While Alfonso Soriano played a huge role in the Yankees' walk-off victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, general manager Brian Cashman believes the Yanks may have paid a bit too steep a price for the home run hitting corner outfielder.
The Yankees surrendered Single A pitching prospect Corey Black, a player Cashman said he would have liked to hang on to.
"I didn't want to give up [Single-A pitcher] Corey Black, but I didn't nix the Soriano deal," Cashman told ESPN New York on Sunday. "I did not want to do Corey Black. We had been negotiating with the Cubs for a long time. They wanted something more a week earlier and ownership, obviously, in our discussions [felt] we needed to do something."
Referring to the Steinbrenners, Cashman continued: "They were like, 'Hey, we are not going to wait anymore to negotiate, we have to get this done now.'"
This is not the first time Cashman's wishes have been overridden by ownership. Cashman was notably against inking free agent relief pitcher Rafael Soriano two seasons ago, and did not want to sign Alex Rodriguez to his record-setting contract either. Cashman said his opposition to the latest Soriano trade was not the same as his previous disagreements, though.
"[It's] unlike the Rafael Soriano [signing] where you publicly say something beforehand," Cashman said. "Unlike Alex Rodriguez's contract extension where I was public beforehand. This is not something I'm public beforehand or after the fact."
He went further, explaining that he did want to bring Alfonso Soriano back to the Yankees-he just wanted to do so at a smaller price.
"We need offense. He makes us better. I've said that all that. I didn't want to give up good arm, but I know we have to do something to get this guy back and my ownership, every step of the process, they said, 'We can't wait any longer. We have a chance to get it now. We have to get it now.' That was it."
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