Yankees and Major League Baseball arrive at a crossroads

They might not give him any more money [You were warned]

They looked at Dellin Betances and saw a player who might be about to fall apart. And that is in part the reason they removed Dillon Tate from the Arizona Fall League and replaced him with Albert Abreu.

Abreu projects more as a reliever, and an excellent one, and felt getting him ready for that role more pressing than allowing Dillon another chance to advance.

I have heard some faint injury news about Tate, but I still think the above played into the decision making process. During open tryouts for the bullpen next spring training, Abreu figures to be front and center.

Abreu, though, seems like the least likely change predicted in the desert. The Yankees played McKinney at first quite a bit in the AFL; that means he is lined up to be not only the new super-utility player but also Bird’s primary back-up.

The team never found a suitable player for this role in 2017, but McKinney has the Yankees convinced he is the man for 2018.

Show me the man-y?

And Thairo Estrada has convinced everybody. The Yankees sent Thairo to the AFL to see if he was as good against much better competition, or was just right for his age. What all Estrada did was show he is one of the best young infielders in baseball, and rake like a mother.

He will probably start the season at Scranton, but will eventually either replace Ronald Torreyes or be traded for a player of real value.

Ronald Acuna was the best player in the AFL, easily won the MVP, and deserved to. But Thairo’s name had to come up. Now, what do they do with him? If Torres is a definite yes, and Andujar is more likely to make it than Estrada, what should the Yankees do?