Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman Downplays Offseason Interest in Carl Crawford

Some Yankees fans cackled and some Red Sox fans took offense when New York general manager Brian Cashman admitted in an ESPN story Friday that he tried to drive up the price the Red Sox paid for free agent Carl Crawford.

Cashman appeared on The Sports Hub with Mike Felger and Tony Massarotti and downplayed his impact on the Red Sox' negotiations with Crawford.

"It certainly reads and plays louder than it was stated," Cashman said. "Reading it and saying it feels different, let's put it that way."

Cashman admitted he had dinner with Crawford's agent, Brian Peters, even though the Yankees had no need for the left fielder.

"At the end of the day, I don't know if I had any effect on what took place," he said. "I doubt I did."

Reading between the lines, though, Cashman may have denied he didn't try to drive up the price for Crawford, but he didn't deny that sort of thing doesn't happen.

Take Mariano Rivera, for instance, and the Red Sox' reported interest in the future Hall of Fame closer during the offseason.

"I know Mariano ended up with a second year because they were interested in Mariano," Cashman said. "That's just the way the world works."