TAMPA, Fla. — General Manager Brian Cashman from time to time relays a sobering message to his players: His job is to find players better than they are.

If that message had begun to ring hollow in recent years, as the Yankees mortgaged the present for a brighter, not-too-distant future and an escape from luxury-tax jail, it may have some resonance on Monday, as the Yankees signed the free-agent second baseman Neil Walker. He agreed to a one-year, $4 million contract with incentives based on plate appearances that are worth up to $500,000.

So, whereas Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Luis Severino and Jordan Montgomery were given the chance to flourish or flop last season when expectations were modest, such an opportunity seems less likely for two promising prospects — Gleyber Torres and Tyler Wade.

Torres, the organization’s top prospect, is hitting just .130 this spring as he works to return from Tommy John surgery on his left, non-throwing elbow. Wade has hit better, at .292, and run the bases with verve, but his fielding at second base — a position he is still learning — has not always been smooth.