I think this is a case of you being a bit too sensitive to the language Cashman is using. What do you expect him to say? That the Yanks are a “little engine that could” and that he needs the right players to come here to build a dream? That’s the kind of bullshit that Larry Lucchino tried to sell in Boston for years and everyone just laughed at him. The Yanks are a $200M behemoth so they can’t pitch themselves as anything other than a team that believes and expects the post-season to be a near-certain result. It’s a business and Cashman has to sell New York as a place where the playoffs are part of the reality. He can’t say otherwise.

This isn’t what Cashman ultimately believes, it’s merely front office-speak. You need to relax and not pick on the words so much.