Yankees GM is still blaming 2017 Astros for his team's failures

It’s been a dozen years since the New York Yankees last added some World Series hardware to their trophy cases, and general manager Brian Cashman seems to be getting anxious. On Wednesday, Cashman yet again started pointing every finger he has at the 2017 Astros, suggesting their dubious exploits are the key reason for his team’s recent title drought. 

"The only thing that stopped (us) was something that was so illegal and horrific," Cashman told Andy McCullough at The Athletic. "So I get offended when I start hearing we haven't been to the World Series since '09... I’m like, 'Well, I think we actually did it the right way.' Pulled it down, brought it back up. Drafted well, traded well, developed well, signed well. The only thing that derailed us was a cheating circumstance that threw us off."

Cashman might be forgetting some filthy pitching by Lance McCullers Jr., whose 24 straight curveballs helped the Astros clinch the 2017 AL pennant. That year the Yankees squandered a 3-2 lead in the ALCS, a series during which all seven games were won by the home team. 

Still, Cashman is convinced he’s fielded a World Series caliber squad over the last five seasons only to be thwarted by dirty, dirty cheaters. "People are like 'Oh, we haven't been to a World Series...' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I don't think that's as true a statement as it could be,'" he said Wednesday. "We had a World Series team. And either you get it done or you don't."

Cashman’s right his team hasn’t gotten it done. However, the Astros added another trip to the World Series since The Athletic broke the sign-stealing scandal in 2019, losing to the Braves in six games last season. And two of the Yankees' division rivals have also gone on to the World Series since 2017, with the Boston Red Sox winning it in 2018 and the Tampa Bay Rays losing in 2020.

Meanwhile the Yankees finished third in the AL East standings last season—albeit in the league’s toughest division—losing the AL Wild Card game to Boston. So if he’s still looking for a good reason why his teams keep failing, a mirror might be the place to start.