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Cashman: 'I want to be a contender, not a pretender'

Mike Stobe / Getty Images Sport / Getty

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is done playing games.

The club is 7 1/2 games back of the division lead, and fading, while Baltimore, Boston, and Toronto continue to own the American League East.

Meanwhile, New York is struggling to keep pace.

"We can't keep treading water," Cashman told reporters prior to Monday's game against the Texas Rangers. "I want to be a contender, not a pretender."

Another sticking point in the changes across the locker room is Alex Rodriguez on the bench for a second consecutive game.

A-Rod, the richest player on the team, has two home runs in June and none since June 18. When he saw his name wasn't penciled in again, he was admittedly "a little surprised."

"You haven’t heard the last of me," he said, "and I’m looking forward to, when my number’s called, to come back and be very productive."

When Cashman was asked about why Rodriguez wasn't in the lineup, he said it has nothing to do with the idea of releasing him, because he isn't. It was about the team trying to win games.

"We're trying to get this 2016 going," he said. "We're struggling. It's almost July."

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