New York Yankees

Say what you want about the Yankees.

You can say they buy all their players.

You can say that any team could be successful if they broke the bank every season like the Yankees.

However, you would be wrong.

Because just like the "underdog" Rays, Marlins, and Twins, the Yankees also develop talent.

According to Jorge Arangure of ESPN, Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria has been “unblocked” by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and is now free to sign with any major league team.

The consensus right now is that the 19-year-old could earn as much as $10 million, which would be more than the $8.2 million the Red Sox recently paid Jose Iglesias this winter.

"The biggest game I ever played in was probably Don Larsen's perfect game."

Those were the words of Mickey Mantle, who played in many big games. On Oct. 8, 1956, Mickey Mantle had one of the best games of his great career.

If the competition for the Yankees' No. 5 starter's spot is truly a five-man race, frontrunners Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes would currently rank fourth and fifth on the depth chart.

After Chad Gaudin, Sergio Mitre and Alfredo Aceves each turned in two scoreless innings of work in Wednesday's spring opener against the Pirates, Hughes and Chamberlain both struggled in their first outings on Friday.

In yesterday's Spring Training game against the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees fans got what was, for many, their first look at two young catchers in the Yankee organization.

Austin Romine took over behind the plate for Jorge Posada. Romine looked very steady behind the plate in his set up and how quiet he was receiving pitches.

He also showed good agility, blocking several balls in the dirt even though there were no Phillies runners on the bases.

After losing the 1964 World Series to the St. Louis Cardinals, the Yankees fired manager Yogi Berra and hired the manager who had beaten them in that World Series, Johnny Keane.

World Champions Again?

Keane, like so many others, failed to realize that the key Yankees' players were mere shells of themselves. He never got to know them, and they never knew the real Johnny Keane.

Here are some news and stories of note from yesterday:

As most of you know by now, the defending World Series champions have some roster questions to sort out this spring. Every couple days I will provide updates on those battles and see who has the edge at any given time.

I may throw a few extra names into the battles for comparison's sake.

To see the updated spring training stats, go to Double G Sports

Tim Marchman of Sports Illustrated recently ranked the 30 general managers in baseball and the Yankees GM Brian Cashman ranked pretty high at No. 3 behind Andrew Friedman of the Tampa Rays and Theo Epstein of the Boston Red Sox.

3. Brian Cashman, New York Yankees

The offseason is over and the Yankees roster is pretty much set, but since they signed relief pitcher Chan Ho Park there has been a glut of relievers and something has got to give. Whether it be an injury or two that solves the logjam or even a trade—that has yet to be seen.