As the Yankees were finishing batting practice before their game Friday night against the Houston Astros, General Manager Brian Cashman sought out a familiar face — well, mostly familiar, except for the bushy beard now sported by Brian McCann.
Cashman, warmly dressed for autumnal conditions at Yankee Stadium, and McCann, in full Astros regalia and clearly embracing the lack of team restrictions on facial hair, chatted cordially for several minutes. There was no apparent friction, even given that Cashman had traded McCann last November for two pitching prospects while also trimming $23 million from the team payroll over the next two years (the Yankees agreed to pay $11 million of McCann’s remaining $34 million in guaranteed salary).