The World Series is filled with starting pitchers the Yankees were linked to, from Houston’s Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander to Washington’s Patrick Corbin.

But at general manager Brian Cashman’s season-ending press conference Thursday, he forcefully defended the decisions that led to them landing elsewhere.

“I didn’t pass on them,’’ Cashman said of the trio of starters — and he added Atlanta’s Dallas Keuchel in the mix, as well.

Cashman then laid out some specifics about what went into the Yankees’ pursuit of each player, from not being able to add to their payroll when Verlander was sent from Detroit to Houston in 2017, to being outbid by the Nationals for Corbin last offseason, as well as by Atlanta for Keuchel when the free agent signed in June.

“Verlander was not someone that was in play because of those [luxury tax] protocols that were in place,’’ Cashman said.

He acknowledged being outbid by the Nationals.

“Did we not make an offer for Patrick Corbin, yes or no?” Cashman said. “You know the answer. … We made an offer. The Washington Nationals made a more significant offer for him.”

As for Cole, the Yankees have gone after the right-hander twice.

He was drafted by the Yankees out of high school, but went to UCLA. And they made an attempt to trade for Cole in January 2018, but he wound up going from Pittsburgh to Houston.

“Houston made an offer that in Pittsburgh’s mind was a better offer than ours,’’ a defensive Cashman said. “You know, this is all ancient history, but these are all facts, but that doesn’t mean we passed on anything.’’

They’ll have another significant decision to make once the World Series is over and Cole hits the market. He’s expected to get a contract worth in the range of at least $250 million. The Yankees didn’t make a serious play for the top free agents on the market a year ago, when Manny Machado and Bryce Harper landed elsewhere.

Cole would likely fit into their plans better than either Machado or Harper would have, but there’s no telling whether the Yankees would be willing to make the kind of investment necessary for Cole.

Aaron Boone said he didn’t think they needed an additional ace to win a championship next year.

“Do we have to do that to make the next step? No, not necessarily,’’ the manager said. “The bottom line is, we were a play or two away from still playing right now.’’

As Cashman and the Yankees begin their organizational meetings next week, Cole will no doubt be a topic of conversation. For now, Cashman has no second thoughts about what’s led to this point.

“I don’t regret our process,” Cashman said. “And there are certain things in that process that’s controlled and some things that are out of our control in terms of knowledge. I have no knowledge in free agency of what an opposing team is offering until ultimately it comes out after the signing is elsewhere.”

Though it’s been a decade since the team’s last championship, it doesn’t sound as if any changes are coming in how the Yankees approach free agency or the trade market.

Cashman complimented owner Hal Steinbrenner’s willingness to spend in the past.

“The proof is in the pudding,’’ Cashman said. “I think he’s been blowing through a lot [of luxury-tax thresholds] along the way. … He and family and put big coin on the table to invest in this club.’’

Their philosophy has gotten the Yankees to the playoffs three years in a row, but they’ve fallen short each time.

“You put your best foot forward [and] you live with it,’’ Cashman said. “So am I living with that? I’m living with that. Am I comfortable with every decision and everything that we went through in our process? I think we have a strong healthy process that leads us to make whatever offers we’re making at the time and something we can be comfortable with.

“You don’t get everything you want at all times, but I think what we’ve done is [to] do a lot of great things along the way. I can sleep at night with the process that we have in place. It’s served us well and put us in a position to take a legitimate shot at the championship so far in the more recent years.”