(670 The Score) As the Bears held their offseason program last May at Halas Hall, they welcomed several interesting visitors to Lake Forest.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and members of his front office spent a day at Halas Hall as their team visited Chicago for a four-game series against the White Sox. The meeting was set up through a mutual connection between Cashman and Bears general manager Ryan Poles, and it continued Cashman's habit of learning as much as he can from bright leaders in other sports and different industries.
Cashman, who has been the Yankees’ general manager since 1998, was impressed with the first-time top executive Poles and what he was planning to build in Chicago.
“I was blown away by the person, by the intellect,” Cashman said Saturday on Inside The Clubhouse on 670 The Score. “And we shared a lot of conversations about experiences and a lot of different things they use in training, what we do, data, how you incorporate it, how you go hiring people, we got a tour of their facility. I would say if you’re a Bears fan, you should feel that the future is extremely bright. They got a great one in the general manager that they currently have with Ryan, and I know that the former Big Ten commissioner (Kevin Warren) is now their president.
“I certainly like what the Bears are doing, and I think there’s nothing but a positive in their future. It was a great experience for us with the Yankees to get to know them better and see the direction they’re going. The one thing I would say is he’s not afraid. He’s not afraid to make very difficult decisions. That’s a true sign of great leadership there.”
Poles was hired by the Bears as their general manager in January 2022. Chicago went 3-14 last season in the first season of its rebuild. The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and the most salary cap space of any team in the league heading into this offseason.
The Yankees have won four World Series championships under the guidance of Cashman.
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