With free agency in full swing this week during the 2025 MLB Winter Meetings, Yankees fans are waiting for Brian Cashman to make a big move.
Although, as the team is potentially looking to cut payroll below $300 million for the 2026 season, Cashman may not be making the same types of moves that people are used to seeing from the club.
“Fans don’t really care about those details. They want what they want,” Cashman told reporters Wednesday. “Ultimately, what we both want is to have a team that’s going to rack up the win totals to push themselves into the postseason and win it all. But it’s just the nature of the beast where you get into the frenzy of the winter times. ‘Anything at all cost, doesn’t matter,’ but in reality, it does matter.
“Everything adds up. Everything counts. We’re an aggressive franchise, but while being aggressive, we already have some very large commitments, and the more of those you have, the more impact it affects you in other areas. And so everything’s tied together. Our ownership has obviously demonstrated year in and year out how massively committed they are. But at the same time, that’s not an open blank checkbook either.”
The longtime GM spoke went on to discuss the current state of the free agent market, saying it’s moving at “glacial speed,” but the Yanks are confident in their group and are still searching for ways to make a splash.
“We have a strong team,” Cashman said. “The job is to make it better and make it stronger. (Saying) it and doing it are two different things. We’re trying to pull that off, and it takes time. There’s a lot of time on the board still, and there’s a lot of inventory still there, so there’s a lot of possibilities in play.”
Cashman added that current talks with free agents have “been tough so far” and any trade proposals haven’t made much progress.
“We’re just staying engaged, trying to match up with some things. But it’s been tough so far,” Cashman added. “Don’t like the asks coming our way, and I guess the opposing teams don’t like what I’m trying to pull from them on the trade stuff. We do have some conversations that possibly could lead somewhere.”
Among the “inventory” still out there includes Cody Bellinger, who opted out of his deal with New York to become a free agent this offseason. Cashman said earlier in the week that the Yanks have had dialogue with Bellinger’s agent Scott Boras and a reunion with the OF is “still in play.”
He was asked Wednesday if the Yankees can “afford to wait” on resigning Bellinger because they already have youngsters Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones as replacement options, explaining they’re taking an “opportunistic” approach when it comes to signings.
“I don’t know if it’s ‘afford’ to wait. I think we’re opportunistic. We like our players. That is a fact,” Cashman said. “But there’s players outside of our current control system that we also like, and may very well like more and better because there’s a lot more certainty there, which comes with cost, whether it’s a trade acquisition or free agent dollars. So it’s my job to play on that stuff and try to figure that out, and if we come to an area that this makes a lot of sense, then we’re ready to pounce and kind of change the equation.
“But if not, we like what we have, too, at the same time. Jasson Domínguez is on his journey, and Spencer Jones is just beginning his journey. Those are two names, but I got no idea how this is going to play out.”
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