Cashman: Yankees 'not an open blank checkbook'
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman acknowledged that his team doesn't have unlimited financial resources to improve its roster.
"Everything adds up. Everything counts," Cashman said Wednesday, the last day of the winter meetings, according to Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News. "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."
Cashman added that he understands that fans may not like to hear such a line of thinking from the Yankees. However, he wants supporters of the club to know the front office's primary goal remains winning.
"Fans don't really care about those details," the executive said. "They want what they want. 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 wintertimes: 'Anything at all cost, doesn't matter.' But in reality, it does matter."
Cashman's remarks follow those of owner Hal Steinbrenner, who said in late November that he would prefer the Yankees to lower their payroll in 2026.
New York didn't add to its roster during the winter meetings. The team's offseason has thus far been a slow one after re-signing outfielder Trent Grisham to a one-year, $22.025-million qualifying offer and bringing back reliever Ryan Yarbrough with a one-year, $2.5-million deal.
"We're just staying engaged, trying to match up with some things," Cashman said, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "But it's been tough so far. 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."
The Yankees finished with MLB's third-highest 40-man roster in 2025, accumulating a competitive balance tax payroll of just under $324 million.