Yanks Say "F&*k It," Lock Up Lowe, Teixeira and Manny

NEW YORK – While the dust settles in Las Vegas following Major League Baseball’s winter meetings, the lights continue to burn bright in the New York Yankees front office — day, night and every waking minute in-between.

GM Brian Cashman knows there is no sleep for the weary. Following a season in which the Bronx Bombers embarrassed themselves with a second-place finish, Cashman and the Yanks made a splash earlier this week locking up C.C. Sabathia through a combination of cash, money, loot and incentives. A.J. Burnett was next wooed to the Big Apple by piles of green and plenty of scratch. The moves caused eyebrows to raise around the League, given the pinstripers traditional hesitation to dole out big-money deals and their increasing tendency to penny pinch.

As we had the chance to sit down with Cashman this weekend, it was clear however that the mentality of this once-frugal organization has shifted. During our brief Saturday morning interview, the buzz of the mobile phone and deal-making was constant and omnipresent. Numbers that would seem mind-boggling to the common man – not to mention half the organizations in baseball – ping-ponged their way around the room with a strange and frightening mixture of frivolity, ambivalence and, some might say, recklessness.

After we briefly discussed the behind-the-scenes work that led up to the Sabathia and Burnett deals, Cashman dropped a bombshell. He revealed that by weekend’s end he expected free agents Derek Lowe, Mark Texiera and Manny Ramirez to officially join the Yankees 2009 roster. With my mouth agape, I asked Cashman, somewhat incredulously, “how?” He responded with candor. “We need players, we’ve got money. So, f*&^ it, right.” Simple enough logic.

While the GM turned his attention back to his rapidly-evolving roster, I tried to run through the Yankees lineup for the coming year. An infield of Texiera, Cano, Jeter and A-Rod…an outfield with the addition of Manny…what could be the best starting rotation in baseball…are there any…” As if reading my mind, Cashman picked up his head, the sides of his mouth curled upwards and a smile that was equal parts mischievous and evil spread across his face. “We figure Fuentes and and Cordero should us a good lefty-righty 1-2 to get to Mo. Hoffman is more of an insurance thing at this point in his career.”

It seemed like a full 30 seconds of silence then passed. Cashman continuing to show off that grin, me stunned into mental and physical paralysis. Finally, the man in charge of re-stocking the Yankees concluded our interview.

“F&*^ it, right?”

- Cecilio’s Scribe