New York Yankees' free agency: Who to keep, who to let go

The 2013 MLB free agency period has begun. Below is a list of the New York Yankees' players who are free agents, along with my take on whether or not the Yankees should try to keep the player or let him go.

Eric Chavez -- The lefty hitting corner infielder is a fragile, yet still good, player. Chavez played in 113 games for the Yankees in 2012, the first time he has played more than 100 games since 2006. He is a valuable lefty hitter with some pop (16 home runs) when healthy. It seems unlikely he stays healthy and plays a full season again in 2013, but considering the limited number of games Alex Rodriguez plays these days having Chavez around on a one-year deal is a good idea. Keep him

Pedro Feliciano -- The Yankees paid the former New York Mets left-handed reliever $8 million over the past two seasons, and he spent the entire time on the disabled list. We hardly knew ya, Pedro! Let him go

Freddy Garcia -- The Yankees have gotten just about as much mileage out of the junk-balling 35-year-old Garcia as they can. He went 7-6 witha 5.20 ERA in 30 games (17 starts) last season. It's time to move on. Let him go

Raul Ibanez -- The lefty-hitting post-season hero hit only .240 with a .308 on-base percentage and .761 OPS in 2012. He will turn 41 during the 2013 season, and the numbers aren't going to get better. Still, he can be a valued lefty-hitting DH and occasional outfielder, provided the cost is right. Keep him

Andruw Jones -- The 35-year-old Jones hit just .197 in 94 games with a pitiful .294 on-base percentage and a .308 slugging percentage. He isn't much of an outfielder anymore and he's a feast or famine hitter who is mostly famine. Let him go

Hiroki Kuroda -- The veteran right-hander was, at times, the Yankees' best starting pitcher in 2012, going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA and making a team-leading 33 starts. Kuroda will be 38 next season. Good pitching is hard to find. Technically, Kuroda is arbitration-eligible. The Yankees should just sign him to a new one-year deal. Keep him

Derek Lowe -- The veteran righty, who will be 40 next season, pitched to a 3.04 ERA in 17 relief appearances after the Yankees rescued him off baseball's scrap heap in August. He would be an OK guy to keep around as bullpen depth, but word is he wants another opportunity to start. Let him go

Russell Martin -- Martin is coming off a year in which he hit 21 home runs, but had career lows in batting average (.211), and on-base percentage (.311) and had an OPS of .713, well below his .751 career mark. Defensively, he threw out a career-worst 24 percent of runners attempting to steal. He will be 30 next season, and entering his eighth year in the league he seems like an old 30. Yet, there really aren't many quality catchers out there. what are the Yankees going to do, bring in someone like A.J. Pierzynski? No thanks. Keep him

Andy Pettitte -- If Pettitte wants to pitch in 2013 the Yankees will undountedly let him. One thing, though, is that the price has to be right. He made only 12 starts in 2012, did not pitch in 2011 and made 21 starts in 2010. You can't pay him like a star pitcher any more. Keep him

Mariano Rivera -- Umm, no brainer. If the greatest closer of all time still wants to pitch instead of retire you sign him to a contract. Keep him

Ichiro Suzuki -- The veteran outfielder has reportedly said he wants to stay with the Yankees. I am already on record as saying I beleive that is a good idea. No, he isn't what he used to be. No, he doesn't hit home runs. No, you can't count on him to equal the .322 he hit with the Yankees after coming over in a trade from the Seattle Mariners. The things Ichiro does -- make contact, steal bases, play stellar defense -- are all things that can help the Yankees. Keep him

Nick Swisher -- Swisher has been a good player for the Yankees, a valuable and popular one. It is time, however, for both sides to move on. The honeymoon seems over between Swisher and Yankees' fans for one thing. The reality, though, is that the Yankees need to get more athletic, they need to diversify their offense. They have plenty of slow-footed sluggers who aren't plus defenders. Plus, Swisher is going to want a contract that is too long and too expensive for it to be a smart investment. Let him go