Offseason Outlook: New York Yankees

John Lackey,Justin Duchscherer, Erik Bedard, Brett Myers, and Todd Wellemeyer are all free agents in 2010. Id rather sign one out of this free agent class.

Giambi can't hit? What part of a .876 OPS don't you get? He gets on base and hits with power. Sure, the average isn't what you'd like, but I'll take .370-380 OBP over an empty .300 average any day.

Strikeouts? Since when did a high strikeout rate make you a bad hitter? Here are players that struck out more often per AB than Giambi. I guess they're not good either?

Pena, Howard, Dunn, Thome, Hawpe, Longoria, Ludwick, MILTON BRADLEY, Burrell, Kemp, BJ Upton, Giovani Soto, Alex Gordon...

Like it or not, Giambi is a good hitter. His OPS ranks 3rd among DHs. What's to complain about it? He'd come relatively cheaply ($8-10M?), on a short comittment (1 year + an option?).

Yes, I agree that the Yankees probably will not re-sign him. I'm only talking about what they SHOULD do.

Please no comments about his defense. I don't know what more I can say to make it clear that I only advocate signing him as a DH.

What the hell is an empty .300? Who cares how he gets his obp? I'll take a .300 hitter who strikes out less than 60x over a guy who hits sub .250 and strikes out over 100x. Please stop!! Giambi is a good hitter but the biggest problem last year w/ our offense was that we were an all or nothing line up. Either we hit a 3 run homer or we struck out and left runners on base. There are obivously better options at 1st. The only reason why Giambi started last year was because we had him under contract and couldn't move him @ $22 million.

Again, Giambi might be a good hitter but he's not what we need. I'd take a .290 hitter with 20 hrs happily.

gatling:

The outcome is basically the same. I'm not referring to how many groundballs vs flyouts or hrs allowed. It's doubtfull that he's going to put up numbers considerably better than either one at age 36. That coupled with the fact that he would get a 3 or 4 year deal at 12-15 per makes him an unattractive sign IMO. In his last 2 years in the AL his era was 4.47 and 5.42 and that was in 03 and 04. I can see either Mussina or Pettite posting up 13-15 wins with an era around 4.50 and 180-200 innings. So why not resign one of them for a 1 year deal w/ an option instead of Lowe for 4 years and 48-60 million? If we sign a #1 (CC, Burnett) then we would have the other 4 slots filled with # 2 Wang, #3 Pettite or Mussina, #4 Joba and #5 Hughes with Kennedy, Sanchez, etc waiting in the wings.

A Few things:

Not a chance in hell will Giambi return in pinstripes. His OPS and OBP mean nothing when you factor in his avg w/risp and terrible avg in general.

He'd be okay at DH but no chance Matsui get's traded. If anyone thinks that we'de get 2-3 middle prospects for a very old DH that's injury prone with 1 year left on his contract... think again. Therefore, Matsui clearly stays as DH and eliminates any chance of Giambi returning.

Also, I agree that we should not trade or sign any old dudes to play CF, and it should be between Brett and Melky. But I think it clearly goes to Brett. Little G doesn't ground into DP's, runs like the wind, takes better routes to balls, and has a more patient eye. No chance Melky starts over Brett.

No chance Abreu returns, we will take his 2 picks and draft the next joba and hughes gladly. Nady will play a decent RF and almost cover Abreu's stats (lower avg tho)

Cano is going absolutely nowhere, not when his value is lowest, he'll be fine.

The Yankees really need to push hard for CC and Tex, the only two huge needs for the Yankees.

You have to resign Pettite or Moose (75-25 pettitte-moose chances of returning). They'd put up same numbers as Lowe and Garland and cost way less years and less money.

The bullpen stays the same, i really could care less about marte - buyout or pick up doesn't matter - he can't pitch whole innings he's only a lefty specialist look at his splits.

That leaves the rotation:
CC
Wang
Pettite
Hughes
Joba

Joba cannot reach 200 innings so slotting his in the 5th spot means you can skip him about 5-10 times during the year so he doesn't blow out his arm.

You cannot start him in the pen and switch to rotation, because this year showed it's a disaster. If he gets injured it screws his next year's innings limit up and you start from square one.

Also, if you guys think Molina, Betemit, Ransom, MElky is a good bench, that's terrible. We need to look into signing 1-2 solid backups like Blake or Willie Bloomquist for experience.

Also people that are slotting Aceves and Coke into the rotation - numbers in september do not always translate because once batters have your tape and numbers- they get used to you and rock you. AKA kennedy, veras, edwar, rasner... etc

Over and Out

giambi's walks really mean nothing because he's almost as slow as molina- it takes 2-3 hits to get him home from first base so that kinda cancels out.

78,

I think Lowe would be much better than Pettitte, as I think the Pettitte you'd get is the 5+ ERA and 1.50+ WHIP version you saw after the break. I won't argue Moose vs. Lowe, as I think they'd be fairly close, but because of Lowe's huge advantage in GB's, I think he's the safer bet. I'd also say the Yankees need both Lowe and Moose next year.

Bobo,

You must have missed the great OBP debate a week or so ago with 78. This will only end with you banging you head against your keyboard. Trust me, first hand account here.

Dude....I can't believe we're having this discussion. Strike outs don't matter? It does when you've got runners on base and the guy can't even put the ball in play or when he does he hits to some exageratted shift the infield is in.

And by the way:

Bradley hit .321

Ludwick .299

Kemp .290 w/ 38 dbls and 35 steals

Soto .285 and is a 26 yr old catcher

Howard led the world in hrs and rbis

Dunn hit 40 hrs

Hawpe hit .283

Upton hit .273 with 44 steals

Longoria hit .272 and is a 23 yr old rookie

And I could care less about Thome.

So everyone on this list either had a higher bavg than Giambi or were multi-dimensional. So exactly what is your point?

Again, Giambi might be a good hitter but we dont need him back in 09.

Gatling:

We can all have our opinion but you're cherry picking stats with Lowe. Which is the real Lowe the one pitching now in the NL or the one who had a 5.00 era back in 03 and 04 when he was in the AL? The safer bet is to go with what you know (Mussina or Pettite) for one year until a) your younger pitchers develop or b) you go after one of the 2010 FA pitchers and continue to build

Starting pitchers
Josh Beckett - $12MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Erik Bedard
Justin Duchscherer
Rich Harden
Tim Hudson - $12MM mutual option with a $1MM buyout
John Lackey
Cliff Lee - $8MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Brett Myers
Brandon Webb - $8.5MM club option with a $500K+ buyout
Todd Wellemeyer

jjyankeesfan2,

Great post. Please copy and paste that plan into an email and get it over to Cashman.

All kidding aside, I'm not sure if all those deals could be pulled off or if the Yankees would even what to, but that is a team I would have confidence in going into opening day.

Good ideas my man.

Colton:

CC pitched his entire career in the AL prior to being sent to the brews so he's pitched against all of our AL opponents. Here's his lifetime breakdown against Al east teams.

Bosox-7 starts- 2-4 3.94

Rays-11 starts- 7-1 2.44

Toronto-10 starts- 7-3 3.49

B'more-9 starts- 5-0 2.39

I can't believe I'm going to do this, but here we go. I didn't say a word about Giambi, I merely told bobo not to go down the same path I'm trudging down right now.

I don't know how many times it has to be said, but NO ONE is using just OBP to say that Giambi was good this year, and would be helpful to the Yankees. NO ONE. Bobo has already thrown out WPA, but here are some more numbers. Giambi was 2nd on the Yankees and 8th in the AL in HR's, and there wasn't anyone close to him at 2nd place on the team either. He was 13th in the AL in SLG%. He was 13th in OPS.

Do those numbers work? Or not, because they don't back you up? Just curious.

BTW

Why is everybody talking about Giambi? Hes an average hitter and he isnt going to be signed because hes old. Enough.

As for waiting until 2010, that's a fine idea, but I don't think half of those guys will be on the market for you to sign(Webb, Myers, Beckett, Lackey), or worth signing(Duchscherer, Wellemeyer). Good luck with that.

Gatling - sorry for roping you back into it :)

So hard not to though. But I'm done (for tonight, at least).

Yankfan1 - he's average, ok. By what metric is he average, exactly?

And why does having an old DH matter?

I would rather see the Yankees priorities as Sabathia first and then Tex.

-Sabathia
-Wang
-Mussina
-Pettitte
-Hughes

Joba back as setup where he belongs, Kennedy in the 'pen as long reliever until he is needed to start (looking at the Yankees the past 2-3 years, they'll likely go through a lot of starters)

This is, of course, assuming you have both Mussina and Pettitte coming back. If only one comes back, either Kennedy or Joba start. I'm a big fan of having Joba setting up Mo for the next year or two until he inherits the job. I don't yet trust Veras/Ramirez/Bruney in the 8th.

Losing Giambi, the Yankees need a legitimate bat to protect A-Rod. Tex does that as well as upgrades the defense at 1st. Two birds with one stone.

As an A's fan, I know more than enough about Harden and Duke. The concern with Duke right now is his hip. Is it going to be ok or is it possibly career threatening? Can't say I'd want to bank on him being ok next year and then feel comfortable signing him after that.

Harden has a worse injury history than Burnett. When the guy is healthy, he's one of the three or four best pitchers in the game. He's just never been healthy. Do you realize the 148 innings he threw this year is the second highest total in his big league career? I just don't see throwing such big money at such a risky guy as a good gamble, but whatever you think is the best for you team, more power to you.

TimeToGetReal,

I have to agree with you. That is the most realistic plan, although I wouldn't want to pay Burnett $18M a year.

WOW those starters for 2010 look really really good if the Yankees are smart they only sign CC bring back Pettitte or Mussina and then add a pitcher in 2010 like an Erik Bedard, Rich Harden, or Justin Deuchscherer, all young pitchers that would be dominant 1-2-3-4
2010
CC
???
JOBA
WANG
HUGHES

bobo:

sigh...the reason why Giambi would be a problem as a DH , for the Yanks is that we have a very old team and players such as Damon, matsui, Posada, Arod and jeter under contract who will need to be rested or spelled as DH's throughout the season. We need to obtain a full time 1B, which means either Giambi DH's or he sits. meanwhile, we have Matsui who is now w/o an outfield position (Damon, Melky/Gardner, Abrue and Nady will take all the OF spots). We need to have more flexibility and barring injuries Giambi will not be able to get much playing time. I;d rather not committ 10 million for a bench player. There are bette options for us to replace his bat. Simply being healthy would provide us w/ better options.

Now if this were a different time or if we were a different team then Giambi would be a good fit. Also, between Posada, Matsui, Arod, Abre we have other guys who strike out a lot and I would love to see more of a contact hitter somewhere in the #5-7 spot, especially when we're going up against the power/control pitchers out there that have dominated us. The Yanks are great against junk ball pitchers because we're so patient but fold up against pitchers that can take it to us with their power.

THink of a Paul O'neil type. 20 hrs, .285 bavg, 35 dbls, less than 100 strike outs. That's the kind of hitter I would love them to find, if not Texeira.

1. CC Sabathia **
2. Chien-Ming Wang
3. AJ Burnett **
4. Derek Lowe
5. Mussina or Pettite (if both- only get Lowe OR Burnett)

CL Rivera
RP Joba
RP Bruney
RP Marté **
RP Coke
RP Veras
RP Ramirez

OF Damon
OF Nady
OF Abreu **
OF Manny Ramirez **
OF Gardner
SS Jeter
3B A-Rod
2B Cano
1B Teixeira **
ULT Betemit
C Posada
C Molina
DH Matsui

LINEUP

CF Damon
SS Jeter
DH/LF Manny
3B A-Rod
1B Teixeira
RF Abreu
DH/LF Matsui
C Posada
2B Cano

Earlier I commented on the hole at firstbase and a little on their pitching. Now, i will finish up on the rest of their problems. Say that the Yankees do sign Sabathia and find a solution for 1st base. The next point of weakness is center field. Do the Yankees have good enough options to get by in 2009? Yes. But unless you're in the NL West, getting by isnt good enough to make it to the playoffs. Gardner will never be a threat at the dish and certainly isnt a gold glover just yet. A lot of people forget about Melky Cabrera as an option in center. He brings more to the table on offense and defense. But even he isnt good enough yet to be an established center fielder. So now the question is 'Where do you get a contending Center Fielder?' Well, the best way this year will be via trade. Im sure if the pitching and firstbase situations get hammered out this will be discussed throughout the off season. So who could be the possible candidates? Nate Mclouth (I think that's how you spell it) is one option. He's young and has loads of potential. Another name is Shane Victorino. If he's available this year he would sure be worth a look. He has speed, he hits for average,and is a good defender. The last possible option i will name is one that will surely bring controversy. Matt Kemp. I know. I know. Cano is worth more than Kemp and its better off that we keep him. Even though that may be true, there are options in the FA pool to replace Cano. The best option is Orlando Hudson. I dont know if the Kemp deal is the right way to go, but if the price is right, do it. You never know, maybe you could throw in say a melky cabrera in the deal and get Kemp and James Loney. A young inexpensive firstbaseman with a good bat. Now lets say that deal goes through. The worst scenario is that you have to scramble to get a second baseman if you cant sign Hudson. If we sign Hudson, Sabathia,and trade for Kemp and Loney the resulting lineup would look like this....

1. Damon-LF
2. Jeter-SS
3. Loney-1B
4. Arod-3B
5. Nady-RF
6. Kemp-CF
7. Posada-C
8. Matsui-DH
9. Hudson-2B

Rotation
1. Sabathia
2. Wang
3. Chamberlain
4. Hughes
5. Pettite? Mussina?

Now the Batting Order could be switched around however you like it but you get the point. It would be a dangerous lineup with a scary rotation. Only time will tell now..hopefully this offseason is a good one.

The Dodger also had a worse record than the Yankees and was in a division where only 1 team finished above .500 (as oppose to 4), they also made moves that baffle everyone like Juan Pierre.

they better not go anywhere near Oliver Perez. he was AWFUL for the mets in sept. hes too erratic for the pay hes going to demand. He wont be any good in the AL.

The yankees should go for broke. the farm system is still years behind their counterparts in the east. if you go and get Tex CC and Burrnett (if not burrnett then go after Peavy if at all logical)that buys you the time you need to retool the system even with the loss of a couple picks.

"I'm not debating whether or not walks or obp are important. What I am saying that if all Giambi is bringing to the table is a high obp because he walks then I'll pass. Period. If you disagree than so be it. But that speaks to all of you people who get caught up in stats like obp w/o taking into consideration other factors. Furthermore, the issue wasn't whether or not he was a good hitter it was whether or not he should be resigned by the Yanks as a DH. And my response and opinion were that he shouldn't. In comparison I'd rather bring back Abreu who also has a high obp but brings other offensive capabilities to the team (hits for avg and is a more complete hitter). So assuming you can read english and have cognetive skills to comprehend my statement..bite it."

Amen, 78.

Especially when Tex will cost the same annually than bigG and plays gold glove D, is a switch hitter, younger, etc.
Giambi is not coming back to DH, nor is Manuel Ramirez. not Cash's mo.

Free Agent wise, CC is def a bigger priority, and i know CC is a momma's boy from the espn article back when he was an injun, but "his family doesn't want to move from the west coast"!?!? Is the media serious with this? he is a grown man... who is partial to money like any and all of us, and i don't mean to generalize too much, but pro athletes are competitive in contract talks as well as teh game. he wants the best contract he can get.

A possible third free agent? if cashman had his way, prolly not. but all signings will be a group decision. Ideally (for a stud 1/2 pitcher)you want a 3 yr commitment. burnett would take 4 and that probably won't stop tampa... i guess AJ is bff with Bruney, so it is very possible he is with us, come marzo and I'm fine with that, but I'd take Sheets for 2-3/12-14mil, if teh market says more yrs fohget abaht it. at the end of 2-3 yrs, any one of Z-mac, Betances, Brackman, Christian Garcia, Humberto Sanchez, Horne if they still have faith in him, will/could be ready to contribute at a 1-3 starter level

I don't get the whole "CC's family doesn't want to move from the west coast" thing. CC spent his entire career in either Cleveland or Milwaukee, both are only a 2 hr flight away from NY. it's not like he was playing on the west coast at all. The only thing that I think might effect CC is him being afraid of the media and expectations that come with being "the savior" for the Ny Yanks. But he signed an extension with the Indians that kept him from being a FA after the 2006 season so why the desire to move to the west coast now but not 2 years ago?

I don't think the Angels will make that kind of a push for him, especially when they have to address resigning or replacing their closer and retaining Texiera whome they traded a very young 1B for. Plus with Garrett Anderson likely to walk, Texeira possible gone, Juan Rivera a FA, Guerrero getting older, Kendricks being too fragile thus far, and Matthews, Figgins and Hunter regressing offensively I think their biggest need is obtaining ofense. They still have four quality starting pitchers in Santana, Weaver, Lackey and Saunders.

The Dodgers could be major players for him especially if Lowe walks.

I can't see the Oakland A's signing him since they dont even make attempts tp resign their own players.

I can't see the Giants going after him either, especially since there's talk of them trading Cain who's making 400k for a hitter and the fact that they owe Zito a gazillion dollars and is a great example of how "iffy" of an idea it is to give a pitcher that much money for that length of time. I cant see them going down that road again. If they are willing to trade Cain for a bat then why not just sign a big bat and keep your young stud $400k pitcher?

The Padres aren't going to spend that kind of money, especially with talk of Peavy being traded because they're going to rebuild.

I can't see someone of his girth wanting to spend summers in Denver (thin air, bad ball park) or Arizona (100 degrees ++ ?).

I guess Texas or Seattle could be players but that would be a total cash grab on his end since neither team really has a lot in place to seriously compete.

So maybe he might perefer the NL vs the AL but I don't think the coast is going to be a real factor, except for maybe the Dodgers.

The Yanks two biggest goals at this time are to a) remain competitive and try to win a championship and b) retool and get younger.

This offseason offers up a couple of players that fit that criteria.

CC Sabathia has logged 8 years in the majors bt will only be 28 at the start of the 09 season.

Oliver Perez has logged 7 seasons and will be 27.

Texiera is a 6 year vet and will be 29.

Too often the Yanks have signed FA in their early to mid 30's to long term deals. These three guys can fill holes for us for the next 5 years while in their prime. These should be the guys we target this year while keeping Wang, Joba, Hughes, Kennedy, Cano, Melky, Gardner and Nady as the core of the team.

Let Giambi, Abreu, Mussina or Pettite walk this year. I would offer Abreu, Mussina and Pettite arbitration. Abreu will sign with another team. Mussina will probably decline the 1 year arb deal because he already said if he comes back in 09 then he's coming back for 09, 10 and 11 as well to get his 300th win. If pettite accpts than we keep him as our seasoned vet on the staff to help limit inning on both Joba and Hughes.

In 09 we offer arb to Damon and matsui and let them walk as well.

In 09 we try and continue the trend of signing young FA that are needs for us if we dont have in house optiong in the minors.

Holliday (30)
Crisp (30)
Brett Myers (29)
Lackey (31)

Beckett, Webb and Cliff Lee will all probably have their options picked up for 2010.

Duchscherer will be too old to sign (33 yrs).

Wellemeyer will be 32.

So 2010's class will not be anywhere near as good as this years class which makes it imperative that we sign 2 quality guys this year.

If we sign CC, Perez and either Mussina or Pettite then we could look like this for next few years:

CC
Wang
Perez
Pettite (1 year deal)
Joba
Hughes

with Kennedy, Sanchez and others waiting in the wings Pettite or could be used to obtain young position players.

If Joba and Hughes can handle the load and develop as mlb starters then you can acquire THIS YEAR, your rotation for next 5 years (if you extend Wang).

I know Moose wants to go out on his terms, but he had such a good season, and it doesnt seem like a fluke.. I hope he does decide to come back.. He's been a great influence on the young players, and I think he'd be a better 2-3 year option than Burnett (who screams Pavano2).. Moose as a 4 is a pretty good option.. he DID win 20 games this year.. Bringing both Pettitte and Moose back can allow us to focus on CC:
Sabathia
Wang
Joba
Moose
Pettitte
Hughes/Aceves/Coke/IPK

a chance to win every day..
and since it looks like we're gonna let Abreu and Giambi go (rightfully).. Teixera would be an important bat.. we NEED another bat to protect Arod.. and the bat is not Abreu or Giambi.. but it also isnt Matsui or Posada..
gotta be Tex..

What do you guys think about batting Cano 3rd?.. I was talking w. my friend.. batting him 3rd will give him 'motivation' and keep him 'interested' since he needs it apparently.. if we cant get Tex..

Damon
Jeter
Cano
Arod
Matsui
Posada
Nady
1B
Gardner
... hrm.. weak?.. we can win on pitching! lol.. sigh.. switch posada and matsui?.. hrm

bobo

Hes average cause he hits alot of homeruns but strikes out alot. He drives in 100 runs but he cant hit with runners in scoring postion. He could scoop up balls but he cant through or make descent plays. He has a good OBP but he never scores when hes on base cause his speed. Its like one step foward but another step back. Hes always in the middle.

"Anyone think Nady and a reliever(Bruney, Edwar, Veras) + mid prospect can bring back Magglio Ordonez?"

No thanks. Nady and Maggs put up similar numbers last year and Nady is 5 years younger. Plus it weakens the bullpen for no good reason.

"I wouldnt mind having Giambi at DH"

even with the other players already clogging up the DH spot we are all aware of how Giambis numbers suffer when hes not playing first. sure he has a high on base, but what good is a walk when your job is to drive in runs?

Yankfan1:

Not to get in one someone else's conversation but what don't you people get? We're not saying Giambi is a bad guy but we have several aging players under contract that either don't have a position (Matsui), are getting older and need at bats as a DH (Damon, Arod, Abreu, Jeter) or coming off of injuries (Posada). Bringing back Giambi doesn't make sense. Drop it already. Are you this guys agent? One year ago Yankee fans were ready to string this guy up from a tree. One porn 'stache and a decent year later and you guys want us to resign him for 2 more years. get over it already! We've got 5 outfielders who need at bats (Damon, Nady, Cabrera/Gardner and possibly Abreu) and a catcher signed for 3 more years who may not be able to catch a full season in Posada. If Matsui is healthy I'm sure he can put up numbers just as good a Giambi.

Hey General Manager. I'll help you out just to piss Giambi Lover's off:

Milton Bradley
Jim Thome was just as good

Tex sure would look nice in pinstripes.

If Peavy is available, is everyone in San Diego on the market, I think Adrian Gonzalez would be a monster at the Stadium, what do you think it would take to bring him in?

The Issue with Giambi this year wasn't that he walk walk walked in RISP, it's that he didn't even walk walk walk. he just sucked. he turned into a pure mistake pitcher and gets into trouble when people bring in power relievers.

Striking out or low averages doesn't have a ton to do with RISP. Ryan Howard is perhaps the best example of that this year.

They need to let him go though, he's walk rate is declining and that's a bad sign.

A few things. Abreu is not resigned and Martes option is declined. The Yankees should offer them both arbitration and hope they decline. Also I might trade Kennedy for something. Maybe another underachieving possition player form another farm. The yankees have enough arms.

I have a few suggestions and some questions myself in response to the 'YankeeFan4life' comment. First of all I completely agree with making sure we sign Tex and Sabathia. Those 2 could really solidify the inconsistent Yankees' lineup and rotation. Abreu however should be offered arbitration rather than resigned in my opinion, because if he walks 2 sandwich picks because he is a Type A free agent. And if he accepts we get another year of the patient consistent Abreu in the lineup with little risk because its a one year deal. The main reason i say let him go is because of the picks we'll get in return. The Yankees never get good draft picks and will have to give their's up anyway after signing Sabathia or Tex so the 2 picks we gain from Abreu can help. The next move is the one I am on the fence about. Do you keep Phil Hughes? At first thought is definately. But now that the Peavy rumors have started, would you give up Hughes for the 2007 NL CY Young Award winner? ....Anyway, moving on. Getting rid of Matsui would be nice, but that would hinge on whether or not you decide to keep Abreu or not. Also, to get any real value out of him the Yankees would probably have to agree to pay part of his contract for the team who receives him. Marte 's option exercised, Giambi, Pudge, and Pavano walk...no objections there. Lineups and rotations can go so many ways so I wont comment on those other than the fact that i do see the logic behind where you put Cano. And adding on to all of that, I think that if the Yankees can get all of that sorted through, they should at least look in to trading for an above-average, consistent center fielder.

Comments/ Suggestions?

Seriously guys, you are making a lot of Yankee fans look bad. The Yankees weren't that bad this year. Wang is coming back. We Arb Abreu and Marte and let them walk. If Hank, Hal & Cashman have some guts offer Arb to some others. Cashman is on record as saying that arbitration is not a MLB guaranteed contract. You only need to pay the Spring Training money and then cut them.

The Yanks can't trade anyone because the value of all of their prospects are so low compared to last year.

You just have to sign a frontline pitcher and one of Moose/Andy. You hope you have a little left for Tex, but hey the Yanks had no one at 1b this year.

Other than that, you know Cashman and Damon Oppenhiemer have something to prove in the draft after getting bashed all year. Let's hope they get a bunch of picks and make it worthwhile.

The rotation will not be:

1.CC
2.Peavey
3.Burnett
4.Wang
5.Joba

They are definitely not going to keep Abreu. He wants 3 years and is too old for a team that needs to get younger and defensive. Nady's natural position is RF anyway, and he might be a slight upgrade in defense. The problem with Nady is that he is only signed for one more year. Still, I think you need to play this year with Nady in RF.

The Yanks played Melky at CF for half a season this year, and I think they could get away with either Gardner or Melky at CF for most of the year.

I agree they can't trade anyone this year. Not because they don't want to, but because most of their players don't have good enough value. Either too old, like Matsui, or they had off years, like IPK/Cano/Hughes. They could try to trade for pieces that only require salary relief for B-level prospects, like a Washburn. There are a couple other players out there that a team would like to dump for salary relief.

First off derek lowe is a BUM he's got inflated numbers pitching over there in that NL west......if you think he's a good fit for the ALeast you know nothing about baseball....they will hammer him in the AL
now this is who the yanks need to sign

#1 sabathia they need a big arm in the top of the rotation
#2 texiera if abreu is gone the need a 3 hitter and anyway he is a gold glove 1st basemann
#3 ben sheets you can get him for prob 12 mill a year for 2-3 years his stock is very low right now and when he is healthy he is great
#4 sign baldelli as your 4th outfeilder play him 2 a week and deal with whoever else in center for the year untill trade deadline, if needed

AJ BURNETT would be great to get but hes gonna cost alot and he is just as injury prone as sheets.......
mark prior just got over arm surgery offer him 1-2million dollers and stick him in the bullpen he can prob put in 60 innings....who knows you might get the old prior if not you spending low moneys on him..
i make a bet aj burnett goes to boston just because he kills the yanks......but they will have to deal with is injurys after there intitial honeymoon

CASHMANNN!!!! LIISTEN TO MEE!!! I KNOW MY STUFF.....HANK HIRE ME ILL DO THE JOB FOR 200K A YEAR

i have rethought the ben sheets thing .....stay away from him.......we dont need another pavano........just make sure that mussina dosent retire