Link Dump: Cashman, Chan Ho, Milo

Some loose ends from around the netweb…

NoMaas interviews Brian Cashman

Surely you’ve seen this by now, but NoMaas sat down for a chat with Yankees’ GM Brian Cashman. The whole thing is well worth your time, though I found his comments about trading Austin Jackson for Curtis Granderson (“What Granderson is currently doing in the big leagues, we didn’t necessarily project for Austin Jackson.”) particularly interesting. Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but I take it as Cashman basically saying they sold high as Jackson, that they felt his value might never get any higher than it is right now.

Either way, make sure you check it out. The mustest of must reads.

Chan Ho parking himself in the Bronx?

DUCWIDT? Anyway, Jon Heyman said this morning that in addition to the Cubs and Rays, the Yankees might be a potential landing spot for free agent swingman Chan Ho Park. Park – who had a 1.84 ERA and a .543 OPS against after June 2nd last year – would surely make a fantastic addition to the bullpen if it wasn’t for two thing: a) the Yankees have at least three pitchers on their staff that do the swingman thing already, and b) there’s just no money for him.

Park made $2.5M last season, and will probably have to settle for a little less than that this late in the offseason, but the team’s recent bullpen construction suggests they’re adverse to paying big money for a reliever, unless they have a long track record of near-elite performance. Park’s a quality pitcher, but I’m not sure they really need him, or that they could even afford him if they wanted.

Milo dismissed from UVM hockey team

Yankees’ prospect Justin Milo was dismissed from the University of Vermont hockey team this week for unknown reasons. The Yanks’ 37th round pick in last year’s draft fell because he has legitimate NHL potential and wanted the opportunity to continue his hockey career at Vermont, something that will usually scare teams away. Whether or not Milo’s dismissal from the team pushes him toward baseball full-time remains to be seen.

The 22-year-old hit .256-.432-.389 last season, mostly with Short Season Staten Island. He’s a speedy lead off type, possessing strong contact skills and walking more than he struck out in his pro debut. If he focuses on baseball, Milo could develop into a useful player pretty quickly.

Update: Matt sent in some more info. He was dismissed essentially for a lack of effort, and the Yanks are making arrangements for him to get to Spring Training. He’ll then finish up classes so he can graduate before continuing his baseball career. Between him and Jamie Hoffmann, the Yanks’ have a mean top line.