Believe it or not, Yankees actually have a budget

Brian Cashman may be a lot of things but one thing he is not is a liar.

On the night the Yankees wrapped up the 2009 World Series, while Champagne corks still were being popped and wardrobes still being ruined in the chaotic victors' clubhouse, the GM stood outside in the hallway and told me that the postseason heroics of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui would make no difference in the Yankees' decision on whether to re-sign them.

Just more than a month later, Matsui, the Series MVP, was a former Yankee, having signed with the Angels.

And yesterday, Damon's Yankees career probably came to its official, irrevocable end - he has been a free agent since the end of the World Series - when the Yankees signed Randy Winn to a one-year deal, effectively filling their complement of outfielders for the start of the 2010 season at least.

There's nothing particularly coldhearted or unprecedented about this - in previous years, the Yankees parted with such October luminaries as Tino Martinez, Scott Brosius, Aaron Boone and even Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson - and in fact serves to remind us that Cashman's loyalty is to the Yankee brand, not any individual player, which is as it should be.

Clearly, Damon's age wasn't the issue-at 36, he is less than a year older than Winn - nor was his performance, because by just about any yardstick, he is a significantly better player.

No, it turns out that what Cashman said, laughably, to Scott Boras back in mid-December and repeated to MLB.com the other day was the truth.

In essence, he told both, "We'd love to have Damon back, but we simply can't afford him.''

It's hard to determine which is more incredible: That the New York Yankees, despite their Fort Knox of a ballpark, their diamond mine of a regional television network and their embarrassingly affluent fan base actually do have budget constraints.

Or, that they truly intend to stick to them.

In any event, when Boras came calling for a two-year, $26-million Christmas present for Damon, Cashman said, "I've only got $2 million to spend.''

Boras laughed the same way I did when, around the time of the 2009 All-Star break, Cashman told me he wouldn't be a bidder for Roy Halladay because as he put it, "He's too rich for our blood right now.'' Boras also drastically reduced his asking price for Damon, realizing Cashman was serious.

Hard to believe, when you consider that roughly a year ago, the Yankees were in the midst of spending nearly a half-billion dollars on three players - CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.

Who would imagine that, a year later, having won it all, they would nickel-and-dime Damon, without whom they might still be desperately seeking the elusive title No. 27?

But Cashman obviously was being truthful when he told Boras that Hal Steinbrenner had set a strict $200-million payroll limit - it seems ridiculous to write such a thing, but around the Yankees that is what passes for frugality - for 2010.

He said he had $2 million and Wednesday, that is precisely what he spent on Winn, who last year hit .262 with two homers and 51 RBIs for the Giants.

Perhaps it is precisely the Yankees' success last year that motivates them to play it relatively on the cheap this year. Winning buys a club a lot of equity, even one with a fan base that has a sense of entitlement.

Maybe they think their nucleus - Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Teixeira - combined with the addition of Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson, will be enough to compensate for the loss of the 300-odd runs generated in 2009 by Damon and Matsui.

Maybe they think Teixeira still will knock in 122 runs without Damon getting on base ahead of him, and still will hit 39 homers while being fed a steady diet of curveballs from pitchers no longer concerned about speed on the basepaths.

Maybe they believe Brett Gardner will suffice as an everyday outfielder - heck, they won titles with Chad Curtis and Melky Cabrera out there practically every day - and they know from experience that their fans will forgive them just about any farewell. Case in point: Bernie Williams.

And maybe, come the All-Star break, they will look at the production from their revamped outfield - incredibly, Nick Swisher, a first-year Yankee in 2009, will be the only returning regular in their outfield - and wind up having to spend more than the $8 million or so it would have taken to retain Damon for one more year.

All I know is, come late July 2010, if Cashman tells me he can't afford to add another outfielder, I won't be laughing. I'll be believing.