Pursuing Manny remains a possibility

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Brian Cashman didn’t rule out a pursuit of Manny Machado this winter.

Then again, he didn’t rule out exhuming Babe Ruth’s body and slotting The Bambino in the Yankees’ starting rotation, either.

The Yankees’ general manager, in arriving at the general managers’ meetings here on Monday, said the Yankees would consider any and every option to improve their team. That includes a pursuit of Machado, the superstar short- stop/third baseman who sure as heck appears interested in the Yankees.

“I’m going to be engaging the entire landscape in the free-agent market,” Cashman said. “I’m not going to say who and when, but we will make sure we check every box in terms of evaluating what’s available and the cost associated with what’s available in both marketplaces, free agents and trades.”

Asked whether Machado’s October proclamation that hustling wasn’t “my cup of tea” would impact the Yankees’ interest in him, Cashman said, “I’m not going to speak specifically to any free agent other than the fact that I will assess with our staff everything that’s available and then see if it’s a potential fit for us and then have conversations along the way — hopefully to the degree possible in a private manner — to determine realistic opportunities for acquisition and costs associated with acquisitions and take it from there.”

In addition to Machado’s reputation, which took a seismic hit even as he helped the Dodgers reach the World Series, doubt exists whether Hal Steinbrenner would commit to the sort of gigantic contract Machado desires and probably will get just one year after the Yankees imported Giancarlo Stanton and his hefty price tag.