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Despite last week’s trade rumors involving Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said during a radio interview on Sunday that dealing the third baseman would be “unrealistic,” and expects A-Rod to be in a Yankee uniform and fielding his position in 2013. While Cashman remains open to any and all trade possibilities, he told “The Ian O’Connor Show” he is not actively seeking any trade partners for Rodriguez, who due to a hitting slump was pinch-hit for and later benched during the Yankees’ four-game loss to the Detroit Tigers in the American League Championship Series.

"It's not like I'm going to hang phones up on anybody who wants to make any overtures about anything," Cashman said in the interview. "You're talking about realistic stuff and unrealistic stuff. I don't think it's realistic at all for us to be moving forward with anything but Alex Rodriguez at third base.”

Rodriguez went 3-for-25 (.125) in the playoffs with no RBIs after batting .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBIs in 122 games this past season while missing six weeks with a broken hand. He is owed $114 million over the next five years and was the subject of a published report that suggested the Yankees were speaking with the Miami Marlins about a potential deal to send A-Rod to his hometown. Rodriguez said after the Yankees’ Game 4 loss he has no intention of waiving his no-trade clause and Cashman indicated he views A-Rod as someone who can still be a viable contributor despite turning 38 years old next July.

"He's still an above-average third baseman. ... That means despite the contract that we had committed to him, that he's an asset at this stage still,” Cashman said. “I don't see us doing anything there. I don't anticipate it. If someone wants to make phone calls, we're more than willing to do all that stuff with any of our players, and that's fine. You can run into something that way.

 "Do I expect him to return to the MVP-caliber type Alex Rodriguez? No. Obviously you decline with age, and he's getting up there in his age. ... So, no, that would be very unrealistic to think as well. But despite the age where he's at, he's still an above-average player at that position.”

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