So it comes down to this? Gio Gonzalez? Ervin Santana?

Supposedly, the Yankees may have one last one last card to play this winter. They'll buy a cheap veteran starter in the February flea market. It might be 36-year-old Ervin Santana. Or Gio Gonzalez, who is only 33. 

It will be an exciting day for the Yankees, proof again that everyone plays for us, eventually. 

I remember when a young, rawboned Santana - pitching for the Angels - shut us down in the playoffs. When was that, 1973? Last year, Ervin went 0-1 with an 8.03 ERA for Minnesota. He pitched in five games. That ought to get him a big contract. As for Gonzalez, wasn't he always on the list of young "power arms" coveted by Coopertown Cashman? Last year, he went 10-11 with a 4.21 ERA for two NL teams. It's a wonder we're not trading our farm system for him.

Either could soon become a Yankee.

Insert sigh here.

For two years, they told us why the Yankees desperately needed to cut payroll: It was a long term plan. The free agent class of 2018-19 would feature some of the greatest talents in a generation, and the  Yankees wanted to be players. Thus, the franchise sat on its wallet last year, while Boston outspent us by $40 million en route to a world championship.

Now this: We are turning over couch cushions to fund an Ervin Santana. (Note: Wade Miley was also part of this three-pronged free agent perp-walk, but he signed with the Astros last night.)

I know, I know... this gets tiresome, having me repeat myself again and again. But as the Yankees rake in more dough than ever before in history, they are using their iconic status to simply enrich themselves further, rather than win.

Ervin Santana? Gio Gonzalez? Ervin Gonzalez? Fukkit. I hope we do nothing. I'd rather take my chances with Chance Adams. 

You know, it's actually quite strange... how disappointing and infuriating this winter has become. It's not as if we haven't picked up a few important players - Zach Britton and JA Happ, for example. But it's what we haven't done - used our financial advantage - that exposes the naked greed of our owner. The father wanted to win at all costs. The son just sees the costs.

But I'm serious about not wanting either of these chumps. If the Yankees sign Santana, it won't matter how awful he looks in spring training. They will look at his $5 million price tag and pencil him in as the sixth starter, where he will sit through May, until the bombings take their toll or his shoulder barks. You can forget about Adams or Jonathan Loaisiga, or anybody who happens to throw hard in Tampa: They'll all go straight to Scranton and disappear. The Yankees will look at the money they're paying the veterans and want to get good value. It's the way of all Yankee down periods, and - folks - we are in one now.