THE YANKEES & DEREK HOLLAND? IT'S COMPLICATED

Many in BYB land are wondering what the hell the Yankees are gonna do about pitching in 2017.  While money is coming off the books, yes, there are prospects slowly turning heads, but we kind of need some "sure things" as we head into the season.

BYB Senior Writer Jeana Bellezza wrote a piece about Derek Holland the other day in COULD DEREK HOLLAND HELP THE YANKEES?

Good question! Maybe it's an avenue the Yankees could pursue. But I'll tell you something... they better do it fast if they want this guy... it looks like the Pirates and Holland are about to get together.

Triblive.com writes: "Free-agent pitcher Derek Holland wants to become the Pirates' latest reclamation project.

'I'd say the Pirates are on our short list,' Holland's agent, Michael Martini, said on Saturday.

Martini said the Pirates have not made a formal offer to Holland, an eight-year veteran who's made 158 career starts. Holland became a free agent for the first time last week when the Texas Rangers bought out his $11.5 million contract option.

Holland, 30, was a big part of the Rangers' rotation from 2011 to 2013. In that stretch, the left-hander went 38-21 with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP."

Derek Holland is not some superstar pitcher the Yankees HAVE to have. Plus, he's been battling shoulder and knee injuries for a bit. But my thinking is, they could pursue Holland, give him a shot on the cheap, OR, they trade and give away top prospects for a sure thing.  I'm honestly just not sure how this will play out, but I did find it interesting that Holland's camp is already setting the tone for what he'd like to do. 

I also like this nugget... the Rangers will in fact get a chance to match whatever offer he received from whatever team that is, be it the Pirates, the Yankees or the Sarasota Chicken Heads.  

We will just have to see. It's the off-season. This is what we do now... speculate, guess and create rumors!