Will there really be a competition? Yankee left-field best-case scenarios, ranked.

Here's to free market competition! It's wonderful, it's clean, it's profitable! You advertise the opening and consider all applicants. No Nepo babies, no insider-trading... let the best outfielder win!

If the Yankees held actual competitions, who knows how Opening Day would look? Alas, that ship sailed long ago. The Yanks regularly open spring in Tampa with the lineup bogged in concrete and the only contest surrounding the final, Lucas Luetge  bullpen spot. That's okay: It's nice to have a rock in RF.  

This year, the Death Barge is supposedly launching an old-fashioned contest for left field, the former home to Joey Gallo. Nobody knows what's next. Maybe somebody will hit .400 and win the position. Maybe it will fester into July and force Cooperstown Cashman to work his magic at the trade deadline. (That's a joke, by the way.)  

Here are the ranking best-case scenarios for LF: 

1. Estevan Florial breaks out. We've waited on Esty for six years, so long you'd think he's pushing 32. He turned 25 in November. Yeah, he fans a lot, but since when was that a deterrent? Last year at Scranton, Florial hit .283 with 15 HRs and 39 SBs. After Harrison Bader, he's the best glove in our OF. Bats LH, too. Will the Yanks really give him a shot? He needs a great camp. Returning to Scranton is career death.

2. Oswaldo Cabrera breaks out. The only reason he's not No. 1 here is his value as an all-purpose utility knife. He turns 24 on March 1. He floundered last October, looking scouted and overmatched. Still, finished with 6 HRs in 154 at bats. Wouldn't it be nice?

3. Somebody from the cattle call breaks out. We have a pile of non-roster invitees - including Willie Calhoun, Michael Hermosillo, Billy McKinney and Rafael Ortega. They're all pushing the Luke Voit/Mike Tauchman age envelope - likely destined for Scranton. Is there a Gio Urshela here? A hidden gem? Fingers crossed. 

4. A Cashman scrap heap signing. Somewhere out there, beneath the pale moonlight... You could say this is No. 4 repeated - (what is Willie Calhoun but another Cashman Scrapyard Cutie?) But by late-March, teams will be cutting personnel, and Cashman will be lurking the waiver wire like a playground predator. Over the years, this has been his strongest suit - signing nobodies. 

5. A Cashman mega-trade. Pray this does not happen. The fear here is Brian Reynolds, a fine LF the Pirates are dangling in front of Cashman's snapping jaws. Last year, his deals went south, fast and hard. You could argue his trades killed the team. We've waited two years for Anthony Volpe, watching free agent shortstops change the landscape. Would Cashman trade him, drain the system? Shoot me. 

6. Jasson Dominguez breaks out. In many ways, this would be wonderful. It's fun to think like a 14-year-old. This is pure fantasy. The Yanks will not rush Dominguez, nor should they. Bringing him north in April would subject him to the pressure, to the media, to the hookers, and to the contractual impact on his future arbitration service time. Even if he leads the team in homers - (as Kyle Higashioka did last spring) - it won't matter. He'll start in Double A. From there, maybe a call in September? Until it happens, even that is a pipe dream. 

7. Aaron Hicks breaks out. I feel bad about rating this last. Once upon a time, Hicksy gave us hope. Then came the injuries. It's not his fault that Cashman bestowed a terrible contract on him. But if gets hot in March, he'll get hurt in April. That's how Hicks works. He gets hot, he gets hurt, he starts cold, then gets hot, then gets hurt, repeat cycle..  nope. The dream here: He gets hot, he gets traded. But that never happens, does it?