When it comes to the Yankees’ offseason plans, there’s no general manager more deceiving than Brian Cashman. Cashman’s notoriously known for his under-the-radar trades and signings, and he’s not one to divulge on every move he makes. However, Cashman did provide an update on Brett Gardner, CC Sabathia, and Sonny Gray while at the GM Meetings on Monday night.
.@Yankees GM Brian Cashman joined #MLBTonight to talk about the team’s plans this winter and expectations heading into next spring. pic.twitter.com/whXBuz74Km
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 6, 2018
Brett Gardner will have to win back the starting LF job
Just hours before Brett Gardner’s option deadline on Halloween, both sides negotiated a deal that would keep Gardner in pinstripes for the 2019 season. However, it’s not guaranteed Gardner will be the starting left fielder for the New York Yankees come Opening Day.
Brett Gardner “has a chance to be” the #Yankees‘ full-time LF, but “no promises have been made,” according to Brian Cashman.
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 5, 2018
Gardner will enter camp in February with a chance to reclaim his starting job, but it won’t be an easy task. He’ll have to compete against Clint Frazier, who suffered a concussion last season, and Jacoby Ellsbury, who missed the entire 2018 season due to hip surgery. Gardner was the starting outfielder to begin the 2018 season, until the Yankees landed a mid-season trade for Andrew McCutchen. With McCutchen unlikely to return next season, it will give Gardner a chance to prove that he still has something left in the tank.
Yankees are interested in a reunion with CC Sabathia
Unlike Gardner, Sabathia became a free agent at the conclusion of the 2018 World Series. Sabathia reiterated on his R2C2 podcast with Ryan Ruocco that he plans to pitch one more season before hanging up his cleats. To no one’s surprise, Cashman is interested in reuniting with Sabathia.
The only thing that might not be in the teams favor is there are 29 other teams interested in Sabathia’s services.
Cashman said that the Yankees have had conversations with CC Sabathia and would “love to have him come back … I think he’d like to stay and we’d like to keep him. It’s a free market, so because of that, that complicates things at times. We’ll see where that takes us.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 5, 2018
Along with a potential reunion with Sabathia, the Yankees are also interested in reuniting with veteran J.A. Happ.
The Yankees have given up on Sonny Gray
Last season, the Yankees envisioned Sonny Gray to be in their plans into the foreseeable future. But after a tumultuous season of ups-and-downs, Cashman decided New York wouldn’t be a fit for the young right-hander, and figured it would be in everyone’s best interest to trade him.
Cashman said that he believes whoever acquires Gray will get the pitcher he was in Oakland.
“The plan is to move him, because I don’t want to keep going through the process of something that won’t work here, even though it will work somewhere else.”
— Bryan Hoch (@BryanHoch) November 5, 2018
Cashman said he currently has suitors for Gray, but he would only move Gray if the team is comfortable with the return.
