Prior to his latest trade acquisition coming through with a game-winning hit in his debut in pinstripes, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman promised he wasn't done with making deals over a week before the July 31 MLB non-waiver trade deadline.
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The Yankees acquired third baseman Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Yangervis Solarte and minor-league pitcher Rafael De Paula on Thursday. Mere hours later, Headley made his Yankee debut in the Bronx and drove in the winning run in the 14th inning to secure a 2-1 victory for the Yankees over the Texas Rangers.
Prior to the excitement, Cashman promised he wasn't done making deals.
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"I have more work to do," he told ESPN while saying he courted Headley for two years. "I'm going to still continue to try to improve on what we have."
Cashman started working on the improvements when he revamped his beleaguered rotation -- which has lost four of the five starters on the Opening Day roster -- by trading Vidal Nuno to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Brandon McCarthy.
Cashman addressed the Yankees pursuit of the postseason as the team is in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight year -- a rarity for the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees enter Wednesday at 51-48, four games behind the Baltimore Orioles for the division lead but just 1.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the second wild-card spot in the American League.
"We're competing for [the postseason]," Cashman said. "I think all of us individually have to focus on what we can do. The 25 guys that are in there have to focus on putting out the best performance they can and being in position to do so on a daily basis."
The Yankees have been looking to upgrade their rotation, and have been linked to Philadelphia Phillies starter Cliff Lee and Chicago White Sox hurler John Danks.
ESPN reported Tuesday that the Yankees weren't "hot and heavy" for Lee as the Phillies are asking for a lot in return for the 36-year-old and his health is an issue. Lee, who came back from the disabled list Monday and struggled as he tied a career-high by giving up 12 hits in a 7-4 loss, is owed anywhere from $47.5 million to $62.5 million
Lee is 4-5 with a 3.67 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 11 games thus far this season.
CBS Sports reported that the Yankees were looking at Danks, a 29-year-old left-hander. Danks is also expensive as he's owed around $34 million through 2016. Danks is 8-6 through 20 games, but he has a 4.35 ERA while adding 87 strikeouts.
The trade deadline is just about on the horizon, and for Cashman and the Yankees nothing is off the table.
"We're open to anything," Cashman said. "We're ready to rock and roll. We're ready to try to do things. We've been trying to do a lot of things, but they're just really hard to do. We're going keep sifting through it and try to find ways to improve this club so we can get the team where it needs to be, which is qualifying for the playoffs. But I have more work to do."
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