Forget the stars, ignore the rooks: It's the scrap heap that matters in 2016

In recent years, Brian Cashman hasn't really hooked a free agent Reggie or raised the next Thurman. The big signings - Ellsbury, McCann, Beltran, Headley - have yet to yield one post-season victory. The big prospects - Severino, Bird, Judge, et al - must still prove themselves. Cash did a few Trumpian deals - Didi Gregorious his masterwork. But it's the scrap heap where Cash is king. Be it Yangervis Solarte, Chris Young or a bullpen lug nut, Cash knows raggedy suits and used toasters. The Yankees are the Retrieval Empire.

So who will be the scrap heap position acquisitions of 2016?

Frankly, they are probably yet to come. The scrap draft comes in late March, when the best teams clean their stables. Joel Sherman this week wrote that he thinks the Yankee backup 3B is not yet in camp. He'll be some discard. By then, injuries will be reporting to Tampa, and Cashman will be trying to spackle over the holes.

But for now, here are the likely best scrap heap position players in camp.

Ronald Torreyes, 23, a middle infielder. Switch hitter. Last year, he bounced all over creation, five teams, but still batted .261 with four home runs. He got a glimpse of the Dodgers - (eight games, two for six) - and then disappeared. He's 5'10," a glove man. Not particularly fast - five SB, four CS. If something happens to Didi... 

Carlos Corporan, 32, switch-hitting backup C. To call him a switch-hitter is a misnomer. He doesn't hit either way. But he's a tank. It's him or Austin Romine to start the season as McCann's backup, and Romine can't seem to find a break in this world. The Yankees won't start with Gary Sanchez, unless McCann gets hurt. If we're lucky, Corporan is a cheaper Jose Molina. 

Pete Kozma, 28, RH IF. One of many former first-round draft picks we have accumulated. He has never hit. (Wait - that's not true: In 2008, he hit .284 for Quad City in the Midwestern League.) He can field. In his minor league career, he's batted .238. He's a few injuries away from starting.

Chris Parmelee, 28, RH 1B. Former first-rounder, natch. Career .245 hitter in MLB, without discernible power. (28 HRs in five years.) We signed him last week to hold down 1B at Scranton, because of the injury to Greg Bird. 

Lane Adams, 26, RH, OF. He's bounced around the KC farm system for eight years, but last season was his peak. At Double and Triple A, he hit a combined .281 with 16 HRs. He also stole 31 bases. Trouble is, the Yankees have several OF candidates at Scranton, so I don't know how this guy gets playing time. Well, actually, I do: somebody gets hurt. It always comes down to that, eh?

One of these days, we'll look at the scrap heap pitchers. Not exciting. But the scrap heap never is..