Yes, Brian Cashman is well aware that the New York Yankees currently have an infield vacancy. And yes, Brian Cashman still has thick enough skin after 25+ years on the job to be willing to appear in public, meet the fans, and do some weekend PR work.

That’s exactly where he was over the weekend, appearing at Pinstripe Pride 2025, a massive autograph signing and fan event featuring meet-and-greets at the American Dream mall. While the Yankees do not hold an official FanFest, this event has approximated the effect for the past several years, blending current players and legends for a memorabilia extravaganza.

And, yes, even Cashman comes through, signing photos, baseballs, and, like, arbitration agreements, I guess. That leaves him vulnerable to fan backlash (though, if you’re paying to meet Brian Cashman, you’re probably not going to be too aggressive with him).

At Saturday’s event, one fan asked Cashman what the current situation was regarding the team’s infield vacancy — or, rather, every fan probably asked him a similar question. In fact, the fan who reported on Cashman’s answer mentioned that he planned to bring it up, but the person in line ahead of him handled business first.

His answer? The Yankees will use internal options if they must, but they’re “waiting for some prices to drop” at the moment. Considering who remains available and the varying costs associated with their pursuits, that presumably means the trade market.

Yankees waiting for prices to drop on infield market, but will use internal options if they must

If they could only make Marcus Stroman disappear … this would all be easier.

Notably, both Nolan Arenado and Luis Arraez are still on the market, to varying degrees. Trading Arenado is reportedly Cardinals head honcho John Mozeliak’s “Plan A, B and C” for the remainder of the offseason, but St. Louis’ desperation has yet to line up with the Yankees’ desires.

As for Arraez, the Padres have floated both Dylan Cease and Michael King in recent days. Arraez, also an expiring contract, might net them a softer return, but a good deal of financial relief. Do they plan to go for it in 2025 one last time, or could they be tempted?

After hearing Cashman over the weekend, it certainly seems like the Yankees have designs on improving their roster in the coming weeks. Hopefully, we’ll never have to see just how “comfortable” they are with their internal choices.