A year ago, the Yankees were deep in young pitchers. It's all gone.

Remember "The Gas Station?" It was the Yankee developmental site in Tampa last year, where young pitchers increased their spin rates and radar gun numbers. The Yankees seemed to have cracked the code on raising minor league starters, and it suggested a looming new era of pitching depth. 

Yeah, right. 

Today, it looks more like a short-term mirage, a burst of hubris spawned by a coincidental wave of young talent, which is now scattered to the winds. 

That wave was traded away for players who were defined by their contracts, despite the Yankees being the wealthiest franchise in baseball. The youngsters were sent to the three or four MLB teams willing to trade with the Yankees, if the deals are sweet enough.

Well, they certainly were. This spring, the Yankees starting rotation has turned into an Agatha Christie novel - pitchers disappearing, one by one. In the case of Luis Severino, the latest to go, it's a sad, desperate normalcy. 

Sevy - now in his final year before free agency - is one of those rare MLB players who has the Ellsburian ability to injure himself while rehabbing from a previous injury. 

He will probably miss April and May. 

Today, I got nothing. This spring has become an unfunny joke. Jhony Brito and Randy Vasquez - who were always destined for Scranton -are now prime contenders for the No. 5 starter slot, and Tanner Danish - relentlessly drilled all spring - might be a setup man. And there is a week to go. Will anybody still be around?