Cashman ‘excited’ by young infield
Pitchers and catchers are set to report to Tampa in a little more than six weeks, and the Yankees are still prepared to go with the possibility of Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar in the infield, according to general manager Brian Cashman.
“If the market changes, we’re prepared to adjust,” Cashman said. “But right now, we’re still treading water. This is what we’ve got, in addition to other guys like Tyler Wade and [Thairo] Estrada. I’m excited with what we have.”
Torres — coming off Tommy John surgery to his non-throwing elbow last year — spent the offseason at the team’s facility in Tampa, where the team could monitor his rehab, instead of playing winter ball in his native Venezuela. Cashman said the 21-yearold is “ready to go” physically.
“We might be careful with him this spring regardless because of the injury, but we wanted him in Tampa so we would be able to control how much he did,” Cashman said. “Now that he’s fully healthy, we want to see more of what he can do.”
Andujar spent his offseason playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic and, at least for now, has a chance to be the everyday third baseman in the wake of Chase Headley’s trade to San Diego.
Andujar, who turns 23 in March, struggled in the Dominican, where he hit just .185 in 18 games, but he was also charged with just one error.
“We know the player he is,’’ Cashman said. “We saw him go from Double-A, to Triple-A to the big leagues last year. He played third base at Yankee Stadium. He’ll compete. He’s earned the right to bang on the door and he has a chance to knock it down. If he needs more time, he’ll get it.”
Team president Randy Levine said last week the Yankees were “hopeful” there were more moves to be made before Opening Day, and in this glaciallypaced offseason, Cashman remains engaged.
“Each market has a life of its own,’’ Cashman said. “But I like our team as it stands. That doesn’t mean we’re a finished product or that we’re perfect or that there aren’t teams that are better than us.”
That’s among the reasons why the Yankees have engaged in trade talks with the Pirates about Gerrit Cole and Arizona about Patrick Corbin, in addition to upgrades in the infield.
And they’ve checked in with free agent righthander Yu Darvish, another significant name who remains available despite the relatively late date in the offseason.
With the Yankees still determined to keep their payroll under the $197 million tax threshold this season, the addition of Darvish would be difficult, as would any of the other big-ticket names still on the market.
Asked his level of concern with the possibility of having two untested rookies at such important positions heading into a season with such high expectations, Cashman said, “My job is to be concerned with everyone, whether it’s experienced players like Greg Bird and CC Sabathia staying healthy and playing all year, or seeing how younger players adjust to the majors. We’ve know what Andujar is capable of, and we know the talent of Torres.”