Brian Cashman On Yankees’ Deadline Plans

Yankees GM Brian Cashman addressed a few topics of interest with the rival Red Sox in town. Lindsey Adler of The Athletic (subscription link) and MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch were among those to write up the chat.

Of greatest significance, perhaps, were Cashman’s comments on his organization’s intentions regarding its rotation. The veteran executive left little doubt that, as expected, he’ll be looking hard for upgrades to the staff.

Cashman did allow that there were circumstances under which the team would hold pat with its existing group. But that’d only be the case, he said, if “we didn’t think the price tags were appropriate.” A failure to land a starter, he added, would “be more reflective of the inability to find a match comfortable enough to follow through with” than any lack of desire to add an arm.

That’s hardly surprising to hear, as the rotation has long been an obvious area to target for improvement, particularly since Jordan Montgomery went down for the year. But it’s notable that the Yankees are willing to acknowledge their intentions publicly — and at a relatively early stage in the summer trade market’s development.

At a minimum, these comments seem to indicate, the Yanks will likely add a solid depth starter. Even marginal improvements will matter, after all; every regular season win will count in a tight divisional race with the Red Sox. Of course, there’s also still every possibility that the club will aim quite a bit higher.

Getting a significant starter would mean parting with some hard-earned prospect capital. Cashman acknowledges as much. “I have a lot of high-end talent that’s taken a long time to acquire and cultivate, but it’s gonna cost something to get stuff, so we’ll play that game here over the next month,” he said. Cashman indicated that he won’t take top outfield prospect Clint Frazier off the table, though he did note that he’d prefer to retain the young talent.

Of course, some of the most intriguing outside arms are already pitching in New York for the rival Mets. Cashman said he has already been in touch with Mets executive Omar Minaya, who is one of the three executives who are filling in for GM Sandy Alderson. Cashman expressed interest in maintaining an open dialogue. Of course, it still would make for a surprise if those two organizations get together on a significant trade.