From now until April 1, the Yankees will be hitting the flea markets for a Bartolo and a Steve

In the wild jubilation surrounding the arrival of Brandon Drury, there remains speculation about what "Cooperstown" Cashman will do with the remaining $10-$12 million in his Yankee 2018 Spring War Chest. Drury came cheap - not in prospects, but, literally, cheap: He'll earn the MLB minimum, and the Empire owns his tortured soul for the next four years.

So what will Cashman do with all his Mallo Cup coupons? We've discussed the wish list for finding the next Bartolo Colon. Every fan base wants one. Do you realize that it's been seven years (2011) since the Yankees signed Barto off the scrap heap for a measly $900,000? He has twice gone to the All-Star game, and in 2013 finished second in ERA, sixth in the Cy Young vote. Last year, the Braves paid him $12.5 million. Now, that was a signing worth inscription on Cashman's plaque. Unfortunately, we let him go. 

So... first on our fantasy napkin list is a new Bartolo. (Last year we tried ex-Met Jonathon Niese; oh well...)

But next on that list needs to be a firstbaseman, just in case Greg Bird - well, you know... does what Greg Bird does. (Birdy bones are known to snap easily.) Over his six years as a pro, he has played in the equivalent of three and a half seasons. He lost his first years to a knee, then tore his labium, and last year it was the ankle. Last fall, he looked great. But what if he drops a bar of soap on his toe in the shower?

Right now, we would turn to - gulp - backup catcher Austin Romine or the equally injury-prone Tyler Austin. (What is it about Yankees named Austin and Tyler?) The Yanks traded Chase Headley and Garrett Cooper, and said bu-bye to the Toddfather and our own Liddle Rocket Man, Ji-Man Choi. It's been noted that Drury can play 1B, but according to the Internet, he's only played one game there in his MLB career, so... I dunno. As for Judge, Stanton or Red Thunder... I still dunno... Remember how A-Rod and Beltran freaked out there as a Girardian experiment? Old Brigadoon Refsnyder is gone to Team Canada, and Billy McKinney, an "unknown unknown" worthy of Donald Rumsfeld, played 1B in the recent Arizona League. If a Birdian gonad goes pop, the Yankees would be in a free-fall at first base.

Clearly, there's no call to run out and sign Lou Gehrig - no place for him and no money. But the Yankees could use a Steve - as in Pearce - sort of a Bartolo Lite. It's been six years (2012) since Cashman signed Pearce off the scrap heap; he came to bat 30 times for us that year (1 HR, .160 ave.) Since then, the guy has hit 80 MLB homers, barging around the majors, and batted .309 for Tampa Bay in 2016. He's been named AL Player of the Week and in 2014 ranked 9th among AL position players in WAR - so there you go, cyber wonks! We had him. We let him go. No big deal. 

But my guess is that Cashman is trolling the Tiki bars for a Bartolo or a Steve. We're not done until the money's gone. From now until April 1, the flea market is open and underway. Here's an idea: Instead of trading more youngsters, let's buy cheap and see what happens.