Deadline Decisions

Wednesday proved to be a newsworthy day in this Yankee off-season. Faced with a deadline to firm their 40-man roster, the club cut ties with two well-known players. Health, or the lack of it, was the key in both decisions: Jacoby Ellsbury was designated for assignment, with one year (and $26 million) remaining on a free-agent contract that was long considered a colossal failure. His Yankee career, beginning at age 30, consisted of four years of declining production followed by two injury-ravaged seasons where he never played even one regular season game.

Unfulfilled potential will be Greg Bird's Bronx epitaph. After showing tremendous promise the final two months of 2015, he just couldn't stay healthy. From his shoulder to his foot, and seemingly everywhere in between, one physical problem after another kept him off the field. Despite natural skills and a swing tailor-made for Yankee Stadium, the organization ran out of patience -- especially with capable replacements in Luke Voit, Mike Ford, DJ LeMahieu and possibly Miguel Andujar. Instead, Bird proved to be the Nick Johnson of the 2010s -- and will start the new decade in a different uniform.