The players who failed to stay with the Yankees through the 2015 season

During the dark ages of 2013, the Yankees utilized the services of a team record-breaking 56 players. In the year that followed, 58 players stepped on the field for the Yankees, breaking the record again. In 2015, a large number of players once again appeared for the Yankees, but the everyday lineup was far more solidified than it had been the previous two years; almost half of this year's 56 players were relievers (25 of them to be exact), many of whom were frequent members of the aptly named "Scranton Shuttle." An additional four players (Austin Romine, Cole Figueroa, Mason Williams, and Gary Sanchez) appeared in less than eight games.

Despite a more solidified day-to-day roster, there were still certain Yankees who were unable to cement their presence on the team due to poor performances, including Garrett Jones, David Carpenter, Esmil Rogers, Danny Burawa, and Chris Capuano. Despite often being given numerous opportunities to succeed, these players ultimately failed to contribute to the team's goal of winning baseball games and were released by the Yankees. How did each of them fare after departing from the team?

Garrett Jones

Time with the Yankees

The Yankees acquired Jones in the Nathan Eovaldi trade with the Marlins during the 2014-2015 offseason, and the team expected him to provide left-handed power off the bench and to be a suitable backup for the oft-injured Mark Teixeira at first base and the aging Carlos Beltran in right field. However, both Teixeira and Beltran performed to the team's needs, and Jones didn't receive substantial playing time. When he did get on the field, he only managed to hit .215/.257/.361 with an OPS+ of 69 (nice) in 152 plate appearances. The Yankees designated Jones for assignment on July 31 after trading for the versatile Dustin Ackley. Five days later, Ackley went on the disabled list with a back injury, and the Yankees re-signed Jones to a one year deal after he passed through waivers unclaimed. A week later, he was designated for assignment yet again and was unconditionally released shortly after that.

Where did he go from there?

Jones sat out the rest of the 2015 season after being released by the Yankees. He remained a free agent until December 16th, when he signed a one year, $2.8 million deal with incentives with the Yomiuri Giants of Japanese Nippon Professional Baseball. With a good season in Japan in 2016, Jones could attempt a return to the MLB for the 2017 season when he's 36.

David Carpenter

Time with the Yankees

David Carpenter was the headliner for the Yankees in the 2014-2015 offseason deal with the Braves that sent former top prospect Manny Banuelos to Atlanta and also brought Chasen Shreve to New York. He was expected to play a major role in the Yankees bullpen in 2015 after the team had traded Shawn Kelley to the Padres earlier in the offseason. However, he never quite gained Girardi's trust because, in the few chances he was given, he failed to cement himself as a key contributor. In 22 appearances totaling 18.2 innings, Carpenter pitched to a 4.82 ERA and an even worse 4.97 FIP. He was very bad. Eventually, the Yankees had enough, designating him for assignment on June 3rd. He was traded to the Nationals for minor league infielder Tony Renda (later a part of the Aroldis Chapman deal) and thus ended the "David Carpenter Experience."

Where did he go from there?

After going to the Nationals, Carpenter pitched to a 1.50 ERA in six innings before suffering from right shoulder inflammation. He did not return for the rest of the 2015 season. Upon the conclusion of the season, he became a free agent and returned to the Atlanta Braves on a minor league contract with an invitation to Spring Training.

Esmil Rogers

Time with the Yankees

As many have previously noted, you can't spell "smile" without "Esmil." However, after being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in 2014, Rogers did not give Yankees fans much to smile about. Despite an incredible first appearance with the team in 2014, in which he pitched three shut-out innings, he ultimately pitched terribly as a member of the Yankees. In 2015 he struggled mightily to the tune of a 6.27 ERA (4.68 FIP) in 33 innings. He was outrighted to Triple-A on June 15, but somehow found his way back to the majors later in the month. He was outrighted again a few days later, and on July 31 the Yankees rid themselves of him for good when they released him so that he could sign with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization.

Where did he go from there?

In his debut with the Hanwha Eagles, Rogers pitched a complete game gem. He performed well over the course of the season, posting a 2.97 ERA in 75.2 IP. During the 2015-2016 offseason, Rogers re-signed with the team on a one-year, $1.9 million contract.

Danny Burawa

Time with the Yankees

Prior to the 2015 season, Burawa was one of the many Yankees minor league relievers with a chance to have some impact on the Major League team. Burawa began the 2015 season in Double-A, where he pitched to a 3.27 ERA (4.81 FIP) in 11 IP. He was promoted to Triple-A, where he improved his performance to a 2.55 ERA (3.56) FIP in 49.1 IP. His strikeout rate decreased in Triple-A (10.64 K/9 to 7.11 K/9), but his walk rate did too (7.36 BB/9 to 3.83 BB/9). On June 21, Burawa was promoted to the show. He made his first and only Yankee appearance that evening, pitching two thirds of an inning and allowing four earned runs on three hits and a walk (that's a 54.00 ERA for those keeping score at home). He was demoted to Triple-A the next day, and on August 5 he was designated for assignment, ultimately being picked up off waivers by the Braves.

Where did he go from there?

Upon joining the Braves, Burawa was assigned to their Triple-A team. He pitched to a 2.08 ERA (5.23 FIP) in 4.1 IP, and was called up to the majors when rosters expanded on September 1. He pitched 12.1 innings for the Braves, performing to a 3.65 ERA (3.78 FIP). He is currently on the Braves 25 man roster heading into the 2016 season.

Chris Capuano

Time with the Yankees

Capuano joined the Yankees in 2014 in a trade with the Rockies. The Yankees re-signed him to a one-year, $5 million deal before the 2015 season. Over the course of the year, Capuano pitched to a 7.97 ERA (!) and 5.03 FIP in 40.2 IP. He also managed to walk 4.9 batters per nine innings. Even though he pitched terribly, Capuano somehow managed to stick around with the Yankees. He never did technically depart from the team in 2015, but he deserves to be mentioned in this list as he was designated for assignment four times during the season, which is pretty impressive. He was first designated for assignment on July 29 and was outrighted to Triple-A. After being called up on August 12, he was yet again designated for assignment and outrighted to Triple-A on the 15th. Three days later, he returned to the majors to replace Bryan Mitchell, who had been struck in the face with a line drive the day before. On August 22, he was designated for assignment again, but this time elected free agency. He found himself back on the Yankees on August 25, as Sabathia was put on the DL. Finally, four days later he was designated for assignment for the last time and was outrighted to Triple-A. He returned to the majors in September once the roster expanded.

Where did he go from there?

Capuano never actually left the team despite many opportunities to do so. However, he definitely logged some serious commuter miles on the Scranton-NY shuttle. His one year contract ended at the conclusion of the 2015 season, and he recently signed a minor league deal with his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers.