Before Brian Cashman left the Winter Meetings in Indy yesterday, he had these things to say (Hat tip to Mark Feinsand):
On Hoffmann: “We feel he’s got great makeup, he’s got ability and we project him in the future as an everyday type player. We have all those lefthanded bats, so it will be interesting to see how he mixes in.”
On what he’s looking to do next: “I’m open to an array of choices right now. Depending on what the market values are, I could gravitate to bullpen if I feel like the starting stuff is so expensive. I could gravitate to position players that come into a territory that makes sense, or I could hold.”
On the Yankees’ DH spot: “Juan Miranda could be our DH if we wanted him to. We have Jorge Posada, Mark Teixeira, A-Rod; guys who can swing over on their days of rest. We have people we can play in that position internally right now. I’m not trying to oversell anyboduy, but Juan Miranda will do a nice job against righthanded pitching as a DH if that’s what we have to do. Is that the right way to go? I think the market will dictate that.”
On whether he would move any more prospects in trades: “I’m hesitant to move certain young players because of what they can do for us in the here and now or in the future and the salary off-set they provide. At the same time, for the right player, I’ll move anybody.”
On whether he would wait out the market for a Bobby Abreu-like bargain before spring training: “Patience could benefit you, or it might not. You can wait something out and see if it falls in your lap, but by doing that, you risk not getting something maybe you want or feel you have to have. It’s risky for us to play that game if we really want something.”
On Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain: “They’re starters right now, without a doubt. They’re going to prepare as starters. The relief stuff? That’s a layup. That’s not something that’s hard to do; the starting stuff is hard, so we’ll gear them up as starters. If we decide to change that at some point, no big deal.”
On the trade market: “I’ve had my trade discussions with various teams, and the price tags are what they are. I’m not in position right now to execute any free-agent signings or trades that I would recommend.”
On his feelings leaving the meetings with Andy Pettitte and Curtis Granderson done: “I never feel good about anything, to be honest. You make those decisions and hope they work out, but until you play through it, you don’t know how it’s going to play. We hope this stuff makes us better.
Kevin Rozell
M. B. Rozell
Ray Rothfeldt
Eduardo Perez
