As the February sun shines on all of baseball and the standings say everyone is undefeated, it’s easy to melt into a zen state of spring training nirvana. But there’s one question in our annual spring survey that brings us back to life. This is the part where we ask our voters – a group of 31 executives, former executives, coaches and scouts – which teams, front offices and managers feel the pressure the most. As always, they had some thoughts!
BRIAN CASHMAN, AARON BOONE AND THE YANKEES (16 VOTES): Does it sometimes feel like Brian Cashman has been the Yankees general manager since the days of Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford? In truth, it’s only been 26 years. But in the last 14 episodes, the Yankees have forgotten to do the one thing they’ve done more than any other franchise: win the World Series. So if this vote reveals anything, it’s that Cashman and his manager, Aaron Boone, may want to reroute their path to the Canyon of Heroes, because their job security may depend on it. … “I love Cash,” said one National League executive. “He HAS been there longer than anyone else. But that team will have to make a statement.”
OLIVER MARMOL AND THE CARDINALS (12 VOTES): The good news for the Cardinals: Our voters had mostly good things to say about an offseason in which they added Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson to their rotation — and added depth to their bullpen with Andrew Kittredge and Keynan Middleton. … The bad news for the Cardinals: Their entire rotation could be 33 or older — and we’ve heard plenty of concerns about their manager, Oli Marmol, and his ability to navigate the storms of this ship. … “They would be at the top of my list of teams most likely to make (coaching) changes,” he told the rival NL executive. “I would just say this: Don’t go to sleep on the job that Yadi (Molina) did as manager (Puerto Rico) in the Caribbean Series.”
AJ PELLER/FRONT OFFICE PARENTS (10 VOTES): Last year, in this very same context, a rival executive made a bold prediction: If the Padres didn’t win their division, in a season in which the Dodgers were in such obvious retooling mode, “it would be time to roll your head. ” Well… maybe not. The Padres increased payroll to $255 million, loaded up the lineup, and still finished 18 games behind the Dodgers. Yet, even after the debris settled, Preller’s head didn’t roll nowhere. But now the stakes seem even higher. The Padres missed that window to take down the Dodgers… beloved owner Peter Seidler has lost his battle with cancer… they’re cutting the salaries of almost $100 million … and Juan Soto is 3,000 miles from the Gaslamp Quarter. So our voters have sent the message that it’s time for Preller to get really nervous. … ‘They spent all that money,’ said one American League: “And what do they have to prove?”

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Four other teams are feeling the heat

Pressure? Dave Roberts looks calm, casual and collected this spring. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA Today)
They didn’t make it to the medal stand. But these four teams also attracted the attention of a group of voters.
DAVE ROBERTS/DODGERS (FIVE VOTES): When your team shells out more than a billion dollars in free agents, the manager does Have WIN? Five voters highly recommend him to Dave Roberts in Chavez Ravine. A voter’s opinion:
“They have to go to the World Series or they might make a change.”
FARHAN ZAIDI/GIANTS (FOUR VOTES): Are the Giants starting to feel like your fishing friend, who can’t stop telling you the size of all the big fish he has? I did not wrap? It seems that way sometimes, every time another free-agent luminary wriggles out of their net.
So there were definite doubts about whether this team’s lack of star power could reach its president of baseball operations, Farhan Zaidi.
PERRY MINASIAN/ANGELS (FOUR VOTES): It’s hard to see how it’s fair to blame the Angels’ problems on their GM, Perry Minasian, considering all the dysfunction stemming from the owner’s corner. But four voters thought Minasian might still pay the price.
JOHN SCHNEIDER/BLUE JAYS LEADERSHIP (FOUR VOTES): And finally there are the Blue Jays. The good news is that they made the playoffs under their very nice manager, John Schneider, two years in a row. The bad news is that they got bounced twice without winning a game.
The good news is that they were hot on Shohei Ohtani and Soto during the winter. The bad news is that their entire offseason has turned into one giant swing-and-miss.
So the pressure is real. And our voters were divided over who floundered more: Schneider or this front office. But if a frustrating winter leads to a frustrating summer, we might find out.

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(Photo by Aaron Boone and Brian Cashman: William Perlman/Newsday RM via Getty Images)