Yankees GM Cashman happy about offseason

Brian Cashman rarely gives off a vibe of contentment, but he said he's pleased with how the Yankees' offseason has played out, at least on paper.

"I'm happy with how things went this winter," the general manager said Tuesday.

Before last season the Yankees spent $423.5 million on free agents CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. This offseason, with Cashman consistently saying he would bring the payroll under last year's $201 million, the Yankees steered mostly clear of a weak free-agent class, making their big scores - and even those were not financially draining - on the trade market.

"Every winter's different because the choices in front of you are different," Cashman said. "The previous year's was a tremendous free-agent market; we felt this year's wasn't a great market. Obviously, the difference this year was what market we focused on. We think the available talent dictated that."

The Yankees got younger, more athletic and better defensively by dealing for centerfielder Curtis Granderson, and later traded for Javier Vazquez, giving them a No. 4 starter. Cashman said he didn't start the offseason with those two necessarily in his sights, but when the Tigers and Braves made it known Granderson and Vazquez could be had, the Yankees pounced.

"When we started the process, Curtis Granderson wasn't on the trading block," Cashman said. "When he , we became aggressive."

The Yankees, after Johnny Damon passed on their two-year, $14-million offer, signed Nick Johnson to be their designated hitter and to hit second. They also added low-budget outfielders Randy Winn, Marcus Thames and Jamie Hoffman.

Although the Yankees never can be ruled out from making further moves, they appear done as pitchers and catchers prepare to report a week from Wednesday.

"We had a budget and we operated within that budget and executed our plan," Cashman said. "We're very satisfied with the team we're taking to spring training."