On Tuesday, the Yankees said that Brian Sabean will be the general manager Brian Cashman’s executive adviser. This means they will have an expert hand in team building and one of MLB’s best-known executives in their front office. Before, Sabean was a scout for the Yankees for eight years after joining the team in 1985.
Brian Sabean, who is 66 years old, worked for the San Francisco Giants for 30 years. From 1996 to 2018, Sabean was the manager of the San Francisco Giants and led their revival. During that time, the team made the playoffs eight times, winning five division titles, four National League pennants, and three World Series titles. Brian Sabean was the Giants’ executive vice president for the last four seasons. In that role, he worked on strategic projects as a senior advisor and evaluator.
Cashman admired Brian Sabean as the “unsung hero,” who helped build the Yankees’ dynasty in the late 1990s and early 2000s. As one of the Yankees’ top scouts for a decade before the World Series victory in 1996, he helped put together that team. In 2018, he credited Brian Sabean for drafting legendary Yankees, such as Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
Cashman had praised Sabean in the past. On Tuesday, he spoke to The Athletic:
“He turned out to be one of the best evaluators in the game. He was one of the people who put together what is probably one of the best systems ever, which led to a dynasty.”
“People have forgotten that he and his team were in charge of the drafting and developing. Brian and Bill Livesey were running point on the player development and scouting side. The amount of players that were produced from their drafts and signings in Latin America back in that time were arguably second to none and catapulted us in the late ’90s with Gene Michael sitting at the top as general manager. … His resume is Hall of Fame-like already as a baseball architect and general manager. He had his hand heavily involved in the Yankees’ world championship runs. It’s certainly something to remind people about. He was that much of a difference-maker.”
Brian Sabean began working for the Yankees as a scout in 1985. From 1986 to 1990, he was the director of scouting, and from 1990 to 1992, he was the vice president of player development and scouting. Brian Sabean then worked for the Giants for 30 years. From 1996 to 2015, he was the team’s general manager. Sabean used to be the executive vice president of San Francisco, where he worked as a senior advisor and evaluator on strategic projects. When his contract with the Giants ended on October 31, Brian Sabean’s first thought was to talk to Brian Cashman, who is the general manager of the Yankees.
The Yankees said on Tuesday that Brian Sabean will be back with the team as Cashman’s executive advisor. Sabean was one of Cashman’s mentors when Cashman was a low-level worker at the company. Cashman started as an intern in 1986 and worked his way up to assistant farm director in 1990 and then assistant general manager in 1992.
Brian Sabean was a key voice for the Yankees when they drafted and assembled players for a team that won four titles in five seasons starting in 1996. Sabean is expected to help the Yankees with amateur scouting, professional scouting, and player development in his new job.
According to Cashman, Brian Sabean will be used in the front office almost like a player who can do a lot of different things. Sabean will likely be based in Tampa, Florida, where the team’s spring training is held. He is expected to start his second stint with the Yankees.
“The fact he has had his hand involved in all aspects of baseball operations for his entire life will serve us well,” Cashman said. “I know he can make us better because he’s a skilled baseball person as well as an amazing, graceful ambassador for the game.”
Brian Sabean admitted that he left the Giants after 30 years because he didn’t feel like he was being used the way he wanted to be. He told Giants CEO Larry Baer and president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi this when he talked about leaving after his contract ended. Brian Sabean said that the Yankees made him feel “needed and wanted.”
He told reporters, “I’m all in; I will do anything to help the Yankees win another World Series.”
Brian Sabean is Cashman’s man
Brian Sabean will join “Cashman’s inner circle, which includes assistant general managers Jean Afterman and Michael Fishman, vice president of baseball operations Tim Naehring, and special assignment scout Jim Hendry, who, like Sabean, was a general manager (Cubs, 2002-2011).”
“At my age, I still have a great passion for the game,” Brian Sabean said. “I really have been exposed to almost everything in the game and almost have run every department you can inside an organization. I think I needed to be in a place that I could give back, be a mentor, contribute at any level at any time and be an on-call doctor.”
Brian Sabean told that it would be natural for him to be more involved in drafting players and building a team for the Yankees. He did say that when he and Cashman talked about the job, they talked about how the Yankees could get better by scouting and drafting more amateur players.
“As general manager for the San Francisco Giants, I helped them win three World Series in 2010, 2012, and 2014. The Giants won a lot of games because they had a great starting rotation and bullpen.” Sabean told.
He also appreciated what the Yankees have done with their starting rotation after adding added Carlos Rodon, who used to be the best player on the Giants. The Giants’ offensive lineups in their championship years were never the scariest, but they were well-balanced. This is something the Yankees could learn from after having trouble in the playoffs this year and in the past few years.
Brian Sabean said he was emotional and surprised to be back with the team that gave him his start. He called it “a strange twist of fate” and said he hopes it’s the start of another string of championships for the Yankees. Cashman is adding a well-known executive to the front office with this hire.
“He’s a quality baseball scout and executive,” Cashman said. “He’s sat in my chair and understands the pulse of the game and how things emerge and evolve and what you push all in on and what you push back on. He’s done all of those things with a lot of success.”
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