Cashman Wants to Trim Payroll?

We’ve heard this before, but I figured it just wasn’t very realistic. Cash spoke with Joel Sherman (NY Post) and said the following when asked about signing both Sabathia and Teixeira:

In fact, in an exclusive interview with The Post, Cashman strongly indicated the Yankees will not even sign Sabathia and Teixeira in tandem.

“At the pricetags I have read, that is fantasy land, not reality land,” Cashman said yesterday of bringing in Sabathia and Teixeira…

Cashman refused to state his budget or his wish list beyond “starting pitching.” But he was revealing in saying, “There has been speculation that we can pull down two or three of the top [free agents], and people are just getting carried away. That is not feasible. That is completely unrealistic.”

Sometimes, Brian Cashman thinks we’re all idiots. If you have nearly $90 million coming off the books in 2009, then yes, you do have the money to sign at least 2 of the top free agents available. It may not be entirely feasible if you’re plan is to cut payroll, however, it is certainly realistic. Sherman also spoke with an unnamed source, a Yankee insider, who stated that the Yankees are attempting to cut their payroll by $20 million or so (to $180-$190 range). Again, I don’t see this happening and it’s probably another bargaining move by Cashman (don’t put all of your chips on the table).