Are the Yankees done with the winter?

They finally disappeared Sonny. They'll pass on Manny and Bryce and Dallas (oh my.) Apparently, Frugal Hal will keep the Yankee payroll below the second tier of luxury tax - around $220 million - which means the music has stopped, and the purse just closed. From now on, we're talking about signing the Danny Farquars and the David Hales, reclamation projects and bulwarks of Scranton. Our "fully operational Death Star" is about to transform into the Retrieval Empire. Remember that teenager who built the machine to recover plastics from the ocean? He should remodel it after the Yankees.

Cooperstown Cashman has basically reformed the team that finished 8 games behind Boston last year, and which in October dropped three out of four. (Although, to be fair, the Redsocks right now are not last year's team, their bullpen compromised by the losses of Kimbrell and Kelly.) 

So... are we done? It's over? Is that all there is? If that's all there is, then let's keep dancing. Let's break out the booze and have a ball. If that's all... there is?

If winter's over, we face serious question marks.

What happens when Tulo gets hurt? Hate to be a nudge here, but seriously, what happens? Last year, the very fabric of the Yankees was fundamentally altered by Giancarlo Stanton and his generation-crushing contract. This year, everything revolves around seeking the minimum wage solution to Sir Didi's injury: Troy Tulowitzki's comeback. And listen: Tulo will come back. The guy is a pro. If he says he's still got it, he's still got it. Trouble is, he's got it until something goes "oy" in the shower - a hip, a heel, a gonad - something will bark like Dick Cheney's caboose after cabbage stew. Then it's six weeks on the DL and a rehab assignment in Trenton. Then what? The 34-year-old SS is like the Higgs Boson: it lasts a moment, then it's gone. 

Are we seriously listing CC as a starter? They're talking him up because... well... he's been cleared by his cardiologists. Doctors say he probably won't die. That's the lowest bar since David Cone's aneurysm, and Coney hadn't suffered four bad seasons before the diagnosis. Listen: We all love CC. But to list him in the rotation? That's delusional. But hey, great news Yankee fans: he probably won't clutch his chest and die on the mound!

Will James Paxton break the Cashman Power Arm Curse? It extends back to the days of Jeff Weaver and Javier Vazquez - Cooperstown's relentless quest for the Holy Grail, a starting pitcher who won't separate like old mayonnaise while in pinstripes. The latest incarnations were Michael Pinada and Sonny Gray. So, we are now touting Paxton as the answer to the rotation, a potential ace. Well, last January, we said the same about Sonny. There is a reason why teams trade certain warhorse pitchers; they think the guy is running out of bullets. Paxton is an injury risk. To get him, we traded our best pitching prospect in many years. Could this become the catastrophic deal that ends Cashman's run in NYC? Or is he immune to second-guessing?

Will the infield improve defensively? Our most interesting free agent acquisition this winter - DJ LeMahieu - is a slick-fielding, slap-hitting 2B. Can he play SS too? Right now, our infield looks like Monument Park - full of statues: Andujar, Tulo, Gleyber and some variation of Bird/Voit. Add Gary "the Goalie" Sanchez behind the plate, and this could be the worst Yankee defense since Gary Sheffield picked up a firstbaseman's mitt. We hope our young players will improve. If they don't, dear God, we could be facing doomsday. 

Is that all there is to the winter? The purse is closed? Oh, well, let's break out the booze... and have a ball... if that's all... there is.