"Brian Cashman typically chooses his words very carefully. Tuesday, that wasn't the case.

During a conference call to announce his own new contract, Cashman began an answer about A.J. Burnett by saying, "If he's with us, he's in the rotation."

While some interpreted that as a sign that Cashman was planning to deal the enigmatic righthander this winter, the general manager clarified himself Wednesday, saying that wasn't the case at all.

"I guess it was a bad choice of words," Cashman said. "My intention wasn't to imply that we were looking to trade him. I tried to explain that for everybody that doesn't have a full no-trade, I'm willing to be open-minded, listen and try to be creative. I'm trying to add to my rotation, so if I subtract from it, I'll have to add even more.""