Randy Miller | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

It's been a week and a half since the Yankees were bounced from the playoffs and general manager Brian Cashman still isn't over it.

Not even close.

He’s still frustrated and depressed coming to terms with the realization that his club wasn’t as good as he thought.

The Yanks won 100 games in the regular season, but the Red Sox took the division with an MLB-best 108 and then won their best-of-five Division Series showdown in four.

And so, the Yankees are forced to wait yet another year to add to their record 27 World Series titles, and to them it feels a lot longer than a decade ago since they last won in 2009.

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"I thought going into the postseason we were peaking at the right time," Cashman said Wednesday during a radio interview with WFAN. "Then we hit Oakland and did what we did (in the Wild Card Game), and I was like, 'Here we go.' Then even coming out of Fenway where we won home-field advantage back (in the ALDS), we were going back to Yankee Stadium after splitting in (Boston). That was huge.

“But it just didn’t play out the way we wanted it. … At the end of the day, you’re left with an empty feeling because you had a team that we felt was capable and it proved unworthy for whatever reason.

“We have to study the reasons why and continue to try to attack the areas to the best of our abilities with the available trade, free agent market and funds, and then see where it takes us.”

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A little at a time, Cashman is providing some tips on what lies ahead for the Yankees, who could have a lot of roster turnover in what figures to be a very eventual offseason with a loaded free agent class including the likes of young superstar position players Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, and maybe three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, who has an opt out in his contract.

Cashman revealed some clues last week at Yankee Stadium when he and manager Aaron Boone took turns doing long group interviews three days after the Red Sox's clincher, and more came Wednesday during his radio interviews with Mike Francesa on WFAN and Michael Kay on 98.7 ESPN.

Here’s what we learned:

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Pro scouting meetings set

Brian Cashman has been saying all of the Yankees’ offseason plans will be set up during their upcoming pro scouting meetings, which now are scheduled.

The Yankees’ front office, coaching staff, pro scouts and analytics people will meet at Yankee Stadium from Monday, Oct. 22 through Wednesday, Oct. 24.

There, the Yanks will discuss at great length what they have, what they need and what they’d be comfortable spending for free agents and/or giving up for trade targets.

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Once all of that is complete, Cashman and staffers will meet up with managing partner Hal Steinbrenner to pass along recommendations, then wait for ownership to give direction on how to proceed.

“I can’t predict what we’re going to do yet,” Cashman said. “We’re still in the infancy stage of this stuff and we haven’t started our meetings yet and then we need to evaluate what the true landscape is in terms of the available talent in the trade market versus what’s available in the free agent market and slot them properly and then see what the acquisition costs. And that’s going to take some time.

“We’re going to kick the tires on every opportunity and then kind of see where and what we should do after that.”

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Will Yankees spend big?

Everybody wants to know if managing partner Hal Steinbrenner will respond to the Yankees’ early playoff ousting the same way that his late father probably would.

Will Hal make like George and react to the Yankees’ powerhouse lineup being right-handed heavy by spending big to sign lefty-swinging slugger Bryce Harper, who seems perfect for Yankee Stadium?

Will the Yanks counter losing shortstop Didi Gregorius for the first two-to-five months of 2019 due to Wednesday’s Tommy John surgery by signing Manny Machado, who is a great talent but now also a lightning rod for criticism due to this week’s lack of hustling in the NLCS and then comments that he’s not going to change?

Will the Yankees spare no expense attempting to add an ace or two to their starting rotation?

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Here’s what Brian Cashman told Michael Kay when he was asked if the Yanks are prepared to spend this offseason as if The Boss was still running things:

“That’s been a constant question that’s continued on a year in and year out basis because of who were and the environment that we operate in. I think we’ve shown that we’re a very discipline operation.

“We’re not perfect. We don’t make great decisions at all times. I think we have made consistently good decisions based on a process that has served us well. We’re going to continue to let that process play our and serve us.

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“Ultimately Hal Steinbrenner and his family make the final call. We’ll give them different lanes to drive in and they’ll tell us which one they prefer based on the information that gets provided to them. We’re a process-orientated operation and we just have to let that process play out. So I don’t know if that means we’re going to spend a lot or spend a little.

“But I do think we improved this team consistently throughout the season. It was a great team that ended in 2017 that was significantly improved over the course of 2018 and I think that was done in big ways whether it was with (Giancarlo) Stanton, in smaller ways with (J.A.) Happ or even a smaller acquisition that played in a big way with (Luke) Voit, And (Andrew) McCutchen was a huge acquisition. I think all of which combined would lead us somewhere more than we were at.

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“Even the (Adeiny) Hechavarria one, which nobody saw coming. It wasn’t to address an area of weakness. It was more of a player available. For $50,000, we could get him essentially imported in here and he’d be an upgrade on (utility infielder) Ronald Torreyes.

“That would be the tenacity I would say that we strive to be every day of reinforcing every aspect of the club that you possible can. And you have tough decisions. It doesn’t mean no matter what you go get everything that’s available. It’s not possible. You have to weigh the acquisition cost and the financial ramifications.

“But I can tell you the process and the intent and the interest and the motivations are always there to find ways. If there is good player on the free agent market that is better than we currently have … then what’s the acquisition cost? And then decisions get made accordingly. We try not to be emotionally attached to anything. We try to objectively say, ‘Is this going to make us better?’ We’ll see where it takes us.”

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Here’s more on the subject from Cashman’s interview with Mike Francesa when he was asked if the Yankees’ offseason plan will be to make big moves or just finetune the roster:

“All of the above. I’ll give you an example. Obviously we took a run at a big-time player at the trade deadline for instance that we didn’t get, which was going to be an offensive potential guy for us, and then we wound up with a smaller name that no one really knew us, including us, and turned out to be the most impactful offensive player moved at the deadline.

The smaller name was Luke Voit.

The biggest one is believed to be Manny Machado, as the Yanks’ reportedly made a trade offer to the Orioles last July before Baltimore finalized a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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“So big name, small name … all anybody is going to care about is it going to work, help, be productive, impact you in a positive way,” Cashman added. “Luke Voit turned out to be as impactful a bat that we could get our hands on and we were directed to that by a lot of quality people that we have. But he played to a higher level than I think anybody would have expected, so we were fortunate there.

“And so this winter, hopefully we can run into some more good decisions that play out in a bigger way than you could anticipate. Does that mean it’s a big name? Does that mean it’s a smaller name or medium name? Who knows? We’re just obviously trying to find a way to still be playing right now because we’re not and we have to find a way to reinforce.

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Mark J. Terrill | AP

Sanchez won't be traded

Brian Cashman says other GMs have been calling him asking about the availability of catcher Gary Sanchez, who hit .186 with a MLB-high 17 passed balls in 89 games this season after being a star rookie in 2016 and All-Star in 2017.

"I believe in in Gary Sanchez,” Cashman said. “It's clearly up to us to find ways to continue to unlock what he's capable of, and 2018 obviously wasn't what he or we would have thought. But we know what he's capable of doing.

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“I'm already getting phone calls, to be honest, from clubs trying to knock on our door to see if he's available. And he's not. That reinforces, I think, what people realize his ceiling and capabilities, and also the position weakness around the game.

“I think he will be a difference maker for us. We just have to find a way to get him back on track. I think he lost confidence over the course of the season, but he did find his mojo toward the end and in the second season I think we started to see a more representative version of what he's capable of doing.”

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Sanchez hit just .200 in four playoff games, but he keyed the Yankees’ ALDS Game 2 win with a two-homer game at Fenway Park and he just missed hitting a walk-off grand slam just before the Red Sox clinched the series with a Game 4 victory at Yankee Stadium.

“I think you'll see that play out more next year for us,” Cashman said. “We’ll have to wait until next year because he will be our catcher."

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25 candidates to fill Yankees' 3 rotation openings

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Julie Jacobson | AP

No position change for Andujar

Rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar hit his way into being a favorite to win the AL Rookie of the Year.

His unpolished fielding led to the 23-year-old Dominican being benched late in the season late into games that the Yankees were winning and for all of CC Sabathia’s starts.

There’s been speculation that Andujar eventually will be moved to a different position – perhaps left field or first base – and that the Yankees will sign free agent Manny Machado to be their long-term solution at third base.

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Brian Cashman definitely didn’t drop any hints that any of that is on the horizon.

“We were doing what we did (subbing Andujar out) in the most important games,” Cashman said. “Every time we had CC on the mound, we were playing (Neil) Walker. There were ton of ground balls that get moved to that side of the field.

“We did say openly and I think declaratively when we traded for (Brandon) Drury in the spring that we felt Andujar needed more development time on defensive side. So I think we reacted as we stated.

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“He showed that he was ready to be an everyday guy regardless. Does it mean that he’s a finished product? No. There’s still growth on the defensive side. But his makeup is off the chart. We feel like because of his makeup and his willingness to work and address issues and fight, we feel like he has a chance to reach that ceiling regardless. And that means exciting times ahead for him and therefore for us.”

Andujar proved that he can hit big-league pitching, as he hit .297 with 27 homers, 9 RBI and an .855 OPS in 149 games, and along the way Drury was traded to Toronto.

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But as Cashman admitted, Andujar’s defense still is a work in progress, thus the benchings late in the season.

“Aaron Boone and his staff were forced to make tough decisions and the easy thing to say is we don’t want to do that,” Cashman said. “We’re very optimistic that over time you’re going to continue to see that improvements necessary for (Andujar) to be a great player for a long time.

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Yankees wanted Machado in July, but after 'I don't hustle' comment?' Cashman says ...

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Maddie Meyer | Getty Images

Dealing with Yankees' free agents

Almost a quarter of the Yankees’ postseason roster could be headed for free agency.

There will be five players for sure - lefty starters J.A. Happ and CC Sabathia, relievers Zach Britton and David Robertson, and outfielder Andrew McCutchen – and also probably outfielder Brett Gardner, whose $12.5 club option almost certainly won’t be picked up.

Of those, the one that Cashman praised the most during his Wednesday interviews was Happ, a 2017 All-Star for Toronto and July trade acquisition who pitched great for the Yankees in the regular season (7-0, 2.69 ERA, 11 starts) and then flopped in Game 1 of the ALDS in Boston (2 IP, 5 ER).

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“He was everything we needed and then some,” Cashman said of Happ during his WFAN interview. “Unfortunately it didn’t play out that way for us in the postseason, but at same time you kind of worry about somebody who’s facing the same team over and over and over and over again like he did with Toronto against the Red Sox and then with us. Those guys got enough looks at him and found a way whether his game was off or they saw enough of him to change the equation.

“But he great in our clubhouse and great on the field of play for us. He’s someone that that whether we’re lucky enough to retain or somebody else acquires him, it’s for good reason. He’s wired the right way.”

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Manuel Balce Ceneta | AP

Yankees' take on adding offense ...

The Yankees’ 268 homers this season set a new MLB record and they finished second in runs scored, but that was accompanied by just a .249 batting average with a lot of poor situational at-bats.

Now what?

The Yanks will have an opening in left field if they don’t re-sign free agent Andrew McCutchen or keep Brett Gardner, who could stay or leave after his probable 2019 contract buyout.

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Here’s a Cashman quote during his ESPN radio interview that seems to hint that the Yankees won’t be looking to add another big bat this winter such as Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado:

“I think we can tweak (the offense) by continuing to get some growth and address areas of weakness with individual hitters by how they respond in certain counts and what the circumstances happen to play out.

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“We certainly were horrific with the bases loaded this year and that played through the postseason, too. But there are individual profile things on a yearly basis that you’re constantly are attacking and there are deficiencies that need to be addressed and continue to be discussed and worked through with individuals.

“If you can tap into that and improve upon that, then you’re going to get more consistent or better results. But overall from an offseason standpoint, I think we’re really strong and dangerous, but I think there are holes we can sure up at the same time.”

That “holes we can sure up” line does make you wonder if Harper could be a big fish they hunt.

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Rob Carr | Getty Images

... and adding left-handed hitter

The Yankees’ ended the season with a starting lineup that included one left-handed hitter (Didi Gregorius), one switch-hitter (Aaron Hicks) and seven right-handed hitters (Andrew McCutchen, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Gary Sanchez, Miguel Andujar, Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres).

Next season, the Yanks will be righty heavy again with six of the seven due back – McCutchen will be a free agent – and their only lefty won’t play until June, July or August due to Gregorius’ Tommy John surgery.

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So maybe the Yanks will look to bring in Bryce Harper, the most high-profile (and expensive) lefty bat that will be in this year’s free agent market.

Or maybe they’ll bring in a much cheaper left-handed bats to play left and middle infield.

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"Trust me, we'll be looking at it," Brian Cashman said. "We always want a balanced offense. We are right-handed.

"(First baseman Greg) Bird was supposed to be an important left-handed bat. It didn't occur. That was something that was going to create a problem for us, so hopefully we can get some balance with more fluid offense that can score a lot of different ways."

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Latest on Didi

Didi Gregorius’ many months of rehabbing his way back from a ligament tear to his throwing elbow is underway, as the star shortstop underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

Even though the surgery was called a success – aren’t they all? – the Yankees still don’t have an idea of when Gregorius will be ready to play next season.

“It’s anywhere from, I hate to say … June, July or August,” Brian Cashman said on WFAN. “It could be on the early end of June or the late end of August or somewhere in between.

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The Yankees didn’t find out after their season ended that Gregorius hurt his throwing elbow in Game 2 of the ALDS on a throw from the seat of his pants in shallow left field to second base, and a subsequent MRI revealed a torn ligament.

“It’s a tough loss for the time we’re losing him, but there’s a lot of optimism giving the medical stuff (Wednesday),” Cashman said. “He was good hands and he’ll be back on track, but unfortunately we have to wait on it.”

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NEW Yankees' 2019 lineup projection: WithMachado, without Gregorius

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Adam Hunger | USA TODAY Sports

Latest on shortstop options

Brian Cashman still views second baseman Gleyber Torres as the Yankees’ top internal candidate to fill in at shortstop for Didi Gregorius with Ronald Torreyes and Tyler Wade also options.

Realistically, if the Yankees don’t address this area in the offseason Torres would be open 2019 starting at short with Torreyes and/or Wade starting or sharing second base.

But that won’t happen. The Yankees will do something.

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“We’re going to have to discuss that,” Cashman told Francesa. “The strategies aren’t mapped out yet. Gleyber Torres is our best shortstop we have in our system right now that we can swing over. We have Tyler Wade. You’ve got Ronald Torreyes. And then you’ve got outside candidates.

“I’m not sure what we’re going to do with it, but we’re going to be forced to talk about it and come up with ideas that suits us as we wait for Didi to come back.”

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Rick Scuteri | AP

No. 1 winter priority

What will the Yankees be chasing the hardest this winter?

“Our starting pitching is our main focus,” Brian Cashman said.

Duh!

Only Luis Severino and Masahiro Tanaka are currently in the Yanks’ projected 2019 rotation, so they have three openings to fill.

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Look for one of the spots to go to free agent lefty Patrick Corbin, who was 11-7 with a career-best 3.15 ERA and 246 strikeouts over 200 innings this season pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Word is that Corbin is dying to be a Yankee and they want him just as badly, so we could see a quick deal completed once the free agent signing period begins in November.

“We’re excited about adding to our rotation,’ Cashman said. “It’s going to be a focus point for us and there’s going to be a lot of competition regardless of the available players out there, but we need to continue to reinforce that rotation.”

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Jim McIsaac | Getty Images

Bullpen will be addressed, too

The Yankees could be losing two quality late-inning relievers from a bullpen that had the fourth-lowest ERA in the majors this season, free agents David Robertson and Zach Britton.

Returnees include closer Aroldis Chapman, setup man Dellin Betances, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Tommy Kahnle.

“It’s a strength, but we’ve got to just constantly build on everything we’ve got,” Brian Cashman said. “The bullpen, the rotation, the outfield, the infield, the catching, the bench, the alternatives.

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“You see it. It takes that village. One of the reasons we got knocked out was because of some of the role players that stepped up in the postseason for Boston against us. They did amazing work when (Red Sox manager) Alex Cora called on them. You neutralize (MVP candidate) Mookie Betts. We were fortunate that he didn’t crush us, as he’s capable of doing, but other guys stepped up and that’s what you need. That’s why it takes the one through 25.”

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Julio Cortez | AP

Is Voit flash in the pan?

As much as the Yankees loved seeing Luke Voit go from virtual unknown to late-season star after getting the first baseman from St. Louis in a July trade, Brian Cashman still needs to see more.

When Cashman was asked by Mike Francesa if he thinks Voit will be a one-hit wonder or legit after hitting .333 with 14 homers in 39 games for the Yankees, the GM responded with some skepticism.

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“It’s hard to answer on the sample size, but I think we’re proud of the acquisition,” Cashman said. “He turned out to be the best offensive player moved at the deadline. I think we got the best pitcher (in J.A. Happ) and best offensive player in terms of what they were producing.

“I’m proud of what (Voit) did and the name that he made for himself and how he energized not only our offense, but our clubhouse and our fanbase. Obviously he’ll get a chance moving forward to prove if it’s legit or not. Time will tell.

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“We have (Greg Bird), who is someone that due to injuries or what have you obviously disappeared this year. Like anything else in baseball, he has a chance to change that narrative and Voit has a chance to reinforce his narrative.

“And then you combine that with whatever you might be presented in the offseason. So who’s to say (if Voit is for real)? I think it’s very early in the process.”

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Jim Damaske | Tampa Bay Times | TNS

Straight A's for Boone

Aaron Boone went from the ESPN TV booth with no coaching experiencing to managing the 2018 Yankees to 100 wins and a Wild Card Game victory, but last year’s club went deeper into the playoffs with Joe Girardi managing.

Cashman certainly has no regrets.

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Asked how he thinks Boone did this year, Cashman said, “I thought he did a great job. He’s a special person. Dropping him into the middle of this environment and doing the job that he did was remarkable So I would give him A’s across the board.”

Straight A’s?

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Boone did admit making a crucial mistake in Game 3 of the ALDS, the Yankees’ 16-1 loss to the Red Sox in which starter Luis Severino began the fourth inning and continued to struggle after pitching poorly in the first two innings.

Managing partner Hal Steinbrenner, while also a big supporter of Boone, considered the decision a crucial mistake as well.

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“I know that any manager that we’ve had that’s been around the game, whether it’s postseason or not, is going to be subjected to second guessing,” Cashman said. “Obviously that comes with the job and the territory, especially when you don’t win.

But I feel like given the circumstances, we were very lucky to run into (Boone) and he honored that job interview and he was going to land in the big leagues with somebody last year or this year and I’m glad it was here.

“I was with (Joe) Torre for 10 years and Girardi for 10 years, and I don’t know if I’ll be here for (another) 10 years, but I’m hoping (Boone) has a good 10-year run in him for the Yankees because the guy’s got a lot of ability and he’s going to impact our team in a great way going forward.”

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Yankees keep 'em or dump 'em: Aaron Judge, Aaron Boone, Giancarlo Stanton, Greg Bird

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Kathy Willens | AP

Severino's health

Brian Cashman thinks the reason that 19-game winner Luis Severino endured a lot of second-half struggles is due to tipping pitches and losing confidence, not a sore arm as TBS in-studio analyst Pedro Martinez reported before the Yankees’ Wild Card Game.

“I was surprised by (the report) because obviously (Severino’s) not getting any treatment for stuff,” Cashman said. “We obviously checked it. Pedro’s obviously from the Dominican Republic (as is Severino) and you’re always hearing things.”

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Martinez claimed to be told the injury news by Severino, who was 14-2 with a 2.12 ERA in his first 19 starts and then 5-6 with a 5.68 ERA in his final 13.

“He went through a little bad stretch that everybody goes,” Martinez said on Oct. 3 before Severino started the Yanks’ Wild Card Game. “And I didn’t know until I finally spoke to Severino that Severino wasn’t totally healthy, and they could not afford to stop him from pitching. So that ended up affecting the Cy Young type of season that he was having and affecting his performance when they needed him the most.”

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Severino later denied ever being injured - “I don't know where (Martinez) got that, but I didn't say nothing about I was hurt,” he claimed – and Cashman said on Wednesday that he’s convinced that’s the truth.

“We’re unaware to this day that if there was an issue that he had been experiencing, it’s not something that he conveyed to us, so we have to fall back on how he went about his business,” Cashman added. “Usually if guys are hurt, they stop their side session to save bullets. So there are things to do to adjust if someone is still playable but not at full strength, but didn’t do any of that with Sevy.

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“At the end of the day, I’m not saying Pedro was wrong, but I have to just trust how the communication was and how (Severino) acted with his strength and conditioning. It didn’t deviate. And his velocity was the same.

“I personally fall back to (Severino’s slump occurring due to) the telegraphing of pitches at times creating a confidence issue and fighting through it and then focusing on mechanics more so than just going out and throwing. I think he got off track for a while and then we got him back, then unfortunately it reared its ugly head again and the results are the results.”

Severino’s tipping of pitches returned in his final start of the season, his three-plus-inning, six-run outing in Game 3 of the ALDS, a 16-1 Red Sox win at Yankee Stadium on Oct 8.

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“Great young talent,” Cashman said. “Obviously victimized by pitch tipping at times. We’ll keep working on it for ways to counteract that because obviously there are clubs that are good at (detecting) that.

“When he’s telegraphing things, it shows what major league hitters are capable of doing. If they know what’s coming, we have to countermeasure that better than we’ve done. It’s not like it hasn’t been addressed. But sometimes you revert back to some bad habits and they played out in a certain way.”

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Ranking 50 free agents for Yankees to consider

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John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Ellsbury's future

The Yankees are hoping to get something in 2019 out of outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who is recovering from August hip surgery after missing all of last season with numerous injuries.

“He's due to be healthy and back on track,” Brian Cashman said. “He'll enter spring training as a rehab player.

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“Will he be a player that we can deploy as early as opening day or is it going to need a little more time? That's to be determined, but he is supposed to be fully recovered.

“After I saw him come out of the surgery - within a week, I saw him walking around – it was shocking. It's amazing how today's medical world works. He had a significant surgery that addressed a significant problem.”

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The Yanks still owe Ellsbury $47.28 million on a seven-year, $153-million contract that was signed in December 2013. Playing for the Yanks from 2014-17, Ellsbury hit .264 and averaged 10 homers, 50 RBI and 26 stolen bases.

“We're hoping that we get the player that he's capable of being obviously as soon as possible back,” Cashman said.

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Ellsbury lost his starting center field job to Aaron Hicks during the 2017 season, but he could have had a lot of playing time last season if healthy while Aaron Judge, Clint Frazier and Hicks were injured.

Desperate, the Yanks gave a combined 34 outfield starts to Billy McKinney (2), Jace Peterson (2), Shane Robinson (17), Tyler Wade (1) and Neil Walker (12).

“You saw when we were hurting early in the year with injuries to the outfield and then late in the year with injuries to the outfield,” Cashman said. “We weren’t running a player of Jacoby Ellsbury’s capabilities out there. We were actually relying on something lesser. You want to tap into the talent that you have and have it readily available for us the entire year.”

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Randy Miller may be reached at rmiller@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RandyJMiller. Find NJ.com on Facebook.