NEW YORK -- After a successful regular season, the New York Yankees would like Brian Cashman to remain as the team's general manager beyond this year.
"Clearly, we want him back," Yankees president Randy Levine told ESPNNewYork.com.
Cashman is in the final year of a three-year contract, with a reported total value of around $6 million. As per team policy the two sides are waiting until the offseason before talking about a new agreement. However, both sides have now said they want to continue the relationship.
"We have a great relationship," Cashman told ESPNNewYork.com on Monday. "I work for a great owner, but we really haven't talked about the future. Now is not the time to talk about that, to be quite honest. That's all for another day. They know that I would like to come back and we have a good working relationship, but we'll deal with that stuff on another day."
Last week, in an interview with ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor, Cashman outlined the plusses and minuses of his job.
"I like what I do, and you couldn't find a better place to do it, with the best fan base, tremendous facilities and an ownership with a full commitment," he said.
"But at the same time, it comes at a price of time, effort, expectations, pressure, stress levels, all that different stuff. Like everything else, there are positives and negatives. There's stuff in this job that can bury you if you let it."
With possible interest from the Chicago Cubs, Baltimore Orioles or other clubs that might have openings, Cashman could have options. In the past he has often been rumored to be sought after by other clubs, but has never left.
Last offseason Cashman said that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein outdid him. Cashman failed to land his big free-agent prize, left-hander Cliff Lee. With no other marquee pitchers on the market and Andy Pettitte opting for retirement, the Yankees had to turn to castoffs like Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon.
Going on the advice of his pro scouting department, Cashman took fliers on both pitchers, and they have been instrumental in the Yankees' compiling of the best record in the American League.
Cashman has been a big proponent of developing the farm system, and the organization is starting to see results on that front. Rookie of the Year candidate Ivan Nova likely is to be the team's ALDS Game 2 starter, while top hitting prospect Jesus Montero is going to, at least, platoon as the team's DH and may even get more at-bats than that. Utilityman Eduardo Nunez is allowing Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter to age more gracefully.
In the minors, the Yankees are comfortable with their pitching prospects. Twenty-year-old Manny Banuelos pitched at Triple A this year and he could be ready for the big leagues at some point next season.
"I think the biggest thing is patience," Cashman said Monday. "I think we have kind of learned from teams like Minnesota that you can have patience and be rewarded, if you have good scouting. A lot of times, we reacted to bad things and acted quickly and I don't think we are as reactionary as we used to be. Over time, you can solve your problems from within. That is the biggest impact that I've had here."
In recent years, Cashman has enjoyed more autonomy in running his department. However, last offseason he was overruled by Levine and team owners Hal and Hank Steinbrenner in signing relief pitcher Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract.
Heading into the playoffs, Soriano could be instrumental as the seventh-inning man, leading into All-Star David Robertson in the eighth and Mariano Rivera in the ninth. The Yankees are going to try to win playoff games with starter CC Sabathia, a superior offense and a lock-down bullpen.
After that, the plan is to lock down Cashman as the team's GM.
Andrew Marchand covers the Yankees for ESPNNewYork.com.