Warming up: Picking my Opening Day roster

The Yankees brought 66 players to camp with them this season -- far less than the near 90 that had last spring -- but can only take 25 to Houston when they play the Astros on Opening Day. Luckily they'll more than a month to figure out who those 25 might be.

A typical club carries 12 pitchers and 13 position players, so we'll pick the team based off of those numbers.

We already have the list of player that we know will be on the team: Derek Jeter, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Brian Roberts, Brendan Ryan, Kelly Johnson, Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, Alfonso Soriano, Brett Gardner, Ichiro Suzuki (if not traded), CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Hiroki Kuroda, Masahiro Tanaka, David Robertson, Shawn Kelley and Matt Thornton.

So that puts us at 18 roster spots -- 11 position players, with 6 pitchers -- leaving seven up for grabs.

We know that one will be filled by the winner of the fifth starter competition. That one will come down to either Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren or Vidal Nuno. I now count seven pitchers, six spots left.

You gotta have a backup catcher, right? I think that Cervelli will win the job, with Austin Romine and John Ryan Murphy tying for a close second. 12 positions players, five spots left.

The left position player spot has to be used for the infield, without question. This is going to be a tough decision, unless one player stands out from the rest during the spring. Dean Anna, Eduardo Nunez and Scott Sizemore are the three players that will fight for the one job. My bet is that Nunez wins the spot, somehow. That's all of the position players, with four spots left.

Those four jobs will go to the bullpen. You would have to think that whoever finishes second in the fifth starter race will go into the bullpen as the long reliever.

I think that right now, Pineda is going to win the starting job, and Phelps will be moved into the bullpen. The Yankees could also decide to put Warren in the pen, where he had some good success last season.

Three spots left.

Joe Girardi said during the offseason that Preston Claiborne would have a spot in the bullpen, and though I didn't really believe it, I'll give him one of the three remaining spots. Now down to two.

Dellin Betances was one of the "Killer Bs" that the Yankees had been raving about. His control is what moved him to the bullpen, where he has been much more successful. I think that a good spring will easily put him in the bullpen on Opening Day.

The last spot in the bullpen and on the roster is going to be awarded to either Cesar Cabral or Jose Ramirez. Both are young pitchers that have high potential, and the Yankees like both of them. Again, a good spring from one of these guys will punch them a ticket to Houston.

Yankees links worth sharing:

* The Yankees made an offer to Stephen Drew earlier in the offseason, believed to be for two or three years, but he declined it, looking for someone with a few more years added on. On top of that, he rejected an offer from the Yankees after the 2012 season, leading the Yankees to sign Kevin Youkilis.

* Alex Rodriguez is suspended for the entire 2014 season, and won't be seen hanging out around the Yankees anytime soon, and apparently his jersey isn't being sold in the team store either.

* Jeter will hold his retirement press conference in Tampa today at 11:30am EST, and Wallace Matthews has one burning question that he wants to ask The Captain -- why now?

* Jeter's retirement press conference will be a lot like Mariano Rivera's last spring, with all of the Yankees' players and coaches in the room, supporting Jeter throughout the presser.

Warm-up song: "Amber" by 311. I turned on the radio, and picked the song that was playing. This was that song. So this is today's warm-up song. Enjoy!

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer for Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Spring Training notebook: Day 4

TAMPA, Fla. -- Robinson Cano is still making headlines in the New York newspapers, yet he signed with the Seattle Mariners a couple months ago. His manager fired back at comments about him in Sunday's NY Daily News; Brendan Ryan thinks Yankees fans will hate him; and Masahiro Tanaka threw another bullpen.

All of that, plus some more, in today's edition of the Yankees Spring Training notebook.

Pitching to his value: Tanaka threw another bullpen Tuesday morning, and once again, he was getting some praise for the way he threw.

“Really impressive. Really impressive,” catcher John Ryan Murphy said. “His fastball command was really good today. Cervy told me it was the other day (as well). Masahiro told me it was probably the best of the three bullpens he had thrown.

"The fastball command for me was really good inside and outside. I think his ability to forget a poor pitch and repeat a better pitch the next pitch was really impressive also. If he threw one poor pitch, he was back (to throwing a good pitch) the next one. I think he threw four or five pitches up in the zone, that was it. He commanded all of his pitches. He’s got a short memory on the bad pitches, and I think overall it was very, very good.”

As for the legendary split-finger that we've all been hearing about, Murphy had some good words about that, too.

“He only threw maybe five or six, but he threw a few that were really good and sharp and hard and downward breaking,” Murphy said. “And then he threw a couple for strikes. He did it all today, honestly.”

As for his arm strength...

“What surprised me was the effort level looked minimal and it was coming out really good,” Murphy said. “Velocity-wise, I have no idea.”

He thinks you guys hate him: Brendan Ryan is going to spend a decent amount of time subbing for Derek Jeter at shortstop this season, and he believes that Yankees fans won't be too fond of that.

But that doesn't matter, because Ryan plans to "embrace the boos," he said Tuesday.

"I'm going to get booed regardless," Ryan said. "I've been booed before. Who cares? If I'm getting high-fives from my teammates, I'm doing something right and that's what matters. Hopefully the fans will come around after that."

Jeter, who announced his retirement on Facebook last week. is coming off a season in which he played just 17 games because of various injuries, including multiple re-injurings of his surgically repaired right ankle.

The Yankees acquired Ryan from the Mariners in September, and though he can't hit, he is good enough in the field that the Yanks re-signed him on a two-year contract this offseason.

Now leading off, in center field: Jacoby Ellsbury showed up to Yankees camp today. He said that he is completely healed from the foot injury that caused him problems late last season and into the playoffs.

“It feels good,” Ellsbury said. “I went into the offseason workouts and once I stepped into that weight room it was 100 percent ready to go. Strength and everything is where it needs to be. … I’ll talk to those guys about it, but as far as me being ready to go, I’m ready to go.”

And to the surprise of nobody, Ellsbury said that Joe Girardi has told him that he'll be leading off and playing center field for the Yankees this season.

Back off my boy: Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon had something to say about Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long's comments on the Daily News Sunday that Cano didn't always hustle down the line, bothering Long during Cano's nine-year tenure in the Bronx.

"Last time I checked, I didn't know that Kevin Long was the spokesman for the New York Yankees," McClendon told ESPN.com. "That was a little surprising. I was a little pissed off, and I'm sure Joe [Girardi] feels the same way. He's concerned with his team and what they're doing, not what the Seattle Mariners players are doing.

"I'm a little surprised that Kevin Long is the spokesman for the New York Yankees. I wonder if he had any problems with Robbie when he wrote that book ["Cage Rat"] proclaiming himself as the guru of hitting."

Long responded to that on Tuesday, saying he wasn't trying to go after Cano in any way, and that "if you look at all the good things that were written about Robinson you would understand there was no malicious meaning behind any of it."

Green with envy, not money: When Yu Darvish came over from Japan to sign with the Texas Rangers two years ago, the posting system that was in place at the time was only able to get him a six-year, $56 million guaranteed deal.

What does he think about the new posting system now that the Yankees were able to give Tanaka a seven-year, $155 million contract this winter?

"I don't know the details of the posting system, but I think the Yankees gave him a little bit too much," said Darvish, chuckling along with his interpreter.

After everyone on Twitter made a big deal over his comments, Darvish tweeted that he was only joking, and the Rangers' PR staff sent out a statement saying, too, that he was only joking. Hmmm...

Parting shot: This comes from Girardi, who was think about the big picture when talking about his club today.....

“I'm encouraged what I've seen in camp so far. It’s a camp that, our staff does a very good job of making sure they see everyone in all the different situations, and that’s why you see BPs spread out throughout the whole day so Larry has a close eye on everyone. But I’m encouraged by what we've got so far.

"Tex hitting the third day in a row, he feels good, and the position players all get here tomorrow, and we’ll get on the field whatever day that is, Thursday.”

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Yankees showing interest in Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz

The Yankees are entering the 2014 season with major question marks throughout their infield. Two of these question marks are Derek Jeter and Brian Roberts. If either of these players go down with an injury, the Yankees could be in serious trouble. Especially if Jeter is the one to get injured.

Because of the Yankees lack of major league ready depth, many have proposed the team go after Stephen Drew. While I have suggested they should sign Drew in the past, they do not seem interested in doing so.

Instead, they seem to be focusing on building depth by signing international free agent Aledmys Diaz.

Diaz is a 23-year-old Cuban export that has spent the past season suspended from baseball for lying about his age -- he lied and said he was 23 so he could sign without being restricted by the MLB's international spending limit. This suspension really helped the Yankees, as now they can sign him without penalty.

According to recent reports, the Yankees are among the many suitors of Diaz. Jon Morosi for Fox Sports recently stated that the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants all sent scouts to Diaz's most recent showcase. Out of these teams ,I only really see the Yankees, Cardinals, Bluejays, and Giants as likely destinations based off of need.

After signing a couple of Cuban infielders, the Dodgers do not seem likely to target Diaz. This is good news because the Dodgers are one of the few teams that can outbid the Yankees. Even if they do not bid on Diaz, the Dodgers influence his price because they overpaid for Alex Guerrero. This might inflate Diaz's value, and reports from MLB.com Jesse Sanchez suggest that he can get $20-30 million.

Below is Ben Badler's scouting report for Diaz.

Age questions and unblocking issues aside, scouting reports on Diaz’s talent remain modest. Though Diaz has played shortstop in Cuba, scouts have said he doesn’t have the lateral range, quickness or footwork to stay at the position. Diaz has shown some ability with the bat, hitting .315/.404/.500 in 313 plate appearances for Villa Clara in his final season in Cuba, albeit in a high-offensive environment in which he ranked 30th in the league in OBP and tied for 20th in slugging.

Based off this year old report, it seems like the $20-30 million dollar figure makes some sense. If the Yankees do choose to sign him he they should follow the Dodger's lead, and give him most of the money as a bonus. This will eventually help with the luxary tax.

Money aside, this would be a huge signing for the Yankees. The teams youngest position player is close to 30 years old. Diaz, who would probably ready by the middle of the season is only 23. Even if he takes a full season to get ready he's the type of player that can help this team get younger, without having to rebuild. The Yankees need Diaz because their best shortstop prospect is in A-ball, and they don't know what kind of prospects they have at second.

While the team would still have room for Drew, if they could only get one it may make sense to get the younger player. The Yankees pitching staff is made up of a lot of young options, but right now Scott Sizemore might be their youngest starter. Sizemore is 29, which shows just how desperate the team is for young blood.

According to Chris Cotillo of MLBDailyDish.com the Cuban shortstop will begin listening to offers on February 18th, and hopes to sign on February 21-22. The Yankees have already committed big money to international free agents this season, and Diaz would be a great addition to that pool.

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Josh Sabo is a Minor League writer for Yanks Beat Blog.

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Warming up: Sizing up the AL East competition this season

The AL East is baseball's toughest division, and not even a $500 million spending-spree can guarantee that the Yankees have a real shot to win the division this season.

They added Brian McCann to upgrade offensively behind the plate; added Masahiro Tanaka as a much needed arm in the starting rotation; brought in Jacoby Ellsbury to bring speed and a lot of potential to the lineup; and signed Carlos Beltran as a veteran bat, who's switch-hitting abilities help create flexibility in the daily lineup.

Monday night, the Baltimore Orioles can to an agreement with Ubaldo Jimenez, just hours after announcing the signing of Suk-min Yoon.

Even though their offseason was a wash, in my mind, its hard to overlook them as the contender that they have been the past two seasons.

The Boston Red Sox didn't make any major moves this winter, but they didn't really need to. They were the defending World Series champions. Being a championship team means that everything was already working well, so why change it.

They will come into the season as the favorites to win the division again, unless the Yankees stay healthy, or the Tampa Bay Rays have the success that I think they can have in 2014.

Adding Grant Balfour and Heath Bell to the bullpen is a plus. Bell hasn't been great in a couple of years since he was with the San Diego Padres, but the Rays have always had success turning around a player's career, and I'm sure Bell with just be another to add to the list.

With Jimenez off the board, it's down to the Toronto Blue Jays to do what they need to do to get a deal done with Ervin Santana, who seems to be drawing interest from no one else. Not the Blue Jays have a great chance to win the division this year, you can cross them off immediately if they don't land Santana. They did nothing worth noticing this winter.

The AL East goes down the the wire just about every year, and nothing about this past offseason suggests that 2014 will be anything different.

Yankees links worth sharing:

* CC Sabathia lost a lot of weight this offseason, and is using ties to Andy Pettitte to believe that his decreased velocity will have no effect on his ability to be a dominant pitcher moving forward. Also, Larry Rothschild talks about a new pitching drill, and there could be a sleeper candidate in the bullpen competition.

* Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long made some comments to the New York Daily on Sunday that he didn't like the way Robinson Cano hustled on the field, but in reality, the Yankees are going to miss everything about him, even his effort.

* With one more great season, Derek Jeter could walk away from the game with the 5th most hits all-time by a Major Leaguer.

Today's warm-up song: "Hustlin" by Rick Ross. Get it? Because Cano didn't hustle. I don't listen to rap music -- and never will -- but I thought it would be funny to use this with Long's comments being a hit topic lately.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Spring Training notebook: Day 3

TAMPA, Fla. -- Another day, another workout, another notebook full of news. Pitchers, catchers and a handful of position players were back on the field in Tampa Monday morning for the third day of workouts this spring. Brian Roberts made some noise, Joe Girardi said that Kelly Johnson will be the super-utility player, and people still care about Robinson Cano.

Roberts: "I'm not going to go in and be Robbie:" Roberts said he got a call from the Yankees during the offseason, before Robinson Cano signed his 10-year mega-deal with the Seattle Mariners.

Roberts didn't take any meaning to it because he thought the Yankees would end up re-signing Cano.

Well, they didn't, and now Roberts, at 36-years-old, is being tasked with replacing Cano. Not exactly, though.

"Robbie is such a special player, I'm not going to go in and be Robbie," Roberts said Monday. "Nobody will be. Our goal is to put nine guys on the field to win a game. My goal is to try and help us do that. I'm sure there are going to be people who are going to want to look out there and say, 'He is not Robbie.' I'm not going to be Robbie and I'm not going to try to be. I'm going to be Brian Roberts and hopefully that is good enough."

Girardi declared after the day's workout that Roberts is going to be the everyday second baseman during the season, with Kelly Johnson as his backup. Johnson, by the way, is expected to spend most of his time at third base, while also being on hand as Mark Teixeira's backup at first base.

And though Girardi didn't mention this, Johnson is also going to be my backup when I can't cover games during the season.

Roberts hasn't played more than 77 games in the last four years, all with the Baltimore Orioles, because of various injuries, and the Yankees need him to be out there everyday. Good luck with that.

"It's been a while," Roberts said.

In 2013, Roberts started off well in the Orioles' first two games of the season, going 4-for-8 at the plate, before popping his hamstring tendon in game No. 3, trying to steal a base.

"That was really frustrating for me," Roberts said. "I thought I was in a place where I thought I was going to bounce back and be myself again."

Pineda gets some high praise: Michael Pineda threw a 35-pitch bullpen session Monday morning, and it left many, including Girardi and Pineda, feeling confident in what he can be this year.

“I’m feeling good. Really good," Pineda said. "I’m throwing the same. Mechanics the same. Everything is the same. All pitches are the same. I’m the same Michael Pineda.”

Though he wasn't throwing in front of a radar gun, Girardi said the Pineda was hitting 93 and 94 mph last year in the minors. So we can guess he's in the same range, and possibly better.

"I thought the ball was coming out easier," Girardi said. "I know he’s had time to clean up a couple things too, mechanically, in this two-year span. He just looked like it came out free and easy to me; didn’t look like he put a ton of effort into it, or that he was overthrowing it."

The Yankees are really hoping that Pineda can stay healthy enough through the spring to win the fifth starter job, because this kid has yet to throw a pitch in the big leagues for the Bombers since coming over two years ago.

If he can return to form as anything close to what he was when with the Mariners in 2011, Pineda could be one of the best fifth starters in the game.

Beltran arrives at spring training: Carlos Beltran checked in at the Yankees spring training complex, and after working out, he told reports that he's excited for the upcoming season, his first in pinstripes.

“I feel great, man," Beltran said. "Since we were able to agree on signing the three-year deal, I’m looking forward to the team. I think we have a real good team. We have a lineup that -- hopefully everyone is healthy, that’s the main thing. I believe the lineup we have is a pretty good lineup. On paper, it looks pretty good. We have to get to know each other and find a way to play the game the right way.”

Beltran also said that he is really looking forward to being a part of Derek Jeter's final season.

"Being able to play with a guy that’s a Hall of Famer – a first-ballot Hall of Famer – is a great feeling," he said. "I’m just looking forward to playing with him and hopefully helping this team win a championship. I know he has a lot of championships, but I don’t have [any]. Hopefully I can win one.”

The Yankees asked Cano to hustle more: Not running hard to first base was one of the few negative things associated with Cano when he left the Yankees for Seattle this winter.

Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long was one of the people speaking out against the second baseman's lack of effort.

"If somebody told me I was a dog, I'd have to fix that. When you choose not to, you leave yourself open to taking heat, and that's your fault. For whatever reason, Robbie chose not to," Long told the New York Daily News on Sunday.

Up next:  Sam old, same old Tuesday morning. Workouts for the spring will continue. And looking a couple days down the road, position players officially report Wednesday, with the first full-squad workout on thursday.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Tempering some early expectations on Peter O'Brien

The main purpose of spring training is to get major league regulars into game shape, and for teams to determine their opening day roster. But sometimes spring training also serves to help prospects make a name for themselves.

While this isn't the purpose of spring training it does in fact occur. Because of this, pundits often with little scouting background, give way too much attention to certain players, and small sizes of statistical performances. A lot of time the attention a prospect or any player gets during spring training is nothing more than hype.

Fans saw this last year as Vernon Wells' great spring didn't mean he would rebound, and Jackie Bradley Jr.'s stats didn't mean he was ready for the major leagues. For this reason, it is important for fans to separate hype from reality during spring training.

One prospect that is currently getting a lot of attention is Peter O'Brien.

Despite the fact that zero games have been played, O'Brien is getting a lot of hype due to his impressive power, as several writer,s including ESPN's Buster Olney, have mentioned it. This power was very evident throughout the 2013 season, in which he hit 22 homeruns and 39 doubles in just 119 games. These results occurred in two pitcher friendly parks and leagues.

His performance and the fact that he is a catcher led him to being invited to spring training this season. Where he impressed many observers over the past few days.

Chad Jennings had this to say about O'Brien:

"Today was my first time watching Peter O’Brien take batting practice. That kid hits some monsters! As I told one of the other writers, even standing around the cage O'Brien just looks like a guy who’s supposed to hit a ton of home runs. Big, tall and strong."

O'Brien's received even more praise in a recent New York Times article that can be found here.

The article states his power numbers -- and RBI numbers for some reason -- and suggest he is a possible replacement for Alex Rodriguez. At this point, it's important to remember to separate hype from reality. Jennings wasn't wrong for citing his homerun potential, but the NY Times articles was wrong for suggesting O'Brien is on course to replace a legend.

At the moment, all O'Brien really has is power. He may or may not be able to maintain a good OBP as he advances. After all, his OBP was only .314 in High-A. In truth, this would be fine if he was a catcher or a third-baseman, but he has yet to master either position.

It's important that fans don't get their hopes up too high, what he does at batting practice or even at the plate isn't as important as what he does behind the plate or at third. O'Brien may very well leave spring training with more value than he has now, but it's important not to just look at his power and start talking about him as a future starter, because he is still a bit of a project.

I believe that he could become a good player, but that would depend more on what he does in Double-A next season than how he performs this spring.

What I am writing about O'Brien is applicable to every prospect and player. While we'd obviously rather see good performances from our players, it isn't only about numbers, especially not spring training numbers.

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Josh Sabo is a Minor League writer for Yanks Beat Blog.

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Warming up: Mark Teixeira says "we're back to being the Yankees"

The Yankees may have lost Robinson Cano this winter, but they spent almost $500 million to get Masahiro Tanaka, Brian McCann, Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran.

And Mark Teixeira approves of those moves.

"We're back to being the Yankees again." said Teixeira, who missed almost the entire 2013 season because of a wrist injury. "Last year, we weren't the Yankees. We had so many injuries and we had so many guys that should have been in there to be lots of anchors [in the lineup.] That's back."

The Yankees are hoping that Teixeira can get back to full health by the end of the spring, because right now Kelly Johnson, who is expected to spend a lot of time at third base this year, is slated to be his backup, according to manager Joe Girardi.

He said Sunday that he expects to play in at least 150 game this season, and be the 30 homerun, 100 RBI hitter that the Yankees signed in 2009.

"I know when I'm out there and healthy, my team is a better team and that is no different this year," said Teixeira, who turns 34 in April.

"We had a great offseason," Teixeira said. "It was fun to watch. I was texting Cash every two weeks, telling him congrats on another great signing, great offseason. I basically told him, 'You did your job. Now, it is time for us to do ours.' No excuses this year, we have a team that can compete for a world championship."

The Yankees haven't really been the Yankees since winning the World Series in 2009. They had spent the last couple of offseasons trying to save money in hopes of getting under the luxury-tax mark by 2014, but after missing the playoffs last season, they couldn't risk missing October for a second straight year, forcing them to go back to their old ways, signing every big star they could.

Yankees links worth sharing:

* Ten years ago yesterday, Bud Selig approved a trade that sent Alex Rodriguez from the Texas Rangers to the Yankees. But it wasn't that simple. In a story very similar to "The Deal," an ESPN 30for30 that aired on ESPN Sunday night, Joel Sherman dove deeper into everything surrounding the trade, including how the Rangers almosted ended up with a double play duo of Robinson Cano and Jose Reyes, and how A-Rod's opt-out clause of seven-years was actually to help get him in a New York Mets uniform.

* Major League Baseball officially announced Thursday that the Yankees would play a two-game exhibition series against the Miami Marlins in Panama on March 15th and the 16th. But as of right now, the Yankees have no idea of who might be making the trip to mostly honor Mariano Rivera, a Panama native.

* Derek Jeter is retiring, leaving the Yankees without their face of the franchise. Five years from now, how might the new face be? McCann or Ellsbury? It'll most likely be Tanaka, as Wallace Matthews writes.

* A pair of players that hope to make the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Dean Anna and Vidal Nuno were both signed with Major League deals with the Yankees on Sunday, according to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, and Yanks Go Yard has the story.

* The Yankees already have a four person cast of pitchers battling for the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, with Michael Pineda, David Phelps, Adam Warren and Nuno in the mix, but Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe thinks that the Yankees could "intensify" their efforts in him with his price quickly dropping.

Today's warm-up song: "House of gold" by Twenty-one Pilots. I really like this one from an underrated band.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Spring Training notebook: Day 2

TAMPA, Fla. -- Sunday was the second day of official workouts this spring. Mark Teixeira took most of the headlines while speaking to the media, while also getting in some swings on the field. But that wasn't the only thing worth talking about.

Teixeira sets high expectations for himself: First baseman Mark Teixeira, who is coming off of wrist surgery last season, arrived at Yankees camp Sunday, and spoke to the media about his expectations, who is wrist is doing, and what his recovery plans are in spring training.

"I feel good. I'm excited about being here." he said. "No setbacks the entire offseason, the summer into the offseason, which is good. My surgeon was very happy and Steve is happy. So I'm happy."

Teixeira said that his injured wrist didn't really have much effect on his offseason workouts.

I actually got to lift more, which was good. I feel like I've put on a couple of pounds of muscle, which is nice for me. My offseason started July 1st, and with the rehab and extra time, concentrating on my body and not worrying about resting, I got plenty of rest which was good. The first month or two of the offseason is just resting from a long season. I didn't have that this year so I was able to work a little bit more."

He's coming into the season with some high expectations placed on himself, saying that he's hoping to play at least 150 games, and be the 30 homerun, 100 RBI game in the middle of the Yankees' lineup like like they expected him to be when he was signed in 2009.

"I absolutely plan on playing 150-plus games this year. That's my goal. Every now and then I'll have a day off, of course. That's just natural. You get beat up a little bit during the season, but I expect to have a healthy, productive season." he said.

He later added, "There's not one guy that has to carry this team, but absolutely I expect to hit in the middle of the order, hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 runs. That's going to take pressure off everybody and help us win games."

As for his plans this spring, Teixeira said that he is "going to get my 50-plus at-bats in Spring Training. I'm going to get as many swings as I need. It'll be a little slow the first couple of weeks just to make sure I'm easing into things."

He said that he started swinging a bat in January, taking about 20 swings from each side, and building up 5-to-10 each week. Right now, he is 45-to-50 from each side of the plate, and will continue to add on as the spring progresses.

Relievers take their turn: After the startings threw bullpens on Saturday, the Yankees had two groups of relievers throw bullpens on Sunday, including should-be closer David Robertson, who was joined by Shawn Kelley, Matt Dailey and Matt Thornton.

Cesar Cabral, Brian Gordon, Chris Leroux and Mark Montgomery were part of the second group to throw.

Putting on a show: Catching prospect Peter O'Brien was mashing balls during batting practice today. Even though the Yankees have enough catchers to last them the next decade, the 6-foot-3, 215 pound O'Brien will be someone to watch down the road, or possibly in the trade market.

Manny throws a bullpen: Manny Banuelos threw his first bullpen session of the spring, coming off of Tommy John Surgery. Yankees manager Joe Girardi also confirmed recent reports that Banuelos could make the team out of spring training as the second lefty in the bullpen.

However, it's more likely that he'll start the year in Triple-A -- as I wrote in Sunday's Warming up, the Yankees would be very wise to start Banuelos in the minors as a starter, rather than putting him in the big leagues to start the year.

Up next: Pitchers and catchers are back at it again on Monday, expecting to be on the field around 10:30am EST at spring training complex.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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Warming up: Yankees need to ease Banuelos back into things

Manny Banuelos said on Saturday that "this is my year." After missing nearly the last two seasons because of Tommy John Surgery, Banuelos has arrived to spring training healthy and ready to fight for a spot in the Yankees' bullpen.

According to reports, the Yankees could take Banuelos to Houston with them on Opening Day as the second lefty out of the bullpen, behind Matt Thornton.

"I don't mind if it’s out of the bullpen or as a starter," he said. "I can do both. I just want to be with the team, that’s all."

Personally, I don't like that idea. I think that the Yankees would be making a much smarter decision in starting him in the minors as a starter this season. Banuelos actually projects as possibly a No. 2 or No. 3 starter down the road, so why stop that from happening?

The kid, who turns just 23 in March, has only thrown 24 innings since the 2011 season. Working him back slowly now only lets him get back into form, but it can help him develop into a very good big league starter down the road.

Rushing him back so that he can be in the bullpen as a second lefty doesn't, realistically, make the Yankees a whole lot better. Yes, it would be a good arm to have, but he doesn't the bullpen over-the-top.

Not only that, but isn't really helping his development.

So what the Yankees really need to do is start him in Triple-A. Let him get some innings under his belt as a starter. If he can't handle that -- he has yet to dominate in the upper-levels of the minors -- then you can move him to the bullpen, as they did with Dellin Betances.

Yankees links worth sharing:

* The Yankees traded for Alex Rodriguez exactly ten years ago today, and there has never been a dull moment in this long-lasting marriage, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

* Masahiro Tanaka has a long way to go in transitioning from Japan to Major League Baseball, says Joel Sherman, the running just one mile was only the beginning.

* From Newsday's Erik Boland: With a handful of open spots in the Yankees' bullpen, Betances is hoping to claim one of those job openings.

* In the first couple weeks of spring training, Yankees manager Joe Girardi is mostly trying to stress patients to players before going all out to win a roster spot.

* Coming to a new setting this year, Tanaka has the eyes of not one, but two countries watching him this season, writes CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman.

Today's warm-up song: "Good riddance" by Green Day. Because the Yankees really wish they could just say this to A-Rod already, tens year to this day after the acquired him from the Texas Rangers.

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Gavin Ewbank is the Lead Writer of Yanks Beat Blog, and you can follow him on Twitter (below).

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