It’s been a whirlwind couple of hours here in Trenton. Home Run Derby is about to begin and I already have spoken to Jesus Montero and Brian Cashman.

Won’t be till much later that you get audio, but wanted to provide you some quick notes from the Cashman briefing with reporters.

- Wants to solve issues internally first. Is talking to other clubs, but wouldn’t even mention the name Roy Halladay, citing tampering rules.

- When asked if anyone is “untouchable” he said that some players are more tradable than others. In a word no.

- Looks like Sergio Mitre is going to get the fifth spot. Nothing solidified, but he praised his staff for finding Mitre, and mentioned Girardi’s experience with him in Florida. Expect him to get that fifth slot.

- Wants two lefties out of the bullpen (kudos Frank Russo for having that for us already). Marte, of course, is starting a rehab assignment, but, in my opinion, that is the one area we can expect to see a deal.

- He mentioned Ivan Nova quite a few times and sounds very excited about his development this year. Since his promotion from Trenton opponents are only hitting .190 against him in the International League. Could we see him in the Yankees bullpen before too long?

- Sees Montero as a catcher more and more everyday. In his words we “always knew he was a hitter”, but “the catching situation changes things drastically”. Remember, a catcher that can hit, like Montero, is so valuable in a lineup (see Mike Piazza). It would be very painful to give him up in a deal.

- Talked about how Cervelli playing well in the big leagues gives a boost to the entire organization. The younger players here in Trenton see that and it gives them hope. Remember, Cervelli didn’t play well in AA this year. A player that is his equal might get that extra jolt to bring his talent to the next level. Cashman made a point to say how impressed he was with Cervelli handling the staff, especially with big names like Sabathia and Burnett on the roster.

- Ramiro Pena better off playing everday in Scranton. Sees him benefitting from playing a big of OF. Sounds like, as we expected, they are grooming him for a utility role

I hope to post the audio later if it’s clean enough.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Brian Cashman, Damaso Marte, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, Jesus Montero, Joe Girardi, New York Yankees, Roy Halladay, Sergio Mitre, Trenton Thunder