Yankees fans can accuse Brian Cashman of many things, but one of them is not oblivious.
The longtime Bombers GM took part in the Covenant House Sleep Out at Javits Center for the 14th time on Thursday night, and he knew what he was getting into.
“You know, this is meme, about ‘Brian Cashman is asleep on the job,’ or ‘is not doing his job’,” Cashman told reporters at the event from the confines of his sleeping bag. “I’ve seen that all over social media.”
He is listed among the top fundraisers for the event, which raises awareness for youth homelessness, at $26,000. According to the Sleep Out website, 378 participants have raised over $2 million for the philanthropic endeavor.
“I wouldn’t wish this on anybody,” Cashman said. “This is one night, and I get to eventually get off that cinder block and head home and shower and get Starbucks and start my day and get some rest, where these kids on a day-in and day-out basis, week in and week out, month in and month out, they don’t know where they’re laying their head. They’re trying to stay safe, trying to avoid the elements and crime and when their next good meal is coming. I can’t imagine.”
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With the non-tender deadline scheduled for 8 p.m. on Friday and payroll concerns with the Yankees, there won’t be much rest for the weary: Cashman said he had an early morning call scheduled with one of his non-tender players.
The one Yankees fans are waiting on, however, is Cody Bellinger, with the outfield a crucial part of the team’s offseason plan, along with a $300 million payroll ceiling mandate.
“Like anything else, there are certain salary levels that we’ll tag out at,” Cashman said. “That’s yet to be determined. But we’ve driven hard to get things done at times. We’ve driven hard and still not gotten things done because the markets… they go on and on and on and places you never expected. So you just don’t know how free agency’s going to work. So that’s why it’s so important for me to do what I’m always doing — what all GMs are doing — which is engaging your fellow GMs and the agents.”
No time for sleep, indeed.
