ARE THE YANKEES REALLY TRYING TO MOVE ICHIRO NOW?

Look, it would make sense to keep Ichiro Suzuki around these days, but with the signings of Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury and with Golden boy Brett Gardner already there, this latest rumor about the Yanks willing to move him COULD make sense... but I'm skeptical.  The story comes from something called the Sports World News.

The story surfaced on January 31st... a story that was originally reported by Bleeding Yankee Blue and the rest of the media from back around January 4th. Back then, we posted ICHIRO'S DAYS IN PINSTRIPES MAY BE NUMBERED when there was legitimate news about it.  Back then, we still had Vernon Wells and there was talk about Brett Gardner having a bigger trade value than Ichiro.  It made sense then... not now, right?

 A month later, right now, we no longer have Vernon Wells and we signed Masahiro Tanaka.  Plus, no doubt Ichiro is still a hitter, he's got speed, he still great defensively.  Why? Why are we talking about this now and I'm asking you, the fan... should we get rid of Ichiro?

Sports World News reports that the Latino Post reports (that's funny), that "... the Japanese star's future with the New York Yankees is uncertain as the franchise continues to figure out where Suzuki fits into the team's future.

The Yankees had quite the busy offseason, bringing in catcher Brian McCann, outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury and Carlos Beltran and ace Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, who the team outbid other clubs for to the tune of a seven-year $155 million pact. The Yankees are mulling their options, seeing if they should keep Suzuki for what could be the final year of his career and final chance at a World Series title."

Look, in this offseason, the Yankees have done a lot.  It's not out of the ordinary to ship off Ichiro, I guess. Again, for his experience, maybe ego, it wouldn't make sense for him to ride the bench.  I don't see Ichiro as "that guy" though, complaining about playing time, but maybe he would be unhappy, who knows.

Sure, I guess we could ship him off for a relief pitcher or 5th starter and if the right combination came along, I know the Yanks wouldn't hesitate. Then maybe they put Zoilo Almonte on the bench, let him learn what the Bigs are all about... but I think Almonte still needs to prove his worth too and that's what Spring Training is for.

If anything, this Ichiro story is interesting... and dare I say, a bit old, and perhaps not even believable... but I just wanted to share it with you.

If you're in the Northeast... be careful out there today. The roads are mad slick. Be safe.

Thank you to all the Bleeding Yankee Blue readers for continued success.  You've made BYB the fastest growing Yankees fan site in the history of Yankees fandom.  Thanks for reading, sharing and enjoying. Follow me on Twitter @BleednYankeeBlu and join the group Bleeding Yankee Blue (Official) on Facebook, just type it in.