Yankees GM Brian Cashman offers the usual bold talk regarding MLB free agency, specifically referencing Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole.
As usual, Brian Cashman is preheating the MLB hot stove with vague promises of a New York Yankees spending spree. This time he’s got fans hoping that Stephen Strasburg and Gerrit Cole will put on the pinstripes.
The league’s general manager meetings kicked off on Monday in Scottsdale, Arizona. By the end of the opening day, Cashman was already delivering juicy soundbites.
“We’re certainly going to talk to all players, so of course we’re going to talk to Strasburg and Cole,” Cashman told Forbes contributor Barry M. Bloom. “We’ll talk to the higher-end guys and have conversations there. We’ll also talk about some surprise guys, I’m sure.”
Cashman’s words echo those of outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, who recently told TMZ he’d like both Strasburg and Cole as teammates:
However, Yankees fans who have been paying any attention to Cashman’s dealings over the past several years will likely hone in on the final part of the GM’s statement.
During the 2018 offseason, the Bombers were expected to nab free agents like Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Patrick Corbin. Instead, Cashman grabbed “surprise guys” such as James Paxton and DJ LeMahieu.
Heading into 2020, the biggest names on the market are dominant righty starters Strasburg and Cole.
Strasburg, 31, just proved his value by leading the Washington Nationals to the first championship in franchise history. The Yankees could certainly make good use of his steady presence in a postseason rotation.
As far as Cole is concerned, New York has been interested in the 29-year-old since they drafted him out of high school in the first round of the 2018 MLB draft.
Both prized free agents will command the heftiest of price tags, though. Brian Cashman can talk all he wants, but he answers to an increasingly penny-pinching boss in Hal Steinbrenner.
But hey, who knows. Maybe this year the Yankees will stop bargain hunting and finally treat themselves to a high-end acquisition.
