With due respect to Mr. Lewis Carrol, the Yankees' issues just keep growing curiouser and curiouser

When the lockout ended, we expected an avalanche of moves - a Cashmanic makeover. Now, we're stumbling toward Day IV - still closer to the beginning than the end. Last night brought the well prophesized return of Anthony Rizzo, and it merely sends us down another rabbit hole of questions, questions... ever curiouser questions...

1. Where will Luke Voit go, and what will we get? Obviously, like his BMW commercial, he's history. On the IT IS HIGH Cosmic First Base Depth Chart, Luke is tied for third - behind Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu - with Josh Donaldson and Miguel Cabrera. (As for DH, he's somewhere in the five-man rotation.) Surely, some NL patsy mark team will step forward - the  underground railroad to Pittsburgh?- and cough up a Triple A donut bag. Or we sweeten the pot with prospects for some Sidney Ponson retread. Whatever. Either way, Luke's Yankee era is over. But we'll always have those TV ads: "I'm Luke Voit, and this is what drives me... out of NY." 

2. What happens with the NYC vax mandate? Let's spare ourselves a debate on mandates. Wanna make your case? Do a dance on TicTok. But the mandate's potential impact on the 2022 Yankees could be catastrophic - starting with Aaron Judge. By the mealy-mouthed way Judge answered questions yesterday, it's likely that he's never gotten the jab. (He'll have to address this today.) Fine. Guy's an adult. Gonna do what he gonna do. But if Judge truly wants to play his entire career in New York, sitting out 80 home games is not the primrose path. If this is his personal line in the sand - Judge, or any other Yankee - needs to be traded to a town without a mandate. Kansas City would be perfect. 

3. Re: Vax mandates... Is the notion that Randy Levine is "on it" supposed to conjure hope?  

4. What about Donaldson? When I see him penciled in at 3B, I get Youk flashbacks. The Great Kevin Youkilis Exodus of 2013 (a year that featured the comedy team of Overbay and Pronk.) Youk was 34, two years younger than Donaldson. The first question of spring was whether an old Redsock nemesis could fit in happily with the Yanks. Youk handled it deftly, professionally, smilingly, no problem. He won over the braying hounds of Tampa. Then, about a month into the season, he felt a tweak. He played a total of 28 games. Twenty-eight. Last year, Donaldson played 92 at 3B. He's got barking joints and muscles. If we've learned anything, it is that injury-prone players, when traded to the Bronx, do not turn into Iron Man. Just sayin.'

5. What's our lineup right now? Well, we resemble a sandlot team, kids shouting positions before taking the field. Here's a possible batting order.

cf Aaron Hicks
rf Aaron Judge
dh Giancarlo Stanton
1b Anthony Rizzo
3b DJ LeMahieu
lf Joey Gallo
2b Gleyber Torres
ss Isiah Kiner-Falefa
c Ben Rortvedt 

Leftovers:
Josh Donaldson
Luke Voit
Miguel Andujar
Kyle Higashioka 
Brett Gardner?

I honestly don't know what to make of this, except that I doubt Cashman is done.  

6. Now that the Yanks are out on Freddie Freeman, where does he go? After Putin launching nukes, this is the scariest thought across the Yankiverse. Boston and Toronto are rumored to still be in the bidding. If either pulls the trigger, we will face a vastly superior lineup this summer. Both teams already had more firepower last year, and now you're adding Freddie Freeman? (Who, by the way, was made to hit in Fenway.) 

Keep in mind that the Blue Jays - after playing two Covid seasons away from Toronto - might now enjoy the greatest homefield advantage in history. (Canada won't allow unvaxed players into the country. So opposing players could not cross the border.) 

Day Four? What's in store?