Hal Steinbrenner wants to put the New York Yankees on a diet, making them a lean, mean budgetary machine. General manager Brian Cashman understands the edict from his boss, but he says never fear -- budget or no budget, the Yankees will always act like the Yankees.
"We’re still the Yankees," Cashman said. "We’re still going to outspend everybody else. That’s not going to change. We’re still going to be there for our fan base, and try to make sure that every year is a year that they have legitimate hope that this could be a special season. "That’s never going to change."
Phew! Can't have the Yankees morphing into the Kansas City Royals or Minnesota Twins, but being budget-conscious can't be a bad thing. Can it? Nor can the increased emphasis Cashman has been trying to put on using Yankee resources in scouting and player development, especially in the international market.