Yankees keep prospects as Deadline passes

CHICAGO -- In the days ahead of Friday's non-waiver Trade Deadline, general manager Brian Cashman said that he believed it was more likely than not that the team would stand pat. That largely proved to be true as the 4 p.m. ET cutoff passed without a major transaction from the club.

Though the Yankees were connected to some of the bigger names of this Deadline, their only completed transaction was Thursday's trade with the Mariners for infielder-outfielder Dustin Ackley, though they made an addition of sorts in deciding to promote right-hander Luis Severino from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Cashman told teams that he would not trade the organization's top four prospects -- Severino, outfielder Aaron Judge, first baseman Greg Bird and shortstop Jorge Mateo -- which stalled the progress of talks with opposing clubs.

• Severino's will start against Red Sox next week

"Those guys are tough to move for us," Cashman said. "I had a tough time keeping people off. Most people basically would want the most immediate talent that can be in the Major Leagues by next year. It was a challenge getting anybody off those guys, to be honest."

The Yanks had contact with the respective teams of the star pitchers who were moved in advance of the Deadline, including Johnny Cueto, Cole Hamels and David Price.

New York also flirted with the idea of bolstering its bullpen with the likes of the Padres' Craig Kimbrel and the Reds' Aroldis Chapman. Even though Cashman considered surrendering Mateo, those hurlers ultimately stayed with their clubs.

"Rest assured, there's a lot of names I talked to with a lot of teams -- some that are public, some that aren't public," Cashman said. "Some that are obviously very high profile, some that are low profile. Some that are buried in people's farm systems. We could not find a match."

• Ackley brings razor, utility to Yankees

New York's only move shipped outfielder Ramon Flores and right-hander Jose Ramirez to Seattle, explained by the Yankees eyeing Ackley's versatility as an upgrade for their bench over first baseman-outfielder Garrett Jones, who was designated for assignment on Friday afternoon.

Ackley was in uniform for Friday night's contest against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field, but otherwise Cashman and manager Joe Girardi will go with what they have as they look to maintain their six-game lead over the Orioles and Blue Jays in the American League East.

"I am doubling down on what we've got, and that's from this current Major League roster that I believe in, as well as the supporting cast behind it that's knocking on the door in the Minor Leagues," Cashman said.

The Yankees made some smaller transactions on Friday. Left-hander Chris Capuano was outrighted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, and outfielder Slade Heathcott was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list and optioned to Triple-A.

Right-hander Esmil Rogers was unconditionally released so that he could sign with the Hanwha Eagles of Korean Professional Baseball, in exchange for cash compensation from Hanwha.

"You don't get anything for making the phone calls," Cashman said. "You get something for, at the end of the day, winning the division and hopefully winning a world championship, and that's still our intention."