TAMPA, Fla. – Days after Gleyber Torres tapped the soft grounder down the third-base line that ended the Yankees' postseason run, general manager Brian Cashman and the Yankees' decision-makers huddled in a conference room at Yankee Stadium, comparing wish lists during their annual pro scouting meetings.

Manny Machado's name circulated frequently behind those closed doors, especially with the knowledge that shortstop Didi Gregorius was headed for Tommy John surgery. But Cashman said that as the Yankees outlined their needs, they decided to diversify the roster, rather than commit their available funds to one player.

"He was a player that anybody would have an interest in," Cashman said. "He's Manny Machado. San Diego got a terrific player. I used to tell The Boss back in the day, 'You can't have them all.' Even though we're the New York Yankees, we can't have them all."

As Cashman spoke on the grass at George M. Steinbrenner Field, Machado was trying on the Padres' colors in front of cameras in Peoria, Ariz., having agreed to a 10-year, $300 million contract that stands as the largest free-agent deal in the history of American sports.

Ultimately, with the input of managing general partner Hal Steinbrenner, the Yankees prioritized pitching while betting that third baseman Miguel Andujar can continue to build on a campaign that saw him lead all Major League rookies in hits (170), doubles (47), RBIs (92), extra-base hits (76) and multi-hit games (53) last season.

"Lest we not forget that we have a very high-end, controllable third baseman in Andujar, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year [Award voting] and was a big reason why we won 100 games last year," Cashman said. "He gave us the ability to have a lot of different choices."

Given that freedom, Cashman and his lieutenants filled two vacant spots in their bullpen, re-signing left-hander Zack Britton for $39 million over three years and adding right-hander Adam Ottavino for $27 million through 2021.

The rotation, which Steinbrenner said had been deficient in the American League Division Series loss to the Red Sox, was addressed by acquiring James Paxton from the Mariners, re-signing left-hander J.A. Happ to a two-year, $34 million deal and bringing back lefty CC Sabathia for his final Major League season on an $8 million contract.

With another $7.5 million committed to Brett Gardner, other position players were on the board before Cashman said that the unexpected availability of shortstop Troy Tulowitzki "changed the equation." Adding insurance by then inking DJ LeMahieu for $24 million over two years, Cashman said that he is comfortable with the path the Yankees took.

"Every dollar affects someone else's dollar, simple as that," Cashman said. "So we walked the path of diversification and we feel we've improved our club. We feel we've provided flexibility."

Luis Severino's recent four-year, $40 million extension hints at more tough decisions ahead for the Yankees, who have several key players (Dellin Betances, Gregorius and Aaron Hicks) about to reach free agency and others (Andujar, Aaron Judge, Torres, Gary Sanchez) moving closer to graduating into high-priced stars.

"We imported a big-ticket item the previous year in [Giancarlo] Stanton and we have big-ticket items on this club now," Cashman said. "They're going to become more and more costly sooner than later. We're trying to address all of it in the short- and long-term."

Cashman said that the December 2017 addition of Stanton -- the team's highest paid player this year at $26 million, and signed through 2027 -- impacted their ability to pursue Machado or Bryce Harper. That said, Cashman said that he believes the envisioned 25-man roster is prepared to qualify for the postseason and take a crack at a championship.

"We like our club. We've got a special group of people," Cashman said. "We're one of the teams that I think has a legitimate shot to do something like being the last team standing and celebrating. There's a long way to go from that comment to it actually happening, but on this date we have a legitimate shot to do that because of who we have and the players we've assembled."