Brian Cashman admits that he may be stuck with the rotation he has

Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York reports that the Yankees may be going into the 2011 season with the rotation they currently have: Sabathia, Hughes, Burnett and … filler:

Having finished second, or maybe third, in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, theYankees are prepared to go into the 2011 season with a pitching rotation of CC Sabathia,A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes , with the remaining spots filled out by youngsters, many of whom have never pitched above the Triple-A level.

“I’m not saying I want to do it,” general manager Brian Cashman said in a telephone conversation Monday morning, “but I may have to do it … If we get Pettitte back, so much the better. But I’m not waiting for him. He told me not to.”

There was a time when we’d say “oh, that’s just Cashman talking baloney. Watch: the Yankees will make a big splash this week and make us all seem like fools.” Based on how this offseason has gone, however, we’re not in that world anymore.

The White Sox have reportedly picked up first baseman Yonder Alonso from the Indians, according to Stadium. The return for Alonso is expected to be nothing more flashy than a “fringe prospect,” though the minutiae of the deal is still pending a formal announcement from both teams.

Alonso, 31, inked a two-year deal with the Indians during the 2017 offseason. His first campaign with the club yielded a modest .250/.317/.421 batting line, 23 home runs, .738 OPS and 0.7 fWAR in 574 PA. The real boon for the White Sox may not be a passable veteran bat, however, but something more intangible — like Alonso’s clout with his brother-in-law and highly-coveted free agent slugger, Manny Machado.

While Alonso’s 2018 output represented a significant decline from the career-best numbers he posted in 2017, he’s still a solid contributor at the plate and, more importantly, slated to remain under team control for the next two years with just $8 million owed in 2019 and a $9 million option in 2020. As MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince notes, the $17 million the Indians just erased from their payroll should give them enough room to accommodate the contracts for right-handers Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber — a bonus regardless of what they happen to get in the trade.