Brian Cashman not comfortable with Yankee rotation

While extending CC Sabathia kept the Yankees from feeling "vulnerable" when free agency started, don't take that to mean Brian Cashman is comfortable with the rotation in its current form.

He's not.

"Comfortable? No," Cashman said Wednesday morning.

Cashman, speaking at the Hard Rock Café in Manhattan where he was participating in the New York Cares Winter Coat Drive, said while he likes minor leaguers such as Adam Warren, David Phelps, Dellin Betances and Manny Banuelos, his preference is to add reinforcements, whether from the trade or free agent markets.

"There are question marks," he said. "We have pitchers that are capable but they're question marks right now and they could answer those in a positive way. But to be honest, would I be comfortable right now? No. There's obviously more developmental steps necessary for some of those guys. Are some of them capable of doing what [Ivan] Nova did in terms of taking a gigantic step? That's possible. Is it something you want to count on and expect? I think that's a dangerous thing to do. I do like our young players, we do give them opportunities but I believe it's in our best interests if I can continue to reinforce the rotation to get a little more comfort level there. It might not be realistic but we'll see."

Cashman has been in touch with the agents for some of the top available free-agent pitchers, among those C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Oswalt.

It is a weak market for free-agent pitching, and Cashman said it's too early to determine what those players will be looking for or what could be had via trade.

"I haven't talked to every team and I haven't talked to every agent yet," he said. "And I certainly haven't had one agent tell me what they want financially. No one's made any demands to me, no one's made me an offer, so I don't know what these current free agents are looking for yet in terms of years and dollars. And I don't have every team covered yet."

Cashman said his preference, naturally, is the "slam dunk" solution, a player with a track record likely to succeed here. But costs, whether it be dollars or what another team might demand in a trade scenario, may be prohibitive. That could cause Cashman to go down the less-traveled road for unconventional solutions, as was the case last offseason when he landed Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon. Both moves were generally panned when Cashman made them, though by any objective measure, both proved successful.

"The choice box from the trade and free agent perspective will include the perceived slam dunk, easy, good-feel guys and the uncomfortable, I-don't-know-what-I'm-getting guys," he said. "I just think that the asks, and the price tags associated, whether it's trading players, or securing with cash, will determine how this plan plays out."

Catching depth explored

Cashman said he has received inquiries from other teams regarding the organization's catching depth, specifically Austin Romine and Jesus Montero.

"There are definitely teams, if they feel they have a chance to get their hands on them, there would be interest in those guys," he said. "I've had a lot of teams express, 'Hey if you're ever going to do something there, mark us down [as being interested].' "

Nova cleared

Ivan Nova, who left Game 5 of the ALDS with a strained right forearm, met with team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad Tuesday.

"He got a full clearance," Cashman said. "That forearm strain is completely gone. He's fully 100 percent. That's behind him."

Noesi needs to pitch

Cashman said while he's encouraged some players not to play winter ball - he declined to specify - one he did was Hector Noesi.

"He needs to get innings," Cashman said. "It wasn't part of our developmental plan for him to pitch out of our major-league bullpen. He was supposed to be one of those insurance policies at Triple-A for our rotation. He's getting his innings to help line him up to compete for a rotation spot in the spring. That's what he is, he's a starter."

Doctor's orders

Cashman has asked for medical reports on players but said that's routine. "That's part of the process," he said. "Even guys that are healthy, you still [request them]. All part of the process."