Yankees general manager Brian Cashman still thinks he did the right thing last summer going through with a summer fire sale that helped set up a historic World Series, Cubs vs. Indians.

Cashman figured things could play out just as they have when he traded star closer Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs on July 25 and All-Star reliever Andrew Miller to the Indians six days later.

"When it came to Chapman and Miller, we felt that a World Series appearance was in play for whoever emerged as the team that secured those players," Cashman told the Wall Street Journal.

He was right.

The Cubs already were running away with the National League Central before the trade, but Chapman was a major weapon in the back of their bullpen during a run that has the franchise in its first World Series appearance since 1945. Chicago is three victories away from winning its first championship since 1908 with the Series tied at a game apiece heading into Friday night's Game 3 at Wrigley Field.

Meantime, Miller has been baseball's best postseason reliever this fall pitching from the fifth inning on for the Indians, who are gunning for their first World Series title since 1948.

"That's the way it's supposed to work," Cashman said. "Teams are supposed to finish off their efforts to get to the World Series. We were a team looking to have a brighter future."

Cashman still loves what he got back in the trades. He landed a potential star in 19-year-old shortstop Gleyber Torres from the Cubs and picked up two of baseball's top prospects in a 4-for-1 from the Indians, outfielder Clint Frazier and left-handed starter Justus Sheffield.

The Yankees were a .500 club this season with Chapman and Miller in their bullpen, then played better over the final two months with more younger players seeing regular action, most notably rookie catcher Gary Sanchez.

"The assessment was an accurate one," Cashman said. "This team was not a world championship team in any way, shape or form. There's no second-guessing on it. We did what we had to do."

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