Already talking about next year.
The Yankees will celebrate their 27th World Series championship with a parade today in lower Manhattan. But before the first pieces of confetti fall from the towering buildings, Cashman will be knee-deep into plans to assure that this becomes an annual ritual.
The Yankees, who went nine years without a World Series title, crave another dynasty. Since winning their first championship in 1923, they have only once won a World Series in isolation (1932), with every other title coming within two years of another."What we did was remarkable," Cashman said. "But there will be a new mission now. We'll celebrate, but the business side kicks in."
The Yankees do not intend to hold a spending spree like last year's $423.5 million for first baseman Mark Teixeira and starting pitchers CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett.
But they need more pitching after using only three starters in the playoffs.
They need setup relievers to ease the burden on closer Mariano Rivera, who will turn 40 at the end of this month.
And they need to make decisions on free agents Hideki Matsui, the Series MVP, left fielder Johnny Damon and left-hander Andy Pettitte.
"We spent money before, but they got it right (last offseason)," Rivera said. "It made our team complete."
