Brian Cashman on Yankees' holes: 'I definitely have work to do'

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman listed some of the Yankees' holes to fill before the 2015 season. Then he paused to take a breath.

One starter. Maybe two? Shortstop. Third baseman. Backup first baseman. Closer.

Whew.

"It's a handful, right off the bat," Cashman said at the Covenant House in Manhattan, where he slept Thursday night in an effort to raise awareness for homeless kids. "I definitely have work to do."

Cashman called the left side of the infield a priority. The Yankees are looking for Derek Jeter's replacement at shortstop. Third base is interesting because of Alex Rodriguez's return and because incumbent Chase Headley is a free agent.

Cashman said he would be open to adding two starters. The rotation, headed by CC Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda, has health concerns.

Jon Lester, Max Scherzer and James Shields are the top free-agent pitchers, but Cashman would not say whether the Yankees would be open to spending the money it would require to sign one of them.

The Yankees could re-sign Hiroki Kuroda and Brandon McCarthy.

Kuroda, 39, might retire, but Cashman said he has not heard anything definitive.

After being acquired in a trade in July, McCarthy went 7-5 with a 2.89 ERA in 14 starts with the Yankees.

"He did a tremendous job for us," Cashman said. "He put himself in a hell of a position to command respect in the free- agent market. Clearly, we have interest."