With winter ball starting this month, several Yankees have expressed interest in pitching in the Dominican Republic. Dellin Betances has requested to play over the offseason so he can keep throwing and working on his command. Eduardo Nunez is planning to play winter ball, but does not know whether to focus on shortstop, second base or third base. Cesar Cabral has pitched in winter ball before and with Vidal Nuno pitching in the AFL this fall, all four could have a chance to make the major league roster out of spring training.
Betances impressed out of the Scranton bullpen, but he didn't get much of a chance in two different stints with the major league club. This was his eighth year in the organization and 2014 will be his age-26 season, so time is running out for him to make an impact with the team. Cabral finally returned from last year's broken elbow and showed he could be an option out of the bullpen against lefties.
Both won't be arbitration eligible until 2016 or a free agent until 2019, so with Mariano Rivera retiring and Boone Logan leaving as a free agent, the bullpen could use all the help it can get. The Yankees are trying to stay cheap, so any chance it has to find some inexpensive, high end talent needs to be looked into.
As much as we want to think Eduardo Nunez needs more playing time, it just doesn't look like it's going to come together. He OPS'd over .800 in the month of September, but every time he shows some sign of hope he manages to disappoint. If he plays winter ball he could prove himself to be worthy of a major league roster spot in 2014 when Derek Jeter's and Alex Rodriguez's roles with the team will be in question. If he can play like he did in September he could be a better option off the bench than Jayson Nix, but it's a huge stretch. He'll be 27 next season, so he isn't waiting to mature, but he is cheap, and that's what the Yankees might want.