On Friday morning, Brian Cashman addressed the media atop the Landmark Building in Stamford, Conn., moments before doing a practice run for his weekend rappel. Below are the GM’s quotes on a few of the subjects broached in the early-AM chill.
On Russell Martin signing with Pittsburgh: “This isn’t something that caught us off guard. It’s something we were very well aware of. The agent was very honest with us, as well as the player, Russell. The best shot we took at retaining him was in spring training and obviously it was more difficult and now he’s moving on.”
On the catching situation: “We have people that can handle and run the game…and at the very least, that’s our fallback. The offense is an area that, currently with what our roster provides, will be a downgrade from what we’re used to, but (it’s not) the most important aspect. We are going to have to pursue a lot of areas on this club – the bench, right field, potentially catching, maybe not – (and) it’s possible that our catchers are right here on this roster right now. That is very possible, and more likely than not, to be honest. But we’ll see. Patience is a virtue and good things come to those who wait.”
On top catching prospect Austin Romine: “I think he’s on the outside looking in, but when you get this close to the big leagues, things can come quick. If you’ve got a lot of talent, things can come quick. That talent, it can close the gap very quickly. At this planning stage, the plan would be for him to be at Triple-A everyday and having a full year at Triple-A, but we’ll see.”
On adding to the bullpen: “On top of Mariano? I don’t think that’s necessary. I’m not opposed to it, but it’s not on the need list. If we get something added to the bullpen, it would be something that presented itself that made too much sense in the marketplace, whether it’s trade or free agency or what have you. It wouldn’t make much sense given the team needs and the remaining dollars that we have.”
On searching for infield depth: “It’s an area that I will focus on, but (I can’t say) whether anything materializes from that area. We have people on the roster currently; it’s just, what’s the ability to upgrade on it? What’s the availability in terms of what’s in the marketplace, both free agent and trade? Does any of that make sense with the cost associated with it, whether it’s your assets as a player or a dollar amount? And if you do anything in that capacity, how does it take away from all the other areas on the field that we need to address as well?”
On whether Eric Chavez wants to return or will retire: “I haven’t really talked to him; I’m not aware either way.”
On Derek Jeter’s recovery: “He had a checkup a couple of weeks ago in North Carolina and everything is going very well, so he’s going to be ready for us by Opening Day. He’ll be a restricted player early in camp, but all indications are very strong for a full and healthy recovery. He just has to wait it out, that’s all.”
On the New York Post’s unflattering back-page photo in Friday’s edition: “The one thing you don’t have to worry about is Derek Jeter. Bottom line is, the most important thing Derek can do right now is rest. … I saw that the picture said he’s heavy. I can’t tell you he’s heavy. Even if he was, I’m not worried about Derek Jeter in that capacity in any way because you’re not going to find anybody more committed to being the best that he can be than Derek Jeter.”
On the trade market: “I’m engaged. I’ve talked to everybody on several occasions to make sure that there’s no opportunities that we’re going to miss out on. If there’s a chance to match up, you explore those options, but matching up is difficult.”
On the offseason going forward: “We obviously have more work to do; the priority has been pitching, and step by step, we’re getting that piece back together again. I think we’ll feel really good about the staff as we start. There’s two sides of the ball, you’ve got to do defense and an offense. The defensive side, I think is getting addressed pretty strongly, and the offensive side we’re going to have to start focusing on.”
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroYES
