Brian Cashman opens up about trading for a star in the off-season, plans to bring in a player that fits well with the roster
New York Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman has been in the spotlight of late, whether it be regarding his take on Giancarlo Stanton's injuries or the Yankees offseason hopes of acquiring big names to make a deep run in the postseason next season.
Along similar lines, Cashman was asked about their potential offseason acquisition of big names such as Juan Soto, Cody Bellinger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto or other high-profile names:
"We’re knocking on those doors, we’re having those conversations," Cashman said. "Hal Steinbrenner and his family have always run it the way that if there’s some opportunity worth pushing through on, they’re always there to allow that to happen.
"It’s really all about a team situation and how the collective all works together, so we’ll see how this winter plays out. But we’re going to have conversations about the big ones and the small ones."
It remains to be seen how Cashman & Co. deal with the offseason amid rumors of a fallout with Stanton's agent Joel Wolfe.
What happened between Brian Cashman and Giancarlo Stanton's agent?
During the recently concluded GM meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona, the Yankees GM seemed to be taking a dig at Stanton and his injury concerns, terming him as "injury-prone":
"We've gotta get Stanton up and running again," Brian Cashman said in Arizona. "He's injury-prone. We all have lived and known that, but he's never not hit when he's playing, and this year is the first time that that's happened.
"We try to limit the time he's down," he added. "But I'm not gonna tell you he's gonna play every game next year because he's not. He's going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game. But I know that when he's right and healthy – other than this past year – the guy's a great hitter and has been for a long time." [via CBS news].
However, his take didn't go down well with agent Joel Wolfe, who hit back at the GM:
“He’s going to wind up getting hurt again more likely than not because it seems to be part of his game,” Wolfe said. "I read the context of the entire interview. I think it's a good reminder for all free agents considering signing in New York, both foreign and domestic that to play for that team, you've got to be made of Teflon, both mentally and physically because you can never let your guard down even in the offseason."
It remains to be seen how Brian Cashman and baseball's most successful franchise navigate through this situation in their bid to end their World Series drought since they won it in 2009.