New York Daily News | Teri Thompson: Prosecutors considered bringing a number of charges against Alex Rodriguez, including witness tampering, obstruction of justice, and conspiracy to distribute human growth hormones and testosterone.

NJ.com | Mike Vorkunov: 19-year-old Yoan Moncada has been declared a free agent by MLB. The Yankees had a "large contingent" at his workout last week.

LoHud | Chad Jennings:John Ryan Murphy is considered the favorite for backup catcher duty in the Bronx next season despite Austin Romine being out of options.

All Voices | Paul Lebowitz: A two-part series on the Yankees' 2015 plan.

A poor 2014 campaign has hurt Justin Masterson's value. Could the Yankees be one of the teams betting on a bounceback?

2014 Statistics: 128.2 IP, 5.88 ERA, 4.5 FIP, 8.11 K/9, 4.83 BB/9, 0.84 HR/9

2015 Age: turns 30 on March 22

Position: Right-handed starter

It's been a real up and down career for Justin Masterson so far. Once the prize of the trade that sent Victor Martinez to Boston, Masterson has alternated great seasons and really crummy ones. His 2014 season was more the latter, as he got smacked around as a member of the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. He also dealt with a nasty knee injury, which seemed to sap a lot of his velocity. The assumption was that the Cardinals and their seemingly mystical ability to to reconstruct pitchers was going to be perfect for Masterson, but he was putrid during his few months with St. Louis.

By now you're probably thinking "Why the hell would we want such a crappy pitcher?". You want him because he's just the sort of buy-low free agent that every team pines for. He's had a good deal of success and his turbo sinker would likely play very well in homer-happy Yankee Stadium. Most importantly, he's likely to take a shorter deal in an effort to rebuild some of his value. There's also some appeal in buying low on a currently 29 year old, as opposed to most of the older gents that the Yankees usually try to strike gold with.

There is some concern with Masterson's velocity, however, so it's not necessarily a case like with Brandon McCarthy and his peripherals being pretty good and his coaching being terrible: there's legitimate reasons to think Masterson might not be good ever again. His fastball averaged 93 MPH in 2013, but just 90 in 2014. For a guy that's never had great control, that's problematic.

There's also the problem of the marketplace. Most general managers are smart enough these days to look towards a guy like Masterson. While his hideous ERA will make some shy away, I'm sure many front office folks will be savvy enough to realize the former ace could be a boon to a starting staff. There could be quite a bit of competition for Masterson after the best available pitchers get picked up.

Masterson is a low-risk, high-reward type, but bringing him aboard on a team with so many injury questions on the starting staff might give the Yankees pause. But for a franchise that has been recently concerned with draft pick compensation and the length of commitments, Masterson could be appealing. His awesome sinker would actually make him an interesting successor to Hiroki Kuroda if the team chose to go in that direction.

My gut feeling is that Masterson will not be a Yankee. I suspect that free agency will work out in such a way that the team feels he is not needed. If things don't go according to plan (as they often do) however, I would not be surprised if Brian Cashman comes knocking at Masterson's door. This is the guy who acquired Nick Swisher, Chase Headley and Brandon McCarthy, after all. Dude likes bounceback candidates.

Most Tribe fans were sick and tired of seeing the untapped potential of Carlos Carrasco, but by the end of the season, he had become the second best starter in the rotation, with a stretch as nearly as dominant as Kluber.

We've been running through the 2014 season for each member of the Indians and key prospects from their farm system. (You can find every entry in the series here.)Now we've reached a countdown of the top ten players on the team, as voted by the Let's Go Tribe staff.

#5: Carlos Carrasco

• Position: Right-Handed Starting Pitcher
• Age: 27
• Acquired: July 29, 2009, traded with Lou Marson, Jason Donald and Jason Knapp from Philadelphia Phillies for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco
• Contract Status: First Year Arbitration in 2015, Free Agent in 2018

Carlos Carrasco was always considered the centerpiece of the Cliff Lee deal, as he was rated in the Top 100 prospects for both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus in 2007, 2008, and 2009 prior to the deadline deal.

He made six decent starts in Columbus post trade in 2009 and made his MLB debut after the September roster expansion. He spent most 2010 with Columbus and again was called up in September and had mixed results. He made the rotation out of spring training in 2011, and again had mixed result. In August he was shut down, and in September he had the obligatory Tommy John surgery.

The surgery cost him all of 2012, but he was deemed healthy enough in spring training of 2013 to make the rotation. He promptly was shellacked by the Yankees and headed back to Columbus. He pitched very well in April and May for the Clippers (save one start) and was recalled. After four poor starts, he logged many miles on the shuttle between Columbus and Cleveland. His resulting numbers in Cleveland, 6.75 ERA, 1.757 WHIP, 5.8 K/9 did not bode well for his future as a member of the Tribe.

Heading into this season, with all of his options burned, Carrasco had to prove he deserved to stick someplace on the 25-man roster, or be placed on waivers where a pitching starving team would likely snag him. His stats in the spring (5.17 ERA, 1.72 WHIP) did not help his cause, but he was given a spot in the rotation anyways. Four starts later he had a 6.95 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, and 9.4 K/9. Carrasco was moved to the bullpen, in hopes that he could harness his stuff there. The results were almost immediate.

From April 30 to August 1, he made 25 appearances, and in only two of them did he give up more than one run. He accumulated a 1.85 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, and 4.3 K/BB ratio. He was stretched out by throwing four innings of relief on August 5 before spending the rest of the year back in the rotation.

Most Tribe fans had much trepidation about Francona/Callaway's decision, but Cookie proved all the doubters wrong. He made ten starts and only one had a GameScore under 50 with five of them cracking 70, including a Maddux against the Astros on September 17 (cracking our Top 5 starts of the season). He was Klubot-esque, a 1.30 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 10.2 K/9 and 7.1 K/BB ratio.

2014 Grade: A

Without those first four starts I'd give this season an A+.

2015 Outlook

The move to pitching from the stretch all the time really got Carrasco to harness his always nasty stuff. He definitely is in the Opening Day rotation, and right now is the #2 behind Kluber. I am hesitant to confidently predict a full season of his final ten starts, but I think he finally has figured it out. He still is just 27 and if he does not fall into bad habits, could become a fixture in the rotation for a few years.

While former Royal Aoki could improve the Yankees outfield, is he worth the price?

2014 Statistics: .285/.349/.360, 22 2B, 6 3B, 1 HR, 17 SB, 104 wRC+, 2.3 fWAR

2015 Age: 33

Position: RF

Norichika Aoki arrived in the US from the NPB in 2012, signing with the Brewers and joining an up-and-coming outfield that already contained Ryan Braun and Carlos Gomez.In his rookie year, Aoki did not disappoint – he posted a 113 wRC+ with 10 homers and 30 stolen bases, eventually placing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year race.After another solid season in 2013 (103 wRC+, 1.6 fWAR), Milwaukee, looking to make space for young outfielder Khris Davis, traded Aoki to the Royals.The Royals had themselves a nice young outfield, but they were looking for a consistent everyday right fielder to pair with Lorenzo Cain and Alex Gordon.Obviously, this worked out quite well for the Royals.

Aoki maintained his 2013 numbers and validated Kansas City’s high hopes for him, providing solid defense and a good bat atop their lineup.Aoki continued to display his terrific ability to get on base in 2014, as his .349 OBP ranked second on the Royals (and would’ve ranked first on the Yankees among regulars).While he’s been criticized here and there for his defense, he posted a positive UZR in his first two seasons, and did so again in 2014, giving the Royals one of the best defensive outfields in the game.

While Aoki certainly will help a team in 2015, it likely won’t be the Yankees.They’re full up for the next few years in the outfield with Jacoby Ellsbury, Brett Gardner, and Carlos Beltran, and they just signed Chris Young to a one-year contract to presumably serve as the team’s fourth outfielder.Even if New York did sign Aoki, that would give the Yankees a very light-hitting outfield (not to mention an outfield made up of all lefties).Aoki displayed almost no power last year, and while no one ever would have called him a slugger, he's basically lost all pop since 2012 (his ISO of .075 was the fifth worst in the majors in 2014).While Young isn’t as dependable as Aoki, he will at least potentially provide some right-handed power off the bench next year, something Aoki cannot do.If the Yankees do want to improve their outfield and push Beltran towards a more permanent DH role, a heavier hitter than Aoki (Melky Cabrera, Torii Hunter, or perhaps Alex Rios) would be a better fit for the team’s needs.

All of this likely means that Aoki is not coming to the Bronx next year.With him looking for a three-year deal, that further should discourage the Yankees from pursuing him.If there was some way he could be had on a one-year deal, he might be worth considering.But Aoki is almost certainly looking for a starting job, which is something the Yankees could not guarantee.And with all the other holes in their roster, they should certainly not spend any money that they could spend on the likes of Brandon McCarthy, Chase Headley, or some other infield help.Overall, while Aoki is a nice player, he’s not a great fit for the Yankees, and is probably looking for more than the Yankees should be willing to dish out.

With a contract valued at just under $16.5 million per season, this is a question worth considering.

When the Blue Jays signed Russell Martin to a five-year deal worth $82 million on Monday, they gave themselves a chance to win the American League East—but also devoted valuable funds to a position that wasn't necessarily at the top of their list of needs.

The signing is paradoxical for the Blue Jays. In a sense, they need Martin to win the AL East, because of his immeasurably positive impact on the pitching staff, and also because Dioner Navarro, the third-worst pitcher frameramong all catchers last season and a .255/.313/.375 career hitter, presents an alternative that likely isn't good enough to get the job done.

But at the same time, by dropping more than $16 million annually on an aging, average-hitting catcher, the Jays have potentially precluded themselves from filling their other pressing needs, like second base, outfield and a suspect pitching rotation. Not to mention, they also lose their first-round draft pick in 2015 by signing Martin.

On several levels, however, the deal makes a lot of sense. Martin returns to his native Ontario, Canada, and the hitter-friendly atmosphere of Rogers Centre (and the AL East overall) means the ex-Pirates catcher could realistically produce similar numbers to the .290/.402/.430 slash line he posted last season. Martin's defense also speaks for itself; he was the 10th-best pitch framer in the majors last season by statcorner.com's metrics and threw out a league-leading 37 would-be base stealers. By that measure, the signing essentially kills two birds with one stone by upgrading the catcher position and the starting rotation.

But for how long?

The tiebreaker here is Martin's age. His offensive performance last season, sustainable or not, surely isn't enough to warrant a contract of such proportions when also taking into account Martin's offensive mediocrity from 2009 to 2013, a five-year span during which he didn't hit over .250 once and combined for just 154 extra-base hits in 2,113 at-bats.

That means the Blue Jays paid a significant part of Martin's contract for his ability behind the dish—something that won't last through the entirety of this five-year deal. Martin, 31, has already started 1,074 games in his nine-year career as a catcher, and as veterans like Victor Martinez (828 starts behind the plate) and Joe Mauer (885 starts) transition to first base at even earlier periods in their careers, it's worth questioning how many more years Martin has left in the tank. He turns 32 on February 15, which is rather old (in catcher years) to be starting a five-year deal that's based in large part around Martin's defensive impact.

From the Blue Jays' perspective, this deal's saving grace would be if Martin leads Toronto to a division championship (or even a wild card berth)—and given the postseason's mercurial nature, perhaps a deep playoff run from there.

Now might be the Blue Jays' window of opportunity. The Yankees are stuck with a massive payroll devoted mostly to aging and very costly veterans. The Red Sox are fresh off a 91-loss season and (for now) have a starting rotation that is in shambles. The Rays just lost their brilliant strategist, Joe Maddon, and don't appear to be a postseason threat next season.

Without devoting five years to Martin, the Blue Jays likely never could have completed the deal. But unless we have truly underestimated Martin's longevity, this is a deal that requires immediate results to pay off. In the end, a two- or three-year contract would have made plenty of sense. In 2018, when Martin's defense will have inevitably declined and the Blue Jays will still owe him millions, the second-guessing might really come out in full force.

We've been spoiled for 20 years. Be prepared for the slog ahead as the Yankees try to find a new shortstop.

Remember the fun of last off-season when writers and fans were hounding the Yankees about the difficulty to replace Mariano Rivera? Well, I hope you're prepared for the excitement of people demanding answers to how the Yankees replace Derek Jeter. While no closer in history is ever likely to recapture the security fans felt when Mo came into the game, it is so much easier to find an average closer than it is to find an average starting shortstop.

Obviously, David Robertson did not give fans quite the same feeling when he entered games compared to Mo, but on the whole, his numbers for the season were terrific. He blew just five saves (Mo blew at least five saves in half of his seasons closing) and pitched to a 3.08 ERA and 2.68 FIP while striking out 13.4 men per nine innings. Those numbers are terrific, and few other closers were as consistently great as D-Rob. The Yankees were fortunate to have a ready-made replacement immediately able to step in for Mo, but it's not like it would have been an arduous task to find a closer had Robertson not been there. The Giants just won a World Series in a season where 2013 All-Star closer Sergio Romo lost his job mid-season and they immediately able to replace him with Santiago Casilla. As long as there are decent relievers, they can usually make decent closers.

It's simply not the same with shortstops. Even though Jeter was never an elite defender at shortstop, he provided so much offense from the position that for almost his entire career, it didn't matter. He could be stuck out there, survive, and the Yankees didn't have to worry about filling this challenging position. How difficult is it? Take a gander at the parade of shortstops that have come and gone throughout the major leagues since Jeter became a Yankees regular in 1996:

First impression: That is far too much Deivi Cruz and Cesar Izturis than is acceptable for anyone's health.

For most teams, it's been a constant struggle trying to find someone to take the reins for more than a year or two. The timeline would feature even more underwhelming players (think Pokey Reese, Josh Rutledge, and Eduardo Nunez) if I didn't cover gaps of shortstops who had to miss full seasons, or if I broke down the individual seasons by month as teams scrambled to find a shortstop as the Yankees did in 2013.

Expecting a long-term solution to come for the Yankees at shortstop this off-season is likely asking for too much. Some teams have been lucky enough to transition almost seamlessly from one shortstop to the next, as the Indians have with just three full-timers since 1994: Omar Vizquel, Jhonny Peralta, and Asdrubal Cabrera. (With Jose Ramirez already in the majors and highly-regarded Francisco Lindor on the way, it looks like Cleveland somehow won't miss a beat yet again.) On the other side of the coin, the Red Sox are still looking for the true heir to Nomar Garciaparra's throne (Maybe it's Xander Bogaerts?) and the Astros have had 11 shortstops since 1996. The Twins' best effort has probably been Cristian Guzman, who had one good season. Woof.

Remember as well that the Yankees spent quite some time looking for a starting shortstop in the years before Jeter's ascent. Jeter was their fifth Opening Day shortstop in five years when he took the field in '96. So if the Yankees take the field next year with Stephen Drew out there, it might be disappointing, but it shouldn't be cause for despair. It is damn difficult to find or develop a shortstop, as the 29 other teams can attest.

Mark Teixeira as the only live action character in "A Bug's Life" could be funny.

The Yankees made a trade this week, so I decided to make this week's question topical. Sort of. Okay, not really.

Q: The Yankees just traded for someone named Justin Wilson. There is a 'character' in the Tom Hanks movie Castaway named Wilson. What other famous movie roles/characters do you think various Yankees' players/coaches/etc could play?

Greg

Mark Teixeira could probably play a very convincing Capt. James Tiberius Kirk. Rob Thomson could perfectly play the role of "Drinking Bird that falls over!"

Bryan

Mark Teixeira could definitely play Forrest Gump, but he would have to have his "Foul Territory" persona. Brian McCann would play Lex Luthor (He isn't exactly a role made famous by a movie, I know. Nerds), and he would block Superman's house anytime he tried to enter the front door. Dellin Betances would play the Terminator, and he would come from the future to destroy Stephen Drew before he destroys everything in sight.

Andrew

Mark Teixeira as Dudley Do-Right

Brian McCann as Smarf

Brett Gardner as Bryan Mills

John

Brandon McCarthy as King George in The King's Speech (that makes pitching coach Larry Rothchild Lionel Logue).

Masahiro Tanaka as Batman in Dark Knight Rises- after a great beginning, he's wounded and has to prove to himself he's still capable of winning. Or, he could be like the film itself: a lot of hype, some serious promise, but ultimately delivered less than I hoped for.

Brett Gardner as Hiccup in How to Train Your Dragon; unconventional but ultimately successful.

Derek Jeter as Professor X in Days of Future Past; so much less powerful than he used to be. That probably makes Michael Pineda Beast, Jacoby Ellsbury Magneto, and CC Sabathia Cyclops.

The bullpen as the cast of the new Star Trek: David Robertson is Kirk (the leader, but with questions about whether he's ready), Betances is Spock (so much potential, but a little alien). Adam Warren as Scotty (brilliant but trying to hold the ship together and called on to do a lot). They're the part of the team that beats the Injury Bug (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), but doing so still means the rest of the fleet gets wrecked. Featuring a cameo by Hiroki Kuroda as old Spock.

Jason

Brian McCann could probably play the baby from Roger Rabbit.

Doug

Carlos Beltran could've played LL Cool J's role of Deke in the movie S.W.A.T.

Mark Teixeira as Ron Burgundy in Anchorman

Brett Gardner as Tony Montana in movie classic Scarface

Rob Thomson would fit as Lt. Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun

Matt F.

I'm casting John Ryan Murphy as Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood.

Alex Rodriguez as MacGruber from the Saturday Night Live spin-off movie MacGruber. In the SNL sketches, MacGruber builds a contraption to disable a bomb seconds away from blowing up, only to get distracted and forget about the bomb. Sadly, that is very much how I feel like next season could go. A-Rod starts solid, but something ridiculous happens leading to a fiery explosion in a clubhouse storage closet. Also, it means seeing A-Rod in a mullet.

I feel like Mark Teixeira could easily be cast as Tom Cruise's character Joel Goodson in Risky Business, as dancing in his underwear to "Old Time Rock and Roll" is probably something he does already. But instead,  I would like to see Tex cast as both the dog and the child from Air Bud.

And here's a quickfire Ocean's 11 Yankee cast:

-Danny Ocean: Derek Jeter (C'mon)
-Rusty Ryan: Mariano Rivera (Ocean's close associate and friend. Gotta be Mo)
-Linus Caldwell: Dellin Betances (Inexperienced, but highly talented)
-Basher Tarr: Aaron Judge (Blows stuff up)
-Frank Catton: CC Sabathia (Doesn't have much to do in the second half of the heist)
-Turk Malloy: Brian McCann (Irritating older brother)
-Virgil Malloy: Mark Teixeira (Dorky little brother)
-Saul Bloom: Yogi Berra (Nice, old guy)
-Ruben Tishkoff: Whitey Ford (The wealthy casino owner has to be "The Chairman of the Board)
-Livingston Dell: Brandon McCarthy (Computer expert)
-"The Amazing" Yen: Brett Gardner (Gardner could probably fit inside a tiny box to sneak into a casino vault if we needed him to)

There are our answers, but now lets see yours. Leave your answers in the comments.

Atlanta's new front office isn't wasting any time, dealing 2B Tommy La Stella to the Cubs and CF Kyle Wren to the Brewers for a pair of right handers.

President of baseball operations John Hart has been pulling the trigger early this offseason for the Braves, making a pair of one-for-one trades with the Cubs and Brewers. Heading to Chicago is rookie second baseman Tommy La Stella and re-acquired right handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino and the teams also swapped international bonus slots. The Braves also wiped away any traces of the Wren name from the organization by sending 23 year old center fielder Kyle Wren to Milwaukee for right handed pitcher Zach Quintana.

Sunday afternoon the Cubs and Braves pulled off their deal which also involved the Cubs trading their second, third, and fourth slots for a total of $974,000 while Atlanta also included their fourth slot, valued at $142,000. Let's take a look at the guy still prospect eligible, RHP Arodys Vizcaino. He was originally signed by the New York Yankees in 2007, signing for a cool 800 grand. He was then sent to Atlanta in the 2009 offseason, then was dealt again at the 2012 deadline to the Cubs. Vizcaino missed the 2012 and 2013 seasons to Tommy John surgery and began his comeback in earnest in 2014.

Right handed pitcher Arodys Vizcaino - Photo by Tracy Proffitt

He worked his way back through the minors throwing 41 innings across three levels with a composite 3.51 ERA and a similar 3.58 FIP in addition to five more innings at the big league level where he allowed three runs in five innings with four strike outs and three walks. He struck out 42batters (23.7%) while walking 18 (10.2%) with 2.33 punch outs for every walk. He allowed 1.37 base runners per nine innings with the opposition hitting .247/.338/.385 against him. The 6'0 190 pound Dominican ran into issues in AAA Iowa, allowing 25 hits and 11 runs in just 18.1 innings with 11 walks and 16 strike outs. More advanced metrics like BABIP showed he was a bit unlucky at .321, but his bullpen mates stranded inherited runners 76.5% of the time.  Vizcaino was also racked up ground balls nearly 44% of the time.

Second baseman Tommy La Stella - Photo by Ted Jones

Tommy La Stella moved into the Braves starting line up in late May after the front office officially put the Dan Uggla experiment to rest. The soon to be 26 year old spent 47 games at AAA Gwinnett to start the year, hitting .293/.384/.359 with 25 walks (12.6%) to 14 strike outs (7.1%). He homered once with six doubles and a triple, driving in 23 with 18 runs scored and a 112 wRC+. With Atlanta the 2011 8th round pick out of Coastal Carolina hit .251/.328/.317 with an 84 wRC+, 83 OPS+, and -0.1 fWAR. He drew 36 walks (10%) to 40 strike outs (11.1%), hitting 16 doubles, a triple and a home run, crossing the plate 22 times with 31 RBI. A .283 BABIP is a hair below league average which should be sustainable but his defense was a little further below that line. FanGraphs pegged him for -2.1 Fld rating with a -4 DRS (defensive runs saved) and a -4 UZR/150.

The 5'11 185 pound left handed hitting second baseman is known for his keen eye at the plate and ability to make contact to all fields. He doesn't show much power and will be lucky to hit five in a season with below average speed and fielding ability. The same goes for his throwing arm, limiting him to second base duty without any chance of putting in time on the left side of the diamond. That being said, La Stella's value is tied pretty tightly to his ability in the batter's box. If he can bring his slash line anywhere near his .322/.407/.474 minor league career line through nearly 1,200 plate appearances he can be a productive player at the keystone.

Right handed pitcher Zach Quintana - Photo by Brad Krause

Back on Friday the Brewers and Braves hooked up on a smaller trade with Milwaukee sending right handed hurler Zach Quintana to Atlanta for center fielder Kyle Wren, son of former Atlanta GM Frank Wren. Milwaukee took Quintana in the third round of the 2012 draft, singing him to a $325,000 bonus out of Arbor View High School in Las Vegas. He spent his first two years in very friendly hitting conditions and posted a 5.82 ERA in his debut in the Arizona League and 6.95 ERA in 2013 in the Pioneer League. Last year was his first crack at full season ball, spending the entire year with Low A Wisconsin of the Midwest League, throwing 85.1 innings to the tune of a 5.70 ERA and 4.63 FIP. The soon to be 21 year old shuffled between the rotation and bullpen finished with 49 walks and 58 strike outs while surrendering 100 hits and four homers. With opposing hitters hitting .296/.389/.405 against him with a .339 BABIP and 63.3% strand rate, Quintana will benefit from some regression to the mean and heading to the Sally or even the Carolina league.

He's lost a tick on his fastball since turning pro once in the 90-96 mph range but now sitting 88-92. His offspeed stuff isn't anything worth writing home about either with a below average change up and curve. Back in high school he was worked pretty hard which may be a contributing factor to his stuff taking a few steps back the last two years. The command and control are not there and he has a high effort delivery which he has problems repeating.

Center fielder Kyle Wren - Photo by Rome Braves

Wren was first looked at as a nepotism pick with his old man drafting him in the eighth round of the 2013 draft out of Georgia Tech, signing for $150,500. Pushed to an age-appropriate league to start 2014, Wren went to High A Lynchburg and hit .296/.359/.357 through 76 games and 336 plate appearances with a 105 wRC+, 33 stolen bases, 10 doubles and four triples with no home runs. He worked 30 walks (8.9%) to 39 strike outs (11.6%) while scoring 46 runs and driving in 27. Bumped to AA Mississippi at the end of June, he finished the year out with a .283/.338/.376 line and 13 more stolen bases in 56 games spanning 227 PA's. The strike out to walk ratio wasn't as nice with 16 walks (7%) to 40 punch outs (17.6%), but he still posted a 102 wRC+ with 11 doubles and four triples.

Most outlets are looking at Wren as a potential fourth outfielder if everything breaks right. I am much higher on him though, thinking he can be a legitimate starting option for a team in center field. He has outstanding speed and great instincts in the field and on the bases making him a top of the order threat. The 5'10 175 pound lefty has a good eye at the plate and can draw a walk or use his speed to leg out infield hits. Power will never be a part of his game but he does have enough thump to drive the ball to the gaps. His arm is decent and he showed excellent range and should be an above average defender. Heading into his age 24 season, he has an outside shot at a cup of coffee in September, but with Carlos Gomez breaking out into an impact player, he may have to bide his time or possibly move to left field where his arm won't be as much of an issue.

All in all, I think Atlanta did well to get a late inning option in Vizcaino for a player they weren't completely sold on. It looks like Milwaukee benefited from the Braves trying to exorcise themselves of the Wren name, moving him for a very underwhelming return.

And the winners are...

Over the last two weeks we have asked you to vote on various categories of GIFs from the Yankees' 2014 season. You had to help us pick from five funny moments, five regrettable moments, five brilliant pitching performances, and five big hits. The winners from our site will go up against winners from all other MLB sites before a select few are chosen for a final vote coming soon. Here are our Yankees GIF winners.

Yankees' Funniest Moment of the Year: Brendan Ryan self-fist bump

This was easily the most competitive vote of any category, coming down to just a single vote. It's hard not to give Brendan Ryan the love he was denied by Mick Kelleher after one of his rare showings of offensive ability. The Teixeira honey bear got robbed, though.

Yankees' Most Regrettable Moment of the Year: Carlos Beltran doesn't even baseball

Beltran makes a lot of money. Usually that money is given with an expectation of doing a certain job, but Beltran did not get that memo when he decided to watch fellow outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury bounce off the outfield wall while the ball rolled along aimlessly. While Beltran was sightseeing, a runner was running. For an inside the park home run. He had one job.

Yankees' Best Defensive Play of the Year: One play, three outs

Yangervis Solarte to Brian Roberts to Scott Sizemore. Those names are, uh, pretty indicative of the horrors we saw in 2014. This play wasn't one of those horrors, however. It was made even better by the fact that it came in the Yankees' personal house of horrors at Tropicana Field. May we all hold onto this brief glimpse of hope the next time it all goes wrong for the Yankees while playing in St. Pete.

Yankees' Most Important Hit of the Year: Derek Jeter walks it off in final home game

Some people actually didn't vote for this moment. What? This was perfect. I knew it was coming, you knew it was coming. We all knew that Derek Jeter was going to come up with some kind of magic in his last game at Yankee Stadium. David Robertson blew the save just so we could all be treated to the goosebumps. Thanks, D-Rob!

Yankees' Best Pitching Appearance of the Year: Masahiro Tanaka shuts down the Mets

Masahiro Tanaka is so good, complete game shutouts are so fun, and beating the Mets is so necessary. All three things combined in Tanaka's first complete game shutout since coming over from Japan. Four hits and eight strikeouts in front of the crowd at Citi Field. Hopefully it was only the first of many, many more to come.

How do you think our GIFs will stack up against the competition from other team sites? Do any of ours have a shot at winning?

Yankees might pursue Scherzer after all; What to expect from Manny Banuelos in the future; Grading the prospects who played in the Arizona Fall League.

CBS Sports | Jon Heyman: The Yankees might decide to pursue Max Scherzer after all.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Why Yoan Moncada could be a good fit for the Yankees.

LoHud Yankees Blog | Chad Jennings: What to expect from Manny Banuelos going forward.

New York Post | George A. King III: Even if the Yankees are interested in Elvis Andrus, they might not have what it would take to make a trade happen.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Grading the prospects who played in the Arizona Fall League.

If the Yankees can't re-sign Brandon McCarthy, they should take a hard, long look at this veteran lefty.

2014 statistics: 162.1 IP, 29 GS, 9.70 K/9, 4.49 BB/9, 0.72 HR/9, 3.38 ERA, 3.59 FIP, 1.6 fWAR

2015 age: 31

Position: Left-handed starting pitcher

Francisco Liriano burst onto the scene for the Twins in 2006, notching 12 wins and just three losses to begin his first full season in the big leagues. That year, together with AL MVP Justin Morneau and in-his-prime Johan Santana, Liriano helped make the Minnesota Twins one of the best teams in the majors.  However, all this promise was cut short, as Liriano injured his throwing arm in August of ‘06, eventually leading to Tommy John surgery that caused him to miss all of 2007.  Since displaying such amazing initial promise, Liriano has struggled with inconsistency.  He's gone from terrible - no doubt the Twins expected more than a 5.80 ERA and 4.87 FIP in 2009 - to terrific (5.8 fWAR and a 2.66 FIP in just under 200 innings in 2010).  Eventually, the Twins cut ties with Liriano, shipping him off to the White Sox for a pair of prospects in 2012.  The following offseason, Liriano joined the Pirates on an incentive packed two-year deal.  It was a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Pirates - and it paid off mightily.

Liriano experienced quite a resurgence in 2013, posting a 2.92 FIP and 3.1 fWAR in 161 innings while displaying the hard fastball and devastating slider that made him so successful early in his career.  While he didn't quite match that success in 2014, he still proved to be a dependable cog in a playoff-caliber rotation and finished with the second-highest fWAR of any Pirates starter (behind Gerrit Cole...oh, what could have been).  While his inconsistency will probably prevent him from getting a lucrative, long term deal, Liriano is certainly a good lefty.  He might not be the ace that can carry a team through the playoffs on his own, but he'd be a solid third starter with some upside on a playoff-caliber team.

The Yankees are a lock to add some starting pitching this offseason.  While their rotation has a lot of promise, it also has an inordinate amount of question marks (which have already been addressed ad nauseam).  In an effort to mitigate the risk all these questions pose, the Yankees surely will bring a starter to build some much needed depth.  They've already said they'd like to bring back Brandon McCarthy, but Liriano would be a good alternative if McCarthy is looking for more than the Yankees are willing to shell out.  Liriano would give the rotation the lefty it needs, and additionally, his game should translate perfectly to Yankee Stadium.  Liriano had the sixth highest groundball rate in the majors in 2014 and has a 48.8% groundball rate over his career.  He's also consistently limited home runs (0.81 HR/9 career average), which is always a pro when playing half your games in the Bronx.

While the Yankees probably favor McCarthy over any of the other arms on the market, Liriano would not be a bad fit if they want to avoid the top end free agent starters.  A hard-throwing lefty would be a welcome addition to the rotation, especially one that can keep the ball on the ground and out of the bleachers.  Liriano is still just 31 and likely has at least a few solid years left.  He'll probably end up getting three or four years at $10-15 million per, and while four years and $60 million should be more than the Yankees are willing to spend on Liriano, if he can be had for something close to 3 years, $30 million, the Yankees should definitely give Liriano some serious consideration.  He'd be just the kind of pitcher to give them depth and some upside, while not requiring a massive commitment in both dollars and years.

Robertson saved 39 games last season, but the Mets are already loaded with many great options at closer for 2015.

After serving as the primary setup man to Mariano Rivera for a few seasons, David Robertson took over as closer with the New York Yankees in 2014. While no one can actually fill the shoes of the all-time MLB saves leader and future Hall of Famer, Robertson transitioned seamlessly to the role by converting 39 of his 44 save opportunities while posting a 3.08 ERA and a staggering 13.4 K/9 ratio in 64 innings of work.

He enters free agency as the only Proven Closer™ on the market after declining the Yankees' qualifying offer of one year at $15.3 million. The Yankees may have outbid other teams in order to keep his services in the Bronx. Fangraphs projects that Robertson will sign a three-year, $30 million deal, but Robertson is aiming higher, and would like to earn "Papelbon money," which is a reference to the four-year, $52 million contract given by the Phillies to closer Jonathan Papelbon in 2011. If Robertson walks away from the Yankees, they could turn to impressive flamethrower Dellin Betances to take over the closer role.

The Mets already have Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell as their top closer options, with Jeurys Familiaan excellent alternative as well. Mejia converted 28 of 31 save chances in 2014 as the Mets' primary closer. Parnell, who missed all but one game in 2014 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, converted 22 of 26 save chances in 2013 in the closer role.

Markakis is a free agent, but it's not looking like a fit.

2014 Statistics: .276/.342/.386, 14 HR, 50 RBI, .325 wOBA, 106 wRC+

2015 Age: 31

Position: Right fielder

The Yankees were an offensive nightmare in 2014, posting a horrific negative 31 team run differential. After missing the playoffs for the second consecutive season, the team can ill afford to make it three seasons. With the offseason underway, Cashman will be looking at upgrading every position on the roster. Having signed Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and Brett Gardner to multi-year deals and Chris Young to a one-year deal, there doesn’t appear to be any room in the Yankees outfield. Unfortunately, for Makakis, Brian Cashman confirmed this by stating that the team’s 2015 outfield is set, barring a surprise between now and spring training.

Markakis has been a lineup mainstay for Baltimore, playing in at least 100 games every year since 2006. Looking at the table below you get a quick snapshot as to what kind of offensive player that he is. Since 2010, he has been a consistent offensive producer, averaging 13 home runs, 59 runs batted in and triple slash line of .285/.351/.411. While he’s definitely not a power hitter, Markakis does provide on base skills to go along with a solid batting average.During that same time frame his overall WAR has ranged anywhere from replacement level to solid major league starter. Once again the biggest issue is Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury offer a very similar skill set.

Next I like to look at a players spray chart to see how a players hitting tendencies would fit in to a new home ballpark. Using the spray chart below, it’s obvious that Markakis is your typical left-handed batter, hitting 100 percent of his homers to right field in 2014. That in itself will always play well in Yankee Stadium as it features the short right field porch. The other thing that you’ll notice is that he uses the whole field quite well hitting the ball the opposite way often.

Source: FanGraphs

Defensively Nick Markakis won his second Gold Glove Award and the video below shows what kind of ability that he has possessed at times throughout his career. This year his defense by the metrics were much improved in comparison to his past few seasons, as his UZR/150 was 5.8 and his defensive runs saved graded out as league average. With the emphasis being placed on defense throughout the game, his inconsistencies are certainly a red flag.

At the end of the day, Markakis just isn’t a fit for the New York Yankees and although it’s possible, I’d be surprised if he left Baltimore. With Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran penciled in as the starters and Chris Young coming off of the bench, there isn’t room for another outfielder, especially with his skillset. This will most likely be his last big deal at the age of 31, but that contract will not be coming from the Yankees. The most realistic scenario has him going back to Camden Yards on a three or four-year deal.

Brett Gardner or Elvis Andrus?

Mike Petriello over at Fangraphs has an extended article up examining the declining value of Elvis Andrus relative to the extension that's about to kick in. It's a great meditation on the dangers of long term deals, particularly to mid-market franchises. It's a good article and well worth the click.

There's an aspect of Andrus' value that Petriello only glosses over: position scarcity. Andrus was worth 1.3 WAR in 2014, the lowest overall value of his career, marked by a three-year decline in both offense and defense. To the Rangers, Andrus is worth less than that. They have some of the best shortstops in baseball pencilled in to play second base or backup roles: Rougned Odor, Luis Sardinas, Jurickson Profar.

To the Yankees, without a shortstop, Andrus is worth more than his WAR. The Rangers barely need Andrus, but the Yankees need him badly. So should they give up a player with more context neutral value for the less valuable player who fits a position scarcity need? How much of a difference does position need justify?

Brett Gardner is coming off a good season, making Yankee fans at least initially hopeful that Gardner will justify the four-year extension he inked this spring. By WAR, he was worth 3.2 WAR in 2014; ostensibly twice as valuable as Andrus, but Gardner is a left fielder whose best asset - his defense - is undervalued in his position. Gardner has learned to take advantage of the aggressive way pitchers pitch to him; his walks have fallen over the last several years, but this year he replaced those walks with slugging. Over the last two seasons, he's still seeing more than 4.3 pitches per plate appearance, only slightly less than the 4.6 he saw in his best season (2010). Gardner's going to make less than Andrus in every year of that new deal, and Andrus is potentially signed for five more seasons after Gardner's deal is finished.

They say that most fans miss on trade proposals because any deal they'd agree to doesn't actually hurt enough to get done. So let's make the opposite mistake. One of the bullet points from that Petriello article is that the Rangers are looking for a catcher and a left fielder. Brett Gardner and John Ryan Murphy for Elvis Andrus and enough cash to bring the AAV down to $12M. It's the opposite of the kind of trade the Yankees usually make, but the more cash conscious Yankees of Hal Steinbrenner might see the value of that deal, and they might figure that a hole in left field is easier to fill midseason than a hole at shortstop.

The Yankees could head into the season with Austin Romine set to back up Brian McCann and the clock ticking before Gary Sanchez makes the leap to the big leagues. The Yankees would be a weaker team on paper, but with a better balance to their defensive alignment.

Our #6 Starter turns 34 today.

Angels players who celebrate a birthday today, November 18, are:

C.J. Wilson - he turns 34 today and his no trade clause is expired. Anyone need a lefty, we will throw in the cake and candles...

Matt Wise - the heat-throwing perennial prospect turns 39 today. Wise was a tall righty with a fastball that made people think he was the second coming of Mike Witt. Injuries derailed a promising rise through the organization. His claim to fame is that he was the Angels player present for the unveiling of the new Angels uniforms in January of 2002 and helped paint the Big A red, paintbrush in hand, at the ceremony announcing the new look that continues to this very day.

Allen Watson turns 44 today. He was the pitcher the Giants traded to the Halos for beloved (but mediocre) 1B J.T. Snow. He gave up 37 home runs in 35 games in 1997 and if his 4.93 ERA wasn't bad enough, he followed that up in 1998 with a 6.04 ERA and was demoted to mop-up duty midway through the season. All of a sudden CJ doesn't seem so bad, now does he?

Clay Bellinger turns 46 today and doesn't really need any presents. Why? Well the guy was a ring magnet. He was a utility back up who would play anything from 3B to LF. He only had ONE plate appearance in two games with the Angels but it was for the 2002 Angels - netting him a ring. This was after 46 PA for the 1999 Yankees (ring) and 209 PA with the 2000 Yanks (ring). You have to feel terrible that his 88 PA with the NYY only netted a pennant and three wins in seven games of that series. So here is the math: Four seasons in the bigs, 344 PA, 3 Rings. Could they have done it without him?

Mark Petkovsek is 49 today. He was a relief pitcher known as "The Bridge to Percy" for two seasons. Too bad one of them was the miserable 1999 season and the other was 200, aka the year every player in baseball was on roids and half of the flyballs hit went over the fences.

Dante Bichette turns 51 today - he was an Angels prospect with promise, and although his name is synonymous with power-hitting strikeout-laden futility, he finished a 6000+ PA career with a Coors-Field-Assisted OPS of .835 ... but all the Angels got for that were eighteen home runs in three seasons and a trade for... (drumroll) ... a forty-year-old Dave Parker.

Dan Briggs - a second-round 1970 pick who was just not good at bating or fielding despite plenty of seasoning in the minors and parts of the 1975, 76 and 77 seasons in Anaheim. He turns 62 today.

It has already been reported that the Yankees have no interest in big ticket items like Max Scherzer this offseason. Instead of going for broke like they did last year, Brian Cashman is leaning toward smaller and lesser deals to fill their needs for the 2015 season. However, with no one talking much about the Yankees, Jon Heyman has decided that maybe they will revisit their original plan and instead spend big in the coming months.

No one is discussing Max Scherzer either at the moment, which some might say is a little odd, considering he's possibly the best free agent pitcher on the market. To break up the silence, Heyman claims that the Yankees have been in contact with the right-hander's agent, Scott Boras. Take this news with the biggest grain of salt possible because Heyman has a history of connecting Boras clients with the Yankees based on very little information.

If the Yankees indeed do decide to go back on their offseason declaration, Scherzer would definitely make a lot of sense, considering their current rotation is filled with question marks from CC Sabathia to Masahiro Tanaka. Scherzer has thrown over 200 innings over the last two seasons and could provide the Yankees with as close to a sure thing as possible. His contract will ultimately end up being excessive, and possibly even ugly in the later years, but at 30, a long-term contract doesn't sound terrible.

What do you think? Should the Yankees go after Max Scherzer or should they keep to their original plan?

The Yankees could break their silence and make a run at Max Scherzer this winter.

The New York Yankees have thus far been set on not breaking the bank this offseason, though they may be willing to make an exception for right-hander Max Scherzer. According to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman, the Yankees and Scherzer's agent, Scott Boras, have had "brief contact", and the club could consider making a run at the prized free agent.

The Yankees have seemed intent on not pursuing any top-tier free agents this offseason outside of their own, and thus far, they have stuck to that mantra, re-signingChris Young (the outfielder) and reportedly showing interest in bringing back Chris Capuano, Chase Headley, Brandon McCarthy, and David Robertson.

If the Yankees decide against going after Scherzer, and McCarthy signs elsewhere, Heyman mentions Jason Hammel, Francisco Liriano, and Edinson Volquez as possibilities, though Liriano seems unlikely since he comes attached to draft pick compensation.

Adding Scherzer would go a long way to solidifying a shaky Yankees rotation. Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, and Michael Pineda have all dealt with significant injuries within the past six months, and there is considerable risk associated with them. Scherzer would seemingly give the Yankees some certainty atop their rotation, and along with Tanaka, he could form one of the more potent one-two punches in the league.

The 30-year-old Scherzer is likely in line for a monstrous payday, and having already turned down a $144 million offer from the Tigers, he is probably looking for a deal in excess of $160 million. The 2013 AL Cy Young award winner has been among the best pitchers in baseball over the past few seasons. This year, he posted a 3.15 ERA, 2.85 FIP, 10.3 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 6.0 WAR in over 220 innings pitched.

The Yankees are looking for outfielders, and Swisher may fit the mold for them.

As Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported earlier today, the Indians are exploring their options and may trade Nick Swisher "for another player with an inflated contract". A major-league source suggested this evening that he could see Swisher going back to the Yankees in a trade, considering that the Yankees are looking for outfield help this winter.

Swisher, who turns 34 next week, has $30 million remaining on the four-year contract that he signed with Cleveland two winters ago. He will likely draw interest from multiple teams looking to add outfield depth and a solid clubhouse presence, and the Yankees' familiarity with him from his four-year stint may ignite a reunion between the sides.

Though the Yankees have Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran in their outfield, the addition of Swisher could take some of the load off of an aging Beltran. Swisher's ability to play first base could be enticing to the Yankees, who are probably looking to give Mark Teixeira some rest next year as well.

As reported by Bruce Levine of CBSChicago.com this afternoon, the Cubs have also inquired on Swisher and are likely to try to acquire him as they look to add a veteran outfielder this winter. A trade involving Edwin Jackson, who has been linked to the Indians in the past, could be possible due to Jackson's inflated contract and regressing performance over the last couple of seasons.

Swisher does have some no-trade protection in his contract, with sources indicating that he can block deals to the Blue Jays. Interestingly, the Jays are on the lookout for outfield help in the wake of the departure of free-agent Melky Cabrera.

Is something up with Cashman? Can the Yankees have a busy day like MLB did on Monday? Alex Rodriguez and the backup first base situation, keeping their own free agents.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees first base options heading into next season.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: After Monday's many moves, can the Yankees do anything similar?

It's About The Money | Brad Vietrogoski: Is something up with Brian Cashman or is this his greatest smokescreen ever?

Bronx Baseball Daily | Delia Enriquez: Brian Cashman will take part in a Sleep Out, to raise awareness for homeless youth.

Yankees Go Yard | Jason Evans: The Yankees should keep their free agents, but at their price.

Luke Gregerson has been a solid bullpen arm for several years now. Might the Yankees see him as a low-cost alternative to David Robertson?

2014 Statistics: 72.1 IP, 2.12 ERA, 3.24 FIP, 21% K%, 5% BB%,

2015 Age: 31

Position:Right-handed reliever

With David Robertson's decision to test free agency, the Yankees have something of a hole in the back end of their bullpen. Robertson's easily the best of this year's free agent relief crop, but it remains to be seen if the Yankees will be willing to spend $10-$15M annually to retain their All-Star closer. Lefty Andrew Miller headlines the second tier of free agent relievers, but like Robertson, he's unlikely to come cheap. If the team does choose to pass on Miller and Robertson, that leaves Luke Gregerson, Rafael Soriano, Sergio Romo, Francisco Rodriguez, and Jason Grilli as the top free agents remaining on the board, and with a 2.12 ERA in 2014, Gregerson had the lowest ERA of this group.

Although his fastball almost never breaks 90, Gregerson's been one of the game's better relievers for a few years now. Since establishing himself as a dominant setup man with the Padres back in 2009, Gregerson's been about as consistent as they come, racking up at least 55 innings in each of the last six seasons, and posting a sub-3 ERA in the past four. Gregerson's overall numbers may have been helped by his home ballparks. He spent 2009-2013 pitching half of his games in Petco Park, before being traded to the A's, who also play in a park known for suppressing homers. But even after taking his home ballpark into account, Gregerson's still a very talented pitcher. He keeps the ball on the ground, and rarely issues any walks, which is generally a good recipe for success. Odds are, he wouldn't have much trouble putting up a sub-3.50 ERA, even in the friendly confines of Yankee Stadium.

As a sub-elite bullpen arm, Gregerson's likely to be available for relatively cheap -- at least compared to Robertson and Miller. A 2-year $10-15 million dollar deal feels like a realistic contract for the soft-tossing righty, and certainly seems like something the Yankees would be able to swing. A deal of that size would leave the front office with plenty of cash to spend on filling out the rotation and the infield, and wouldn't be too debilitating to the organization, even if Gregerson never threw a pitch for the Yankees.

I think we all want the Yankees to resign David Robertson, but its not at all clear if they'll be willing to spend what it'll take. The Yankees have lots of holes to fill this winter, and the one at the back end of the bullpen is far from the most pressing, especially with Dellin Betances in tow. Relievers just don't throw all that many innings, and even someone like Robertson isn't nearly as valuable as an above-average third baseman or shortstop. If the Yankees do decide to go cheap on their bullpen, signing Gregerson would likely be a wise move. He's a reliable bullpen arm, who wouldn't cost a ton of money.