Cashman: We're Likely Going With Current Rotation

First there was this from Jack Curry earlier today:

Besides that, there were these quotes from Cashman himself, via Andrew Marchand:

Having finished second, or maybe third, in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes, the Yankees 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."

Cashman is operating under the assumption that Andy Pettitte, back home in Deer, Park, Texas, following a an excellent season cut short by a groin injury, will not be returning for a 17th major league season.

"If we get Pettitte back, so much the better," Cashman said. "But I'm not waiting for him. He told me not to."

...

"Could I go out and get a starter? Yes, I could. But there's just not much out there," Cashman said. "I have March, April, May, June and July, really, to come up with someone."

...

"In the past, we might have gone out and traded away prospects just to get someone in here," Cashman said. "But realistically, I have until July to get this solved."

Cashman also said that Joba Chamberlain is not an option for the rotation and that he would look to find two starters out of the Yankees pitching prospects at Double and Triple-A. Ivan Nova, Andrew Brackman, Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Hector Noesi and left-hander Manny Banuelos were all mentioned in the article.

I'm telling you guys, the more I read about Cashman's expectations and his apparently lack of interest in making any major deals, the more I believe that 2011 will be a transition year for the Yanks. Not the best thing to do with so many older veterans on the roster, but we'll see how it goes.