Surveying the Wang fallout

Though hardly surprising following Sunday's foreboding reports, today's announcement on Chien-Ming Wang was a stomach punch nonetheless.

General manager Brian Cashman told Pete Abraham that we could see Wang back on the mound in September, though you have to think it's possible the right-hander has thrown his final pitch of 2008. His right foot is in a boot for six weeks, which means he'll be unable to perform any baseball activities until Aug. 1 or thereabout. And that's assuming Wang's foot has fully healed by the time that boot is scheduled to come off. I haven't heard the "s" word mentioned (surgery), so I guess we can take solace in that.

As I stated in an earlier post today, how Yankees management reacts to this setback will be the true barometer of how serious the organization is about building a champion from within. If the team ships Robbie Cano and Austin Jackson to Cleveland next month for C.C. Sabathia, we'll know that the club's offseason edict was nothing more than talk. Cashman said today that a trade was unlikely, but I'll believe that when the trade deadline comes and goes.

That said, it'd be at least understandable if the Yankees were to alter their business plan in light of recent events. This is a team with a $210 million payroll, so it makes sense to me if they were interested in seeking outside help to get the proper return on their investment.

Be back soon with a breakdown on what the Yankees have to do in Wang's absence.