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Spring training is where fans and the upper management can get familiarized with some of their teams’ lesser known talent. The New York Yankees have received a ton of production from such players this spring.

It’ll probably be awhile before we see any of these guys crack the 25-man roster, though there is an outside shot that one or two will find their name on the final roster this season. It all depends on how long they can stay hot.

The real test will be later on in the spring. As the spring schedule progresses, major league hitters and pitchers stay in games longer. If the young unknowns can take advantage of their opportunities when they arise, they’ll definitely impress manager Joe Girardi and his coaching staff.

It’s been just two weeks, however, and these are the numbers that are already popping out of the box scores. Keep an eye out for the following players until the team breaks camp and heads to Houston to take on the Astros on Tuesday, April 1.

Follow me on Twitter: @kennydejohn

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As if the New York Yankees‘ middle infield situation wasn’t difficult enough to figure out, Yangervis Solarte has plans to make it even harder.

The question marks surrounding the entire Yankees infield have already been well documented this spring. Mark Teixeira might not be able to stay healthy at first base, and the team has no immediate backup plans. Brian Roberts and Derek Jeter are also injury risks at second base and shortstop, respectively.

Kelly Johnson isn’t necessarily a candidate to be bitten by the injury bug over at the hot corner, but nobody knows what to expect from him in terms of production in 2014.

As far as reserves go, the Yankees have a ton of options—none of whom have set themselves apart from the pack. Brendan Ryan, Eduardo Nunez, Dean Anna and Scott Sizemore are all competing for time in camp.

Solarte, a non-roster invitee, has thrown himself into the discussion as a result of a fantastic start to the spring. The 26-year-old is hitting .692/.733/1.154 with two home runs and six RBI in 13 at-bats. Simply put, Solarte is raking.

Through an interpreter, Solarte told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com that he is focused on making the team out of camp:

I don’t even want to mention the word ‘Triple-A’ at this moment. My dream is to play in the Majors. I got very hurt when I did not get called up to the Majors last year, so I feel that I can’t get my heart broken like that again.

Solarte was expecting a September call-up from the Texas Rangers last season. It never came. His numbers were certainly deserving of recognition. In 133 games in Triple-A in 2013, Solarte swatted 12 home runs and drove in 75.

The versatile infielder can play second, third, short and even left field. Short is where he feels most comfortable, writes Hoch, but he appears willing to play anywhere if it means a spot on a big league roster.

Assuming Solarte continues taking advantage of pitching in the Grapefruit League, manager Joe Girardi will have to spend serious time deciding where he fits in the team’s plans.

Roberts is the starting second baseman, and Dean Anna appears to have the inside track as the next option out of the minors if (or when) Roberts hits the disabled list. After all, Anna led the Pacific Coast League with a .331 batting average last season.

If Jeter hits the DL, then the Yankees could choose to bring up Solarte to play in a platoon role with either Ryan or Nunez. Then it will just be a matter of playing the hot hand.

Should Teixeira get injured, Girardi could switch Johnson to first and move Nunez to third. In this scenario, Solarte could still be called up to platoon with Nunez at the hot corner.

Realistically speaking, it’s hard to see Solarte making this team out of camp (barring an injury, of course). He’s unproven as a big leaguer, but that doesn’t mean he’s not valuable to the organization.

Solarte represents quality depth for the 2014 season. With an infield bound to battle injuries all season long, Solarte has a chance to make an impact at some point this year.

If he hits in the bigs like he’s currently hitting in spring training, then Girardi will be forced to find him a more permanent role.

Follow me on Twitter: @kennydejohn

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Anything can happen between now and when the New York Yankees break from spring training at the end of March, but barring injuries, it doesn’t appear as if the 25-man roster will be too difficult to project.

The team’s star-studded cast makes a vast majority of the 25-man roster easy to predict. In fact, there are really only two places where there are no guarantees. The final infield spot should end up being a battle between Eduardo Nunez and Scott Sizemore, and the final spot in the bullpen could seemingly be won by a bevy of pitchers.

There are certainly favorites in each battle, though, and the Yankees will likely head into camp with a roster extraordinarily similar to this one—if not identical.

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Stephen Drew is one of the best free agents still available with spring training just under way, and the New York Yankees are still in need of a third baseman and insurance policy for Derek Jeter at shortstop.

Presumably, this would make them a perfect match for each other. However, not all things go as expected.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that the Yankees did in fact extend Drew an offer earlier this offseason—believed to be for two or three years. That deal was on the table until they rescinded following a flurry of signings. This was the Yankees’ strategy all along, writes Sherman:

Early in the offseason, the Yankees – with so many holes to fill – used a strategy of making many offers at one time, letting agents know that with each signing, they would re-assess and pull some bids. The Yankees actually made Drew an offer at that time, believed to be for two or three years, when the shortstop was still looking to do considerably better – four or five years.

And, as it happened, the Yankees spent more than they anticipated on players such as Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Masahiro Tanaka and, at some point, rescinded the offer for Drew.

The fact that Drew was holding out for a four- or five-year deal was understandable back in the early-goings of the offseason. But he certainly shouldn’t be holding out for one now. Because, in all likelihood, he won’t be getting it.

Drew would offer the Yankees great flexibility and much needed depth. He’s a stellar fielder at shortstop, and even though he has never played at the hot corner, his skills at short certainly suggest that he could hold his own (at the very least) at a new position.

Then, after this season, Drew could slide right over to his natural position. Derek Jeter’s retirement will leave a gaping hole at the position. While Drew isn’t the long-term fix the Yankees want, he’s a nice stopgap option until they can find one.

In fact, it will make things a whole lot easier for them going into next offseason because they won’t have to worry about searching for a new shortstop. They’ll already have him on the roster.

The case for signing Drew is made even stronger when considering the fact that the Yankees are already over the $189 million payroll goal thanks to the Masahiro Tanaka signing. This is what Hal Steinbrenner told Sherman in an email: 

“No team is without concerns. We will address those concerns as we go, just as we did in several areas last year. … I am comfortable with our payroll as it stands now. Tanaka put us way over the $189 million, but I believe it will prove to be a solid investment. The rest of the pieces we will figure out as we go — just as all other teams do. We have a very good club and we will continue to improve in areas that we see need it; not just in areas that need it on paper. We need to see what actually transpires in those areas and react.”

Having confidence in your roster is a good thing, but failing to see an immediate upgrade when it’s staring you in the eyes is not. On a three-year deal, Drew would be a very, very good signing.

This isn’t the first time Drew failed to sign with the Yankees after the team showed interest in him. Prior to the 2013 season, the Yankees coveted Drew as a third baseman. He ultimately signed with the Boston Red Sox, and the Yankees ultimately ended up with Kevin Youkilis.

There’s still time for a deal to come to fruition with the Yankees, but I wouldn’t expect it to happen, even though it makes a ton of sense. There are currently four teams in on Drew, with two of those teams being known—the Red Sox and the New York Mets, tweets Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.

One of the two other mystery teams could be the Yankees. Unfortunately, we probably won’t know until Drew puts pen to paper.

Follow me on Twitter for more about the Yankees: @kennydejohn

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The New York Yankees roster consists of a flurry of stars and a vast collection of bubble players who will need to fight during spring training to crack the final 25-man squad.

With depth in the middle infield, manager Joe Girardi will have to make some tough decisions throughout the spring. Each middle infielder offers similar versatility and skills at the plate, though it might come down to who performs best as camp closes and the regular season begins.

Relief pitching is the area where the most surprising cuts will come. With the retirement of Mariano Rivera and the departure of Boone Logan via free agency, several spots out of the bullpen are up for grabs.

The likes of David Robertson, Matt Thornton, Shawn Kelley and Preston Claiborne will have roles in some capacity. Robertson will be the closer, but the remaining spots have yet to be filled. They’ll likely come from in-house candidates.

There will be some very competitive position battles in Tampa in the coming weeks. You’re not going to want to miss them. Here are the odds for each Yankees player on the bubble of making the roster.

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The New York Yankees are known across baseball as having one of the lesser-ranked farm systems in the sport. Now we have an exact number to put on that belief.

ESPN’s Keith Law released his annual farm system rankings on Tuesday, Jan. 28 (insider required), and the Yankees rank 20th in all of baseball. The Houston Astros come in at No. 1, while the Milwaukee Brewers bring up the rear at No. 30.

Last season, the Yankees came in at No. 10 on Law’s list (insider required).

A drop of 10 spots is worth noting.

Given the fact that the Yankees received no major contributions from any of their top prospects in 2013, the drop can likely be attributed to the fact that the team’s best prospects faltered down the stretch last season.

Also, the fact that catcher Gary Sanchez is the only Yankees farmhand to rank within the top 101 prospects according to Baseball Prospectus is cause for concern. Sanchez ranks No. 85 on the list.

In previous years, names like Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances and Mason Williams cracked the list.

Injuries to Banuelos have seemingly derailed his once promising career. Betances‘ conversion to a reliever diminishes his value significantly. Williams failed to progress much in 2013, and the lack of power he generates is worrisome.

The Yankees lack big-time talent at the top of the farm system. Sanchez figures to be the best impact prospect the team offers at this point, but who’s next?

Williams’ drop doesn’t make him a lock for the bigs any longer.

Remember when he was supposed to be the center fielder of the future? That’s Jacoby Ellsbury’s job now. Williams might never turn into anything but a fourth outfielder.

The lower levels of the system have decent talent, but it’s hard to judge those players based on limited sample size and lesser competition.

Jose Campos, Rafael De Paula, Greg Bird and several others appear to have promising careers ahead of them—especially Bird.

He took the system by storm in his first year at Single-A Charleston, crushing 20 home runs and driving in 84 while producing a line of .288/.428/.511. He also recorded 36 doubles and three triples.

The first baseman might be in luck, too.

Mark Teixeira is signed through the 2016 season, and that should give Bird enough time to hone his skills at the plate and in the field. The Yankees don’t often give rookies a shot right out of spring training, but Bird seems like a special talent. Plus, his left-handed swing would be a perfect fit in Yankee Stadium.

Regardless, the fact remains that the Yankees have very few “can’t-miss” prospects. In fact, it can be argued that they have none. Sanchez might not even turn into the player that everyone is expecting.

As this team continues to get older, they’ll need to find ways to trade off veterans and re-stock the farm system. At the very least, they’ll need to start doing a better job with scouting and analyzing draft prospects.

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This MLB offseason hasn’t included as many big trades as offseasons past. Instead, the importance of free agency has come to the forefront.

With less than a month until pitchers and catchers report for most teams, MLB trade rumors are beginning to heat up. Teams that aren’t in love with the remaining crop of free agents will be looking to make deals to improve without depleting their farm systems.

That being said, the players rumored to be available right now will cost a pretty penny. One is a star, one is a potential front-line starter, and the other is on the verge of stardom. Those are the types of players teams will need to pay the price for.

Their price tags may make them difficult to move, but all signs indicate that these players will be available for the foreseeable future. It might just be a matter of time before they’re dealt.

Giancarlo Stanton

Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton is possibly the most compelling case of “Will he or won’t he?” in the history of the game. Fans have been asking themselves if Stanton will be traded ever since he broke out with 34 home runs in 2011. Given the Marlins’ disinterest in locking up homegrown talent long term, Stanton has always been an ideal trade candidate.

Joe Frisaro of MLB.com also pegs Stanton as a potential trade candidate in the future: “Certainly, Miami has no urgency to trade its slugger. But the reality is, without a multi-year agreement, there is a strong possibility the longest he will be a Marlin is for two more seasons. Stanton becomes a free agent after 2016.”

Stanton is the perfect piece to build around for Miami. He’s a superb outfielder and has more power than arguably anybody else in baseball. Throw in the fact that he’s just 24 years old, and you’ve got yourself a franchise centerpiece. Unfortunately, the Marlins are infamous for dealing young talent.

Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis are great examples of young guys who were dealt before expensive long-term commitments had to be given out. Stanton could follow that same path, but the return Miami could get for him might be even larger than the Cabrera-Willis return. (For those who don’t remember, that return featured outfielder Cameron Maybin and pitcher Andrew Miller, among others).

It’s hard to see a situation in which the Marlins let Stanton walk without getting anything in return. He’ll be dealt; it’s just a matter of when.

Jeff Samardzija

The Chicago Cubs are currently working hard to sign Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka, and their pursuit of him will have a direct impact on starter Jeff Samardzija.

Samardzija had been one of the many topics of discussion during winter meetings, though nothing has piqued the interest of the team’s front office. Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer appear content with waiting for the right deal to come about.

Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com cites sources who have told him that the Cubs might be preparing to get a little creative:

With all the Tanaka gridlock, top free-agent pitchers Matt Garza, Ervin Santana, Ubaldo Jimenez and Bronson Arroyo still remain unsigned. At this point, a major-league source said the Cubs are planning to hold onto Jeff Samardzija until closer to the July 31 trade deadline, hoping to change the supply-and-demand dynamics.

By changing the supply-and-demand dynamics, the Cubs would inherently create a need for teams in search of starting pitching in July. By holding out on trading Samardzija until then, they would also maximize his value—assuming he doesn’t tank in the first half of 2014.

This will, of course, be impacted by the Cubs’ pursuit of Tanaka. Samardzija told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times that he recognizes a correlation between himself and the team’s pursuit. “There’s a ripple effect,” he said.

Samardzija will be highly coveted until the Cubs decide what exactly do to with him.

Jason Castro

The Houston Astros don’t have a ton going for them after their first season in the American League West, but catcher Jason Castro is one of the best things the organization can offer its fans—and other teams.

Houston would be wise to deal Castro and get younger talent in return, although it would be hard to fault the team for keeping its up-and-coming catcher and building around him.

Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com cites both possibilities: “Rival teams have inquired on Castro, according to major league sources. If the Astros cannot sign him to an extension, he could become the team’s best trade chip. The ‘Stros also could move him to first base.”

The move to first base would be necessitated by the development of top catching prospect Max Stassi. If Stassi can come up and produce in the near future, the Astros would have significantly more options with their current backstop.

With catching so hard to come by, though, the best move would be to trade him. Playing at a premium position boosts Castro’s value, and Houston would be foolish to deny teams the opportunity to part with quality pitching prospects and possibly even major league talent.

Castro, a .276/.350/.485 hitter last season, is just reaching his potential. There’s still plenty of room for growth. Look for Houston to capitalize on that potential by flipping him for a nice return.

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While “busy” might be the best word to describe the offseason for the New York Yankees and general manager Brian Cashman, “hectic” is probably the best word to describe the upcoming month leading up to when pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

The Yankees are still a team with several holes to fill. The starting rotation needs work, as does the bullpen. While signing middle infielders has been a priority for Cashman, he would be wise to bring in a corner infielder to play behind Mark Teixeira when he needs a day’s rest.

There are always rumors surrounding the Yankees, and it’s important to take note of which ones are legitimate and which ones are garbage. There’s a little of both happening right now as the team continues to explore all of its options with spring training not far down the road.

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The New York Yankees have had a busy offseason to date, but the effectiveness of their offseason exploits will ultimately be defined by the moves general manager Brian Cashman makes in the weeks leading up to spring training.

Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and many others are now donning pinstripes for the first time in their respective careers. Cashman was quick in attacking the free-agent market to improve the team’s lineup, though he failed to address his starting rotation.

Outside of re-signing Hiroki Kuroda, Cashman has been inactive in regards to starting pitching. The next month or so will be when that changes. The Yankees are in the mix for several of the top starters yet to be signed, and given their aggressive nature this offseason, the team will probably sign at least one.

Here are a few names being floated around.

Masahiro Tanaka

Competing clubs have until Jan. 24 to sign the most highly sought-after free agent left on the market.

Japanese ace Masahiro Tanaka is in Los Angeles meeting with several clubs during this second week of January, reports Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, and the Yankees are said to be one of several clubs scheduled to see him.

The Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers are among several other teams looking to meet with Tanaka and agent Casey Close, cites Heyman.

Tanaka is obviously going to cost a pretty penny. Aside from the $20 million posting fee—that will now be split into four separate installments over 18 months—teams will likely need to shell out upwards of $100 million for the ace, believes Bill Madden of the New York Daily News.

With a rotation currently headlined by CC Sabathia, Kuroda and Ivan Nova, the Yankees have serious question marks in regards to pitching. An ideal scenario would see Sabathia and Kuroda line up as Nos. 1 and 2, with Tanaka taking over No. 3 from Nova and Nova moving to No. 4. Then, the likes of David Phelps, Adam Warren and oft-forgotten Michael Pineda would compete for the No. 5 spot in spring training.

Tanaka should be the No. 1 priority for Cashman leading up to Jan. 24.

Ubaldo Jimenez

Should the Yankees miss out on Tanaka, expect the chase for Ubaldo Jimenez to heat up. But, then again, they’ll have serious competition for him as well. Every club that misses on Tanaka will race to sign Jimenez, Matt Garza or Ervin Santana. That will drive the price sky high.

The Yankees aren’t afraid of the money aspect, though I’m sure they’ll make sure Jimenez has perfect health before giving him a deal in excess of five years.

Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com believes that the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Toronto Blue Jays are the front-runners for Jimenez, pending the results of the Tanaka derby.

He cites the Cleveland Indians as a long shot given Jimenez’s asking price (which is now, reportedly, $14 million per season). If that’s really what he’s looking for, then it’s hard to see any other team but the Yankees willing to dish that type of money out.

There doesn’t appear to be a scenario that would see the Bombers sign both Tanaka and Jimenez. While that would result in arguably the deepest rotation in the American League East, it wouldn’t be financially feasible given their other offseason commitments to date.

Jimenez is strictly a fallback option.

Johan Santana

Lefty Johan Santana is a guy who could be signed regardless. If either Tanaka or Jimenez sign, then Santana would be a nice buy-low signing who could prove helpful to the Yankees’ trek back to the top of the AL East.

Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger reports that the Yankees are monitoring Santana’s offseason. Santana missed all of 2013 after undergoing his second anterior capsule surgery, and that makes him an understandable risk for general managers.

A healthy Santana would be an upgrade to any rotation, though. He likely won’t be able to throw until June or so given his rehab timetable, but that would give the Yankees an opportunity to see what they have in Phelps, Warren and Pineda before activating him.

With Phelps and Warren having experience coming out of the bullpen, this makes a transition to Santana easy. Should Pineda resurrect his major league career as the No. 5 starter, then the Yankees will need to make a tough decision between the two.

But that’s a decision manager Joe Girardi can make if (or when) it becomes a reality. For now, the team should just focus on bringing Santana into the fold.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The New York Yankees‘ whirlwind 2013 may not have culminated with a playoff berth, but that’s not to say there weren’t some unforgettable moments for the Bronx Bombers during the season.

There were franchise-changing developments that occurred in 2013, and there were also several personal milestones that were achieved along the way. One such milestone was Ichiro Suzuki’s 4,000th professional hit (remember: he totaled 1,278 hits in Japan).

Even Ichiro’s unbelievable feat wasn’t enough to crack the top-five moments from the 2013 season. That should be an indication of just how magical 2013 was at times for the Bombers.

What memories will be made in 2014 are obviously up in the air, but it will be hard for the new year to top the happenings of 2013.

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