Cashman expects Rodriguez to be Yankees' starting third baseman in 2013

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said during a radio interview on Sunday that trading Alex Rodriguez would be "unrealistic," and he expects Rodriguez to be the Yankees' starting third baseman next season.

During his interview on ESPNNewYork 98.7 FM, Cashman admitted Rodriguez is no longer a superstar and also said he would listen to offers for Rodriguez. But he is not looking for trade partners for Rodriguez, who was pinch-hit for and later benched in the Yankees' American League Championship Series against Detroit because of a hitting slump.

"It's not like I'm going to hang phones up on anybody who wants to make any overtures about anything," Cashman said in the interview, according to ESPNNewYork.com. "You're talking about realistic stuff and unrealistic stuff. I don't think it's realistic at all for us to be moving forward with anything but Alex Rodriguez at third base.

"He's still an above-average third baseman. ... That means, despite the contract that we had committed to him, that he's an asset at this stage still. I don't see us doing anything there. I don't anticipate it. If someone wants to make phone calls, we're more than willing to do all that stuff with any of our players, and that's fine. You can run into something that way.

"But listen, the sooner we put to bed any expectation or anticipation that the Yankees are going to be solely focused on trying to move Alex Rodriguez. ... I think that would be false. And it would be just a lot of wasted energy on anybody's part to be thinking."

Cashman said he "no doubt" expects the 37-year-old Rodriguez to be his starting third baseman in 2013.

"Do I expect him to return to the MVP-caliber type Alex Rodriguez? No," Cashman said. "Obviously you decline with age, and he's getting up there in his age. ... So, no, that would be very unrealistic to think as well. But despite the age where he's at, he's still an above-average player at that position.

"Is he a superstar at that position? No. But I think when anybody signed that (10-year, $275 million) contract (in 2007), expecting him to be at that level at that age would be unrealistic also."

Cashman offered a few other notes:

--CC Sabathia's left elbow might require a surgical "cleanup" in the coming weeks.

--The job of hitting coach Kevin Long is safe despite the team's offensive woes in the playoffs.