Odds of the Yankees Signing This Winter's Top Free Agents, According to Bleacher Report

With the conclusion of the World Series tonight, it'd certainly seem appropriate for fans of each and every MLB team to start looking forward to the offseason.

And by the offseason, obviously. I primarily mean free agency, the time every year where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. So with that, thanks to Bleacher Report, here are the odds of the Yankees signing this winter's top talent, along with my thoughts on them.

1. Victor Martinez: 5%

According to the site, Martinez, 36, currently wants a four-year deal, something the Yankees just aren't gonna give him. I still expect them to show some interest in him this December, but ultimately not enough to cut a deal.

2. James Shields/Jon Lester: 15%

With this duo, writer Kenny DeJohn simply stated that the Yankees' acquring either of them isn't likely, as the ex-AL East hurlers are both going to ask for top dollar and around seven years. This seems about right, seeing as both are climbing in age.

3. Andrew Miller: 20%

I've always liked Miller, but I like David Robertson more. Give him the money instead.

4. Asdrubel Cabrebra: 50%

It's him or Stephen Drew. Yes, Drew's good on defense, but since Cabrera can also hit I'd definitely make a run at him. It just seems like doing so would help the team more.

5. Brandon McCarthy: 75%

No comment necessary. 

Read the full article here.

YES Network Writer Makes Case For Why Yankees Should Sign Cabrera

A YES Network article has made the case for why the Yankees should sign former Indians Infielder Asdrubel Cabrera.

Doug Williams, a writer for the channel's website, laid out the opinion in a post published Thursday. Cabrera, who spent the last few months of this season with the Nationals, will be a free agent this winter, and is expected to garner at least some interest from New York's AL representative.

"The best word to use when describing Asdrubal Cabrera would be solid," Williams argued. "You can expect 15-20 home runs and 60-70 RBI from him on a yearly basis."

Williams used Cabrera's age and price as further reasons for his viewpoint. 

"He's only 28 years old and is a two-time All-Star," Williams said. "The combination of being young, experienced, and not wildly expensive is what makes Cabrera the best option out there. And if the Yankees sign him to a two or three-year contract and decide to upgrade at any point, he's a valuable piece on the bench with the flexibility to play multiple positions and hit from both sides of the plate."

Cabrera, an eight-year veteran, is a .268 career hitter. Of his 87 total home runs, interestingly, 69 have come since 2011, easily making him a desirable power option.

Asdrubel Cabrera Would Be Willing to Play Second Base Next Year

Nationals' Switch Hitter Asdrubel Cabrera said that he'd be fine with playing second base next year if it meant he'd have a better chance of winning.

Cabrera, who was traded from the Indians to Washington July 31, is a lifelong shortstop, and could be a Yankees target this winter for either position. In his career, which began in 2007, he has batted .268 with 87 home runs and 451 RBIs, also appearing in two All-Star games during that time.

"I mean, I don't know," Cabrera recently told MASN. "It depends. A team like (the Nationals), a good team that want me to play second, I would love to stay here. I just want to win. I've got eight seasons already. I want to be in the World Series one day."

Cabrera said he'd like to stay with Washington, but that whether or he does so isn't up to him.

"I would love to stay here," he said. "A lot of good guys. A good team. I would love to stay here. But it's not my decision."

If Cabrera ends up leaving the capital for the Yankees this offseason, it's not known exactly what they'd do with him. As things stand, New York has seemingly unlimited options for each of their 2015 infield spots, with the futures of Alex Rodriguez, Chase Headley, Stephen Drew and Martin Prado all somehow being mysteries at this point.

Thornton Ruins Phelps' Great Start in Finale Loss to Indians

During the course of a season, a team suffers many tough losses.

Usually, those defeats consist of close games that couldn't quite be finished, but sometimes a whole different kind of story emerges.

That is, when a starter's gem is ruined by a bad bullpen.

Unfortunately, that exact scenario played out for the Yankees tonight, with Matt Thornton and Jim Miller combining to give up seven earned runs in just two innings of work as the Yanks dropped a heartbreaker to the Indians, 9-3.

For the first 2/3 of the contest, things didn't look like they could get much better for the Bombers, who knocked Cleveland's T.J. House out after just 4.2 frames thanks to a 2-run homer from Zealous Wheeler and an RBI Single from Yangervis Solarte.

During that time, the Pinstripes also got 6 shutout innings from David Phelps, setting up what looked like an easy W heading into the bottom of the seventh.

Too bad that didn't happen.

To start off the turning-point at-bat, Phelps surrendered a pair of hits to Chris Dickerson and Roberto Perez, causing him to be removed. 

At that point, the desperate and worn out Yanks had nobody too reliable to put in, forcing them to go with the aforementioned Thornton, a veteran who not only misplayed what should've been a routine double play on the first guy he faced to load the bases but also gave up a game-tying triple to Asdrubel Cabrera, followed immediately by a Michael Brantley sac fly to cost the Bombers their lead.

And if things weren't already bad enough, Miller took the liberty of allowing another five members of the Tribe to circle the bases in the next frame, pretty much ending the contest, as the once full of promise Pinstripes now trailed by six.

To put it simply, the Yankees, now 46-45, should've won this one easily, but instead ran out of gas, something we should expect to happen throughout the year as long as their starters struggle to get past the sixth.