Hot Stove League

Maybe the Dodgers can send money if they somehow manage to jettison Puig too. 

Cashman: Yanks may be 'big-game hunters'

Team prepared to spend money to acquire talent

By Bryan Hoch MLB.com @bryanhoch

1:46 PM EST

NEW YORK -- A year ago, Brian Cashman was still elbow deep into conducting an extensive managerial search, which delayed the Yanks' entry into what proved to be a slow-moving offseason market. There is no such distraction now, which is fortunate, because the Yankees general manager says that he has lots to do.

The Yankees are on the hunt for two more starting pitchers, preferably of high-end caliber, and have spoken with both Zach Britton and David Robertson about potential returns to the bullpen. Cashman is also deciding how the Yankees should handle Didi Gregorius' absence, and there has been internal talk about offering extensions to Dellin Betances, Gregorius or Aaron Hicks.

In short, Cashman will be busy over the next few weeks. While the loudest buzz has connected the Yankees to free agent infielder Manny Machado, Cashman and managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner have repeatedly said that starting pitching is their priority. The team figures to be noise-makers when the baseball world descends upon Las Vegas for next month's Winter Meetings.

"I think we're always open-minded to being big or small players," Cashman said. "I don't think it really matters what we wind up doing, as long as we do well enough that we become the best team in baseball. We're capable of being big-game hunters. We've reset our luxury tax.


"Hal Steinbrenner and the Steinbrenner family have always been massively supportive of this franchise for the fans. We're capable. We'll see if we execute on that level, if this is the winter that we choose to do that, or if we go a different direction. Everything we try to do is in the best interests of the franchise, present and future."

Cashman, who participated on Thursday in a Sleep Out event to benefit Covenant House, said that there has been no date set to meet with Machado, whose postseason comments about not being a player who hustles were "troubling" in Steinbrenner's view.

Steinbrenner told reporters on Wednesday in Atlanta that he would like to hear an explanation from Machado. It would be in Cashman's realm to ask those types of questions, something that he said he has done before with other potential free-agent fits.

"I've definitely met with players in free agency many times over, and had that good, honest dialogue," Cashman said. "It has either brought us more interest in the player, or actually it was beneficial that we walked out of the room saying, 'Wow, there's no way I could bring that particular player to New York.' It's a healthy environment.

"We like to educate people about who we are and where we want to go and get a feel back if there's an alignment there, if that player can fit in our culture and our New York environment or not. There's times I've walked away refreshingly, feeling strongly about, 'I'm glad he was so candid because this is not going to be a good fit.'"

www.mlb.com/news/yankees-brian-cashman-ready-to-spend-pitching/c-300827614?tid=282421090

I hear Rusty Baker is available. Joe Girardi still looking for a job. Who’s going to help Doc make out the lineups this year? Can we just trade managers now and get it over with?

I wish Zaldi (and Doc too if he bails) nothing but doom and gloom in Gnatville. They truly are made for each other.

GO DODGERS!!!

That's right. Machado may think he has all of MLB by the tail. The truth is there are very few teams willing & able to sign him to the contract he believes he deserves. The Dodgers won't be one of them. It'll probably have to be an AL club. He's not as in demand as he thinks he is. Alienating the few potential suitors he has is dumb. More & more he appears to need a 'toxic' warning. He's stupid on top of being lazy, arrogant & mean? 

Would have liked to read the linked article, but every time I click on it, I get one of those dumb ass “You have just won a new iPhone X” ads. Damn, those are annoying.

I hope the Dodgers tell the Marlins to “go blow themselves” regarding Bellinger. Kid has just begun to show what a superstar I believe he will become.

GO DODGERS!!!

Right, the Marlins are nuts!  Realmuto is one of the best catchers today, but he's not exactly Mike Piazza or Johnny Bench.  You'd think they'd want pitching, cos GOD knows they need it!  Their staff ranked 25th in the bigs.  They won't compete without pitching as even a casual baseball fan knows.  We have a surplus of good pitchers and we can afford to deal one or two.  We got Machado for a song, players whose names I forget, none of them notable prospects.  No reason we can't acquire Realmuto in that way also.  

Welcome back!  Have you found where HunterAlan is hiding?