Brain Cashman grudgingly accepts duo going to Taiwan

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Brian Cashman said Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson have his support in going to Taiwan next month. But it doesn't mean he has to like it.

"Generally speaking, am I OK with it?'' Cashman said Friday afternoon. "No.''

But the general manager's words are not as harsh as they sound. "I get it,'' he said.

Cano and Granderson are part of a team of major-leaguers scheduled to travel to Taiwan Nov. 2-6 to play against the Chinese Taipei national team in the 2011 Taiwan All-Star Series. There will be five games in three cities. MLB made the formal announcement Friday. The team's roster has not been finalized.

The concern is the possibility of injury any time an athlete takes the field or court in competition, whether it's an exhibition or not.

"There's no GM that's OK with it,'' Cashman said. "But you have the future of the game and the growth of the game, and that can override a club's individual interests. And I get that.''

As MLB said: "Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association are committed to introducing the game at all levels . . . Together MLB and the MLBPA have dramatically expanded the platform for international events, bringing MLB teams and players to fans in Canada, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Taiwan and Venezuela.''

Said Cashman, "Our job is team-building. MLB's is ensuring the health of all 30 clubs and the future and growth of the game. Sometimes those things conflict. I get all that. I support our players going, bottom line.''

Cashman, whose contract expires Oct. 31 but is expected to return, said nothing is scheduled over the weekend insofar as addressing his contract. "I'll be here [in New York] all weekend,'' he said. There also was nothing new, he said, on the CC Sabathia front. The lefthander has an opt-out clause that he is expected to exercise.