Yankees Hot Stove: Fixing A Team That Ain't Broke

By The Lantern

In Yankee land things are never what they seem. We know this all too well. Even though the franchise is coming off its 27th world championship and appears to be loaded at every conceivable position, one has to figure GM Brian Cashman is just biding his time before making some sort of splash.

The Yankees know no other way. It's what they do. And lucky for their fan base, they tend to get more things right than wrong.

So who will be the big pickup this offseason? That remains to be seen, but I've got some ideas on how they should approach things. Not that they need a nearing middle age, sleep-deprived maniac like myself advising them, but the Yankees know many of their fans are so knowledgeable about the game they could probably be a GM on some level.

So for you know whats and giggles, let's kick it around.

The only givens for this club heading into 2010 are the infield, two pieces of the rotation and the back end of the bullpen. The Yankees need to make several decisions in the outfield, certainly need another starting pitcher and must address some aspects of the bullpen.

Issue 1: Starting pitcher. My guess is Andy Pettitte will return. He'll be rewarded for how he performed last season, a year where he took an incentive-laden $5 million base salary deal and ended up winning 14 games in the regular season and all three series-clinching games in the playoffs. So with CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Pettitte you already have a rotational top 3 that's among the best in baseball.

Where things get dicey is when trying to fill the back end. I realize that the Joba Chamberlain starter vs. reliever debate has raged on uncontrollably now for several years. The Yankees nearly destroyed the psyche of this kid with the stupid "Joba Rules," a plan that rendered him useless in August and September. Once demoted to the 'pen, Chamberlain began to once again resemble the flame-throwing force he'd been in 2007 and most of 2008, occasional sleep-walking episodes in the playoffs aside.

In my opinion, Chamberlain is a reliever. He can and should be used in any situation from the seventh inning on and should one day fill the enormous shoes of one Mariano Rivera, should he decide to not pitch until he's 50.

So with Chamberlain focusing on getting no more than three outs in a game, that leaves a big void in the rotation and the problem is the team has no idea what Chien-Ming Wang will be once he's fully recovered from his assortment of injuries, both to his body and mind. My guess is Wang doesn't like getting a World Series ring by association.

In essence, the Yankees could have two spots to fill. My guess is Wang will be given every opportunity to win back the hearts and minds of Yankees brass, probably as the team's No. 5 starter provided he shows he's good to go in spring training.

But if the Yankees do by some miracle decide Chamberlain is best-suited as a reliever, Cashman should focus all of his attention on free agent John Lackey, if for no other reason than the guy is a gamer. I don't think Lackey will ever be close to a 20-game winner, but he throws ground balls and in the new Yankee Stadium, unless you're overpowering, being down in the zone is a must.

What I'd like to see: Yankees start 2010 with Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Pettitte, Lackey and Wang, with Chamberlain as the sixth man and seventh inning guy. Chad Gaudin becomes the long man for real.

Issue 2: The outfield, period. As currently constructed the Yankees have a liability in some form or another at all three positions, not least of which is the fact that Johnny Damon is a free agent and Hideki Matsui can no longer play in the field and is also a free agent. I'm not one who's big on outfield power for this team, because the Bombers have an infield that accounts for about 125 home runs and 500 RBIs a year and a catcher in Jorge Posada who can still hit .275 with 20 dingers and 75-plus RBIs, even as he approaches 40.

But defense is a huge part of this. Nick Swisher, if you remember, was initially brought to the Bronx to be a fourth outfielder, part-time first baseman and designated hitter, but the Teixeira signing and Matsui's leg troubles turned Swish into an everyday corner outfielder. It worked fine as he hit 29 homers and plated 82 runs, but he's another one who doesn't cover a lot of ground and has a below average arm.

Melky Cabrera in center is really the only given the Yankees have. I suspect Cabrera will continue to get better and the Twins will one day be really upset when they see Cabrera as a borderline All-Star, Phil Hughes as an integral piece of the Yankees' rotation and/or Ian Kennedy as a fifth starter somewhere in baseball. But he was only Johan Santana. I mean, Carlos Gomez is awesome after all.

Anyway, if the Yankees target anyone for the outfield, it should be Curtis Granderson. Obviously he's signed through at least 2012 in Detroit, but if there is a guy to mortgage some of your future for it's this guy. Impeccable defense, great hitter, 20 triples, lots of power, he's a no-brainer and certainly someone the Yankees should consider parting ways with prized prospects Austin Jackson or Jesus Montero, and a pitcher or two for.

What I'd like to see: Yankees re-sign first of Damon or Matsui who's willing to take a short-term deal and trade for Granderson, giving them an outfield of Granderson, Cabrera and Swisher with Damon or Matsui at DH, or with Damon in left and Swisher at DH. What I don't want to see is Cashman give both Damon and Matsui longer deals as rewards. The Yankees need to keep acting like this is a business even though the entire Universe would allow either player to date their daughters after what they did in this past postseason. You have to think rationally here, with the future in mind.

Issue 3: Making sense of this bullpen. Assume for a second that Hughes is in the bullpen and Chamberlain is a starter. The Yankees have to decide what to do when it comes to a few guys that appear to be in no-man's land. Brian Bruney comes to mind. He's always hurt and seems to be somewhat fragile mentally. Do the Yankees use Alfredo Aceves in the same role? Or do they lessen his workload? Because he became largely ineffective as the season progressed, so much so he appeared to completely fall out of favor with manager Joe Girardi in the late stages of the World Series.

David Robertson? He must become an everyday situational force, and Girardi must be mindful of the fact that this guy can also pitch multiple innings. He's a very valuable asset.

Damaso Marte or Phil Coke as primary left-handed set-up man? I say Marte's earned it, but Coke is too young and talented to be ignored so you keep both in that pen at the expense of a Bruney or another right-hander, like maybe a Jonathan Albaladejo.

What I'd like to see: From the 9th inning out -- Rivera, Hughes, and Chamberlain. Robertson as situational righty, Marte as situational lefty. Aceves becomes do-it-all guy. Coke stays because two lefties are better than one. Gaudin becomes expendable, even though he was a real trooper for this team in 2009.

So there you have it. I just hope the Yankees don't do something foolish like sign Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. They don't need either as currently constituted. If they have ideas about Roy Halladay, I'm all for including Chamberlain in a deal if given the option, because Halladay is only 32 and I think down the road Hughes has more upside.

Call it an offseason of tweaking in Yankee land, because the issues they have, as annoying as they appear, don't require big fixes. The bottom line is if this team gets that Lackey-type guy it will be the odds-on favorite to win it all in 2010.

Now, bash away. The one thing I've learned in 15 years as a member of the sports media is when it comes to the Yankees, the opinions are endless. I've got my helmet on.

Follow me on Twitter at @greenlanternjet