…and, man, does he have a lot to say.
In a fantastic and compelling interview with CBS Newsradio 880’s Phil Allard, Cashman fields questions on, well, everything. He talks about the young pitcher prospects; Joba Chamberlain’s future; the high-risk, high-reward nature of the Brackman draft pick; what the future holds for Humberto Sanchez, Ross Ohlendorf and the disappointing Kei Igawa; some injury updates; and of course, Alex Rodriguez.
The kicker is A-Rod. Cashman reiterates his stance: The Yanks will negotiate with A-Rod as long as the slugger does not opt out. Once he opts out of the contract, Alex Rodriguez will not be back as a member of the New York Yankees. For the Yanks, this makes perfect financial success. They want to keep the money flowing to A-Rod from Texas, and to do so, A-Rod will have to agree to an extension beyond the terms of his original deal.
If A-Rod opts out, a new deal would force the Yanks to pay A-Rod his entire salary. For the next three years under the current deal, Texas foots the bill for a substantial portion. But this unique financial arrangement means the Yanks can afford to pay A-Rod into the future. I think – and I hope – he stays.
Read the interview; it’s a great insight into the mind of the Yanks’ GM.
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Meanwhile, in Toronto, as the AL Player of the Week looks to homer in his sixth straight game and Phil Hughes goes for his second straight strong start, Derek Jeter makes his triumphant return to the lineup. While the grumblings are that he’ll need to go in for minor off-season knee surgery, I won’t complain about the Captain’s return to the lineup.
On a related note, how great is it having a bench? While Wilson Betemit had struggled with irregular playing time in August, filling in for the Jeter the last few days, Betemit has gone 5 for his last 13 with a 1 HR and 5 RBI. Miguel Cairo never did that.
Meanwhile, today’s game is brought to you by the number 15. When the Tigers lost game 1 of their day-night doubleheader to the Rangers this afternoon, the Yanks saw their magic number to clinch the Wild Card drop to 15.
Good times.
Johnny Damon LF
Derek Jeter SS
Bobby Abreu RF
Alex Rodriguez 3B
Hideki Matsui DH
Jorge Posada C
Jason Giambi 1B
Robinson Cano 2B
Melky Cabrera CF
Phil Hughes P
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