Globe iconLogin iconRecap iconSearch iconTickets icon

Yankees support LUNGevity with pair of auction items

SAN DIEGO -- The third annual Winter Meetings auction is in full swing and, not surprisingly, the Yankees are among the best in creating a good old fashioned bidding war.

One of the hottest items on the list of dozens of prizes, stemming from contributions from all 30 teams, is an opportunity to hang out with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman in his suite during a home game in 2015.

By the end of the day on Tuesday, that package had drawn 23 bids, with the highest coming in at $6,025. And there's still two more days until the auction closes.

Proceeds from the Winter Meetings auction, presented by Major League Baseball, MLB Advanced Media, MLB Network and the 30 clubs, will go toward the LUNGevity Foundation, in memory of Baltimore Orioles public relations director Monica Barlow, who passed away from lung cancer in February at the age of 36.

The auction began at 12 a.m. ET on Monday and will continue until Thursday at 11 p.m. ET.

All 30 teams have contributed unique prizes that could only be compiled by a group of people which special insider access to baseball's players and front offices. In addition to the aforementioned suite experience with Cashman, the Yankees are also offering a private pitching lesson with left-hander C.C. Sabathia.

Over the first two years, funds raised from the Winter Meetings auction, benefiting Stand Up to Cancer, raised approximately $250,000. The money raised this year will go toward cutting edge lung cancer research with the potential to prolong and save millions of lives, through the efforts of LUNGevity.

Barlow, a non-smoker and marathon runner whose disease was discovered after she sought medical attention for a nagging cough that wouldn't go away, began working with LUNGevity approximately two months after she was diagnosed and continued to support the non-profit foundation for the remainder of her life.

Alyson Footer is a national correspondent for MLB.com. Follow her on Twitter @alysonfooter.
Read More: New York Yankees