It needs to be said: Brian Cashman - gulp - deserves an extension

Since February, I assumed this was Brian Cashman's last hurrah as Pooh Bah. You can only wear so many AL East bronze medals before their collective weight takes you under. The Great Sell-Off of 2016 could be seen as either Cashman's zenith achievement or the sum of his failures, depending on what happened this year - and I figured we'd once again finish one lager short of a six-pack. 

It wouldn't be a slam dunk, firing Cash. Along with his keen Machiavellian instincts, I suspected Cashman possessed coffee-spitting Steinbrennerian photographs, along the lines of the Steele Dossier. There were reasons to keep him: Once out of the Yankee organization, he would be free to write a tell-all book that would make the Harvey Weinstein revelations look like Jennifer's ice-bucket challenge. Nevertheless, another year of finishing third would be his last. 

Well, to the victor goes the spoils! Let us render unto Cashman what is Cashman's: Credit for the state of the Yankees as headed into 2018. We almost stole the AL pennant from three clubs who built themselves by turning last place finishes into an art form. Heading into next year, we have a dynamic young lineup that looks positioned to win divisions rather than wild cards. And it all comes back to the Great Sell-Off. 

Think about it: In mid-2016, Cashman somehow convinced Prince Hal not to pursue that final wild card slot like a doberman chasing a garbage truck. The Yankees easily could have traded Aaron Judge and/or Gary Sanchez for a proven starting pitcher, and gone down the same disastrous road they had done in the past. Instead, they reversed the process. That was Cashman's greatest moment, the fulcrum point on which his career seems to have turned.

Not every deal has worked. It will take years to assess the trade for Sonny Gray, who - let's be honest here - at first gush has been a Kenny Rogers-level disappointment. But Cashman's three-way deal for Didi Gregorius is already looking like a career-steal. It's hard to imagine Didi playing improving in 2018 without being the AL MVP. He's that close to greatness, and Cashman delivered him.

I believe Cashman's survival stems from his ability to involve Prince Hal in each decision. As a result, the owner cannot rightfully take out failures on the front office. This strategy has one potential long term problem: The owner may come to think he's behind the Yankee success - playing to the family's greatest evolutionary weakness: Runaway hubris. Old George ran the team through 15 horrible years before he finally loosened the reins and let Gene Michael and Bob Watson build a team. I've always felt Hal would be an abbreviated version of his dad: Instead of 15 bad years, we would see five. And that's what we've endured. Now, his golden era might be starting. Let's hope...

There is another reason to keep Cashman: Gary Denbo, our director of minor leagues somethingorother, whom Derek Jeter recently poached to Miami. With his knowledge of our system, Denbo will turn the December Rule 5 draft into an all-you-can-eat Yankee buffet. The front office cannot afford to lose both Cashman and Denbo this year, watching all our secrets flying out the door. 

One last notion: At 50, Cashman should be reaching peak foliage for a GM. The next few years should be his wheelhouse. And at this point, nothing should faze him. He's been through everything. Remember Louise Meanwell, his stalker-mistress? Remember the year of Pronk and Vernon Wells? Remember "beggars cannot be choosers?" Remember watching Robbie Cano jog out the door? Another injury to Greg Bird will be peanuts. (Besides, we have Garrett Cooper!) 

I'm not saying the guy belongs in Cooperstown. That's crazy. But it's in the Yankees best interests to keep this guy in the fold, pissing outwards. Like him or not, tired of him or not, we need Brian Cashman to run the Yankees for the next few years. He built this roller coaster. Now, he should get to ride it. 

(Something tells me a few of you are gonna disagree...)