What's better than "year in review" articles? How about some "year in preview" articles!

Welcome to that annoying Friday after a holiday where everyone has to come back to work for one day before the weekend. Also, Happy New Year! There's hardly anything happening around baseball, but here's a quick peak at some MLB tidbits:

Indians news & notes

Tribe should contend in 2015 on strength of rotation | Indians.com - Bastian attempts to answer ten questions about the Indians as they head into the 2015 season. Despite a stronger division, he thinks the rotation might be strong enough to lead us into contention.

Everything is awesome: 2014 year in review | Indians Baseball Insider - Using the themesong from the Lego movie as a template, IBI looks back on the most awesome things that happened in Tribe baseball in 2014.

2015: A year for Tribe patience | Did The Tribe Win Last Night? - Laurel Wilder's New Year's resolution is to have patience with the Tribe during the 2015 season. Patience with the defense, patience withe the wait for Francisco Lindor, and a handful of other things.

IPL's top ten moments from 2015 | It's Pronounced 'Lajaway' - Pretty much exactly what the headline says here.

Tidbits from around MLB

• Sports On Earth ponders whether hometown discounts are a thing of the past in MLB
• SOE also presents a list of affirmations for 2015 for fans of each team. Here's what they have to say about the Tribe:

Indians: Don't miss a Corey Kluber start. He's not just a great pitcher. He's a guy who arrived and worked relentlessly to get better and better. Now he's on the short list of the best pitchers on the planet.

• Fangraphs on Fox takes a look at the Yankees' unusual offseason
• HBT has a nifty pic of the day from the NHL's Winter Classic at Nats Park in DC

Jacoby Ellsbury's UZR -- a defensive metric -- took a dive in 2014. Is this a sign that the 31-year-old has lost a step or two?

Since breaking in with the Red Sox in 2007, Jacoby Ellsbury has been widely regarded as one of the game's better defensive center fielders -- he took home the Gold Glove Award in 2011. Not only did Ellsbury's defense not pass the eye test, but it also rated extremely well by advanced defensive metrics. Or at least he did until 2014. Here's a look at Ellsbury's UZR numbers since 2011, when he began playing center field exclusively.

To the untrained eye, this looks like Ellsbury lost a step or three between 2013 and 2014; but if you're familiar with the volatility of defensive metrics, you know it's not that simple. Stats like UZR can be tricky in small sample sizes, and the samples are always smaller than we'd like them to be. So in reality, Ellsbury's UZR trajectory tells us that his defense probably took a step back in 2014, but we can't say say that with any certainty.

It's not hard to talk yourself into the idea that Ellsbury's defense may be on the decline. Running speed -- the hallmark of a plus center fielder -- is a skill that peaks in a player's early 20's, if not sooner. And at 31, Ellsbury certainly could have crossed the precipice separating his defensive peak from his decline years. Defense is a young man's game.

But according to Inside Edge evaluators, who judge the catchability of each ball hit in a fielder's general direction, Ellsbury is still significantly better than the average center fielder. He turned fly balls into outs more often than most last year, and did so for batted balls of all degrees of difficulty -- from routine to remote.

Here's a look at all of the plays Ellsbury made last year courtesy of Inside Edge. Each dot represents a play, and they're color-coded by difficulty. Not only did he make countless easy plays, but he also ran down some toughies. There are over a dozen red, orange, and yellow dots mixed in, representing balls that most center fielders couldn't quite get to.

Source: FanGraphs

Now let's look at the plays he missed...

Source: FanGraphs

There were very few balls hit in Ellsbury's direction that he wasn't able to run down. Most of those that did drop in were either impossible or near-impossible plays. Even Willie Mays in his prime wouldn't have gotten to the grey dots, and probably would have missed some of the red ones as well. Ellsbury only missed one play that is made over 60% of the time according to the Inside Edge evaluators. Here's a look at that play.

Ellsbury flat out lost track of that one, which can happen to best of 'em every now and again. I'm not trying to make excuses for Ellsbury -- the bottom line is that he missed a very catchable fly ball -- but it's not like he missed it because he couldn't track it down. That play was something of a fluke, rather than an instance of him loosing the speed to play center field.

So the data seem to suggest that Ellsbury's lost very little -- if anything -- on defense; and even if he has slowed down a bit, there's no denying that he's still fast. I took a stopwatch to a play from late in 2014 where he was running full bore down the line to beat out a double play. I clocked him at 3.95 seconds from home to first, which equates to a 75 on the 20-80 scale. If that's not elite speed, its pretty darn close. Ellsbury still has six years left on his contract with an option for a seventh. More likely than not, he won't be the Yankees' center fielder for all six of those years. Even the game's fastest players don't stay fast forever, and the Yankees are bound to find an outfielder who will push Ellsbury to left field four or five years down the road. For now though, Ellsbury is still more than adequate in center field, and if his running speed continues to decline as gently as it has, that's not going to change anytime soon.

/pours one out for the Killer B's. Also, this is the first COTD post of 2015. Let's make it a good one. Pitchers and catchers report in.48 days.

Welcome to the year 2015. Pockets should be inside out, cars should be flying, and the Cubs are suppose to win the World Series. Since the first two things on that list are not happening, the Yankees don't believe in the third thing coming true either. Yesterday, they made a surprising trade with the Braves. Of course, by "surprising" I mean that I'm shocked they didn't wait till Friday like they normally do. Manny Banuelos is heading to Atlanta in exchange for David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve. Excuse me while I pour one out for the Killer B's.

Comments of the Day

Because really, is there any better way to start the COTD section off than Masahiro Tanaka holding a puppy?

Bernie Williams was core fouring it before there was a core four!

Still waiting for the Yankees to explain to me how Rob Thomson is a better third base coach than Willie Randolph. Still waiting.

Injuries are the worst.

The ManBan trade was just made. Most of the following COTDs are the reactions to it.

Again, injuries suck.

Way to leave in important information, Waffles. Sheesh.

Filling the Chase quota.

Also, how many licks does it take to get to the...never mind.

We're probably going to have fun with Chasen Shreve

So long, ManBan.

GIF of the Day

Love you, Willie Randolph.

Saying goodbye to ManBan in GIF form!

Honorable Mod Mention

Matt F takes home the first HMM award of 2015. Well done!

• 2015: First thing on your "to-do" agenda?
• What baseball stadiums would you like to visit this year?

/pours one out for the Killer B's. As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Feel free to use this as your open thread for the whole year. Okay, maybe not the whole year. Let's just use it for today. Talk about anything you want. Prospects, the Yankees new bullpen, the Yankees lack of a hitting coach. You name it.

Best of luck, ManBan

Pinstripe Alley sure had a lot of fun with Manny over the past several years.

The Yankees kicked off the new year yesterday with a trade, and that deal with the Braves sent a man once ranked the 13th-best prospect in baseball to Atlanta in exchange for a couple relievers. Such a return for Manny Banuelos would have been considered unfathomable just a few years ago, but yet, here we are. Throughout his time in the Yankees' farm system, Pinstripe Alley always maintained an affinity for the lefty starter, as it did not take long for him to impress the team and its fans after being signed out of Mexico in 2008. On the old site format, we even had a sidebar dedicated to Banuelos and his fellow "Killer B's," Dellin Betances and Andrew Brackman:

Aside: What were you even, Brackman

Whenever a player of relative notoriety retires, Baseball Prospectus likes to look back on his career through the BP Annual comments made throughout their careers. So even though Banuelos obviously isn't going to be gone from the game and many of us will still track his progress with the Braves, I thought that it would be a fun exercise to comb through the PSA archives and see what we've said about Banuelos through the past few years. We've seen him go from unknown minor leaguer to top prospect to rehabbing starter, and it's been quite the road in just a handful of seasons.

First mention

7/12/2009: The southpaw Banuelos is a relative newbie to prospect lists. The 18-year-old is in his second pro year, refining his craft at Low-A Charleston and doing a good job of it: 77.2 ip, 2.20 ERA, 68 K, 1.00 WHIP.

Scouting report-
"I've had the opportunity to see a number of former first round picks and top international free agent pitchers and Banuelos ranks right up there with them... At 18, he has a remarkable combination of feel and poise, but it raises the question of how much better he can become."

2010 #2 prospect

10/4/2010: 2. Manny Banuelos, LHP, 19 - Has moved up prospect lists largely due to increased velocity. He used to sit about 90-91 MPH, but this year was often 93-95, touching 97. Add in the fact that he's lefty, only 19, and already has Double-A experience, and you get a potential ace-in-the-making. The only concern is his height, 5'10", but being 19, he could certainly get bigger.

Dream big

12/18/2010: The minor league statistical comparison -

Clayton Kershaw (through age 20): 220 ip, 2.49 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 11.3 K/9, 3.7 BB/9, 3 K/BB, .4 HR/9
Manny Banuelos (through age 19): 216 ip, 2.59 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 9.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 3.5 K/BB, .4 HR/9

Eerie, right? ... Could Banuelos follow Kershaw's route? He has so far. If he dominates in Double-A, would the Yanks consider bringing him straight to the Bigs as a starter (especially if they need one, which looks likely at the moment) like the Dodgers did with Kershaw?

Spring training phenom

3/16/2011: After throwing 2 2/3 scoreless innings against the starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox, the ink has flown about uber-spect Manny Banuelos. The Red Sox third basemen, Kevin Youkilis, a strikeout victim of a particularly filthy Banuelos 3-2 change-up, had the following to say about him after the game:

"He’s got three pitches he can throw pretty good, now he has to learn how to pitch. If he figures it out, he’ll be all right. Being left-handed and throwing hard, if you throw three good pitches and you’re left-handed, you don’t even have to throw 90."

It is natural with the question marks surrounding the rotation for there to be clamoring for Banuelos to contribute to the Yankees in 2011, but as talented as he is, Youkilis is correct in saying that he has a lot to learn. For now, the best thing for the Yankees to do with Banuelos is to stash him in the minor leagues and let him build up his innings, refine his pitches, and reevaluate his major league readiness a year from now.

Note: At this point, Mariano Rivera even went as far to say that Banuelos was the best pitching prospect he'd ever seen. Yeah, the Yankees liked him a lot.

Prospect hugging?

12/28/2011: Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances, and Manny Banuelos are all outstanding prospects, but expecting even one of them to be a star player on a future Yankees World Series winner goes against the odds based on what we know from history...

I realize there's a high degree of subjectivity involved in defining a "good" career, but nearly half of [the total of Top 25 Baseball America prospects ranked each year from 1997-2001] failed to break the 10 WAR barrier when they hung up their spikes for good. That's clearly a disappointment. Add to them the players who bounced around several organizations before achieving success (Carlos Pena), were good but struggled with injuries (Nick Johnson, Mark Mulder), or put up unglamorous, but nevertheless solid numbers (Eric Milton, Jose Cruz Jr, Matt Clement), and it means that at least two thirds of these prospects came nowhere close to meeting the kind of expectations now being placed on Jesus Montero, Dellin Betances, and Manny Banuelos.

Hope for a Gio

1/22/2012: Banuelos has added some velocity in recent years, and is still learning how to command his increased stuff. The problem we face with him is two straight years of questionable control, with a BB/9 just a shade below 5.00.

I see him as a spitting image of Nationals lefty Gio Gonzalez, a fellow short lefty with a big strikeout arsenal who took a similar development path. With Banuelos, I don't think we're looking at an ace, but certainly a guy who has a #2/#3 ceiling and can be a very effective pitcher for the Yankees.

A rude interruption

10/2/2012: There's a slight chance that [after the Tommy John surgery] he can return to the minors near the end of their '13 season, but more than likely it will take until 2014 Spring Training before fans can see Banuelos on the mound again. Prior to his injury, he was one of the youngest pitchers in AAA, so he will still be only 23 in '14. In 2011, he pitched to a 3.75 ERA with 8.7 K/9 in 27 starts between AA Trenton and AAA Scranton as a 20-year-old. There is still plenty of time for ManBan to develop, but now it looks as though the earliest fans will see him in the Yankees rotation is midseason 2014 since he likely needs to pitch a little better in AAA before a possible promotion...

Get well soon, ManBan.

TINSTAAP

1/11/2013: The best we can hope for now is to see Banuelos break into the majors sometime during the 2014 season, maybe around the All-Star break. With Hiroki Kuroda, Andy Pettitte, and possibly Phil Hughes all departing from the big league rotation, and the budgetary restrictions firmly in place, ManBan's ascent to the next level will be watched very closely and will likely be necessary with minimal setbacks to actually help fill the five spots in the order on more limited financial means. Unfortunately, there's no such thing as a pitching prospect, as the saying goes, and all that promise does not guarantee successful futures. Here's hoping Manny lives up to the praise that so many were willing to heap upon him as the next great homegrown Yankee pitcher, but don't hold your breath just yet, because we've all heard those promises too many times before.

One last year

10/4/2014: It's hard to read too much into Banuelos' 2014 season as it pertains to his future. Maybe his struggles in his return are a bigger sign of struggles to come. ManBan still has time on his side, and sustained success at the beginning of 2015 could very well have him in the majors before the trade deadline. Hopefully his disappointing 2014 was nothing more than the rust that comes with returning to the mound from a very serious surgery and he'll be right back to reminding people what made him a top prospect just a few short seasons ago in no time.

***

So long and good luck in Atlanta, Manny. Here's hoping you find your potential there.

It's December 31, 2014 and my pick is Manny Banuelos. REDACTED

The New Year is a time for looking forward. Theoretically, the Yankees could go 162-0, then win 11 straight games in the playoffs and win the World Series in 2015. That probably won't happen, but it's January 2nd, it's still possible right now. And with the roster starting to take shape, similar things are going through my mind for individual players too. This is the time of year where I convince myself that all the Yankees are gonna hit 30 home runs or have a sub-1.00 ERA. So, I thought I'd ask the PSA staff what players have been on their mind as the season ticks closer.

Q: It's 2015. What Yankee player and/or prospect are you most looking forward to following in this new year?

Greg

BRETT. GARDNER.

Well Greg Bird would be the obvious answer, due to his name being Greg. But now I can go with Didi Gregorius. I'm guessing you can sense a pattern by now. To be honest though, I'm very curious about what Brian McCann and Rothschild do with Nathan Eovaldi. If they can mold him into a quality starter, that is a nice young, cost controlled 1-3 starting pitching staff they have there.

Harlan

The player I'm most looking forward to is Masahiro Tanaka. Outside of the Jeter Stadium farewell, just about all of my favorite days from the 2014 season were ones on which Tanaka pitched. If only there had been more of them. While I'll be holding my breath every time I see his elbow recoil to throw a pitch, there are few things in baseball I enjoy more than a truly dominant pitcher.

I'm of the opinion that the best trait a prospect can have is proximity to the majors so the guy I'm most excited about for now is Rob Refsnyder. He might not have the ceiling of a Judge or a Bird but I've seen too much go wrong with Yankee "can't missers" between Trenton and the Bronx to let myself get hyped up over players who are still a couple years away.

John

I think most of my attention will be on the starting pitchers. Tanaka's elbow, Ivan Nova's rehab, Michael Pineda's shoulder. If those three are healthy, the Yankees have a great rotation. Obviously, Eovaldi is a bit of a mystery. I like what I read about him, but I was excited each time the Yankees acquired Javier Vazquez, too. With all respect to everyone excited by Judge, Bird and Sanchez, Luis Severino is probably my #1 prospect to watch right now.

I'll also be watching Shane Greene's starts with the Tiger's pretty closely. I always like to see former Yankee prospects do well, if only for ammunition every time somebody says the Yankees' farm never produces big leaguers.

Jason

Rob Refsnyder, Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Jaron Long, Dellin Betances, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda, Brett Gardner.

Arun

It will be fun to follow the trail of strikeouts that Tanaka, Betances and hopefully Pineda leave behind them. Though in terms of following a player's development, I'm really looking forward to seeing what progress Nathan Eovaldi can make. He's got a solid floor as an innings-eater in the rotation but in optimistic about the ceiling here; if he becomes the pitcher his stuff says he could be this potentially becomes a fearsome rotation.

Andrew

@TheJudge44 So I hear you're going to be in a movie sometime soon? pic.twitter.com/q6s80sfowu

— Pinstripe Alley (@pinstripealley) September 21, 2014

Michael

Definitely Didi. Like D-Rob the year before I'll be pulling hardest for the guy fans are likely to be the hardest on.

Doug

I tried to narrow it down as far as I could. Unfortunately, I could only narrow it down to five, as prospects are one of my biggest baseball passions. 2015 should be a special year for our farm system, even though some players will naturally fizzle out.

Miguel Andujar:

MLB scout: "Like Refsnyder this year, Miguel Andujar is going to be a big name in 2015." Definitely a promising talent.

— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) September 10, 2014

Luis Torrens: He is the Yankees future catcher.

Luis Severino: Our #1 prospect who's being comp'd to Pedro Martinez. Yes, please.

Jacob Lindgren: Nicknamed "The Strikeout Factory." Who doesn't want to see that?

Jorge Mateo:

Exciting player. Off the chart tools. RT @Draft2Dynasty Jorge Mateo...Keep that name in mind #YankeesMiLB fans

— Yankeesource (@YankeeSource) September 12, 2014

Jim

Rob Refsnyder. With Prado gone second base is his to lose and it will be interesting to see if he can cut it at the Major League level.

Matt F.

For me it's Eovaldi. While this doesn't guarantee that he'll be successful, his FIP as compared to his ERA is interesting and has me really hopeful that he can develop more. I'm always cautiously optimistic about new players, so you can really fill in that previous sentence with the all the new acquisitions names and their skill set, but I'm far more interested in what Silent O (Quiet O? Mute O? I'm work-shopping here) will do.

On the prospect side of things, it's Aaron Judge because I enjoy tall people who do mean things to baseballs.

Tanya

For the big league regulars, I'm most looking forward to Masahiro Tanaka if his UCL can stay in one piece. Jacoby Ellsbury getting (hopefully) a full season as the leadoff hitter should be fun too. Hopefully Dellin can be as good as he was last year, and I'm excited to see how he and Andrew Miller take care of business in the late innings. I'm hoping that we'll get to see Rob Refsnyder and Jacob Lindgren in the majors before 2015 is out. On the minor league side, the obvious answer is Greg Bird. Aaron Judge is also cool, and I'm excited to see if Luis Severino can be awesome again this year.

Now that you've seen our answers, it's your turn. Which Yankee are you most excited to watch in this new year?

The Hall of Fame, Banuelos, Arod and this offseason in perspective.

Joe Posnanski | JoeBlogs: JoePoz takes a look at the likely bottom of the Hall of Fame ballot. Some of the greatest hitters in MLB history are likely to fall off the ballot because the Selig Era was so overwhelming offensively.

Kevin Kernan | New York Post: Kernan gets several good quotes and draws a number of connections that make the Manny Banuelos for David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve trade make more sense.

Bryan Grosnick | Beyond the Box Score: Not only is Alex Rodriguez the longest tenured Yankee, he's the second longest tenured player in the American League. Grosnick's insights on each AL team paint an interesting picture of the current state of player value and contracts.

Drew Fairservice | Fangraphs: The Yankees have done a lot this offseason, but it's been an odd one for what we've come to expect from them.

A full six years of service time for a promising relief pitching prospect? You can sign me up.

Chasen Shreve, coming into the 2014 season, was the fringy-est of fringe prospects. I think that even calling him a prospect would be generous. He pitched to a 4.43 ERA and 3.45 FIP with nearly one walk for every strikeout (5.91 K/9, 4.64 BB/9) in 2013 at Double-A, so he was probably a bad season or two away from being cut.

But, of course, that all changed. He pitched to a 2.48 ERA last season in Double-A, and he improved his strikeout to walk ratio to a ridiculous 8.44. He pitched a few good innings for Triple-A before being called up to the Major League team, where he had a 0.78 ERA and 1.43 FIP in 12.1 innings. Now, he's a Yankee. How did we get here, and why should we be excited?

Shreve was born on July 12, 1990 in Las Vegas and graduated from Bonanza High School before attending the College of Southern Nevada (Fun fact: Shreve's catcher was none other than Bryce Harper). He pitched to a decent 3.25 ERA in his senior year at Southern Nevada before being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 11th round of the 2010 Draft. As I mentioned, his performance until last year was pretty mediocre, when his walk rate dropped and his strikeout rate nearly doubled.

In a feature from John Sickels over at Minor League Ball, he mentions that Shreve emerged due to a noticeable improvement in his fastball. This improvement was mostly mental, because after the team told him to focus on control, he unnecessarily scaled down his fastball velocity. Now that he has decided to pack a bit more heat, he's now throwing a 95-mph fastball in addition to his good control; this fastball improvement only makes his complimentary pitches, namely his slider and change up, that much better.

Currently, most projection systems have Shreve as an above-average reliever, but I would take that with a large grain of salt. Steamer projects him to have a 3.32 ERA and 3.41 FIP in about 30 innings, but that still heavily weighs his results before his change in strategy, so it might not be accurate. His improvement was beyond PECOTA's 90th percentile projections for this season, so I can't imagine that a projection would be entirely accurate.

Another large piece to Shreve's value is his service time. Because he has only accumulated 0.041 years of service time, he has still maintained his rookie status for next season, meaning that the Yankees have six full years of team control, and most importantly--three full years of league-minimum salary. If the goal was to retool the bullpen with cheaper and younger options, then Brian Cashman has certainly achieved that goal.

Because Shreve's recent adjustments for increased velocity (and funny enough, control) have truly unleashed his potential, there's a lot to be optimistic about. He's only 24, as well. There's still room for growth, and we all know that the Yankees have a pretty good track record in procuring and developing relief pitchers. There is obviously some risk that this is just the sample size fooling us, but it's not like Cashman gave up anything of immediate value. There's plenty of upside, and a lot to get excited about for what could be an elite bullpen in 2015.

Plus, a noodle-armed LGFT gets face time with Donald Trump

Tribe Related

Marlon Byrd: Indians Miss on RH Power Bat, Traded to Reds - Factory of Sadness believes the Tribe blew it by not trading for Marlon Byrd

LGFT

Who are the cast members of The Celebrity Apprentice season 14? - wptv.com - LGFT Johnny Damon is in the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice.

Jeremy Guthrie's New Year's celebration included a visit with Justin Timberlake | MLB.com - LGFT Jeremy Guthrie's big New Year's

Around the Horn

A look at Zobrist and MLB's best utility players. | SportsonEarth.com : Paul Casella Article - Rays second baseman Ben Zobrist has been the subject of recent trade rumors. But Zobrist is just one of many exemplary utility men in the game right now -- here's a list of MLB's other top versatile defenders.

Cuban Hector Olivera could be a Major League star. | SportsonEarth.com : Paul Casella Article - Though every international prospect comes with an air of mystery surrounding him to some extent, Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera presents one of the largest high risk-high reward scenarios in recent memory.

Yankees trade Manny Banuelos to the Braves for a pair of pitchers | HardballTalk - The Yankees traded former top prospect Manny Banuelos to the Braves for pitchers David Carpenter and Chasen Shreve.

#WashTime

A recent selection from Tribe prospect and Twitter All Star LeVon Washington

DIDNT BELIEVE IN SHOULDER PROGRAMS UNITL I DID THEM 5X A WEEK FOR 2.5 MONTHS.. NOW IM THROWING CHEESE AGAIN .. #WashTime

— HASHTAG WASHTIME (@L_wash) December 27, 2014

THE DEFINITION OF DEDICATION?? PULLING IN TO THE DRIVE THREW AT ZAXBYS AN ORDERING A HOUSE SALAD.. #WashTime

— HASHTAG WASHTIME (@L_wash) January 2, 2015

TO RAKE LIKE ME U GOTTA EAT LIKE ME.. #WashTime

— HASHTAG WASHTIME (@L_wash) January 2, 2015

Playoff Football begins today. Even though it's a completely different sport, maybe watching these games will somehow inspire the Yankees to make the playoffs this year. Maybe. Pitchers and catchers report in 47 days.

The countdown clock is winding down as we only have 47 more days to go until pitchers and catchers report. It will be interesting to see what pitchers show up for the Yankees. They could still use a starter or two. A hitting coach would be nice as well. There's still time though. Patience, PSA. Patience.

Comments of the Day

Coming To America is such a magnificent movie.

Admittedly, this was kind of an odd thread.

Again, it's really amazing how much can change with prospects in such a short amount of time. This is precisely why the whole "tank and rebuild with the farm" philosophy never seemed logical to me.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

In case you forgot, this is totally a thing that's going to happen. Cannot wait.

Just a friendly reminder that there's a definite difference between "need" and "want."

GIF of the Day

Apparently, now we need to trade Brett Gardner because he's holding Jacoby Ellsbury down.

Honorable Mod Mention

It was a pretty light day yesterday. Nothing that honorable happened.

• Playoff football: What teams do you hope make it to the Super Bowl?
• What other food addition would you like to see at Yankee Stadium?

As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

Playoff football starts today around 4PM on the East Coast. Feel free to use this as your open thread this afternoon.

Come back soon, baseball.

Without question, the Yankees are loaded with power relievers. Where and how do they all fit in?

Brian Cashman continued his retooling of the club by adding two more power relievers to the fold, after trading prospect Manny Banuelos to Atlanta in exchange for righty David Carpenter and power lefty Chasen Shreve. The bullpen has been widely viewed as a position of strength for the Yankees, at both the big league and upper minor league levels, and after making a few trades, the position is even stronger.

Yankees Bullpen

Brian Cashman has been busy reshaping the team this offseason and the bullpen has been no exception. While there is plenty of time left for moves to be made, as of this moment here is where things stand.

It appears that Dellin Betances and free agent signing Andrew Miller will be locking the eighth and ninth innings down, in one way or another this season. When Shawn Kelley was dealt to the Padres he alluded to a conversation with GM Brian Cashman stating that being traded was part of a bigger plan. At least part of that plan has come to fruition, as newly acquired David Carpenter will most likely slot into the seventh inning role vacated by Kelley himself.

Middle relief duties will likely be handled by Adam Warren with a very intense competition being held for the other spot among a cast of many candidates. If I had to place a bet, I would say that Danny Burawa has as good of a chance as any to win it in camp. Going into spring training, recent acquisition Justin Wilson will most likely have the leg up on recently acquired Chasen Streve and 2014 second round draft pick Jacob Lindgren for the lefty job. Rounding out the bullpen will be right-handed swingman Esmil Rogers, who was claimed by the Yankees from Toronto last season.

In the mix

Andrew Bailey: Re-signed to a minor league deal in November, the Yankees are hoping that the 30-year old Bailey can finally recover from shoulder surgery, which caused him numerous set-backs last season. Shoulder injuries to pitchers are always tough blows to overcome, but the upside is a pitcher that closed 75 games in Oakland from 2009-2011. If he's healthy in camp, expect him to get a long look for a roster spot.

Jacob Lindgren: Transitioning to professional baseball proved to be an easy one for the "Strikeout Factory," as he climbed all the way to Double-A Trenton in 2014 after being drafted in the second round of the draft. Lindgren struck out an absurd 48 batters in only 25 innings before fatigue set in late in the season. Currently on the fast track to the Bronx, he’s expected to get a look in spring training with an outside shot at breaking camp with the big club. The future is bright for this budding star; he will most likely begin the season with Triple-A affiliate Scranton-Wilkes Barre.

Danny Burawa: Recently added to the 40-man roster, the Yankees are hoping that the 25-year-old can finally command his outstanding stuff. Even in a year in which he struggled, Burawa still managed to hold opponents to a .258 average with 73 strikeouts in 59.1 innings. The front office hopes that everything will click in 2015, and if it does, Burawa will find himself in the Bronx at the end of spring training.

Branden Pinder: Like Burawa, Pinder was also protected from the Rule 5 Draft and to the 40-man roster this offseason. After being demoted in 2013, it looked like bad times were ahead for the 25-year-old. This year, Pinder held batters to a miserly .209 average while showing much better control (4.11 K/BB). He's someone to keep in mind for next year, but will likely start the season off in Triple-A Scranton instead.

Chase Whitley: After being called up and giving the Yankees seven decent starts, the former 15th round draft pick will find himself in the mix for a spot in Joe Girardi’s bullpen. His most likely fit will be as a long-man/spot-starter at the big league level in 2015, but with Esmil Rogers re-signing, the most probable scenario has him starting the season in Scranton.

Nick Rumbelow: Another impressive right-handed reliever in the stable is Nick Rumbelow. He was flat-out dominant after pitching to a 2.62 ERA to go along with 81 strikeouts in 58.1 innings of work across four levels in 2014. With Pinder and Burawa already on the 40-man roster, Rumbelow is a long shot to make the team out of spring training. Chances are that he heads back to the Triple-A bullpen, awaiting the opportunity to shine in the majors.

Chasen Shreve: Acquired from Atlanta in the Manny Banuelos trade, Shreve joins Jacob Lindgren and Tyler Webb as the top three relief lefties in the organization. At 24 years old, Shreve joined the Braves bullpen late in the season and struck out 15 and walked only three batters in 12.1 innings. He will get a long look in spring training, but the Yankees can afford to send him back to Triple-A for a time.

Jose Ramirez: Talent and stuff have never been a question with Jose Ramirez. Unfortunately, injuries continue to plague him and with other relievers rapidly rising through the system, time might be running out for the soon to be 25-year-old. He doesn't really have much of a shot to make the team out of spring training, so he'll head to Scranton to work on his control and hopefully shake the injury bug.

Other names to watch

Johnny Barbato: Barbato was acquired in the trade that sent Shawn Kelley to San Diego. Currently assigned to the Double-A Trenton roster, there is a possibility of him needing Tommy John surgery, as GM Brian Cashman has stated. Barbato’s ceiling is another live arm that could be a late-inning reliever.

James Pazos: Another fastball-slider reliever that the Yankees are high on is lefty James Pazos. As much as they like him, though, he currently sits behind the trio of left-handers in Lindgren, Shreve and Webb–a ranking that just reflects how much depth the team currently enjoys. He's destined to spend 2015, his age-24 season, in Triple-A.

Gonzalez Germen: The Yankees brought in Germen through a rare trade with the Mets this offseason, he struck out 31 batter while walking 14 over 30.1 innings in 2014. He will essentially occupy a similar position in the bullpen hierarchy that Preston Claiborne once did and will start the season in Scranton to wait for the eventual injury to strike.

The Yankees have positioned themselves well with young, cost controlled power relievers. It’s not only an abundance of arms, but an astounding quality as well. With the Royals garnering the attention for their big three in 2014, people forget that the Yankees championship teams had quality bullpens as well. With all the options they have, it would be surprising if they didn't use some of their depth to trade for something of great need. One thing is for sure, spring training is going to be exciting.

So far the Yankees offseason moves have saved money and made the team younger.

The offseason is more than halfway over, pitchers and catchers report in less than 50 days, and this offseason has felt unlike any other in recent memory. The Yankees haven't really added any aging veterans or any hefty contracts. In fact, they seem to be doing things very differently when it comes to contracts and the type of players that they are seeking which may indicate a new offseason strategy moving forward. What are the Yankees doing differently?

1. Saving money

We all have that one acquaintance who hates the Yankees and likes to use their payroll to prove their point. When the Yankees are doing well, then it's "Yeah, well they bought their championship!" When they miss the playoffs two seasons in a row, then it's "All that money and you still can't win." Well, for the first time in fifteen years, the Dodgers had baseball's highest player payroll, surpassing the 2014 Yankees by over $50 million. It was kind of nice to be able to say the Yankees didn't have the highest payroll (especially when defending yourself to Dodger fans), and it looks like that could continue to be a trend moving forward.

When it comes down to it, having the highest salary doesn't always guarantee success. The Yankees typical strategy coming off of a poor season, such as 2013, has been to spend more money the following season. Clearly this didn't work out for them in 2014 as they won one less game despite increasing the overall payroll by $8.5 million. The 2015 payroll is already looking to be over $200 million, but it looks like the Yankees are taking a more conservative approach to offseason spending. Instead of signing the biggest, most expensive free agents on the market, they've signed the cheaper ones. They could have gone all-in for Pablo Sandoval and David Robertson, but replaced them with players of a similar quality who happened to be less expensive options. Brian Cashman has also made more than the usual amount of trades, most of which have resulted in saving the team money while still filling a need. Of course, it could be that they're trying to save all the money they can to land Max Scherzer, but it could be that they really aren't going to hand out any monster contracts this year.

2. Getting younger

Could it be that they finally learned their lesson after an injury-plagued 2014? Did Brian Roberts and Alfonso Soriano push them over the edge? The Yankees of old really loved their veteran presence, but it looks like the team will be a lot younger in 2015. This is partially due to the departure of older players such as Derek Jeter and Hiroki Kuroda, but has also been a conscious decision by the team. They've passed on all of the top free agents. After a season of Brian Roberts and non-second baseman Stephen Drew, Cashman appears to be content with having the much younger Jose Pirela and Rob Refsnyder compete to be second baseman. By making trades, and not handing out long contracts, the Yankees also look to have less older, declining players on the payroll in the future.

Of course, there's still time to shake up the roster, and all of this goes out the window if they turn around and sign Max Scherzer, or if they decide to sign a veteran second baseman after all. Do you think that the days of long, expensive contracts are over and that the Yankees will spend less and get younger moving forward?

NJ.com | Charles Curtis: Was 2014 the worst year ever for New York-area professional sports teams? No, it could have been worse. But it was still pretty bad.

FOX Sports | Ken Rosenthal: The Yankees might not be on the verge of trading for Cole Hamels, but they have stockpiled talent that could net them a nice return if they were tempted by the trade market.

New York Post | Mike Vaccaro: Which New York sports star will be the new Face of New York now that Derek Jeter has retired? Alex Rodriguez, for better or worse, leads the candidates from the Yankees.

Latin Post | Damon Salvadore:James Shields might be a cheaper option for the Yankees if they decide they need pitching but aren't crazy about paying Max Scherzer's price tag.

What will it look like in 2015, now that David Robertson and Shawn Kelley are gone?

The Yankees' bullpen seemed to keep the club alive last season (Doug reviewed the relievers who will likely back up the projected 2015 bullpen yesterday), but now that David Robertson and Shawn Kelley have gone elsewhere, what can we expect it to look like on Opening Day?

At this point in the off-season, really, it's tough to be too sure, seeing as not many in the group will have their roles decided until spring training. Either Dellin Betances or Andrew Miller will succeed Robertson in the closer role and David Carpenter should be somewhere in the mix as well, but besides that, the futures of everyone from Adam Warren to Esmil Rogers aren't too clear.

Indeed, many questions exist when it comes to the Yankees' collection of relievers, but that doesn't mean we can't still take a look at the current candidates. There are about eight of them, each of whom has been listed below.

1. Dellin Betances: Betances is coming off a great rookie year with the Yankees, having struck out 135 hitters while recording a 1.40 ERA in 90 IP. However, it was just his first full season, and he did that as a setup man, not a closer. So while it seems likely that his skills would translate to the ninth inning, it remains to be known for certain.

2. Andrew Miller: Miller signed a four-year, $36-million deal with the Yankees earlier this winter, and is no doubt a likable newcomer. His ERA the last two seasons has been sub-three, reaching as low as 2.02 last year. Again, though, he's never closed, so like Betances it'll be interesting to see how he adjusts if promoted.

3. David Carpenter: Carpenter came over from the Braves in exchange for Manny Banuelos on Thursday, and is expected to be one of the Yankees' setup men next season. He should be an upgrade over the aforementioned Kelley, with opponents having batted just .198 off of him in 2013 and .256 last year. Then again, Kelley's ERA with the Yankees was never lower than 4.39, so that's not exactly saying much.

4. Adam Warren: Warren started strongly but had a rocky finish last year, resulting in his ERA being a still-good 2.97. It's been speculated recently he'll be in the rotation next spring, but considering that Chris Capuano was signed to a one-year deal last month, that probably won't happen. He'll probably work seventh innings next season instead, in front of Carpenter but behind the long relievers.

5. Justin Wilson: Wilson, like Warren, primarily pitches sevenths, and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon. Wilson's numbers with the Pirates have been consistently solid since 2012, so don't expect the Yankees to alter his role much now that he's with them.

6. Esmil Rogers: After being acquired from the Blue Jays, Rogers was good with a handful of ugly outings during his time with the Yankees last year, resulting in a 4.68 ERA in 25 IP. He's a long reliever for sure, unless he really struggles in spring training and gets cut.

7. Andrew Bailey: Bailey won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2009 with the A's, but has struggled to stay healthy since. He'll be with the Yankees on a minor-league deal this March, and, if able to prove himself, should have some role with them come April.

8. Jacob Lindgren: Lindgren's a can't-miss prospect, but that doesn't mean he's going to be handed anything. He falls into the same category as Bailey: the perform-in-spring-training-or-stay-where-you-are category. As Doug noted, fellow relief prospects Nick Rumbelow, Dan Burawa, Chase Whitley, and others should be in the mix for a major-league job as well.

The team is likely to take seven relievers north when it leaves Tampa, so not everyone mentioned above will make it. Leave your own thoughts on the bullpen below.

The 2015 Hall of Fame inductees are announced on Tuesday, so you know what's next.

Well, here we are again folks. Seems like just yesterday we were anxiously awaiting the results of the latest Hall of Fame vote, eager to see if our beloved once-mustachioed, baseball-destroying, cantina-namesaking, collective-dad-and-regional-baseball-protecting Edgar Martinez would finally achieve glory and be granted his spot amongst the greats in Cooperstown.

Ah, wait, no it was last week.

Er, I mean, last year.

No, wait, it was the year before.

Sorry, no, now I remember, it was back when Jeff ran the site.

Shoot, I think it was actually over at Deadspin.

No, no, no, it was in 2011, I think. Ah, shit, I don't even know anymore.

We do this every year, and we always know what's going to happen. The conversation picks up around November or so, and a few thinkpieces come out with the usual beef to stew: Why penalize Edgar Martinez for playing a position that every team in the American League is required to fill? If that is enough, will the same logic extend to David Ortiz in a couple of years? If you refuse to vote for Designated Hitters, then why include relief pitchers? HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN THE DOUBLE?

A few writers start tweeting their ballots, and you get frustrated because suddenly other names start appearing around the edges of the frame, like Greg Maddux, and Randy Johnson. So then you start yelling louder. You note the statistics. You bring up the "light hitter" argument for crappy fielders already in the hall. You realize that he's still going to be on the ballot for a while, but the further away from 2011 we get, the less likely it seems his name will still carry the same weight each January. So then, the easy retreat: I don't care about the Hall of Fame. Its voting process is broken and absurd, its legacy is tainted and has been fostered through hypocritical logic, so I choose to ignore it.

That's fine. But it's silly, really. It's silly because I think a lot of people that like to trumpet their carefree disdain for the hall really do care about it a whole hell of a lot. Of course the whole thing is arbitrary and inconsequential. Of course its results don't matter. You know what else is arbitrary and inconsequential? Literally every baseball game you have ever watched in your entire life. It honestly doesn't matter if the Mariners win a single game this season, but I want them to, and you also want them to. And I also want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame.

I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because he hit 514 doubles and slugged .515 over his entire career. I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because his career OPS was .933, good for 33rd best of all time. I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because he slapped the New York Yankees right in the face on National Television in 1995 and hit a double that made Dave Neihaus' voice crack with emotion, and then he saved Major League Baseball in the Pacific Northwest.

But mostly I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because I saw him play baseball in my first ever game back in 1996 while on vacation in Seattle with my parents. Three things stick out to me from that afternoon. The first is the winding concrete maze encircling the Kingdome you would take to get to the top levels. The second is the realization that I wasn't going to catch a foul ball because we were sitting 500 feet away from home plate and there were nine hundred thousand other seats around me. And the third was the way it echoed through the stadium, bouncing from right to left field, from center straight as a strike past home plate and up to the top of the broadcast booth.

When you chant your favorite athletes name at a game, it's usually the vowels you yell from the top of your lungs. But What made the Ed-Gar chant so amazing was that the second beat was technically the letter 'R.' We were chanting a consonant. It was incredible, and although I didn't notice that at the time, I noticed how much louder it got immediately after he walloped all three of his hits in that single game. This is a really stupid thing to notice, a stupid thing that has no bearing on whether or not he makes it into the hall of fame, but dammit, I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the hall of fame.

I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because the light bat commercial gave people more joy than some of the games he played in, and he played in a lot--2,055 to be exact. That's a stupid thing that has no bearing on whether or not he makes it into the hall of fame, but dammit, I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the hall of fame.

I want Edgar Martinez to make it into the Hall of Fame because he gave Mariano Rivera nightmares and because he's the greatest player to play every single one of his games for the Seattle Mariners. Because he was teammates with Ichiro, Willie Bloomquist, and Alvin Davis. Because he did play the field and once helped turn a triple play. Because he's one of the most important figures in Seattle sports history, and because he means a lot to me and to a lot of other Mariners fans still waiting for that first hat containing the letter 'S' to adorn the halls of Cooperstown.

This is the conundrum I face every winter when these voting totals are being released. You can acknowledge Edgar's statistics and wring your hands over the idiocy of the old guard not wanting to honor a designated hitter. You can point to unbiased support from outside M's fandom and argue for his inclusion based on merit rather than emotional attachment. But you wouldn't be doing any of those things out of some steadfast allegiance to the purity of the hall's constitution. You would be doing them because you want to see your guy get his due.

And if we're being honest, that's half the reason many of us watch sports in the first place. To forcefully paint the Hall of Fame as some objective and well-rounded representation of baseball's best is to ignore both history and the context by which we enjoy competition as entertainment. Pretending that the only reason we want Edgar in the Hall is because of his statistics is just as silly. And that's absolutely fine. There is a reason they didn't entrust us with votes, although something tells me it wouldn't make things much worse in the end.

So on Tuesday we will find out whether or not Edgar has made the Hall of Fame in his fifth year of his eligibility, and if we're being realistic we will note that he probably isn't going to make it again. He's never gotten more than 36.5% of the vote, and with each passing year the ballot gets more and more crowded with new names and new faces equally worthy of inclusion amongst baseball's best. Perhaps there is something to the I don't care camp in all this, and if you asked me about it on the street, that would probably be the verbatim answer I gave you. But if we're being honest, it isn't true, and even though the first comment on this post is going to be "I don't care about the Hall of Fame," something tells me you really kind of do, too.

The Rays could be looking to move Ben Zobrist, who could backup nearly every position for the Yankees. Should they look into making a trade?

According to recent reports, the Rays may be looking to move Ben Zobrist now that they have signed Asdrubal Cabrera. Although it is somewhat unlikely that the Yankees and Rays would trade amongst themselves, stranger things have happened. If Zobrist is available, should the Yankees look into trading for him?

Possibly the worst part about trading Martin Prado to the Marlins is that the Yankees lost a player who could backup multiple positions. The current infield and outfield backup situation is not exactly ideal. There's Brendan Ryan to back up at shortstop, Alex Rodriguez to backup at third base, Chris Young to backup right field. Garrett Jones can backup first base and the outfield. The Yankees might intend to have one of Rob Refsnyder or Jose Pirela play backup to whichever of them wins the second base job. This all works at the moment, but injuries to Mark Teixeira and Carlos Beltran would make Young and Jones everyday players. The benefit of adding Ben Zobrist would be that he has experience in every position except for catcher. He could easily backup second base, shortstop, and the entire outfield. Plus, if the Yankees got Zobrist then they could consider dumping Ryan.

Zobrist has been a consistent hitter for the Rays since his first full season in the majors back in 2009, hitting .264/.354/.429 over his career. Last season was no different from the rest, and he finished the season batting .272/.354/.395 with 10 HR, 10 SB, 119 wRC+ and 5.7 fWAR. He will be 34 in May, and is set to make $7.5 million in 2015, before he hits free agency. Zobrist also happens to be a switch-hitter, though he's hit left-handed pitchers slightly better than righties throughout his career (.285/.363/.447 batting right-handed compared to .254/.350/.421 batting left-handed).

Brian Cashman has made a lot of trades this offseason, and the farm is system has improved pretty significantly, so you would have to think that the Yankees have someone that the Rays would be interested in making a trade for. Since Zobrist will be a free agent at the end of 2015, the Yankees would have to make sure that they wouldn't be giving up too much. On the other hand, it isn't terribly likely that the Rays would trade Zobrist to another team within the AL East. The two teams actually have a very limited history of working together. In 2006, they made their one and only transaction to date: The Yankees acquired Nick Green from the Devil Rays for cash considerations. We did just see a Red Sox-Yankees trade in 2014 (the Stephen Drew and Kelly Johnson swap), so a Yankees-Rays trade wouldn't be that far outside the realm of possibility.

Would you be interested in making a trade for Ben Zobrist? Which player(s) do you think the Yankees would need to throw in to get the deal done?

According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, the Marlins are still in on Shields. Plus links on Miami's rotation, Marcell Ozuna, and Dan Haren.

Marlins remain hopeful that Dan Haren changes his mind and reports by Spring Training and they remain in hunt for James Shields#Marlins

— Jim Bowden (@JimBowden_ESPN) January 5, 2015

-Piecing together the back end of the Marlins rotation - Marlin Maniac - A Miami Marlins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Henderson Alvarez, Mat Latos, Jarred Cosart and Tom Koehler should make up the top three on the staff, with Haren probably taking the fourth spot ahead of Tom Koehler. Now, Koehler should hold that spot after an impressive 2.5 WAR 2014 season, leaving the Marlins with an open spot in the rotation.

-Do the Marlins have the best offensive middle infield in the National League East? - Marlin Maniac - A Miami Marlins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More

Needless to say, the Marlins duo places much better from an offensive standpoint than they do from a defensive grading. Of the six categories, Hechavarria and Gordon fared particularly well in the categories directly impacted by base-running (BSR and wRC+), but obviously trailed the curve when it came to power and settled down the middle when it came to simply getting on base and adding runs.

-Haren not intending on joining Marlins " The Fish Pond

Dan Haren has informed the Marlins that his preference remains to pitch out West, and for a team that has Spring Training in Arizona. The 34-year-old California native had been weighing his options sinced he was traded to Miami from the Dodgers on Dec. 10. If Miami cannot work out a trade, it is not clear yet if the 12-year big league veteran will retire.

-Haren reiterates his preference to pitch out West | marlins.com

Dan Haren has informed the Marlins that his preference remains to pitch out West, and for a team that has Spring Training in Arizona. The 34-year-old California native had been weighing his options since he was traded to Miami from the Dodgers on Dec. 10.

-Who will win fifth spot in Marlins' rotation? | marlins.com

There are no shortage of candidates for what appears to be one vacant spot in the Marlins' rotation. The competition got a little more interesting when David Phelps was brought into the mix via a trade with the Yankees.

Around The League

-Market for Shields remains in flux | MLB.com

The Red Sox reportedly have not had much recent discussion with free-agent starting pitcher James Shields, according to ESPN and Sirius XM's Jim Bowden, leaving the remaining market for the right-hander largely unknown.

-Pioneering Scott blazed a new trail in sports broadcasting | MLB.com

His was a new voice, uniquely his own. It spoke to people who hadn't been spoken to before and changed the landscape of broadcasting forever. In that way, Stuart Scott's legacy is simple.

-2015 Hall of Fame class set to be unveiled Tuesday | MLB.com

NEW YORK -- Anticipation about the Class of 2015 is very high, and for the second consecutive year, it's possible a large new group of players will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Electees from the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot are set to be announced on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, with induction scheduled for July 26. As always, Hall president Jeff Idelson will make the presentation live on MLB Network and MLB.com. Any new Hall of Famers would then be introduced at a media conference on Wednesday at the famous Waldorf Astoria New York.

At Fish Stripes

-Martin Prado trade: Marlins traded Domingo German to cover Garrett Jones - Fish Stripes

The primary reason the Miami Marlins eventually had to trade starting pitching prospect Domingo German was to cover the inclusion of Garrett Jones into the deal.

-Marlins' Cole Gillespie could serve as backup outfielder - Fish Stripes

Gillespie has major league experience and would not require the Marlins to make a major transaction. Plus links on Miami's goals for 2015 and a review of the 2012 trade with Toronto.

-A retrospective look on the 2012 Marlins-Blue Jays trade - Fish Stripes

The Marlins-Blue Jays trade of 2012 was always a good baseball trade that was bad in the context of the franchise. Two years should not and have not changed that result.

-Have the Miami Marlins done enough to compete in 2015? - Fish Stripes

The Marlins are seeking improvement in 2015, but has the club done enough to compete starting in April?

Rob Refsnyder should get the call at second, Hamels trade unlikely, A-Rod takes to the cage.

Yanks Go Yard | Dan Dechenaux:the signing of Columbia-born prospect Brian Emery could be a sign of a focus in acquiring talent from the South American nation.

The Sports Journal | Mark Suleymanov: Rob Refsnyder is the Yankees best option to start at second base among in-house options and free agents.

Yankees 101 | Michael Moraitis:The Phillies prior demands in possible trades with the Yankees makes a Cole Hamels trade a near impossibility

Daily News | Anthony McCarron:Alex Rodriguez followed up training videos sent to Joe Girardi in December with batting cage photos on Instagram in January.

Venezuelan Winter League

Francisco Arcia, C – .184/.228/.218, 25 G, 87 AB, 8 RBI, 4 BB, 21 SO
There's not much to see here, but expect to see Arcia in spring training again as an extra catcher. He could also serve as the backup catcher at Triple-A.

Ali Castillo, SS – .305/.346/.408, 59 G, 233 AB, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 14 BB, 34 SO, 16 SB
While not much is expected from Castillo going forward, the 25-year-old infielder had a great Winter. Not only did he hit the ball, but he also ran like crazy. It's entirely possible he gets an invite to big league camp this year and he should serve as the starting shortstop in Scranton.

Ramon Flores, OF – .347/.435/.505, 56 G, 196 AB, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 31 BB, 33 SO, 2 SB
This is exactly what you want to see from Flores after his solid 2014 season was interrupted by a scary ankle injury. He clearly isn't broken and hopefully he will have a big season in Triple-A this year that could lead to an eventual call up.

Adonis Garcia, OF – .313/.369/.468, 57 G, 233 AB, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 15 BB, 22 SO, 4 SB
At this point, we know Garcia is going to hit minor league pitching, but how is he expected to break through when he's going to turn 30 this year? It might be time to give up on the idea of seeing him in the majors and just accept his status as a Quad-A player.

Ericson Leonora, OF – .273/.273/.545, 5 G, 11 AB, 5 SO
Heading into his age-22 season, Leonora has yet to spend a full season out of rookie ball. He hasn't played a whole lot, though he's shown he's not completely useless with the bat in limited time. Maybe 2015 is the year he moves up.

Jose Pirela, 2B – .296/.394/.515, 47 G, 169 AB, 6 HR, 22 RBI, 26 BB, 30 SO, 3 SB
It shouldn't be a surprise to see Jose Pirela dominate the Venezuelan Winter League; he does it every year. Now that he's on the 40-man roster and in the major league picture, it's encouraging to see him continue to have a good season all year long. Hopefully he can take that success into spring training and keep it going because he's a hot streak away from a major league role now.

Jackson Valera, C – 3 G
He didn't get much of a shot this year, but Valera should be one of the catchers at either Low-A Charleston or High-A Tampa this year.

Diego Moreno, RHP – 4.70 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 24 G, 23.0 IP, 8 SV, 7 BB, 16 K
Acquired in the A.J. Burnett trade, Moreno recently re-signed with the Yankees, though at 27 he's hardly going to be considered much of a major league option. He should offer a similar line in Triple-A this year and then it's likely that the organization moves on from him after the season is over.

Dominican Winter League

Abiatal Avelino, SS – .250/.250/.500, 1 G, SO
For some reason, Avelino only managed to get into one game where he managed to collect a hit in four at-bats. If he's hurt, hopefully it won't be anything too serious. After a disappointing year in Low-A Charleston, it's like that the organization will have the 19-year-old start there again to begin the year.

Joel De La Cruz, RHP – 0.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 7 G, 6.0 IP, 2 BB, 6 K
He didn't get that much playing time, but he made good use of the time he had. If he's going to be used as a starter again, the Triple-A rotation is going to need him to continue what he's done.

Jose De Paula, LHP – 0.90 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 2 BB, 10 K
Picked up from the Giants, De Paula looks to be a solid choice to serve as Triple-A rotation depth. The left-handed starter did solid work in two starts this Winter and hopefully he can offer more of that for the RailRiders.

Gonzalez Germen, RHP – 7.71 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 10 G, 7.0 IP, 3 BB, 4 K
Already an underwhelming option for the 40-man roster, Germen did nothing to change that opinion this Winter. He'll likely get sent to Scranton, but since he hasn't benefitted much from the conversion to reliever, the idea of stretching him back out as a starter should at least be explored.

Eduaro de Oleo, C – 3 G, 3 AB, 2 SO
Known to Baby Bomber readers simply as "The Baby," de Oleo isn't much of a prospect so his lack of playing time doesn't really mean anything. He should see some time in High-A Tampa at some point in the season.

Eury Perez, OF – .194/.202/.258, 30 G, 93 AB, HR, 3 RBI, 21 K
It's a little surprising how long Perez has held onto a 40-man roster spot with all the outfield options the Yankees currently have. His Winter performance didn't do anything to help the matter as he's bound to be cut before Opening Day.

Esmil Rogers, RHP – 4.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3 GS, 11.2 IP, 4 BB, 18 K
We already know that Rogers is going to be on the big league team next year, so it would have been nice to see him pitch better against Dominican League competition. At the very least, his peripherals were solid, which is probably something the Yankees liked to see.

Jose Rosario, INF/OF – .259/.355/.333, 10 G, 27 AB, 2 RBI, 4 BB, 2 SO, SB
There isn't much hype surrounding Rosario, but he can play everywhere and actually hit decently in 2014. He seemed to continue that streak this Winter and could really use more of that heading into the season.

Mexican Winter League

Giovanny Gallegos, RHP – 1.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 16 G, 16.0 IP, 5 BB, 12 K
At one point Gallegos was considered an up-and-coming prospect, but after two disappointing seasons he's mostly been forgotten. After a successful Winter the Yankees can only hope that he brings his success back with him to the US.

Luis Niebla, RHP – 2.87 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 9 GS, 37.2 IP, 18 BB, 27 K
The 24-year-old righty continued his successful year into Winter, but it's probably not going to amount to much for him. He's seen success, but it's likely due to him being older than the competition, rather than actually having advanced stuff.

Australian Baseball League

Adam Silva, OF | ABL – .236/.313/.303, 12 RBI, 8 BB, 23 SO
The Australian Yankee still has a few more weeks of baseball to play, but he's not likely to do anything better than what he's already shown so far. Hopefully he gets some playing time this year so he can finally show what he can do against better competition.

Puerto Rican Winter League

Vince Conde, SS | PWL – .200/.200/400, 4 G, 5 AB, SO
Recent draft pick Vince Conde got a few at-bats this Winter in order to warm up for next season. It will be interesting to see how he does as a shortstop in 2015.

This weekend was full of playoff football. I think. Most of the games were awful and just made the lack of baseball even more apparent. To counteract this problem, it's classic cheesy techno music week on PSA. Pitchers and catchers report in 45 days.

Yesterday morning, news broke that long time ESPN sports anchor Stuart Scott had passed away. "Screw cancer" just doesn't say enough, as the sports world mourned the loss of one of the best in the business. This man touched an entire generation of young sports fans growing up. You should watch the tributes that ESPN had to him yesterday, if you get the chance.

Comments of the Day

R.I.P. Stuart Scott.

Tanya might be onto something here...but I didn't finish reading everything she posted.

Prof. Mahbles thinks he's so clever with his knowledge of elements. Either way, no one slacks off on my watch!

Hahaha, oh Greg!

The lack of profanity is stunning.

I'm sure this Flag incident will be talked about today.

Apparently the combo of Warren, Burawa, and Germen is way too much for one year of Ben Zobrist

...as well as just Adam Warren by himself. Amazing.

GIF of the Day

Because noonoo deserves it, the GOTD award goes to Toph "Melonlord" Beifong.

Honorable Mod Mention

The HMM award goes to Jim Griffin for his very touching memoir to his father, who raised him as a Yankee fan!

• Bigger concern for the Yankees: Rotation depth or health?
• Name three of your favorite composers

As always, please link us your Song of the Day.

It's Classic Cheesy Techno Week here on Pinstripe Alley. If you have any good suggestions for these types of songs, now would be a good time to list them. Booyah!

R.I.P. Stuart Scott.

Hats off to you, El Duque. You were damn entertaining to watch.

Name: Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez
Position: Starting pitcher
Born: October 11, 1965 (Villa Clara, Cuba)
Yankee Years: 1998-2002, 2004
Primary number: 26
Yankee statistics: 61-40, 3.96 ERA, 4.35 FIP, 136 GS, 876.3 IP, 703 K, 8 CG, 86 ERA-, 96 FIP-, 19.1 rWAR, 14.1 fWAR

Biography

Orlando Hernandez might only be 80th on this list of Top 100 Yankees, but chances are he would make at least a Top 20 of most exciting players in the team's history. A mysterious maestro on the mound, Al Leiter once described him as "an experienced pro who could throw any pitch in any count with great control." The man known as "El Duque" could seemingly do it all, but both his advanced age upon finally coming to the United States and his inconsistent performance limit him to only six seasons in pinstripes and a nine-year MLB career. Nonetheless, the fans who saw El Duque pitch will never forget him.

Cuban star forced into exile

For quite awhile, El Duque's actual birth year was not actually known for certain. When he first joined the Yankees, he said he was born in 1969, but later it became evident that he was, in fact, born in 1965 and thus didn't become a Yankee until he turned 32. Regardless, he was born on October 11, 1965 to Cuban pitcher Arnaldo Hernandez and Maria Cruz. Although well known throughout the country, his dad (also nicknamed "El Duque") did not play much of a role in El Duque's upbringing. He did however, father another son a little over nine years later with another woman, Miriam Carreras. That son's name was Livan Hernandez, and El Duque would have a close relationship with his half-brother, who of course also became a pitching phenom.

Growing up with his older brother Arnaldo Jr. in a small home was not ideal for the future pitching great. There wasn't much schooling in his childhood, but El Duque certainly learned the game of baseball. He was clearly an intelligent kid, as he developed and perfected a complex pitching motion while also adding a potent arsenal of pitches. Once his reputation spread, it did not take too long for El Duque to be added to the perennial powerhouse Cuban national baseball team.

El Duque won his first gold medal at age 22 with the victorious 1988 Baseball World Cup squad and gradually added several more golds in numerous competitions over the next seven years, highlighted by the Cuban national team winning the gold medal in baseball at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. As if that weren't enough, El Duque was also prominent on the most successful Cuban league baseball team, the Havana Industriales. He was a star there too, as he was the team's ace while also getting to play with his brothers Arnaldo and Livan.

Tragically, he only had one season with Arnaldo, who passed away suddenly in 1994 as a result of a cerebral hemorrhage. El Duque's life was further complicated when Livan defected from the Cuban national team late in 1995. As a result of his association with Livan, El Duque was suspended from Cuban ball, left off the '96 Olympic roster, and eventually banned entirely from the Cuban National Series league. With nowhere to play, El Duque now basically had just one choice--defect himself or never play organized ball again. After watching Livan triumph in 1997 with the Marlins while winning both the NLCS and World Series MVP, it removed any doubt as to El Duque's future plans.

Playoff hero in New York

Through the assistance of some shady dealings with his agent, Joe Cubas, El Duque defected from Cuba two months after the World Series and eventually was granted residency in Costa Rica. Now free to negotiate with any team, the Yankees and newly-christened general manager Brian Cashman came calling. Following negotiations, El Duque and the Yankees agreed on a four-year, $6.6 million contract, a deal which I recently ranked the eighth-best Yankees free agent contract of all-time. The Yankees sure received some incredible value from that contract, as the article noted:

On a pure value basis, few contracts have been better than the comparatively measly $6.6 million invested in El Duque back in 1998... Minor leaguers could do nothing with the (possibly) 32-year-old rookie's repertoire, and when David Cone had to miss a start due to a bite on the finger from his mother's Jack Russell terrier, he got his shot. He pitched so effectively that the Yankees couldn't remove him from the rotation, and he recorded a 3.13 ERA, 3.53 FIP, and 131 strikeouts in 21 starts during his first season.

Although the '98 Yankees romped to 114 victories, they trailed the ALCS two games to one against the Indians, and they were forced to ask El Duque to come up big for them in Game 4. He did just that, twirling seven innings of shutout ball, the first of seven straight victories the Yankees notched against the Indians and Padres, never losing another game en route to the World Series title.

El Duque was a fascinating addition to the rotation, dazzling hitters but also mystifying his manager and his teammates. On the day of that fateful Game 4, Joe Torre thought that he might be nervous, but in fact, El Duque was not at all afraid of the spotlight. Torre found him at a local Cleveland restaurant, pretending to serve dishes and humoring the patrons. On many occasions though, he bickered with his catcher, Jorge Posada, on his pitch selection, and once even cursed at Luis Sojo when Sojo asked him to stand during the National Anthem. Then, there were the times when he would absolutely baffle his teammates, like when he called all his infielders into the mound and said nothing, unless one counts stomping on the mound a few times as saying something.

Despite El Duque's idiosyncrasies, he remained a steady presence in their rotation throughout the "three-peat" from 1998 through 2000. He was a fine pitcher in the regular season, but he seemed to be even better when the spotlight of the playoffs were on. The big start against the Indians was just the beginning of his postseason excellence. The Padres had no answer for him in the World Series that year, nor did the Rangers in his Division Series start the next season. He dominated the Red Sox in the '99 taking home ALCS MVP honors with 15 innings of 1.80 ERA ball, then outpitched Hall of Famer Greg Maddux in his World Series opener start against the Braves. El Duque wasn't quite as overpowering in the 2000 playoffs, but the Yankees still won in four of the five games he made an appearance. Those three years cemented El Duque as a Yankees cult hero.

The '01 campaign was a rockier one for El Duque, as a bad toe sprain kept him off the mound for several months and he struggled when he actually did make starts. He shook it off to pitch well in two of his three starts that postseason, most notably when he kept the Yankees in the game against Curt Schilling in Game 4 of the World Series, a contest they famously won thanks to late-game homer heroics from Tino Martinez and Derek Jeter. Alas, that year didn't end in a parade, and injuries limited him again in 2002. He was far more effective that year than in '01, but a blown game in the playoffs against the Angels haunted him as the Yankees fell in the first round. At first, it seemed that it would be his last start as a Yankee, as they sent him away to the Expos in a three-team deal during the 2002-03 off-season. A rotator cuff injury led to surgery, and he never threw a pitch for Montreal.

However, El Duque's career was not at an end. He surprisingly returned to the Yankees in 2004 and after successfully rehabbing in the minors from his surgery, he re-joined the starting rotation in mid-July. He provided a boost to the rotation and the Yankees won their seventh consecutive AL East title. This time, a five-inning, three-run start in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Red Sox would be the last start he would make in pinstripes, as the Yankees blew the series and El Duque departed in free agency.

One last hurrah

Having rejuvenated his career with a successful '04 season, El Duque signed with the White Sox for the 2005 campaign. While Chicago got off to a fantastic start that they never looked back from, it wasn't as good for El Duque. He had a 5.12 ERA in 24 games (22 starts) and was more hittable than ever, with a career-worst 9.6 H/9. The White Sox won the AL Central, but they left him out of the playoff rotation, one that featured another Cuban star who was previously a Yankee, Jose Contreras. Considering how dangerous the rotation of Contreras, Mark Buehrle, Freddy Garcia, and Jon Garland proved to be that postseason, it's hard to blame the White Sox for slighting El Duque. It didn't prevent him from coming up huge on the big stage one more time.

The White Sox were up two games to none on the defending champion Red Sox in the Division Series, and they led them 4-3 in the sixth inning of Game 3 at Fenway Park. However, the dangerous Boston lineup had knocked Garcia out and loaded the bases against reliever Damaso Marte. Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen called on El Duque to bail them out and stop the Red Sox from seizing any momentum to get back into the series. What followed was amazing and vintage El Duque: a Jason Varitek foul out, a Tony Graffanino pop-up, and a swing and a miss from Johnny Damon. No runs scored, Chicago held the lead, and they went on to win the World Series.

El Duque hovered around the game for a few more years and even spent about two months with his brother Livan again pitching in the Diamondbacks rotation. However, despite some relatively effective pitching, it was clear that he was wearing down--hardly surprising for someone who pitched past age 40. After a year and a half with the Mets, El Duque's career ended in 2007. He tried to recover from '08 foot surgery to pitch again in the majors, but a couple minor league stints with various teams went in vain.

El Duque officially retired in 2011, and he returned to Yankee Stadium for Old Timers' Day in both 2013 and 2014. He'll always be welcomed back to the Bronx by the home crowd; El Duque was just one of those special pitchers and fan favorites who comes around every once in a while. Keep on doing the El Duque.

Andrew's rank: 81
Tanya's rank: 82
Community rank: 65.9
WAR rank: 82.5

Stats from Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs

References

Appel, Marty. Pinstripe Empire: The New York Yankeesfrom Before the Babe to After the Boss. New York: Bloomsbury, 2012.

BR Bullpen

ESPN 30 for 30 documentary: "Brothers in Exile" (must-watch if you can find it)

Olney, Buster. Last Night of the Yankees Dynasty. New York: Ecco, 2004.

Other Top 100 Yankees

• #81 Kid Elberfeld
• #82 Al Orth
• #83 Joe Pepitone
• #84 Al Downing
• #85 Horace Clarke