A behind-the-scenes chess game

Being a General Manager is easy, right? All one has to do is figure out who the best players are, what they’re worth and actually sign them. It all sounds so simple, but of course, it can never be that easy. Nothing is more indicative of the behind-the-scenes work that goes on than the past off-season when Brian Cashman went from free agent to free agent. While it’s easy to identify those who are the best free agents, it’s not always easy to discern what the 29 other teams are going to do. We joke that a GM can’t read the future, but part of the job is akin to mind-reading.

Last week, Brian Cashman and Peter Gammons sat down at Southern Connecticut State University to talk about the Yankees and the Business of Baseball. Andrew Perna, the deputy editor of RealGM.com, filed a report from the talk. At it, Cashman and Gammons parried on the Yanks’ stealth signing of Mark Teixeira. Perna tells the tale of Brian Cashman’s attempts to outmaneuver other teams all while convincing his owners of the right moves to make. Good stuff to ponder for a Sunday afternoon.