Yankees likely to retain Stephen Drew and David Robertson; Musings on Victor Martinez and Troy Tulowitzki; Girardi eyeing a veteran leadership committee in 2015

New York Post | Joel Sherman: The qualifying offer might benefit David Robertson and the Yankees this off-season.

ESPN New York | Andrew Marchand: With J.J. Hardy returning to Baltimore, Stephen Drew is the favorite to be the Yankees' next shortstop.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Will the Yankees sign Victor Martinez to add more life to the offense?

Yanks Go Yard | Matt Mirro: Trading for Troy Tulowitzki to replace Derek Jeter would be a bad idea.

NoMaas | Vizzini: If Yankee fans thought 2014 was bad, it will get even worse in 2015.

Rant Sports | Christopher Gamble: The Yankees should make re-signing Brandon McCarthy a priority.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: Joe Girardi thinks leadership will be a team effort next year, and that's OK with him.

Aw, Jeets.

Grade: D

2014 Statistics: .256/.304/.313 (73 wRC+), 4 HR, 19 2B, -0.3 fWAR

2015 Contract Status: Retired.

I don't even know where to begin with Derek Sanderson Jeter. He was the face of Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees for nearly 20 years, and now his time is over. After breaking his ankle in game one of the 2012 ALCS, Jeter played just 17 games in 2013 as he tried to make his way back to baseball. And when he finally realized he was physically capable of playing, he decided it was time to end his career on his own terms in 2014.

Evaluating Derek Jeter's final season just in terms of raw performance is quite easy: he was very, very bad. Until the All-Star Break, there were ways to excuse this. He was hitting at 83 wRC+, just a few ticks off the league average for a shortstop, and he was still getting enough playing time in to adjust back to big league pitching. We thought that--maybe--he would break out of his slump. He never did. He instead hit a horrendous 59 wRC+ in his final 263 plate appearances, even despite having a few good weeks to end his career. Most notably, his power completely vanished. For reference, only Ben Revere had a lower Isolated Power this season, and he hit the first two home runs of his career this year. If we take a look at his batted balls for 2012 and 2014, we see this huge difference:

Jeter's ability to even get the ball out of the infield disappeared, and he hit almost no balls to the left side. After missing over a year and getting another year older, his bat speed had diminished significantly.

This would be just fine if his defense was passable, but we all know it is not at shortstop. Brendan Ryan seemingly warmed up the bench for everybody, while Jeter had plays like this one in April:

Oops. FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference believed him only to be slightly below average defensively (-4 Defensive Runs Below Average and -0.5 dWAR, respectively), but Baseball Prospectus' FRAA believed him to be at -24.6 runs. Would it be that outlandish to declare that Jeter, a 40 year-old sub-par defender, was 20 runs below average? No, not at all. That's why I lean more towards BP's assessment, and that states that he was a -2.08 WARP player, good for the least valuable player in baseball and the 83rd worst season in the history of baseball.

This analysis could be seen as a huge indictment of Derek Jeter and the Yankees for his poor play and excessive playing time, but it isn't. Yes, the Yankees probably would have been better without Jeter, but they also greatly outplayed their Pythagorean Record so it's all kind of a wash anyway. The Yankees, even without Jeter, could have been barely above .500, even with a different shortstop. There was no way they weren't playing Jeter every day, especially with people paying for tickets and turning on the television just to see him. And to the Yankees' credit, they cashed in on a year where they missed the postseason with some more ticket and television revenue (Good luck with that next season!) and created some really memorable moments.

The moments, in my opinion, give Jeter a boost in my book from "incredibly horrible and sad conclusion" to merely an older player trying his best to end his career gracefully, and he certainly did just that. And as we all know, his final game at Yankee Stadium was one of the best games in recent memory, one that I'll certainly remember forever.

Just for this game alone, all of that poor play was worth it. Derek Jeter was one of the greatest Yankees in the franchise's long history, one of the greatest shortstops in history, and a leader of one of the greatest dynasties in modern sports. He had a final season of very poor play, but his ability to make the best of a Hollywood moment never faded away.

Tonight begins an ALCS matchup of the ages. The Kansas City Royals will take on the Baltimore Orioles. No, you are not playing MLB The Show. This is real, this is fun, this is baseball.

Comments of the Day

During the discussions about what moves the Yankees should make first, River Ave U gives us the most logical answer of what they will probably do first.

Andrew then follows it up with this hilarious and frightening statement. Is it the worst idea on the table? It's tough to say. It's a big, big table.

GIF of the Day

There were no GIFs yesterday. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

Honorable Mod Mention

Caitlin Rogers wins the HMM award, as she did the honorable thing yesterday. She gave me an idea for one of today's Fun Questions.

• Which offseason movies should the Yankees make first?
• Better stadium: The K or Camden Yards?

Iron Man is a big Police fan. As always, link us your song of the day!

Baseball is back on tonight. The Royals take on the Orioles in Game 1 of the ALCS. James Shields will face Chris Tillman. One of these dream seasons will come to an end very shortly. Whether you're rooting for the O's or the Royals, it should hopefully be an exciting series to remember.

Go American League Go

It would have been nice to have a few MLB stats to post for Ramon, but oh well.

Grade: B

Statistics: (Triple-A) .247/.339/.443, 7 HR, .782 OPS

2014 Level/Status: Triple-A/Non 40

Back in January, Andrew finished his assessment of Ramon Flores as saying his outlook was probably "a fourth outfielder at best". Now that it's almost nine months later, that assessment still likely remains unchanged. But on the positive side for Flores, his good 2014 campaign has gotten himself that much closer to the major leagues. An unsightly ankle injury in June limited him to only 63 games for the Railriders in 2014, but he did make the most of his time in the lineup. Compared to his 2013 season, he slugged 80 points higher and maintained his impressive 12% walk rate. He no longer seems to have much interest in stealing bases after his 24 in 2012, but the power uptick is vital if he's going to become a viable corner outfielder. Maybe he could have made even more strides if it weren't for that unfortunate injury and the subsequent rehab.

Flores has appeared on most of the recent lists of Yankees Top 15 prospects, but he's never been seen as a particularly extraordinary talent. A corner outfielder without elite bat skills is generally going to be seen that way. His patience will always be his calling card, and his defense is generally believed to be adequate while not good enough to man center field permanently. But his uptick in slugging this season could do wonders for his viability in the majors: if he had stayed healthy he would have likely topped double-digit homers for the first time since 2011.

In fact, Flores' season was so nice that many fans were quite annoyed that he didn't get the 'ol "cup of coffee" with the team in September. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be and Flores will have to hope that 2015 is the year that he gets to the Bronx. Who knows what sort of playing time he would have even gotten if he were brought up, but personally it would have been nice to see Flores get a couple of swings in as opposed to the likes of Antoan Richardson or various other journeymen. We needed any sort of slight enjoyment in late September.

Flores' outlook for 2015 is very much up in the air. Since his 2014 campaign in Scranton-Wilkes Barre was shortened to such a degree, the team may be inclined to give him a little more time in the minors before seriously considering him for a roster spot. After all, he's still just 23 so his progression has remained steady. Playing in his favor is the likely factor of Ichiro Suzuki no longer being with the team and incumbent Triple-A/emergency outfielder Zoilo Almonte not really doing much of anything for the Yankees. If Flores has a nice showing in Spring Training and continues his progress at Triple-A, I wouldn't be shocked if he becomes a bench fixture at some point in 2015. I just don't suspect that they'll break camp with him in that role right away.

After weeks of speculation, Brian Cashman will remain as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Yankees.

This will come as no surprise to anyone, but Brian Cashman has signed a new three-year contract.  Beginning his tenure back in 1998, he's one of the longest tenured general managers in the game.  Only Billy Beane and Brian Sabean have been in their positions longer and neither have enjoyed the success that Cashman has with four World Series titles during his reign.

The #Yankees have re-signed Brian Cashman to a three-year contract to serve as Senior Vice President and General Manager.

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) October 10, 2014

With Cashman back for another three seasons, the team can officially move forward with its offseason plans. Addressing the team's shortcomings will be no easy task with an aging, injury prone, and expensive roster.  These next few seasons may just prove to be the most challenging yet for the Yankees' general manager.

Extending Cashman was honestly a no-brainer. There wasn't a clearly better option out there for the team to explore.  It's time to move forward and watch the offseason unfold.

The Yankees have been busy this afternoon, announcing a three-year extension for general manager Brian Cashman and letting go of two long time coaches. According to Mark Feinsand, the team has fired hitting coach Kevin Long and will not retain first base coach Mick Kelleher. The Long news doesn't really come as a surprise after a season where the offense stayed mainly healthy but failed to hit to expectations. Long wasn't blamed for the offensive fiasco that was 2013, but the team obviously felt like it was the right time to make a move after another season of lackluster offense.

Mick Kelleher being let go makes less sense. Not sure what the Yankees saw that made them feel like his services were no longer needed as first base coach, but obviously they felt like they needed a change there as well. Unfortunately, there has been no word yet of third base coach abomination Rob Thomson being let go. After the Yankees were routinely thrown out at the plate in 2014 because of questionable sends I would have thought that his firing would have been one of the first dominoes to fall.

Long has served as the team's hitting coach since 2007 after serving as the hitting coach for the team's Triple-A affiliate in Columbus from 2004 to 2006. Kelleher was a defensive coordinator in the Yankees' minor league system before taking Tony Pena's spot as first base coach when Pena took over as bench coach.

Feinsand also suggests that more changes are coming:

Look for Mike Harkey to return to the Yankees as bullpen coach. Gary Tuck could become Girardi's bench coach again, which he was in Miami.

— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) October 10, 2014

The Harkey/Tuck concept is purely my guess; not based on any solid information. In that scenario, Tony Pena could become the 1B coach.

— Mark Feinsand (@FeinsandNYDN) October 10, 2014

Do you agree with the Yankees' decision to let both Long and Kelleher go? What other personnel changes do you think they need to make this offseason?

The Yankees made some moves after falling short of the postseason for the second season in a row.

The Yankees made some decisions for the future on Friday, extending general manager Brian Cashman with a three-year contract and parting ways with hitting coach Kevin Long and first-base coach Mick Kelleher. The departures of the coaches were first reported by Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.

Cashman, who has been the team's general manager since 1998, was widely expected to return despite the team's struggles over the last two seasons. The 47-year old has been at the helm of the Yankees for four World Series championships and fourteen playoff appearances in seventeen seasons, leading many to believe that the job is his until he retires or moves to another role.

Long, a well-respected ex-minor leaguer in the Royals organization, had been the team's hitting coach for seven seasons after being hired in 2007. He was generally regarded as one of the best hitting coaches in the league until this season, when the Yankees ranked 20th in the majors with a .245 average as a team.

Kelleher, 67, had been with the Yankees since the 2009 season. He previously worked as a coach with the Pirates and Tigers after retiring as a player in 1982.

Recounting some of my favorite Yankee fan origin stories.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post detailing a little bit about how I became a Yankees fan, and I was curious to hear similar such stories. The stereotype is that people just jump on the bandwagon and become Yankee fans due to their great success, but that's not really the case as much as other fans might think. We have origin stories just like ones passed down from any Orioles fan, Astros fan, or those of any other team. I loved reading about each and every one of these tales in that comment thread, and as promised, I picked a couple of my favorites to share with everyone who might not have seen the thread.

long time listener

LTL is a regular on the site, but I had actually never seen him share this story before. It's always the coolest to have family roots that go back to the ol' Bambino. The guy was a crazy person, but he loved kids. I've heard stories similar to this before, and it's awesome to see just how much a small gesture like giving your glove to a kid can mean to someone.

LoseLoseLose

A bit of an odd username because this story is terrific. I really admire the Yankee fans who toughed it out through both the '80s and early '90s AND the forgettable Horace Clarke Era. That makes the later championships all the more satisfying. Also an amusing anecdote about the Boss showing a friendlier side of him that the general public rarely saw.

don fernando

Greg selected don fernando's story as one of his Comments of the Day the following day, and it's easy to see why so many people rec'd this comment. Even something as simple as a mom's amusing crush on Tino Martinez can turn someone into a loyal fan, even if he's never been to a game. Here's hoping that he gets to finally go to a game some day! It's something that local fans sometimes take for granted, but is the valued experience of a lifetime for others.

carp68

Tanya has mentioned before how her Yankee fandom developed in part due to a then-nearby Yankees minor league affiliate in North Carolina, and the same thing happened with carp68 in Ohio. The Columbus Clippers and the Yankees indeed had a long association, and while it's better that the Triple-A team is now closer in Scranton, it is too bad that it left some fans like carp68 behind. At least he kept his Yankee fandom and retains memories of the beginnings of several fantastic Yankee careers!

aaronshelbyrose

Some fan stories are just like this--lost and found again. I'm sure Tanya, Jason, and the rest of the staff would agree that we are very glad to have helped people like aaronshelbyrose rediscover their Yankee fandom. Thanks for sticking with us through the peaks, too.

daankazi

In a story of sadness surrounding the ending to that memorable Fall Classic, there is still a beacon of light. It's a damn shame that Gonzo's bloop fell in, but it's excellent that it helped make daankazi a devoted fan also living in a distant market.

calibergemini

Even more praise should be given to the international fans like calibergemini who decided that the Yankees were a wonderful team to root for from afar, only to have their appreciation for the game deepened upon moving stateside. (My Australian brother-in-law also learned baseball from video games, as I'm sure many others did.) Keep doing what you do to bring on more fans!

***
Remember, these are just a few of the many great stories from that comment thread. I highly recommend going back to check 'em all out, and if you haven't shared your own story, please do here! It's always fun to see how others came to love the Yankees and the countless different tales.

Thanks everyone for sharing!

***

Okay, okay. Obligatory:

Rorschach44

Figures.

The New York Yankees signed long-term general manager Brian Cashman to a three-year extension on Friday. The Yankees have made the playoffs fourteen times under Cashman, so here are fourteen of his best and worst moves.

The New York Yankees signed long-term general manager Brian Cashman to a three-year extension on Friday, continuing the tenure he started in 1998. In 17 seasons, Cashman's clubs have won four World Series titles, and made the playoffs 14 times. Cashman has also personally authorized the signing of something like $40 billion worth of contracts, so, free agents in your mid- to late- thirties, stand and cheer, "Three more years! Three more years! Three more years!"

In honor of New York's fourteen playoff teams under Cashman, here are fourteen of his best and worst moves.

The good

Trading Ricky Ledee for David Justice. The 34 year-old Justice came over from the Indians, hit 20 home runs in 78 games (for a career-high 41 on the year), won the ALCS MVP, and helped the Yanks win the 2000 World Series. All this for Ricky Ledee.

Signing Mike Mussina. Cashman signed Mussina away from the AL East rival Orioles in the 2000 offseason, and pitched for the Yankees (without significant injury!) for eight seasons, accruing a 3.50 FIP during that time.

Trading Alfonso Soriano for Alex Rodriguez. Alex Rodriguez has done a lot of things in his somehow-still-accruing-millions career. Among them: slap at Bronson Arroyo's glove that one time; date Madonna; hit 309 home runs as a Yankee; hit six home runs and drive in 18 in 15 games on the way to New York's 2009 title; have a painting of himself as a centaur commissioned; suspended for steroids. I guess it was worth every penny.

Trading Eduardo Sierra and Ramon Rodriguez for Shawn Chacon. Chacon was great for the Yankees, going 7-3 with a 2.85 ERA down the stretch, and helping New York make the 2005 playoffs.

Trading former first round pick CJ Henry and prospects for Cory Lidle and Bobby Abreu. Abreu hit .330 with seven home runs down the stretch to lead the Yankees to the 2006 playoffs. Abreu then drove in over 100 and stole 20 bags each of the next two years.

Trading Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez for Nick Swisher. This was Cashman's best deal. Swisher hit 105 Yankee bombs in four years, made the 2010 All-Star team, and won a World Series in '09.

Trading Austin Jackson, Ian Kennedy and Phil Coke for Curtis Granderson. Jackson and Kennedy have gone on to become solid players, but Granderson was a stud in the Big Apple. He hit 41 and 43 homers in 2011 and 2012, taking advantage of the absurd right field porch.

Trading two prospects for Kerry Wood. Wood didn't strike out 20 in one game for the Pinstripes. But he did hold down a 0.69 ERA in 26 innings as Mariano Rivera's setup man, as the Yankees marched to the 2010 ALCS.

The bad

Javier Vazquez. Everyone, hug a Yankees fan! (Cashman acquired him not once, but twice!)

Trading Mike Lowell to Florida for Ed Yarnall, Todd Noel, and Mark Johnson. Lowell made the All-Star team four times and won two World Series rings -- once against the Yankees just four years after New York traded him, and once for the hated Red Sox, when Lowell was the World Series MVP.

Signing Carl Pavano. Pavano made 26 starts for the Yankees and had an ERA square at 5.00. For his generous run-gifting, Cashman paid him $38 million.

Trading for Jeff Weaver. Weaver came to Yankee Stadium in the middle of the 2002 season, finishing the season with a respectable 3.52 ERA. But Weaver got shelled in the playoffs, and posted a big, fat 5.99 ERA in 2003. He never pitched for the Yankees again.

Signing Kei Igawa. Ummm. Cashman signed Igawa to a five-year, $20 million deal in 2006. Just, just go look at his Baseball Reference page. I can't type it.

Signing AJ Burnett. AJ signed on to be a Yankee for five years, $82.5 million, which is a lot. AJ only pitched for the Yankees for three of those five years, as Cashman would trade him to the Pirates and continue paying him anyway. Burnett's ERA was over five in his final two Yankee years, and in his three-year run, he lead the league in wild pitches (twice), walks, and hit batsmen. Yay!

And the Mets have yet to name a new hitting coach.

There will not be a new general manager in New York baseball for the foreseeable future. The Yankees have signed a three-year extension with Brian Cashman, the same length of the deal that the Mets signed with Sandy Alderson a few weeks ago. But the Yankees fired hitting coach Kevin Long, who has had that job since 2007.

Of course, the Mets fired a hitting coach this year, too, when they parted ways with Dave Hudgens. Lamar Johnson, his replacement, and assistant hitting coach Luis Natera, who was with the team all season, won't be back with the Mets in 2015, either. With pretty much every other coaching position intact, the vacancy is the most significant one to be filled among Mets coaches. Mike Puma of the Post reports that the team will at least discuss bringing Long on board.

Whether or not a team scores runs at a good clip has a whole lot more to do with the players in its lineup than its hitting coach, but players obviously work with coaches on a very regular basis, so it seems worth the Mets' time to find the best one available.

Yankees presence in ALCS, Are the Yankees lining up for a run at Ian Desmond? Yankees television ratings, Coaching staff changes.

NY Post| George A. King III: There are several Yankee footprints on the Royals-Orioles best-of-seven ALCS.

Business Insider | Cork Gaines: The Yankees continue to destroy other teams in television ratings.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Will the Yankees sign David Robertson? Five things to know.

Pinstripe Pundits | Derek Albin: Could the Yankees be lined up for a possible run at Ian Desmond after the 2015 season?

NY Daily News | Mark Feinsand: Yankees shake-up Joe Girardi's coaching staff.

Shawn Kelley was penciled in as the number one setup man for the Yankees before the season started, but things didn't exactly go as planned.

Grade: C-

2014 Statistics: 51.2 IP, 4.53 ERA, 3.02 FIP, 11.7 K/9, 3.5 BB/9, -0.2 bWAR, 0.9 fWAR

2015 Contract Status: Arbitration Eligible

When Mariano Rivera, our Lord and savior, retired after the 2013 season, it meant that David Robertson would be installed as the new Yankee closer with Shawn Kelley as his primary setup man. In his first season in pinstripes, Kelley established himself as a strikeout artist with enough control to make himself an asset in the bullpen. After a stellar spring there was no reason to believe that was a fluke, so when camp broke the eighth inning was all his. At least that's how it seemed.

Everything went as planned until Robertson found himself on the disabled list just a week into the season, forcing Kelley into the closer role. He handled the ninth inning just fine for a couple weeks and cruised along until a disastrous outing on May 5th against the Angels. In that game he walked the bases loaded before issuing another free pass to the walk-averse Howie Kendrick, which scored the go-ahead run for the Angels. To make matters worse, Kelley was ejected for arguing the ball four call and the next two Yankee pitchers also issued run-scoring walks in what turned out to be an ugly loss. The following night he had another bad outing as he allowed a run-scoring single in the eighth, blowing a one run lead for the Yankees. Luckily, they would go on to win anyway, but two things were about to happen that would derail Kelley's season for good.

First, just a week after his consecutive poor outings, Kelley was placed on the shelf due to a back injury and remained there for about a month. Second, while he was out two young guns in the form of Adam Warren and Dellin Betances proved capable of handling the bridge between the Yankee starters and D-Rob. When Kelley did return to the bullpen he didn't do himself any favors as he surrendered late inning runs in two of his first four outings back. At that point he was firmly cemented as Joe Girardi's third option in the setup role. For the remainder of the season, Kelley nailed down his fair share of opportunities to hold a lead, but was nothing special. He stumbled down the stretch to finish with an unsightly 4.53 ERA and a blown opportunity to rise in the Yankee bullpen ranks.

While his season could be considered a disappointment, there is a silver lining for Shawn Kelley. Over the course of the season he maintained his high strikeout rate and improved upon his walk and home run rates from the year before. That resulted in a 3.02 FIP, meaning that he actually pitched much better than his inflated ERA suggests he did. If he can stay healthy, his ERA should regress downward next year when another golden opportunity might present itself. There's no guarantee that the Yankees will bring David Robertson back, and if they don't Dellin Betances should become the Yankee closer for 2015. In that scenario, Kelley would likely have to compete with only Adam Warren to become the primary setup man once again. With a little bit of luck he could come out on top this time.

The Yankees fired coaches yesterday. Rob Thomson was not one of them, despite him actively hurting the team with his coaching.

Comments of the Day

That would make the commercial easier to take. I think.

LoseLoseLose and LTL discuss their deep, well thought out feelings on their Yankee fandom stories.

Travis Lincoln also adds his thoughts into the Thomson pot.

As does HeartNSolarte

As does LTL with his usual wit!

He also gives us his thoughts on Matt P's grade of Derek Jeter.

GIF of the Day

A classic GIF for the GOTD award today..

Honorable Mod Mention

Andrew takes home the HMM with this nice photo of Thomson doing Thomson things.

• Rob Thomson wasn't fired yesterday. Give us your silliest reasons as to why.
• Royals fans mocking the Seven Nation Army chant by yelling ROYALS instead of OH: Clever or stupid?

The fact that this song is used for The Great Subway Race at Yankee Stadium always makes me happy. As always, link us your song of the day!

Last night's Royals vs. Orioles game was everything it was hyped up to be and more. Today's game should be fun as well. As for the NLCS game between the Giants and the Cardinals...well it's on I guess.

Go American League Go

A potential sleeper was called napping in 2014

Grade: C

2014 Statistics: .261/.308/.340, 13 SB

2014 Level/Roster Status: Double-A/Non-40

Ok, I was wrong about Ben Gamel. Back in February I identified the outfielder as a player to watch for the 2014 season. It's not that I thought he would prove to be a can't-miss prospect, but I hoped he could continue to improve his game like he did last year and set himself up for a chance in the majors. I guess saying that he was performing at the same level as Mason Williams isn't really a good thing. After noting that he had never finished with an OBP under .340, Gamel rewarded me with a mere .308. That number can be attributed to Gamel's inability to walk in 2014. He essentially did the same with the bat this year as he did last year, collecting 30 more hits this year, but also walking only 6.1% of the time, his lowest mark since 2012.

Despite an inability to get on base and no power to speak of, it wasn't all bad for Gamel this year. He played in a career-high 131 games at the Double-A level and finished the season tied for third in hits (142) and fifth in doubles (31) among all Eastern League batters. Even if his overall numbers aren't impressive, any time you lead the league in hits, you've done something right. He also stole 13 bases, showing off that he possesses some useful speed, however it's hard to become anything as a singles hitter without having elite speed and defense. If things miraculously work out for Gamel, he's likely looking at a fourth outfielder-type role at the absolute best.

The thing about Gamel is that, at 22 years old and no real hype connected to him, he's basically a fringe fringe prospect. As in he's almost someone you almost have to pay attention to. A good season could have put him on the edge of your radar going into 2015, but now it's unlikely anything will happen with him any time soon. He's likely to repeat Double-A, at least to start the season, but if he doesn't rebound it looks like he'll be another prospect who showed some promise in A-ball, but went on to flounder in the higher levels. It would be nice to say that there's hope for him yet, but I'm not really sure there is. Whatever he can do for the organization at this point, and I'm not even talking about the major league team here, will just be a bonus.

Let's make 2015 not as sleepy, boys.

New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said he doesn't assume Alex Rodriguez, back in 2015 after his year-long suspension, will be able to play third base all year, so the team is considering him as a potential first baseman as well.

The New York Yankees infield was already going to look quite different in 2015 than it had in years past, with the retirement of Derek Jeter. But the return of another, less beloved superstar in Alex Rodriguez doesn't bring any more clarity to the situation. In fact, the team is considering Rodriguez as a candidate to play first base next year.

"I don’t think it’s safe to assume that he can play third base. With his age and missing a full year, you have to have some perspective," said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, per Wallace Matthews of ESPN New York. "This is a very difficult game. Alex is up for that challenge, but I think it’s safer to assume that might not be something that he can handle the whole year."

Rodriguez has played 1,272 career games at shortstop, 1,189 games at third base, and 105 games at designated hitter. He has never played first base, or any other position.

But at age 39, returning after a year-long suspension stemming from the Biogenesis case, it's understandable that the Yankees are skeptical of just how effective or mobile Rodriguez will be in the field next season. After all, this is a player who missed nearly four months in 2013 after hip surgery, and from 2011-13 averaged only 88 games played per season.

Rodriguez has not played in more than 138 games in a season since 2007, when he last won the American League MVP award.

Whether Rodriguez is on board with the move isn't yet known as Cashman, who signed a three-year contract extension on Friday, didn't elaborate much.

"Joe Girardi conveyed to me that he talked to him recently about getting some work at first base," Cashman said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "Joe had a conversation with him recently about that. How extensive that conversation was, I don't know that he conveyed that to me."

Rodriguez did show some signs of life in his bat in the 44 games he did play in 2013, hitting .244/.348/.423, a 113 OPS+, with seven home runs. With 654 career home runs, Rodriguez ranks fifth all-time, just six behind Willie Mays.

Rodriguez's contract calls for a $6 million bonus upon hitting his 660th home run.

The contract also calls for Rodriguez to be paid $61 million in base salary for the next three seasons, including $21 million in 2015.

Mark Teixeira, who turns 35 in April, is the incumbent first baseman, but like Rodriguez has had trouble staying healthy in recent years. He played in 123 games in 2014 but hit only .216/.313/.398 with 22 home runs, and has averaged 87 games played in the last three seasons.

At $22.5 million per season for the next two years for Teixeira, the Yankees could have potentially the most expensive platoon in major league history in 2015. Whether it can be productive remains to be seen.

Cashman interview, Will Trey Hillman go to the Astros? Wynegar fired, Yankees won't rebuild.

The Times-Tribune | Donnie Collins: Among the Yankees' recent coaching changes, Triple-A Scranton will need a new hitting coach as well, as Butch Wynegar has been let go.

SI.com | Tom Verducci: The Giants bear some resemblance to the Yankees' dynasty teams.

NY Post | George A. King III: Yankees special assistant and former Royals manager Trey Hillman may bolt the team for a coaching job with the Astros.

NY Post | Joel Sherman: The Yankees have baseball's most expensive enigma in Alex Rodriguez.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Don't expect the Yankees to ever go into rebuilding mode.

Newsday | David Lennon: Brian Cashman will be back, but will the Yankees?

At age 39, Hiroki Kuroda turned in his third consecutive solid season for the Yankees.

Grade: B+

2014 MLB Statistics: 32 GS, 199 IP, 3.71 ERA, 3.60 FIP, 18% K%, 4% BB%, 3.5 fWAR

2015 Contract Status: Free Agent

Hiroki Kuroda entered the year as a 39-year-old who ended his age 38 season on a very sour note. Over his last eight starts of 2013, he went 0-6 with a pitiful 6.56 ERA. On the surface, it seemed like the antique righty wore down over the course of the long season, but his peripheral stats suggested his slump was mostly due to bad luck. Even so, any sort of downturn from a pitcher in his late thirties is cause for worry.

Despite these concerns, Kuroda managed to defy age for yet another year, and was easily the most reliable member of the Yankees rotation. Kuroda's 32 starts were by far the most on the Yankees; no other pitcher even broke 20. But it wasn't all smooth sailing for the veteran. Although he put up a rock-solid 3.71 ERA on the year, Kuroda actually got off to somewhat of a rocky start to the season. He had some trouble keeping the ball in the park early on, allowing nine dingers in his first 10 starts, which contributed to a 5.28 ERA and 4.30 FIP in the month of April. But rather than falling off of a cliff like he did in 2013, Kuroda got progressively better as the season wore on. His monthly ERAs were 5.28, 4.00, 3.52, 3.38, 3.45, and 2.81, and that last number may actually understate his September, when he posted a dominant 34:0 K:BB ratio in 32 innings.

Overall, Kuroda was everything the Yankees could have asked for in 2014. There aren't very many 39-year-olds who hold up for 200 innings, and even fewer who do it while maintaining an ERA below 4.00. Yet despite all of his success, this very well may be the end of the road for Kuroda, who's toyed with retirement after each of the last few seasons. He'll be 40 in February, and while he's managed to defy age these past few years, you have to figure he doesn't have too many bullets left in his arm -- even following his impressive late-season performance. Regardless, some team would certainly find a spot for him if he does decide to pitch next year, and I wouldn't mind at all if that team were the Yankees. He's been a joy to watch these past three seasons.

Slade Heathcott's body hates him.

Grade: F

Statistics: 9 G, .182/.250/.242, .233 wOBA

2014 Level/Roster Status: Double-A/60-day DL/40-man roster

This was not Slade Heathcott's year. You could argue that last year wasn't so hot either. His 2013 season was ended a few weeks early so that he could undergo knee surgery. He was not ready to join Double-A Trenton on Opening Day, and didn't end up making his season debut until the middle of May. After playing in a grand total of nine games, Heathcott's season came to an end so that he could have the same surgically-repaired knee scoped yet again. He ended the season on the Yankees' 60-day DL.

Season-ending surgeries have been a common theme throughout Heathcott's stint in the minor leagues. He required off-season shoulder surgery during the end of 2010, and his 2011 season ended in June so that he could have another shoulder surgery. When healthy, he has shown the ability to hit the ball well. His best season was in 2012, when he hit .302/.380/.461 with five home runs and 19 stolen bases through 65 games. He wasn't able to duplicate that in 2013 when he played a personal best 103 games and hit just .261/.327/.411. Despite having had several seasons in a row now cut short due to injury, Heathcott still made it into Jim Callis of MLB.com's Top 20 Yankee Prospects list. That really speaks to the potential and talent that Heathcott has shown during those shortened seasons. He was the Yankees number one draft pick back in 2009, after all.

Unfortunately, the Yankees added Heathcott to the 40-man roster at the end of 2013. He didn't even make it into a spring training game, as he was still recovering from the first knee surgery then, nor was he able to join the team for September call-ups. Given his state of perpetual injury, he's just wasting a roster spot at this point. Only time will tell if the knee problems have taken anything away from his fielding abilities. By the time spring training rolls around, he will have had months upon months to rehab, so it's possible that 2015 will be the season that he finally gets healthy and plays a full season. If not, his future with the Yankees might be short.

It's going to be a busy hot stove season this year.

For the second straight year, the Yankees failed to make the post-season.  The team has multiple holes on the roster, injury questions, production questions and an opening for Vice President of Baseball Operations.  Follow along as I lay out what I would if I were in charge and then take the opportunity to leave your thoughts as to what you would do in the comments section.

Front Office

Addressing the job vacated by Mark Newman should be the first priority.  The biggest thing that I would be looking for is someone with a proven track record of talent development and someone like Gary LaRocque of the Cardinals come to mind.  A new philosophy needs to be taught and executed from the top all the way to the bottom.  Every coach, instructor and player needs to be on the same page. This is one of the few areas left that the Yankees can spend freely and they should use that to their advantage to bring in the best development people.

Coaching Staff

After two seasons of disappointing base running and hitting, it’s time to make changes to the coaching staff.  While it's difficult for us to determine good coaching candidates due to the behind-the-scenes complexities of their jobs, there are certainly ideas.  It’s time to replace third base coach Rob Thomson with former Yankee Willie Randolph.  Time has run out for Kevin Long as well; his message just didn't seem to be resonating with the players any longer. Double-A Trenton hitting coach Marcus Thames is a highly thought of in-house solution, bringing a fresh perspective to Yankee hitters. At first base, I would bring in minor league coach and former Yankee Luis Sojo to replace the fired Mick Kelleher.

Infield

The first order of business on the infield should be re-signing third baseman Chase Headley.  With Mark Teixeira's injury history, Headley’s ability to play first or third would give Joe Girardi roster flexibility at the infield corners.  With Derek Jeter's retirement, there's a hole at shortstop and a thin free agent and trade market with which to fill it.  Free agency could potentially offer an intriguing duo of Korean slugger Jung Ho Kang and possibly Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada.  Kang and Moncada would be pure financial impacts, which wouldn’t require surrendering their 2015 first round draft pick, though their international numbers are tough to translate to MLB's lofty caliber of play.  The trade market would be cost prohibitive to acquire a player such as Starlin Castro or Troy Tulowitzki as the team rebuilds the farm system.  Second base is covered with Martin Prado under contract and Rob Refsnyder knocking at the door.  The utility infielders should be locked up as well, with Brendan Ryan returning and hopefully Jose Pirela making the team out of spring training. At catcher, the team is set with Brian McCann under a multi-year contract and one of Francisco Cervelli, John Ryan Murphy or Austin Romine ready to be the back-up.  One of the three will most likely get dealt this off-season though.

Outfield

With Carlos Beltran, Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury all signed to multi-year deals, the starting outfield is covered going into the season.  There are multiple avenues in which to fill the fourth outfielder spot, whether it be filled via a minor trade, free agent signing or filled from within by someone such as Ramon Flores or Tyler Austin.

Designated Hitter

Alex Rodriguez returns from serving his PED suspension and I fully expect to see him get the bulk of the time at DH. Otherwise, it will be a rotating carousel of players manning the position.

Starting Pitchers

Unfortunately, the starting rotation is filled with question marks heading into spring training. Masahiro Tanaka will return as the ace of the staff, though concerns over his UCL will continue to linger.  Upon returning from the disabled list due to a right shoulder strain, Michael Pineda was nothing short of dominant the rest of the season pitching to a 2.71 FIP and a miserly .83 BB/9.  Concern with his shoulder will carry on into next season as well; because he has only pitched more than 150 innings one time back in 2011.  After missing most of 2012, CC Sabathia and his deteriorating knee will return to the rotation, albeit with no idea how he will perform out on the mound. Shane Greene returns as the only pitcher without health concerns of any kind, and he has earned himself a rotation spot for next season.  With one remaining spot open, it would be wise to offer Brandon McCarthy a three or four-year deal in the $36-$48 million dollar range. Ivan Nova’s expected to return in June, and both David Phelps and Bryan Mitchell will provide ample options in case the inevitable injury occurs.

Bullpen

This continues to be strength for the team with Dellin Betances, Adam Warren, Phelps and Shawn Kelley all returning this upcoming season.  With offense at a premium around the game, re-signing David Robertson is a good idea at possibly four years and $52 million dollars. Assuming Robertson comes back, that would leave two remaining bullpen spots. This is where lefty Tyler Webb should become the LOOGY replacement of Matt Thornton, while Jacob Lindgren could become a lockdown late-inning option.

Conclusion

There’s a lot to be accomplished this offseason and these are the changes that I would make.  I look forward to reading how you the reader would approach things if you were the general manager.