Cashman: Clock ticking on whether we buy or sell
With the All-Star break approaching, the New York Yankees are playing below expectations, sitting fourth in the American League East with a 40-42 record despite owning the second-highest payroll in baseball.
With the team playing the way it is, general manager Brian Cashman's phone has been ringing and the executive plans to continue to accept calls about his current roster of players.
"If it's something that makes sense for the short and long term, we'll decipher it, go through it," Cashman said of potentially making deals with the trade deadline approaching in a podcast appearance with ESPN's Buster Olney Tuesday.
"I've certainly encouraged all clubs that have any interest in players to ... if they want to make some offers they want me to consider and maybe ownership to consider I'll take it to ownership and it's my obligation to do so. It doesn't mean we're in sell mode, but it certainly means that we're open to everything and anything just like we were this winter."
Rival executives believe the Yankees will part with two of the big three of their bullpen in Aroldis Chapman and Andrew Miller, although Miller said team executives told him they have no plans to trade him.
"The media has been throwing a few things out there, but I've had reassurances from them at the times I've talked to them that it's something that hasn't been discussed or planned for or anything like that," Miller told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch on Sunday. "I think that's kind of nice."
While Cashman doesn't believe it's time to sell just yet, that doesn't mean they won't do so eventually if the Yankees don't turn things around on the field.
"I think that gets dictated by our play on the field," the GM said when asked about the factors that go into being buyers or sellers. "We have not been playing well. We've been a .500 team the entire season thus far and I've publicly stated this team needs to declare itself one way or another.
"It, unfortunately, hasn't declared itself in a positive way and the way we had hoped as of yet. So the clock is ticking, and the more we stay in this mode we're currently in it's going to force us into some tough decisions."