Yankees News and Notes: Center Field a toss-up, Cashman celebrates 15 years

For the New York Yankees, center field has been a recent topic of discussion. The competition between Curtis Granderson and Brett Gardner for the position has been speculated about and will find a conclusion sometime during Spring Training. In other news, Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman celebrated his 15 year anniversary as the General Manager of the team just on February 3rd. Cashman has helped the Yankees navigate away from big spending in the past few years. 

The Yankees’ outfield, while not the most prominent, is probably the team’s strong suit heading into 2013. (Image: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports)

The Yankees acknowledged the fact that both Gardner and Granderson have both been legitimate center fielders for the past few seasons. The re-signing of Ichiro Suzuki, the third left-handed bat in the outfield, also adds to the defensive versatility. On the situation, Cashman had this to say:

"“We have two center fielders, as we’ve had for three years, manning two-thirds of our outfield. It’s something we’ll talk about. It’s certainly something that’s possible, but it’s not something we’ve moved on.”"

Manager Joe Girardi hasn’t been as vocal on the situation. Girardi has not made a decision either way that would play in the favor of Gardner or Granderson.

Moving on, the second piece of news today is a recognition of the past 15 years for Cashman. When he was named the general manager of the Yankees back in 1998, nobody knew what type of legacy he would create. To say Cashman has had a one-sided career is not true, he’s had his critics and supporters throughout the years.

Ever since the Carl Pavano signing, Cashman has been the subject of much criticism for signings, but the farm, pitchers and hitters alike, has been more than enough to clear that mess. Cashman is a smart man and probably one of the better general managers in the game. His approach of not going huge on contracts anymore has started to help the team budget as they prepare to get under the $189 million to avoid the luxury tax.

That’s it for the Yankee news today. Be sure to check out our articles later today!