time of the Astros’ scandal.

In a recent ruling, a federal judge ruled to unseal a document that could implicate the Yankees for their sign-stealing.

Check out the court’s ruling via Audacy below:

“In light of plaintiffs’ attempted use of the letter in their proposed Second Amended Complaint and the district court’s discussion of the letter in explaining its decision to deny plaintiffs’ request for leave to amend in their reconsideration motion, and because MLB disclosed a substantial portion of the substance of the letter in its press release about the investigation, we conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in unsealing the letter, subject to redacting the names of certain individuals,” Livingston wrote on Levine’s claim of privacy breach.

On the argument of reputation, Livingston further opined that “the
argument carries little weight. Disclosure of the document will allow the public to independently assess MLB’s conclusion regarding the internal investigation (as articulated to the Yankees), and the Yankees are fully capable of disseminating their own views regarding the actual content of the Yankees Letter. In short, any purported distortions regarding the content of the Yankees Letter can be remedied by the widespread availability of the actual content of this judicial document to the public, and the corresponding ability of MLB and the Yankees to publicly comment on it.”

Despite that ruling, Brian Cashman still views the Yankees as a victim for being a team that did everything “the right way” while their top contender in the American League was up to no good.

“I technically don’t consider us having a drought that goes back that far,’’ Cashman said. “When people write that, the context should be more accurate because it’s almost like people have forgotten what happened in ’17. They might not care to dwell on it — and I don’t like to, either — but I don’t think it’s accurate.’’

As he told The Athletic, “The only thing that stopped us [in 2017] was something that was so illegal and horrific. … The only thing that derailed us was a cheating circumstance that threw us off.”

Two things can be true: the Astros are completely wrong for illegally stealing signs en route to their World Series Championship, and also, Brian Cashman’s comments come off as a sad excuse for a Yankees team that has failed continuously to get over the hump under his watch.

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