Yankees have a controversial candidate to replace Cody Bellinger

It's been weeks since the Winter Meetings, and the New York Yankees have yet to make a splash in free agency.

Moreover, they haven't even been able to keep their own stars in the Bronx. Cody Bellinger remains a free agent, and while there aren't many teams reportedly keeping tabs on him right now, there's no guarantee that he will return to the Yankees.

With that in mind, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic dug deep into the free-agent pool to evaluate their options, and the fans might not love what he concluded.

Yankees could go after Austin Hays or Tommy Pham

In his latest column, Kuty identified Austin Hays and the always-controversial Tommy Pham as two potential replacements for Bellinger.

"Austin Hays remains a free agent, and could potentially platoon with Dominguez. Last season, Hays hit .319 with two home runs but a .949 OPS (nine doubles, three triples) in 105 plate appearances versus lefties. For his career, he has a .819 OPS versus lefties. Tommy Pham is also a free agent, and he owns an .802 career OPS versus lefties," Kuty wrote. 

Pham has been tangled up in his fair share of controversies on and off the field, and it'd be interesting to see how he might handle the brutal New York City media and fan base.

He's a seamless fit in a platoon role with Spencer Jones or Jasson Dominguez, and he hit .245 with 10 home runs and 52 RBI last season. He's also a persona non grata in Toronto, so perhaps the fan base can embrace him as their very own villain. Whatever the case, it seems like the days of the Yankees being a prime destination for the most prominent players in baseball are long gone.