The New York Yankees made a surprise transaction in March to add some critical infield depth as it began the season with third baseman DJ LeMahieu on the injured list. And the in-person nature of the negotiations, led by general manager Brian Cashman, were almost as surprising as the trade itself.
“General managers rarely negotiate face-to-face anymore,” Ken Rosenthal reported for The Athletic. “Trade conversations and free-agent negotiations are conducted mostly by text, email and phone. Even at the winter ‘meetings,’ in-person discussions often are the exception, not the rule.”
Despite the digital evolution of front-office deals, however, the Yankees’ acquisition of LeMahieu’s replacement was finalized over cups of coffee at Cashman’s Tampa home, Rosenthal revealed.
“On March 27, the day before the season opener, Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander and general manager Brian Cashman got together the old-fashioned way,” he added. “After dropping off his son (at school), Neander called Cashman and said he would be driving by his house… Cashman invited Neander to come over for coffee.”
Cashman and Neander finalized the framework of what would become a three-team, four-player trade over their coffees, connecting with Miami Marlins general manager Peter Bendix as they did so.
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