When Netflix’s $50 million bid to broadcast Major League Baseball games was successful last year, the streaming giant was awarded a prime time window on Opening Day, the game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants.
Netflix isn’t scheduled to air another game until August (the “Field of Dreams” game) when the Minnesota Twins and Philadelphia Phillies play in the Iowa Cornfield.
More: Yankees’ Michael Kay bluntly admits losing Opening Day to Netflix
But Netflix’s influence on the Yankees won’t end on Opening Day.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman has been studying organizational dynamics outside of baseball and professional sports to improve his team, according to Deesha Thosar of Fox Sports.
According to Thosar, Netflix recently shared its company values with the public, and Cashman absorbed them like a sponge.
“It’s important to constantly try to change and reinvent yourself,” Cashman said. “I just want to know what’s inside, what makes someone, a company or a sports organization tick, and if they’re successful, there’s a reason behind it.”
Netflix’s “cultural code” that Cashman absorbed likely came from a lengthy interview with executive Reed Hastings Jr. published in January.
The GM of any team becomes a popular target among fans when their team falls short of its goals. The Yankees haven’t won a World Series since 2009. If they fall short once again in 2026, the Yankees’ 17-year title drought will rival the longest title drought in baseball history from last century (1979-95).
But Cashman managed the Yankees’ last championship and the three previous championships. He is the longest-serving head of baseball operations in MLB. His longevity is due to his ability to evolve with the times, in an era where the explosion of data is overwhelming games.
We might as well borrow a page from Netflix for Cashman’s next evolution.
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