Brian Cashman 'open to anything'; meanwhile, Yankees find themselves battling Mets along with AL East
General Manager Brian Cashman looks on during Carlos Beltran's introductory press conference at Yankee Stadium on Dec. 20, 2013 in the Bronx. Credit: Getty Images / Mike Stobe
Brian Cashman pledged to "dream bigger" soon after arriving Monday at the general managers' meetings. He meant bigger than this year's wild-card berth, bigger than playing one more game than most of the rest of the league.
That felt satisfying at the time. There was champagne, right? But on Monday he didn't sound quite as wowed by the achievement. We're guessing what happened at the other end of the RFK Bridge in October probably had something to do with that.
The company line, whether it's the Bronx or Queens, insists that each of the New York teams operates in its own bubble. Other than six interleague games, their fates are rarely intertwined, with the notable exception of the 2000 Subway Series.
But the Mets' gravitational pull on the city grew considerably this season, with a tugging that hadn't been felt this strongly since 2006, and maybe even further back, to the '86 title. While repeating as NL champs will be tough for these Mets, Cashman's Yankees find themselves competing on two fronts heading into next season -- in the AL East and for their accustomed share of New York's spotlight.
That will take more than sending out a 40-year-old Alex Rodriguez, a carefully deployed Masahiro Tanaka and rising stars Greg Bird and Luis Severino.
On the surface, as Cashman suggested, these Yankees don't have any glaring holes. The positions are filled, if we count whatever competition develops at second between Rob Refsnyder, Jose Pirela and Dustin Ackley.
But Cashman also senses a need for some kind of shake-up, an infusion of new blood, maybe not all that different from the midseason makeover the Mets executed for this year's playoff push. That's what makes him "open to anything," as he repeated Monday. He already has engaged other teams in discussions since early October.
"Now it's about roster management or roster upgrades, more so than complete vacancies and complete uncertainties," Cashman said. "So I think there's a difference as we enter 2016 compared to 2015."
The Yankees just don't know which direction this is going to take them. Not yet, anyway.
Cashman has kept tight rein on the club's top prospects -- primarily Bird and Severino -- at the urging of Hal Steinbrenner, who wants to see the major-league roster rebuilt with a core of homegrown, cheaper players who eventually might get his payroll below $200 million.
Sound familiar? We all witnessed the nearly complete overhaul in Queens, a foundation constructed on losing seasons, high draft picks and selling high. It was ugly to watch at times, and humiliating for the Mets, but a pitching-rich phoenix rose from those ashes this season.
The Yankees, however, are having difficulty trying to make a less dramatic transition on the fly. Without going scorched earth, the more palatable solution is to throw money at problems, but Cashman also is reluctant to write more mammoth checks for the top of this free-agent food chain. Would trading some of the most valuable pieces on the major-league roster, such as an Andrew Miller or Brett Gardner, really make the Yankees better right away? Or merely damage their strengths?
"I think we're going to do a lot of discussions," Cashman said. "They may lead to complete stagnation or radical changes at the same time. I'm just open-minded to doing whatever."
Cashman was able to shake free a shortstop last December in Didi Gregorius, who eventually made Derek Jeter's retirement fade away as a talking point. There will be more trade proposals on the table again this offseason. Determining which ones to green-light, however, could be more difficult than it has been in a while. And with the Mets' threat ballooning across town, it never has felt more urgent.
"We got knocked out of the playoffs after one game," Cashman said. "So that means our roster's obviously not quite good enough yet."
To win the AL East? To take back the city? Those are things the Yankees will be weighing this offseason with this team. It's one without any huge holes, perhaps. But there's still a feeling that something is missing.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
