The New York Yankees are only a few days into Spring Training, but already we have learned a few things. Here is a look at three of them.

The Yankees Are Desperate To Protect Their Starting Pitchers

There is a possibility the Yankees will open the season with a six-man starting rotation, or at least occasionally insert a sixth starting pitcher throughout the season. They aren't planning to do that because they have so many quality starters they don't know who to push into the bullpen, or out of some sense of wanting to be a trend-setter.


They are planning to do it out of self-preservation due to fragility of the top three members of their starting rotation.

Ace Mahahiro Tanaka suffered a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament last season, starting just 20 games. He chose rehab over surgery, and the Yankees are crossing their fingers he remains healthy. Reports are good thus far, but there are no guarantees.

CC Sabathia pitched only eight games last season before undergoing season-ending knee surgery. At 34, with a surgically repaired right knee and a left arm that has thrown nearly 3,000 big-league innings, Sabathia can't be the 230-inning workhorse he once was.

Michael Pineda can be dominant at times, but missed all of 2012 and 2013 with shoulder injuries, and pitched in only 13 games last season.

Thus, the idea of limiting how much starting the Yankees starting pitchers do:

“Possibly as games pile up, 13 in a row, 17 in a row, I think we have 30 games in 31 days from April into May, we’re going to have to examine if we’re going to use a sixth starter during some of those stretches. But not necessarily to have a six-man rotation,’’ pitching coach Larry Rothschild said Wednesday. “I think it’s the result of a lot stuff that has gone on over the last few years everywhere. We’re aware of situations here. Early in the season, we need to get these guys through these stretches.

“Being that possibly early in spring some of them aren’t going to be able throw a lot, we’re going to need to build them up too and give the extra days when we can. Also, it would be nice to go through a season with five starters, but there’s a good chance we are not. It doesn’t hurt to see who might fit in as a sixth starter.”

No matter how they Yankees spin it, the six-starter idea is really a sign of weakness rather than one of strength.

Closer Situation Is Unclear

The Yankees let closer David Robertson go via free agency this offseason, signing left-handed reliever Andrew MIller instead. That leaves the Yankees without a proven closer. Miller has one save in 193 career relief appearnaces. Dellin Betances had one save during an All-Star rookie season as a setup man.

The Yankees' plan appears to be to use Miller and Betances as co-closers, trying to determine who will close based on matchups.

That sounds nice, but can you think of a team in recent history that has been successful with this approach? I can't, at least not quickly. Ultimately, the Yankees will have to choose either Miller or Betances to close.

Generally speaking in baseball, a team with two closers is usually a team with none.

Losing Yoan Moncada To Red Sox Is A Big Blow

Top Cuban infield prospect Yoan Moncada decided this week to spurn overtures from the Yankees, signing instead with the Boston Red Sox for a record-setting $31.5 million.

Most analysts think the 22-year-old is going to be a star in the big leagues, and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team "made a significant offer" to Moncada. That offer was apparently worth $25 million. Because the Yankees had exceeded their bonus poll allotment for signing international players, they would have been taxed 100 percent of the signing of Moncada. That means a $25 million deal would have cost them $50 million. The Red Sox, in the same situation as the Yankees, will actually spent $63 million on Moncada.

Because the Yankees exceeded their spending allotment they cannot sign an international playe rfor more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods. That meant Moncada was their last chance to grab a top international international player until the 2017-2018 signing period.

While the Yankees farm system is improving, their remains a dearth of major league-ready position players. That is where signing Moncada could have made a huge impact.