It may feel like yesterday that Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain got here, but it is not too many more tomorrows until they could leave.

Hughes and Chamberlain both are due to be free agents after next season, which means the clock is ticking for the Yankees to decide what to do with them. And that, in many ways, boils down to a question of who they are.

Interestingly, Brian Cashman said, “I believe I know who they are.”

And when pressed on that, the Yankees general manager added: “They have been around long enough. They are not guys I am dreaming on anymore.”

Translation: In the eyes of the Yankees front office, Hughes and Chamberlain no longer have a higher ceiling to reach; they are no longer projectable to something considerably better than what they are now. They are — in the Yankees’ thoughts — who we think they are: Talented, but maddeningly inconsistent performers. And what does an organization do long term about those types of entities as they enter their prime — and also their prime earning years?

“They are here for a reason, — they are important pieces for us,” Cashman said. “I have made trades and done things and I haven’t moved them. That should say something.”

But when asked if that meant wanting either or both long term, Cashman said, “That is stuff I can’t answer at this stage. It is a two-way street. It is a negotiation for two sides. So it is all for another day.”

BOX SCORE

But, again, a day not too far into the future. In 2007, the Yankees promoted Hughes, Chamberlain and Ian Kennedy to the majors, hoping it was a first step toward becoming three-fifths of a future rotation. Kennedy is now long gone (central to the trade to get Curtis Granderson), and Hughes and Chamberlain are moving closer to the door. So I figured I would try to summarize what the Yankees’ future looks like now with Hughes and Chamberlain:

HUGHES — He did not grow into the No. 1 or 2 starter of the Yankees’ dreams. He’s more like a No. 3 1/2. Hughes has yet to put two healthy, successful seasons back-to-back as a starter. His changeup has never fully formed, and he has become homer prone. Hughes’ 4.41 ERA as a Yankee is the third worst in franchise history for anyone who has thrown at least 575 innings, trailing just Hank Johnson (4.84) and A.J. Burnett (4.74).

But as the success this year of Burnett away from New York and the AL East demonstrates, Hughes will have suitors, either in trades this offseason or in free agency afterward. Pitching is in demand and Hughes has talent.

So the Yankees have to decide if Hughes is a guy they move soon — perhaps as a way to find a corner outfielder. For example, like Hughes, Cleveland’s Shin-Soo Choo is a free agent after next season. Would it benefit both the Yankees and Indians to find a package that works in which those two players were exchanged — Choo, in theory, replacing Nick Swisher, who is a free agent this winter?

The Yankees could, in theory, re-sign free agents Andy Pettitte and Hiroki Kuroda for a year to join CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova and David Phelps, with the hope Michael Pineda returns healthy enough from shoulder surgery to have an impact. Cashman said Pineda “would not be a factor” in building a 2013 rotation because “he is coming off of a major injury. The best thing to do is just forget about him until he declares himself ready to help. Let him surprise us as a luxury.”

If the Yankees do not feel like they have enough rotation depth, they can retain Hughes. Then the question becomes: Do they want to do anything long term with him? Remember, the franchise has dedicated itself to get under the $189 million luxury tax threshold for 2014, so it cannot just throw $8 million to $12 million annually at Hughes — which will be his price range — without believing he is a durable, high-end starter. And, at this point, the right-hander has not produced a body of work likely to encourage the Yankees to invest long term.

CHAMBERLAIN — His early results returning from Tommy John and ankle surgeries have not been good. So the rest of this season is important to assess where he is. Nevertheless, I doubt even a poor season would move the Yankees to non-tender Chamberlain.

But they are potentially deep in right-handed relievers. Mariano Rivera, a free agent, has vowed to return, and it is hard to imagine the Yankees not re-signing him. Rafael Soriano is likely to trigger his $14 million player option for next season. David Robertson is about to make bigger money in his second year of arbitration eligibility.

The Yankees also signed former Mariners closer David Aardsma, coming off Tommy John surgery, for 2012 with a $500,000 2013 option intending that next year would be the key to the deal. Cashman said that remains the case. Cody Eppley and Cory Wade remain under control and Mark Montgomery, now at Double-A, is quickly rising in the organization.

So Chamberlain could be expendable, but at this moment he is a dubious performer with tons of health issues in his past. That impairs his trade value. Thus, the likelihood is that he stays as a Yankee with no promises beyond 2013.