New York Yankees: 5 People Fans Don't Want Back in 2012

Well, last night didn't go as planned, and now the New York Yankees are faced with many questions heading into the offseason.  

One of those questions is who to bring back.

They have a couple salaries coming off the books, including the salary of their GM, Brian Cashman.

They also have to look at the players who aren't going to be free agents but may have overstayed their welcome in the Bronx.

And as usual, the fans are the ones who are going to have the loudest voices on these potential decisions by blowing up forums, websites and talk show radio.

So here are the five guys the fans don't want back.

Winter is coming, and it'll be a harsh one for the Bronx.

A.J. Burnett

Sure, he came up big in Game 4. And yeah, he was pretty big on that 2009 championship team.  

But he's still A.J. Burnett and the fans would rather have a reliable starter than a guy as inconsistent as him.

He's still got the stuff and his curveball can still be lethal, but more times than not, the Yankees get the wild A.J. Burnett that make fans and the front office want to set themselves on fire using the money he makes.

A 5.15 ERA and a .260 BAA isn't going to cut it in the Bronx, especially when you were the No. 2 pitcher when the season started.  Not to mention there was a stretch in the regular season where he was 1-3 with a 7.61 ERA in seven starts.

Not many people are going to want to pick up his contract without some help, but I'm sure some team wouldn't mind having him for the right price.

Nick Swisher

Looking at Nick Swisher's numbers, you can't find much to complain about.

.260 AVG, .374 OBP, 23 HRs, 85 RBI is not too bad.  He's also a clubhouse presence and every team needs at least one of those guys.

But watching him over the season was more frustrating than trying to figure out the ending to Inception.

It always seemed like he would strikeout, which he did often with 125 of them.  And his performance in the postseason didn't help erase that image.  

Especially that strikeout with the bases loaded.

Swisher has a club option, and there are better options at right field that can be found.  There's a good possibility he won't be back.

Brian Cashman

Personally, I have nothing against Brian Cashman.  

He made a wise decision to not make a move this past trade deadline.  And so far, holding onto Jesus Montero turned out to be a smart thing.

But at the same time, I know there are fans out there who are still mad that he couldn't land Cliff Lee, question A.J. Burnett's contract, and the best he could come up with the past offseason was Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon, both of whom, in retrospect, did work out.

This is New York, and the fans want results fast.  Failure to put together a reliable starting rotation starts at the top, and that's where the fingers will point if nothing's done to resolve the situation.

Yankees fans can only be told to wait so many times before mass rioting starts happening.  The farm system is looking good, but how long do the fans have to wait before those prospects can produce reliable results?

Jorge Posada

It pains me to write this, but Jorge Posada's time in the Bronx is up.  It was a close call between him and Teixeira for this spot.  

But the difference between him and Teixeira is that Teixeira can still play an excellent first base.

Then there's Montero, whose small September sample has convinced fans that he's ready for the big leagues.  

You can question his glove (I certainly do), but you can't question his bat.  Even in the postseason he went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run.

Of course, no 21-year-old should ever be a full-time DH, but that's where Montero is projected to be next season unless his fielding skills improve.

Also, Girardi will want that DH spot to rest his other aging players, especially Jeter and A-Rod.

I'd rather have Posada go out with that amazing postseason than have him return to be a shell of himself next season.

Alex Rodriguez

Of course it would be Alex Rodriguez.

A-Rod is the epitome of the problems with the current Yankee team: He's aging, overpaid and under-producing.

And going 0-4 with three K's in Game 5 isn't going to help his reputation of choking in big spots.

Everybody could tell that it was going to be A-Rod versus Jose Valverde with the game, the season, on the line.  

Ask any fan what they expected A-Rod to do in that situation, and that fan would likely say strikeout as if they were asked whether or not Abduction was a terrible movie.

A-Rod is probably not going to get moved, as his contract is worth more than most Hollywood films.  He's also not the same player that struck fear into pitchers.  

Love it or hate it, Alex Rodriguez is here to stay, but I wouldn't be surprised if fans rejoiced if he was miraculously moved.