Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa
• David Robertson has the most unenviable task in all of baseball
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Ivan Nova for $3.3 million in 2014
• Yankees scheduled to appear three times on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in the first half
• Yankees avoid arbitration with David Robertson for $5.215 million in 2014
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Brett Gardner, agree to one year, $5.6 million
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Shawn Kelley, agree to one year, $1.765 million
• Yankees Hot Stove: Mark Reynolds signs with the Brewers
• Yankees Prospect Profile: Greg Bird

Yankees News

• New York Post | Dan Martin: The Yankees should be wary of the Cubs and White Sox, who could still challenge them for Masahiro Tanaka.
• New York Magazine | Steve Fishman: Did Alex Rodriguez really try to bribe Anthony Bosch or was it just a clerical error?
• Pinstripe Pundits | Chris Mitchell: How well does Masahiro Tanaka compare to Tim Hudson?
• CBS Sports | Matt Snyder: Before he was the Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman played second base in college.
• It's About the Money | William Tasker: The Yankees are going to need Ivan Nova to figure it out this season and out perform his projections.
• Beyond the Box Score | Bryan Cole:Mariano Rivera gave up less than one run per nine innings in the postseason, but which pitchers have reached that feat even during the regular season?
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: With spring training coming up, the Yankees still need to answer questions surrounding Tanaka, A-Rod, David Robertson, and Brett Gardner.
• Pinstripe Pundits | Derek Albin: How well has Brian Cashman done at signing free agent middle infielders?
• It's About the Money | Mike Eder: How do the Yankees get below $189 million from here?

David Robertson will likely be the Yankees closer in 2014. As he inches closer to free agency, should the Yankees consider offering him an extension?

Recently, Hal Steinbrenner came out and gave a strong indication that David Robertson is going to replace Mariano Rivera as the Yankees' closer in 2014. The final decision will belong to Joe Girardi, but barring some unforeseen and totally unrealistic circumstances (like a trade for a certain pitcher in Atlanta), it seems very likely that Robertson is going to take over the role previously held by the greatest reliever the sport has ever seen.

Those are some big shoes to fill, but if there were anybody in baseball that I'd choose to fill those shoes, Robertson would be pretty high on the list even if he weren't a Yankee. He blossomed as one of the best relief pitchers in baseball during the 2011 season with a 13.50 K/9 and a sparkling 1.08 ERA in 70 appearances. What has made Robertson so good, however, is that he hasn't been the one-year wonder that many other relief pitchers have turned out to be (I'm looking at you, Fernando Rodney). He's one of those rare relievers that's both dominant and consistent year in and year out, as he followed his 2011 with back-to-back excellent seasons in 2012 and 2013.

It is for this reason that Robertson is one of the few relievers I would advocate giving a multi-year deal to. He will become a free agent for the first time after the 2014 season, and assuming he transitions smoothly into his new role, he's going to get paid the way that a top reliever in baseball should be paid, especially if he hits the open market. Here's Robertson's total line for the last three seasons:

205 games, 193.2 IP, 11.99 K/9, 3.35 BB/9, 1.91 ERA, 5.9 WAR

You can't ask for much better than that. In fact, very few are comparable over this time period. Per fWAR, there are only two relievers in all of Major League Baseball that have been more valuable than Robertson since 2011 – Craig Kimbrel in Atlanta, and Greg Holland in Kansas City. Both of those guys are already closers and Kimbrel is widely regarded as the best in the league at the position. Neither has reached free agency yet, but you can bet they'll be paid if and when they do.

As for the rest of the league, Robertson is about as good as you can hope for which is why, again, he is going to get paid assuming he continues his recent success with the transition to the ninth inning. Based on the current market, other top closers have gotten somewhere between $10 and $15 million per year. Jonathan Papelbon, who hit free agency after 2011, signed a four-year, $50 million contract with the Phillies, good for an AAV of $12.5 million. Another example is Francisco Rodriguez, who was regarded as one of the game's top closers when he signed his three-year, $37 million deal with the Mets before 2009 (AAV of $12.3 million).

On the high end of things, the man that Robertson is replacing made $15 million per year on his most recent multi-year contract (a three-year deal). You also have former Yankee Rafael Soriano, who signed a two-year deal with the Washington Nationals after the 2012 seasons at an AAV of $14 million.

Based on all of this, the closers market has been fairly consistent when it comes to contracts. On the other hand, D-Rob has been as good as or better than everyone mentioned above that has signed multi-year deals to close for their respective teams. Robertson doesn't have the "proven closer" trademark that the others have, but if he comes out and does the job for the Yankees in 2014 any doubts should fade.

I understand the Yankees don't like to negotiate with players before their current contracts are up, but if there's any chance the Yankees could extend David Robertson before he hits free agency, I think it's something they have to consider, especially if he can be had at a reasonable price. I don't know if he'd be willing to do it, but it's worth making an offer. If he hits the market, well then a lot of teams are going to be interested.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa
• David Robertson has the most unenviable task in all of baseball
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Ivan Nova for $3.3 million in 2014
• Yankees scheduled to appear three times on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in the first half
• Yankees avoid arbitration with David Robertson for $5.215 million in 2014

The Yankees have nothing in their farm system to help fill the needs across the infield and it will surely come back to bite them this season.

For years, Yankee fans have complained about the team's inability to produce starting pitching from their farm system, and rightfully so. Since 2005, the Yankees' system produced three good years of Chien-Ming Wang, Ian Kennedy (who was only good for about two years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but helped fetch Curtis Granderson), two league-average years of Phil Hughes (2010 and 2012), one league-average year of Joba Chamberlain (2009), two separate good, half-seasons of Ivan Nova (2011 and 2013), and a little bit of David Phelps mixed in. You think that's bad? The Yankees have produced nothingfrom infielders in that same span.

When Robinson Cano emerged out of the Yankees' system, he gave the team nine incredible years from 2005-2013. He hit .309/.355/.504 with a 126 wRC+ in nearly 5800 plate appearances. His 37.1 fWAR from 2005-2013 was the ninth-highest total in all of baseball and second to only Chase Utley among second baseman. Now, he's gone. To help try to fill the hole at second with Cano in the Pacific Northwest, the Yankees will turn to the likes of Brian Roberts, Dean Anna, or even some guy named Yangervis Solarte.

During Cano's tenure with New York, the team produced next to nothing in terms of infielders. Once Cano made his debut, the best infielders the Yankees produced were Eduardo Nunez (career -1.9 fWAR); Brandon Laird (-0.2 fWAR), who had trouble finding playing time for the friggin' Houston Astros; and David Adams (-0.2 fWAR), who somehow got a guaranteed Major League deal from the Indians after looking over-matched last summer in the Bronx. Add it all up and those three players have produced a -2.3 fWAR in 366 games and 1117 PAs of pure awfulness. You can argue that C.J. Henry, a shortstop the Yankees drafted in 2005 and used to help acquire Bobby Abreu in 2006, has given the Yankees the most value among their homegrown infielders since '05, and Henry never reached the majors and was last seen playing for the Evansville Otters in the Independent League. Let that one sink in for a moment.

Now, of course the Yankees didn't necessarily need infielders from, say, 2005-2012. With Cano at second, the Yankees still had Derek Jeter at short and Alex Rodriguez at third base, with Jason Giambi and some Doug Mientkiewicz and whatnot mixed in up until 2009. It was then in '09 when the Yankees signed Mark Teixeira to complete, possibly, the greatest single-season infield in the history of baseball, with Rodriguez, Jeter, Cano, and Teixeira combining for a 19.7 fWAR that season. The quartet continued to provide plenty of value from 2010-2012, producing a 46.6 fWAR. The team was in no need for infield help from the minors, though it would have been nice if they came up with a decent infield prospect or two just to use as trade chips for other needs.

However, 2013 happened, and we got a first-hand look of how ugly it can get when you have nothing coming from the minor leagues to help fill needs around the infield. Aside from yet another awesome season from Cano, the Yankees got almost nothing from their infielders as a whole, which included only 76 games from Jeter, Rodriguez, and Teixeira, thanks to injuries. They had to search under every last rock and crevice to find anything they could use infield-wise, including signing Lyle Overbay, who ended up being the team's primary first baseman, three days prior to Opening Day. Guys like Chris Nelson, Luis Cruz, Brent Lillibridge, and Alberto Gonzalez were brought in during the year to replace the regular backups, Eduardo Nunez and Jayson Nix, after they got hurt.

If you're impatiently waiting for infield help to come from the minor leagues in 2014, like I am, you'll have to wait a little longer. Non-first base infielders, including third baseman Eric Jagielo, second baseman Rob Refsynder, and shortstop Abiatal Avelino, are all several years away from reaching the majors. Jagielo will perhaps start in High-A Tampa (and he should, given he spent three years at a pretty big baseball program at Notre Dame); Refsynder could begin 2014 in Double-A after his solid 2013 in High-A, but he still needs to improve defensively at second base; and Avelino might start 2014 in Low-A, but he'll only be 19 years old in February, so it wouldn't come as a surprise if he were sent to Staten Island in June instead.

In the meantime, the Yankees will have to go dumpster diving. They've done a lot of that this off-season, in fact, by signing Roberts and Kelly Johnson to help fill out second and third base, respectively. They've also made a flurry of minor league signings/trades, including Scott Sizemore, Zelous Wheeler, Russ Canzler, Anna, and that Solarte fellow. We even have fans suggesting the team to signChone Figgins for crying out loud. This is the very definition of dumpster diving, at least in baseball terms.

As for actual infielders who were already in the Yankees system and are relatively close to the majors, there's Ronnier Mustelier and Jose Pirela. Last season, Mustelier got hyped up by the fanbase following his strong showing in spring training and could have made the team on Opening Day if not for a knee injury he suffered late in camp. He had a couple of big hits (including a walk-off home run off noted rapist Josh Lueke), has some versatility, and has a cool name, so of course he becomes a fan-favorite. Unfortunately, he isn't much of a prospect at all. He turns 30 in August, and when he returned from his knee injury last season, he hit just .272/.319/.398 with a 101 wRC+ in Triple-A and never got a chance to show himself in New York, even after all of the injuries.

As for Pirela, his name has caught fire this off-season thanks to him hitting .332/.415/.514 down in the Venezuelan Winter League. However, it took him three separate seasons and 334 games just to get out of Double-A. To his credit, he did hit a solid .272/.359/.418 with a 118 wRC+ last year in his third go-around in the Eastern League. Unfortunately, Pirela doesn't have much power at all (career .118 ISO in the minors) and is pretty rough around the edges defensively at second base and shortstop. To me, both Mustelier and Pirela might end up being just organizational players and I would be happy even if they ended up being halfway useful utility players in the majors, if they even get that far.

Sadly, this is the current state the Yankees are in, infield-wise. The days of A-Rod, Jeter, Cano, and Teixeira anchoring down the infield while still in their primes are over and are never coming back. There is very little/no help whatsoever coming from the farm system to solve the team's woes, and the interesting players they do have in the system are still years away from even reaching the majors. You can absolutely assign blame for these failures.

This is something that has gone on for nearly a decade; it isn't "bad luck" or "not having high draft picks." This is about as clear as an organizational flaw as it gets. You can blame Mark Newman for failing to develop any infielders over the last eight years. You can also blame Damon Oppenheimer for failing to draft any useful infielders as well, and that includes his complete whiffs on Dante Bichette Jr. and Cito Culver, who were both questionable-at-best picks to begin with.

Both Newman and Oppenheimer were under fire this winter and both could be shown the door at the end of the 2014 season if the farm continues to make very little strides. For now, though, the Yankees will have to try to stay afloat by searching for every last infielder available off the street, because the farm system won't provide much at all in 2014, and potentially in the years that follow.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa
• David Robertson has the most unenviable task in all of baseball
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Ivan Nova for $3.3 million in 2014
• Yankees scheduled to appear three times on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in the first half
• Yankees avoid arbitration with David Robertson for $5.215 million in 2014

Corban and Addison vs. the garbage pickups

The Yankees are going to need a lot of infield help this year. They lost Robinson Cano to the Mariners, Alex Rodriguez to a 162-game suspension, and Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira are coming back from injury, so they might need some reliable backups. They signed Brian Roberts, Kelly Johnson, and Brendan Ryan, but that isn't really enough to fill out the entire infield, and since there are no other options left to sign, the Yankees will have to rely on the players they have picked off the scrap heap throughout the offseason.

The Yankees have added Scott Sizemore, Dean Anna, Russ Canzler, Zelous Wheeler, and Yangervis Solarte into the fold to compete for roster spots. Only Sizemore possesses significant major league experience, and by that, I mean he's the only one among them that has played over 100 games in a season before. Canzler is the only other one that has actually played in a major league game. While Sizemore is more in line with the Yankees' method of signing players off the scrap heap, Anna, Wheeler, and Solarte are completely unproven, potential Quadruple-A players that might provide the team with absolutely nothing.

Other than these four, the organization also has a limited supply of internal prospects that could be included in the coming competition. Those prospects include Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak, and I believe they should at least be given a shot, if it's an open tryout. Joseph's inclusion rests entirely on the status of his shoulder. We all remember him making his major league debut this year and then subsequently disappearing. He underwent season-ending shoulder surgery only a few months into the season, so he needs to be healthy first.

Maruszak, on the other hand, is essentially minor league cannon fodder as a player who can play anywhere on the field with most of his time spent at first, third, and shortstop. At 27 years of age I doubt he ever makes it to the majors, but then again, the Yankees are putting a lot of faith into a few other candidates who haven't either.

If these two Yankee prospects joined this ragtag band of Merry Men, which players would the Yankees be best off taking with them to start the season? To compare their production, I looked at their Steamer projections to see what we might be in store for.

As you can see, it's pretty ugly. Sizemore is the only one among them who projected to produce at a league-average rate with the bat, though several also hover just below. Of this group, Joseph is technically the third best option out of all seven with the best slugging percentage, while Maruszak projects to offer the least at the plate. Sizemore and Anna could potentially be more useful with the bat, but that doesn't mean it all comes down to offense. What the Yankees like to see is versatility, given that Johnson and Ryan can fill in at multiple positions. All of these potential garbage can heroes can play several different positions, so it also might be a matter of finding the best bat to go along with the most flexibility.

To figure out who brings the most defensive versatility, I took at look at each player's fielding history, and if they played at a certain position for more than 10 games I gave them credit for that position. Sure, it's a little unscientific, but plenty of players have added depth after only a handful of games of experience. However, not all positions are created equal, so I looked to Bryan Grosnick's post on Beyond the Box Score to determine each player's McEwing Score. Grosnick developed "McE" as a junk stat to determine which major league players were the best utility players in a single season. Even though I'm looking across multiple seasons, I used this guide because I like the simple point system he used based on Tom Tango's positional adjustments.

Right off the bat you can see that the positions considered to be harder are given more value while the positions considered to be easier are given less value. None of these players can offer help behind the plate or in center, but the rest of the positions are represented.

Being able to play almost every position on the field makes Addison Maruszak the versatility champion. Meanwhile, Corban Joseph, mainly a second baseman all his career, has the least. Maruszak and Canzler are the only two that can play first, though you can probably make the argument than anyone could play first. Still, they need someone who can back up Tex, and it might as well be someone with experience.

Judging by their standings, Sizemore and Anna are probably considered the favorites going into spring training. That doesn't mean that Sizemore's knee will be healthy all year or that Anna will be able to hit at the major league level. And then there's the probability that Roberts gets hurt at some point. The Yankees have room for two infielders at the moment, maybe a lefty bat and a righty bat, so even if Joseph and Maruszak get passed over now, that doesn't mean they can't be useful later.

If the Yankees suddenly need a full-time second baseman, it might be worth letting Joseph play every day. If they need someone on the bench who can play all over the field, then Maruszak, the 27-year-old rookie, could happen. They won't be sexy, they certainly won't be sexy, maybe not even good, but given the options the Yankees have, every little advantage counts.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa
• David Robertson has the most unenviable task in all of baseball
• Yankees avoid arbitration with Ivan Nova for $3.3 million in 2014
• Yankees scheduled to appear three times on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball in the first half
• Yankees avoid arbitration with David Robertson for $5.215 million in 2014

With seven championship teams and numerous pennant winners, it's a difficult choice.

The Yankees are thankfully not at a shortage of fantastic teams throughout their history. From the teams of the Babe to the Jeter-led '90s dynasty, they have had a pretty incredible saga of success. Out of the past 50 years though, which is your favorite? I limited it to the past 50 years since it's hard to call teams from before then your favorite; with all due respect to our older readers, the majority of our audience probably did not watch the teams of Casey Stengel and Joe McCarthy play baseball. Here's a quick overview of some of the most popular teams:

1976

The '76 squad didn't win the World Series, but in the first year at the remodeled Yankee Stadium, they brought the Yankees out of a 12-year playoff drought. They then surged to the AL pennant in an unforgettable five-game ALCS victory over Yankee killer George Brett's Kansas City Royals, capped by a series-ending homer by Chris Chambliss that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

1978

Fourteen and a half games behind the Red Sox, a team is distress, and a fired manager. That's where the '78 Yankees were in the middle of July. Suddenly they kicked it into gear under Bob Lemon in great part thanks to the sensational pitching of Ron Guidry. They caught fire and eventually swept the Red Sox in Boston to tie the division in September. In a one-game playoff at the end of the season, they rode Bucky Dent's shocking homer to a victory and went on to repeat as World Series champions. It was probably the most tumultuous title in team history, but it was also perhaps the most satisfying.

1996

Even though the Yankees broke their 14-year playoff drought with a Wild Card appearance in '95, the team had a ton of holess entering the '96 campaign. Buck Showalter, Don Mattingly, Mike Stanley, and Jack McDowell were all gone, the starting rotation was full of question marks, the bullpen was a mess, and infielders Tony Fernandez and Pat Kelly were almost immediately non-factors due to injury. Although Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neill, and sophomore starter Andy Pettitte were solid, not many people were confident about the Yankees' chances. Then along came Derek Jeter, a rookie shortstop with just 15 career games to his name, an unknown starter-turned-reliever named Mariano Rivera, Mariners import Tino Martinez, and New York City native Joe Torre, who had never appeared in a World Series game despite over 4,000 regular season games combined between his playing and managerial careers. The team came together to win the Yankees' first pennant since 1981 and overcame a 2-0 World Series deficit against the defending champion Braves to win the team's first World Series since 1978 and kick off a dynasty.

1998

Arguably the greatest team in the history of baseball, the '98 Yankees simply had no problems. Their 965 runs scored, .825 OPS, and 3.82 ERA were the league's best, and they romped to a then-league record 114 victories. They dominated the playoffs with an 11-2 record to win the franchise's 24th World Series title and end their year at an insane 125-50. Combining talent-laden veterans like Williams, O'Neill, David Wells, and David Cone with young, burgeoning stars Jeter, Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Orlando Hernandez, the team was basically flawless. We might never see a team as dominant as the '98 Yankees ever again.

2009

In 2008, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 1993, and management reacted by going on a spending spree, splurging for CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, who all made instant impacts with a combined 15.9 rWAR. They also made under-the-radar moves, like stealing Nick Swisher from the White Sox in exchange for the underachieving Wilson Betemit, and making young pitchers Phil Hughes, David Robertson, and Alfredo Aceves crucial bullpen arms. These decisions nicely complemented an already-strong core that featured numerous All-Stars of past, present, and future: Jeter, Posada, Rivera, Pettitte, Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Melky Cabrera, and Robinson Cano. Former championship catcher Joe Girardi managed them to a MLB-best 103 wins, and thanks to postseason heroics from Matsui, A-Rod, Jeter, and Sabathia, they took down the Twins, Angels, and Phillies with an 11-4 record to capture the team's 27th title.

***

So which team was your favorite of the past 50 years? In lieu of documenting every single successful team they've had since then, I did not profile other beloved teams, like the '77, '95, '99, 2000, and 2001 squads, but they are of course eligible. Hell, if you fancied one-and-done playoff teams or even non-playoff teams, you'll get no shame from me. Which is your favorite?

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees Hot Stove: How do Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak stack up to their competition?
• The Yankees' inability to develop infielders should haunt the team in 2014
• Should the Yankees try to extend David Robertson now?
• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa
• David Robertson has the most unenviable task in all of baseball

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Favorite Yankees team of the past 50 years?
• Yankees Hot Stove: How do Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak stack up to their competition?
• The Yankees' inability to develop infielders should haunt the team in 2014
• Should the Yankees try to extend David Robertson now?

Yankees News

• Newsday | Mark Herrmann: Alex Rodriguez's two lawsuits against Major League Baseball will be kept separate for now.
• An A-Blog For A-Rod | Brad Vietrogoski: A good year from Dietrich Enns could be the difference between a legitimate prospect and useful reliever.
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: In the aftermath of the Alex Rodriguez suspension, the players union still won't agree to allow contracts to be voided for drug violations.
• New York Times | William C. Rhoden: Alex Rodriguez needs to fight MLB to prevent the sport from trampling all over the rights of players.
• LoHud | Chad Jennings: Creating a roster out of the players left on the free agent market.
• Bronx Baseball Daily | Greg Corcoran: A look at Yankees pitching prospect Dan Camarena, who will likely start the 2014 season in High-A Tampa.
• MiLB.com | John Sadak: Luis Sojo joins the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders coaching staff after seven years of managerial experience with the Tampa Yankees.

How much of Ichiro's contract are the Yankees going to have to eat?

The Yankees made a patented Yankee Mistake ® when they decided to re-sign Ichiro Suzuki to a two-year contract before the 2013 season that cost them $13 million for an outfielder in his age-39 and age-40 seasons. He may have looked really good in the half-season he spent with the team in 2012, hitting .322/.340/.454 in only 240 plate appearances, but it should have been expected that he wouldn't be able to maintain that level of production into old age.

In 2013, he actually had the worst offensive season among all qualified outfielders in baseball, hitting .262/.297/.342 with a 71 wRC+ in 555 plate appearances. The Yankees can not afford to give that much playing time to the former All-Star if that's the production they are going to get. Thankfully, they don't have to, now that they have signed Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran to push Ichiro to the bench. Still, the Yankees shouldn't be looking to keep him even on their bench, since Alfonso Soriano is more useful at this point and Kelly Johnson has experience in the outfield as well.

If the Yankees want to trade Ichiro, they're going to have to eat a lot of the $6.5 million they owe him as a 40-year-old fourth outfielder. He showed he can still be a Gold Glove-caliber fielder (9 DRS in 2013) and useful baserunner (20 SB in 2013), so at a cheaper price, they might get a bite. The thing is, though, how much of his contract will the Yankees have to eat? If we look to some of the other contracts they have either traded or acquired, maybe we can see just what kind of financial maneuvering will need to be made.

Before the 2012 season the Yankees traded away A.J. Burnett with two years and $33 million left on his contract. For the Pirates to take him on, New York had to pay $20 million, or a little more than 60%, of the deal. $11.5 million (35%) of it was paid in 2012 and $8.5 million (26%) of it was paid in 2013. If the Yankees agreed to pay 60% of Ichiro's salary, they would be eating $3.9 million and any acquiring team would be paying $2.6 million.

The Yankees took on two contracts in 2013 that had the trading team paying even more than that to get rid of their players. The Angels gave Vernon Wells away by paying a total of $28.1 million (67%) of the $42 million owed to him in 2013 and 2014. They gave the Yankees $9.5 million (23%) for him last season and are going to be paying $18.6 million (44%) for him this season. Using this model, New York would end up having to pay $4.3 million to trade Ichiro and he would only cost the acquiring team $2.2 million.

By midseason the Yankees traded for Alfonso Soriano, agreeing to take him from the Cubs if they paid $29.2 million (81%) out of the $36 million he was owed. Chicago gave the Yankees $16.2 million (45%) in 2013 and will be paying another $13 million (36%) in 2014 as well. Following this transaction, the Yankees would be paying $5.2 million to have Ichiro play for another team, with a $1.3 million price tag.

Mercifully, the Yankees only have to worry about one year, with a much lower salary involved, however, they will still have to find a balance between the amount of money they are willing to pay for him to play elsewhere and the money they can save against the $189 million budget. If the Yankees are trying to get under budget then they're going to want more of the contract to be paid, but who will want that? If they have to pay a majority of the contract, the savings could be so little that it doesn't actually help them, since they would still be paying him.

In the end, it will probably take something closer to the Soriano trade to get teams interested in Ichiro, so the Yankees might just think it's worth it to keep him as an option off the bench.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Yankees among teams to formally make offer to right-hander
• Favorite Yankees team of the past 50 years?
• Yankees Hot Stove: How do Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak stack up to their competition?
• The Yankees' inability to develop infielders should haunt the team in 2014
• Should the Yankees try to extend David Robertson now?

The number of Sunday afternoons left without baseball are dwindling and there's still a little bit of football to get us through until spring training begins. Both division championship games are this afternoon with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the San Francisco 49ers and the New England Patriots matching up with the Denver Broncos for the right to play in the Super Bowl.

On the baseball front, the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes are drawing to a close and we should have a definitive answer on his landing spot before this time next week. The Yankees are one of five teams that have made a formal offer for Tanaka to fill out their questionable pitching rotation. If they miss out on him, look for the team to head to either the garbage heap or the undesirable heap instead.

Feel free to discuss whatever you'd like. If you've been lurking but haven't come out to chat with us in the comments yet, I think today sounds like a great time to do so. We love new friends.

Some questions for your afternoon:

1. What is your earliest Yankee memory?

2. What do you want the Yankees to do if they miss out on Tanaka?

3. Predict Tanaka's final contact terms. Which team does he get it from?

4. Which player are you most excited to see in spring training?

5. What moves do you think the Yankees have in store that don't include Tanaka, if any?

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Yankees among teams to formally make offer to right-hander
• Favorite Yankees team of the past 50 years?
• Yankees Hot Stove: How do Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak stack up to their competition?
• The Yankees' inability to develop infielders should haunt the team in 2014
• Yankees prospects: First round picks Eric Jagielo and Aaron Judge could begin 2014 at High-A Tampa

Tanaka could make his decision early this week so that teams can conduct more medical tests before Friday's deadline.

If you've been paying attention, the deadline for teams to bid on Masahiro Tanaka is January 24th at 5:00 PM. As Tanya wrote yesterday, the Yankees were among five teams to have made formal offers to Tanaka, including the Cubs, White Sox, Diamondbacks and Dodgers. Of those, the Cubs and White Sox seem to have the smallest chances of landing Tanaka.

While there has been some speculation as to whether Tanaka has to make his actual decision before the January 24th deadline, or whether that's just the latest any team can make an offer, it seems as though it is the former (at least according to this article). Now an AL scout has said that Tanaka's decision could come as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday, so that teams have time to conduct "further medical exams" before the Friday deadline.

There has been a lot of waiting this offseason (for both the A-Rod decision and now Tanaka's decision), so the sooner Tanaka picks a team, the better. Especially since the Yankees will need to come up with a fourth starter if Tanaka signs elsewhere, assuming that Pineda, Phelps, Warren, etc., are going to compete for the fifth spot.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees Hot Stove: Trading Ichiro's contract
• Yankees history: MVP award history part three
• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Yankees among teams to formally make offer to right-hander
• Favorite Yankees team of the past 50 years?
• Yankees Hot Stove: How do Corban Joseph and Addison Maruszak stack up to their competition?

One legal expert states that the evidence against A-Rod is convincing and has not been disputed, and that there is precedent for case-by-case penalties in light of unique offenses.

New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez is unlikely to win the appeal of his season-long suspension, according to a report by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. Rodriguez had his drug suspension reduced to 162 games by an arbiter earlier in January, but is continuing to fight what he sees as an unjust penalty.

Cafardo cites Stanford law professor William B. Gould IV, who sees two reasons why A-Rod's case is doomed. The first is that the player never truly disputed the evidence against him, which included written records as well as suspicious communications with Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch. In Gould's words, via Cafardo:

"There's no testimony from A-Rod or anyone disputing the evidence against him . . . clear and convincing proof against him."

The other reason is that drug offenses have been handled on the "just cause clause" throughout baseball history. In addition, unprecedented offenses have been met with unprecedented punishments throughout sports history; Gould mentions NBA players Kermit Washington and Latrell Sprewell as individuals whose suspensions were tailored to their unique offenses. Since Rodriguez's transgressions far exceeded a simple failed drug test, it is not inappropriate for his suspension to exceed the first-time penalty set forth in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Gould, per Cafardo:

The drug testing clause began in 2003 setting forth its own sanctions, never affecting just cause as a basis for discipline...A-Rod's numerous violations, as well his attempt to conceal and cover up, were properly part of just cause.

In fact, Gould believes that the original 211-game suspension handed down by Bud Selig could have been fairly upheld. Either way, though, reversal of an arbitration decision is usually reserved for instances in which the arbiter strays from the written word of the CBA, which is not the case here.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Instant replay expansion approved

• Bates: Adopting random favorite players

• Has sabermetrics changed baseball?

• Five teams make formal offers to Tanaka | AL tracker | NL tracker

• Death of a Ballplayer: Wrongly convicted prospect spends 27 years in prison

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Decision could come Tuesday or Wednesday
• Sunday afternoon open thread
• Yankees Hot Stove: Trading Ichiro's contract
• Yankees history: MVP award history part three

Yankees News

• New York Times | David Waldstein: Now that the Yankees have signed their arbitration-eligible players, they'll have to go over the $189 million budget if they want Masahiro Tanaka.
• Boston Globe | Nick Cafardo: Lawyers all seem to agree that there is little chance a Federal Court will overturn Alex Rodriguez's suspension.
• MLB.com | Cash Kruth: Yankees radio producer for WCBS 880, Carlos Silva, passed away at the age of 50 after a long battle with cancer.
• New York Post | Ken Davidoff: The changes to the posting system have completely destroyed the Yankees' plans for the offseason.

Get to know the only pitcher of the three Yankees first round picks from 2013, Ian Clarkin. How will the prep lefty do in his first full season as a professional?

Background:

Ian Clarkin was the third and final first round pick of the Yankees in 2013, being drafted at 33rd overall out of James Madison High School in San Diego, California. The 6'2" prep lefty had what was regarded as the best curveball of high schoolers in the 2013 draft with top of the rotation potential and a fastball that topped out at 94 mph. Clarkin is not one of the high schoolers scouts find to be overly projectable but with plus command of his curve and an average changeup, it's easy to dream on his potential as a starting pitcher in the majors.

Before agreeing to terms with the Yankees, Clarkin was committed to San Diego State University. An injury delayed the start to his professional career, but he ultimately joined the Gulf Coast League Yankees before the end of the season to kick off his time with the Yankees.

2013 Results:

Clarkin was only able to make three starts in Rookie Ball after recovering from an injury that delayed the start to his first season as a professional. In an extremely small sample size of five innings, Clarkin pitched to a 10.80 ERA but he managed to keep right-handed batters in check by allowing them to only bat .167 off him. There's not a whole lot that could be gleaned from such a small sample size and seeing how Clarkin performs in his first full season with the Yankees should be much more telling.

2014 Outlook:

Yankees vice president of player operations Mark Newman believes that Clarkin will begin the 2014 season at Short Season-A Staten Island. It's possible that a strong performance in spring training might convince the team that the soon-to-be 19-year-old is ready to be sent to Low-A Charleston right out of the gate. If Clarkin does indeed start the season with the Staten Island Yankees it's reasonable to assume that he might be able to find himself in Charleston by the time the season is over. He's so young that there is likely no rush on the part of the Yankees, but strong performances can change a lot of minds.

Despite the Yankees' inability to really develop a pitching prospect recently, there's a lot to like about Clarkin's potential. Left-handers generally fare pretty well in Yankee Stadium and scouts were absolutely enamored with his curveball right out of high school. All three of the most recent first round picks have the potential to be special players and Clarkin could end up being a huge part of the future of the Yankees' rotation in a few years if he lives up to all his potential.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Decision could come Tuesday or Wednesday
• Yankees Hot Stove: Trading Ichiro's contract
• Yankees history: MVP award history part three
• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Yankees among teams to formally make offer to right-hander
• Favorite Yankees team of the past 50 years?

What do the Yankees do if they don't sign Tanaka? Sign a ground ball pitcher!

The Yankees have a lot of question marks in their rotation right now and the solutions are many. They have CC Sabathia, Hiroki Kuroda, and Ivan Nova pencilled in, with people like Michael Pineda, David Phelps, and Adam Warren around who could compete for spots in spring training. Right now the Yankees are also bidding on Masahiro Tanaka, and though we have until Friday to find out who will get to sign him, New York needs to be prepared in case they miss out.

If the Japanese right-hander ends up elsewhere, the Yankees might simply go with their internal options and stick to plan 189. They could also try to find someone cheap off the free agent pile, like they have done at third base. If they go that route, the Yankees will have to figure out what kind of pitcher they'll be looking for.

I think they could look for a ground ball pitcher if they miss out on Tanaka. Given Yankee Stadium's dimensions, specifically the short right field porch, ground ball pitchers are valuable for the Yankees. Over the last five seasons, the team has employed three of the top 30 ground ball pitchers in the league (A.J. Burnett, Ivan Nova, Derek Lowe) and have shown interest in acquiring two others (Brett Anderson, Justin Masterson), so it's clear that the Yankees already know what qualities to look for.

If the Yankees want to sign a ground ball pitcher to fill a rotation spot, there are a few that rank among the best in the league. Some of the most extreme ground ball pitchers over the last five years that are available include Jake Westbrook (57.8% - 3rd best), Jason Marquis (54.1% - 16th best), Paul Maholm (51.1% - 20th best), and Clayton Richard (49.7% - 30th best).

Take a look at each of their batted ball rates since 2009:

As you can see, Westbrook and Maholm are the masters of keeping the ball out of the air and in the ballpark. Marquis and Richard might be good at keeping the ball down, but they also have a tendency to give up home runs when someone gets a hold of one.

Just because they have the ability to get ground balls doesn't mean it served them any good. Most of them had a rough go in 2013, ensuring that they wouldn't cost much if the Yankees took an interest in them.

Maholm, probably the best overall pitcher of them all, had the worst season of his career this year, but he still managed to bring more value than the others. Westbrook had a below-average season, but it was Marquis and Richard that had it worst.

Marquis needed Tommy John surgery in July and is not likely to be ready until the second half of 2014. After overcoming an illness in the early part of the year, Richard needed surgery to correct an impingement in his shoulder and was lost for the season by the end of June. The 30-year-old lefty is supposed to be ready for spring training, but the injury will likely limit him to a minor league deal. Only Maholm can really expect a major league contract in 2014, and a one-year deal is really all he'll be looking at.

While the Yankees could take a chance and sign Marquis or Richard to a minor league contract and hope one of them gives them something in 2014, it's probably between Maholm and Westbrook if the team wants a major league option right out of spring training.

To figure out which will make the better signing, I averaged their 2014 Oliver and Steamer projections to find a middle ground between the two.

For a major league deal, I would absolutely go with Paul Maholm and hope he outperforms his projections, which is entirely possible. I would then try to sign Jake Westbrook to a minor league deal as well and let him compete for the fifth starter spot in spring training. If Pineda or Phelps don't look overly impressive, Westbrook can keep the seat warm until someone can outperform him. Otherwise, I would try to lock up Clayton Richard and stick him in the minors and hope he can provide solid depth in 2014. After all, he does have the potential to throw 200+ innings. Jason Marquis is the only player I would let go since the Yankees probably have better options to begin the season, and even if he can return he isn't going to offer much.

Even if Maholm isn't the absolute best ground ball pitcher on the market, he's the best chance the Yankees have at finding an effective alternative to Masahiro Tanaka. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Decision could come Tuesday or Wednesday
• Sunday afternoon open thread
• Yankees Hot Stove: Trading Ichiro's contract
• Yankees history: MVP award history part three
• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Yankees among teams to formally make offer to right-hander

What will Jeter do in 2014?

There are plenty of question marks surrounding the 2014 Yankees, even after spending over $300 million in free agency. They lost Robinson Cano to the Mariners and Alex Rodriguez to a suspension, still need to figure out who will be on the pitching staff, and how they are going to protect against potential injuries. A big loss in 2013 from injury, Derek Jeter has finally begun preparing for the season to come.

Jeter started his on-field workouts on Monday in preparation for his return to baseball in 2014. According to the AP, he "hit off a tee in a batting cage and fielded 108 grounders on the grass in front of the infield dirt Monday at the Yankees minor league complex." Despite all the injuries, from a twice-broken ankle, to a quad pull, to a calf strain, Jeter is resuming baseball activities right on schedule with when he normally begins his pre-season preparation, which wasn't the case for him last year. "It's good to have a normal offseason and get some work in. Everything is normal now," the Yankee captain told reporters.

While the Yankees have him pegged as their starting shortstop, injury concern and age will likely limit the amount of playing time he sees out in the field. It's quite possible that this could be the last season of his Hall of Fame career, so the team will likely be taking it easy on the soon-to-be 40-year-old shortstop. Brendan Ryan was brought in specifically to play backup, and could be around through the 2016 season just in case Jeter decides to keep going.

After a disastrous year that resulted in a mere 17 games played, we're all going to be hoping for a much better season in 2014. He probably shouldn't be the everyday shortstop at this stage in his career, but there's nowhere else to play him. Alfonso Soriano will likely serve as the right-handed platoon partner with Jeter at DH, but it might be beneficial for the captain to get a larger share of those at-bats. We all counted him out in 2012, when he led the league in hits and had one of the best seasons of his career, so maybe magic strikes twice and he amazes us again.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees Hot Stove: Extreme ground ball pitchers on the free agent market
• Yankees Prospects: MLB ranks Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez top 10 among their positions
• Yankees Prospect Profile: Ian Clarkin
• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Decision could come Tuesday or Wednesday
• Sunday afternoon open thread

Tanaka rumor, everybody drink!

The Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes are winding down to the last few days. After his posting was delayed over a month due to extensive negotiations between MLB and NPB, he officially posted on December 24. Under the new agreement, the Japanese right-hander essentially became a free agent able to negotiate with anyone, just with an added $20 million release fee attached to his final contract. He was given one month to negotiate with clubs and agree to a contract before he would miss out on American baseball in 2014 and now it seems like we're almost there.

News and rumors have been all over the place these last few days with everyone becoming the team to beat and everyone else declaring they will not be outbid. Now there is word coming out that Tanaka is deciding between the Yankees and Cubs. There were some rumors that he preferred the East or West coasts, leaving out Chicago, but now people think the Cubs offered a contract that is hard to walk away from.

Last week, it was believed that the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, White Sox, and Diamondbacks all placed competitive bids on the 25-year-old superstar. There was at least one report saying that Arizona's contract offer was for $120 million over six year, though it's unknown if that's even close to the highest. Right now we're all in wait-and-see mode because Tanaka's agent, Casey Close, has kept a clamp on all information about the ongoing negotiations. What little we have heard is either just random conjecture from baseball writers trying to be the first to report some bit of news, or terribly translated reports coming out of Japan that may or may not be any more reliable.

While Friday is the deadline, we might know his decision as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday to allow time for a formal physical and all the details to be worked out. He needs to have a deal signed by the end of the week if he wants to be playing Major League Baseball this year.

More from Pinstripe Alley

Follow @pinstripealleyFollow @SBNationMLB

• Yankees Hot Stove: Extreme ground ball pitchers on the free agent market
• Yankees Prospects: MLB ranks Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez top 10 among their positions
• Yankees Prospect Profile: Ian Clarkin
• Masahiro Tanaka rumors: Decision could come Tuesday or Wednesday
• Sunday afternoon open thread

Downing is most famous for giving up Hank Aaron’s 715th homer, but long before then, he was one of the best pitchers on the last great Yankee teams of the early ‘60s

Name: Al Downing
Position: Starting pitcher (RHP)
Born: June 28, 1941 (Trenton, NJ)
Yankee Years: 1961-69
Primary number: 24
Yankee statistics: 72-57, 3.23 ERA, 3.18 FIP, 208 G, 175 GS, 1235.3 IP, 1028 K, 46 CG, 12 SHO, 96 ERA-, 91 FIP-, 15.5 rWAR, 18.1 fWAR

Biography

After a couple months away from the Yankees' top 100 players countdown (apologies), it seems fitting that it should return on Martin Luther King Day with the first African-American pitcher in Yankees history: Al Downing.

Quick rise to the majors

A sandlot legend in his hometown of Trenton, Downing graduated from Trenton Central High School in 1959 and spent a year at Rider University in Lawrenceville. There, he was discovered and signed by Yankees scout and former Negro Leaguer Bill Yancy. In his first Spring Training the next March though, Downing was forced to face upfront the ugliness of segregation in the south. In Trenton, he had never experience discrimination this bad before, but in Florida, he was forced to stay apart from his teammates, who were at a whites-only hotel. Thus, he, catcher Elston Howard, and other African-American Yankees had to stay across town with an African-American family. It was horrible treatment, and fortunately the Yankees relocated their Spring Training complex not long after to find a community that treated their African-American players equally.

Downing had an overpowering fastball that allowed him to dominate his minor league competition during his first taste of professional baseball with Class-A Binghamton in '61. The 20-year-old pitched to a minuscule 1.84 ERA in 12 starts there, and despite a 4.6 BB/9, the Yankees were so impressed that they called him up to the majors for his debut in the second game of a doubleheader on July 19, 1961.

Yet even with one of the greatest offenses in baseball history behind him, Downing bombed in his MLB debut. He absolutely could not find the plate and lasted just one inning despite only giving up one hit. He simply did not know enough about pitching to escape jams without just trying to throw harder. His inexperience was evident in that first game, as in the second inning, the Senators started the inning with a single, two walks, a hit by pitch, and another walk. All the baserunners came around to score and Downing was stuck with a 45.00 ERA after his first start. Downing pitched a little bit better in his other four games, but it was clear that he needed more work in the minors. Nonetheless, veteran Yogi Berra knew Downing had talent; after the game, he told reporters "Write something good about him. He's going to be around here a a long time."

Downing began his second professional season with Triple-A Richmond, and he spent all but one major league game there in '62. He had 180 strikeouts in 169 innings (9.6 K/9), but his 6.0 BB/9 and 16 wild pitches still demonstrated serious control problems, which were evident in his 4.10 ERA. The next season though, he figured out a way to reduce run-scoring despite his high walk rate, limiting Triple-A opposition with a 2.96 ERA and 10.1 K/9 in 10 games. In search of an influx of young pitching talent, the '63 Yankees brought the 22-year-old lefty back up to the pros, where he was determined to prove that he finally belonged.

The end of the dynasty

Downing made one relief appearance on June 7th, then received an opportunity to start a game on June 10th in D.C. against the same Senators team that thrashed him in his '61 debut. Downing exacted revenge by pitching a two-hit shutout with nine strikeouts. He pitched to a 3.63 ERA during his first full month in pinstripes, then began July with a fantastic start in front of the hometown fans at Yankee Stadium against the White Sox. On July 2nd, walked six but struck out 10 and was seven outs from a no-hitter until Cam Carreon singled up the middle against him with two outs in the seventh. Downing ended with a one-hit shutout anyway.

The Yankees won 104 games and their fourth straight AL pennant in '63, and Downing turned in a helluva rookie season. He threw four shutouts, pitched to a brilliant 2.56 ERA (73 ERA-) and 2.42 FIP (68 FIP-), and struck out 171 batters in just 175 2/3 innings. His 4.7 fWAR was second among all AL rookie pitchers, behind only White Sox lefty Gary Peters. His batterymate Howard had an outstanding year as well, winning the AL MVP. Downing earned the nod in Game 2 of the World Series against the Dodgers, where he failed to stop the streaking Dodgers' momentum. Veteran Johnny Podres outdueled him and the Yankees lost, 4-1. The Dodgers finished off the sweep a few days later.

If baseball writers were unaware of Downing in '63, they knew who he was by the end of '64. It was a tumultuous season under new manager Berra, but the Yankees rallied to win 99 games and their record-tying fifth straight AL pennant. Although Downing's wildness was obvious with a league-leading 120 walks, he stood out with an AL-best 217 strikeouts, the most by any Yankee in 60 years and the first to league the league since Allie Reynolds did with 160 in '52. Twice, he struck out 13 batters in one game. Although the Yankees did survive the pennant race, they were taken down by Bob Gibson's Cardinals in the World Series.

Unbeknownst to the Yankees and Downing, '64 would be the team's last season of excellence for quite awhile. Although Downing continued his yeoman's work with four consecutive seasons of at least 200 innings with a combined 3.27 ERA and 719 strikeouts, the offense behind him just wasn't any good. As a result, his win/loss records were unimpressive and Downing became a bit of a forgotten man. The man known as "Ace" to his teammates did earn an All-Star appearance for his 2.63 ERA, career-high 4.6 rWAR season, but they were dark days for the Yankees.

In '68, Downing literally had an up-and-down season, as he got off to such a rocky start that his arm got hurt and he even spent a few games in the minors until his return in early August. The years of hard throwing took its toll on Downing, who spent the first half of '69 in the bullpen before coming back to the rotation in August. He was better, as he reduced the stress on his arm by cutting back on the fastballs and becoming more of a finesse pitcher with his changeup. Nonetheless, the Yankees were worried about his health, and they decided to trade him and Frank Fernandez to the Oakland Athletics that December for Danny Cater and Ossie Chavarria. Although Cater eventually turned into ace reliever Sparky Lyle via a trade with the Red Sox, the Yankees likely regretted parting with Downing so soon, as his days of excellence were not over.

Post-Yankee days

Downing split the '70 season with the A's and Brewers; he pitched decently despite the trade with a 96 ERA- and 3.52 ERA. In February before the '71 season, Downing was dealt for the third time in 14 months, this time to the Dodgers, the team that swept his Yankees back in his rookie season. Out of nowhere, Downing was brilliant in '71, pitching a career-high 262 2/3 innings with five shutouts, a 2.68 ERA, and an 81 ERA-. He finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting and tenth in the NL MVP voting. He stayed strong the next two seasons with above-average years, and even reached his third World Series when the Dodgers won the '74 NL pennant. (That was of course the season when he also gave up Aaron's record homer.)

After gradually declining the next three seasons, Downing retired from baseball following the '77 season and worked as a radio broadcaster for the Dodgers for several years. Downing remains the last Yankee to lead the league in strikeouts.

Andrew's rank: 74
Tanya's rank: 98
Community rank: 74.5
rWAR rank: 82

Season Stats

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.

The Baseball Page

BR Bullpen

Spencer, Lyle. "Fifty years later, Downing recalls '63 season fondly." MLB.com. June 17, 2013.

Jeter hit off a tee and took some grounders in his first on-field workout since missing all but 17 games of the 2013 season.

Derek Jeter went through his first workout of the year on Monday, taking up baseball activities for the first time since his 2013 season was cut short last September, according to the AP. He hit off a tee in the batting cage and took exactly 108 -- no more, no fewer -- grounders on the infield.

Jeter's 2013 was nearly completely lost. He played in only 17 games due to a variety of injuries. He missed the first 91 games of the season while recovering from surgery on a broken ankle he suffered in the 2012 AL Championship Series against the Tigers. When he was finally healthy enough to get back in the lineup, he didn't even make it through his first game before he felt pain in his quad and went back on the DL. He came back again after three weeks but lasted only a few days before a strained calf sent him right back to the DL. In total, Jeter only amassed 73 plate appearances before the Yankees shut him down for good. He hit only .190.

Jeter will be 40 years old in June and says he feels "normal." He usually begins baseball activities in mid-January to prepare for the season, so this workout isn't really out of the ordinary.

Pitchers, catchers and injured players are scheduled to report to spring training for the Yankees on Feb. 15.

More from SB Nation MLB:

• Neyer: The Hall of Famer who was always wrong

• 2014 MLB salary arbitration tracker

• Instant replay expansion approved

• Has sabermetrics changed baseball?

• Five teams make formal offers to Tanaka | AL tracker | NL tracker

Today's pre-blizzard edition of Daily Links brings you stories on two 21-year-old middle infielders, an interesting take on instant replay, and Mariano Rivera's son (seriously).

Former PawSox manager Gary DiSarcina had some things to say about Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks, two players the new Angels' third base coach had close ties to during his time in Boston's system. (Alex Speier; WEEI.com)

To nobody's surprise, Mookie Betts was named one of the top second baseman prospects in baseball. (MLB.com)

Get this: a Red Sox scout got to watch Mariano Rivera's son, Mariano Rivera Jr (naturally), pitch this weekend. (Ron Chimelis; MassLive.com)

SoxProspects.com continues to bring us updates on Red Sox minor-leaguers and prospects who are playing in Winter Leagues. (Jim Crowell; SoxProspects.com)

If instant replay was available during the 2013 season, here are a few Red Sox plays that most likely would've been overturned. (Ricky Doyle; NESN.com)

You can never have enough Masahiro Tanaka! Here's a scouting report on the Japanese phenom, with GIFS! (Ben Badler; Baseball America)

Gordon Edes really wants Spring Training to start, evidently. (Gordon Edes; ESPNBoston.com)

Read more Red Sox:

Follow @overthemonsterFollow @SBNationMLB

• A-Rod suspension: Good for Red Sox, bad for Yankees
• Six Red Sox prospects make Scout's top 100
• Jon Lester isn't too expensive for the Red Sox
• Who's the Red Sox' next Hall of Famer?
• Which Red Sox have their best year ahead of them?

Last Time on Pinstripe Alley

• Pinstripe Alley Top 100 Yankees: #84 Al Downing
• Masahiro Tanaka Rumors: Decision reportedly coming down to Yankees or Cubs
• Derek Jeter begins on-field workouts
• Yankees Hot Stove: Extreme ground ball pitchers on the free agent market
• Yankees Prospects: MLB ranks Greg Bird and Gary Sanchez top 10 among their positions
• Yankees Prospect Profile: Ian Clarkin

Yankees News

• Baseball America | Ben Badler: Take a closer look at Masahiro Tanaka's fastball, splitter, and slider, all of which are legitimate major league pitches.
• RotoGraphs | Scott Spratt: David Robertson is an elite reliever and the perfect candidate to replace Mariano Rivera.
• LoHud | Ryna May: If Derek Jeter were to take on a smaller role with the team, it would just be the next step in what we have come to expect from him.
• CBS Sports | Matt Snyder: Comparing Masahiro Tanaka to other Japanese pitchers.
• Fangraphs Community Research | Filihok: Using kwERA to project how Masahiro Tanaka will perform in Major League Baseball.
• NoMaas | SJK: The Yankees are playing with fire, signing all these old players and hoping they stay healthy.
• It's About the Money | EJ Fagan: A look at the top ten Yankee prospects from Latin America.
• It's About the Money | Stacey Gotsulias:CC Sabathia has slimmed down considerably this offseason and it's a bit shocking.
• The Republican | Ron Chimelis: A scout for the Red Sox scouted Mariano Rivera's son.

Fastball - ChangeUp - Fastball - ChangeUp - he could change it up alright...

#23 - JARROD WASHBURN, P

He threw the very first pitch of the 2002 season (after the ceremonial pitch via the jumbotron from then-president Bush) at Angel Stadium and was the ace of the staff on a downright average pitching staff in the year they won it all - he had picked a great year to have his best season. But Jarrod Washburn was a lot more than that. He was an Angels pitcher who went thru the entire transformation of the team from the Winged-logo uniform and pre-Mo Vaughn days thru the world champion wild card club and into an era where division championships were expected of a team that had changed its geographical affiliation without ever leaving Anaheim.

Washburn was a lefty whose repertoire featured an average curveball and an average fastball but was predicated on the best change up of the era. His ability to throw that pitch to any batter at any point in the count made hitters dizzy when he was on. Batting is guessing game and when the hitters did guess right, perhaps it was one of the 150 times that Jarrod gave up a home run to an Angels opponent.

In his third season of ups and downs to the minors he impressed enough to become a starter for the 2001 Angels. In 2002 he drew the opening day assignment and never looked back. In the most important season in Halo history he put up 206 innings with a 141 ERA+, 4.5 Wins Above Replacement and fourth place in the AL Cy Young vote. In the playoffs he pitched fine against the Yankees in a losing cause in game one of the ALDS and held them close until the floodgates opened in game five, becoming the first pitcher in franchise history to win the clinching game of a postseason series.

His 2003 and 2004 were less stellar but the role he played in the 2004 ALDS would be comedy gold if it hadn't been so tragic. The Angels were down two games to none in the best of five LADS. Game 3 at Fenway Park had seen them choke up an early lead and then claw their way back to tie the game. Frankie Rodriguez had pitched two scoreless innings when he gave up a single. The runner was bunted to 2B and then Manny Ramirez struck out. Savid ORtiz came to the palte. During the 2004 season Mike Scioscia had kept his bullpen to such rigidly-defined roles that he hadn't once ordered a lefty-lefty match up. Troy Percival was ready to enter the game. Scioscia called for Washburn instead. Ortiz hit a two-run homer and everyone in Angel land was left scratching their heads.

2005 was a contract year and Jarrod had his second great season to make Scott Boras happy. He started 29 games and had an ERA+ of 133 with 4.5 WAR in 177 innings. It was a great sendoff. He wanted to stay with the Angels but GM Bill Stoneman demurred. It was a good call, statistically but Washburn was great Angel nonetheless, leading the pitching staff during the beginning of its golden era as he did. He was a vocal leader in the clubhouse, once even mocking the Rally Monkey when the media paid it so much attention and ignored his teammates scoring actually doing the rallying. His fierceness on the mound was belied by a dopey farm boy grin that made him look a little like Dennis the Menace - and he was a menace to the society of opposing batters for five full seasons as an Angels starter and eight total years in a Halo uniform.