Brett Gardner seems more and more likely to be traded

During the unofficial kickoff of baseball's offseason, the general managers' meetings in early November, an opposing team executive pondered the Yankees' roster.

"The only position guy worth a damn I'd even consider [trading for],'' he said, "is Gardner."

And so it comes as no surprise that even before this year's meetings in Boca Raton, Florida, and in offseasons before this one, general manager Brian Cashman received plenty of inquiries regarding leftfielder Brett Gardner.

And the trade ideas involving the 32-year-old have only intensified in recent weeks as the Yankees continue sending out strong vibes that any major improvements to the roster will come via the trade route rather than significant splashes in what is a deep but expensive free-agent pool.

"I'm open to anything," Cashman already has said many times this offseason. "I'm honestly open to any idea."

The Yankees are open to upgrading their situation at second base, but the priority is bolstering the starting rotation. No less an authority than managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner said as much at last week's owners' meetings in Dallas.

"I think another starting pitcher is something we're certainly going to look at," Steinbrenner said. "All the other positions, I think we're fairly strong."

On the surface, the Yankees' rotation appears deep and relatively young. The group is led by Masahiro Tanaka, 27. He potentially is followed by Luis Severino (21), Michael Pineda (27 in January), Nathan Eovaldi (26 in February) and Adam Warren (28), mostly a reliever last season who Cashman has said will report to spring training expected to be a starter. There also is CC Sabathia, who struggled much of last season before a September resurgence.

Below the surface, questions about the group abound.

Sabathia has battled a troublesome right knee the last three seasons and entered a 30-day alcohol rehab program the day before the Yankees' wild-card playoff game against the Astros.

Tanaka's right elbow will continue to be a concern. Severino looked mostly spectacular after his August call-up, but his big-league career comprises only 11 starts. Pineda, 12-10 with a 4.37 ERA last season, has a history of injury and inconsistency.

"If he's healthy, we've got an ace, I don't think there's any doubt about that," Steinbrenner said of Tanaka. "Look, our rotation has some question marks, a lot of rotations do. But we've got Severino and we've got Pineda and we've got Tanaka. We've got Warren that we're probably going to see more of in the starting role, and CC. But you can never have enough starting pitching. We know that."

And to land the kind of cost-controlled -- meaning young -- pitcher the Yankees would prefer to add, they would almost certainly have to include Gardner, an established everyday player whose defense is Gold Glove-caliber. With no shortage of teams seeking outfield help this offseason, a match increasingly seems inevitable.

Does Cashman, who traded catcher John Ryan Murphy to the Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks during the GM meetings, feel close to another deal?

"I think there are some things in play that if teams say 'yeah' to the positions I've taken, then yeah," Cashman said Thursday at a charity event to benefit Covenant House, an organization that assists homeless children.

Cashman also has gotten some hits on closer Andrew Miller, but the Yankees would have to be completely blown away by an offer to break up Dellin Betances and Miller, one of baseball's best eighth-and-ninth-inning combinations last season.

"I've got my ears open on big names, small names," Cashman said. "I think the trade activity has been very aggressive, more so than any winter that I recall."

By Erik Boland

erik.boland@newsday.comeboland11

Erik Boland started in Newsday's sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.