Brian Cashman has shot down rumors that the Yankees could pursue acquiring Cliff Lee from the Phillies before the trade deadline. Cashman said that if New York is going to achieve their goal of reaching a $189 million payroll by 2014, they cannot take on a contract like Lee's. Lee is owed a guaranteed $75 million over the next three years. "I'm not allowed to speak about another team's player," Cashman said, "but if there was a hypothetical mythical beast that makes like $25 million a year for the next X amount of years that became hitting the market, we certainly could not participate in that type of level financial talent."