After agreeing to terms with closer Aroldis Chapman on a five-year, $86 million contract late last night, GM Brian Cashman held court with the media Thursday morning and discussed the organization’s current offseason outlook, including the trade rumors surrounding Brett Gardner and Chase Headley.
Cashman noted that the heavy-lifting, as far as making any big moves, is over “unless I trade (Brett) Gardner.
“I’m still getting hits on Gardy, but the Headley stuff, I’ve decided to pass on and keep Chase,” he told reporters. Cashman has received calls on the pair since November, but has chosen to hold onto them for now due to underwhelming offers.
Gardner, 33, has the been the subject of trade rumors over the past few offseasons. On Wednesday, it was reported that the Orioles could potentially be interested in acquiring Gardner. Cashman declined to say whether or not that was true, but did divulge that he’s not afraid to trade with anybody.
“I think I’ve demonstrated that I am not afraid to trade with anybody,” said Cashman to Mark Feinsand of the Daily News. “I think there are teams – within the division, mostly – that have been afraid to deal with us or unwilling to deal with us. I’ve been around enough – this is my 20th year as GM – and I’ve made trades with the Mets and I’ve traded with the Red Sox. If I can trade with the Red Sox and the Mets, I can trade with the Orioles. I can trade with anybody.
“If it’s in our best interest whether it’s short- or long-term, it doesn’t matter what the other teams get. Does it make sense for us? If it happens to be them, I don’t really care.”
Cashman seemed to squash any chance on a Headley deal by proclaiming he’s staying put, but still kept the chance of a Gardner trade alive.
Should Gardner be moved, expect the Yankees to target starting pitching since the team only has three spots in the rotation locked down for 2017. Mason Williams, Tyler Austin and Aaron Hicks would be candidates to fill the void in left field.
Stay tuned.
