Ten ideas for building the 2010 New York Yankees

Ten ideas for building the 2010 New York Yankees
John Harper

Originally Published:Saturday, November 7th 2009, 7:26 PM
Updated: Monday, November 9th 2009, 12:17 PM


Daily News Photo Illustration
Hey Yankees, keep Hideki Matsui (l.) and return Joba Chamberlain (third from l.) to the pen.
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A year ago the Yankees made no pretense of their intention to outspend the world for the biggest names on the free agent market and make the necessary changes to atone for the sin of missing the playoffs in Year 1 A.T. - After (Joe) Torre.

Worked out rather nicely, didn't it?

So now they're world champs again, largely because GM Brian Cashman spent the Steinbrenners' millions wisely last winter on CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, free agents who were each more appealing than anyone available this winter.

And as a result, the Yankees head into this offseason buoyed by the comforting thought that there's really nothing broken that needs fixing.
Yet they have some issues, to be sure. They have their own key free agents on which to make decisions, concerns about overall age in the lineup, and questions about how best to use their young pitchers.

Some of these are issues are connected in one way or another, making for some tough calls.

Specifically, the Yankees have to decide whether Jorge Posada's defensive shortcomings, which seemed more noticeable than ever in 2009 - only partly because of his clashes with A.J. Burnett - are significant enough to make him more of a DH and less of a catcher, knowing it will cause hard feelings if they do.

If so, is whatever they believe they'll gain from such a move worth cutting ties with World Series MVP Hideki Matsui? Obviously they can't have it both ways.

Johnny Damon could figure into such a decision as well, since the Yankees have had internal discussions about upgrading defensively in left field and making Damon, if he returns, more of a DH as well.

On the pitching side they have to decide whether to go ahead with their stated intent to have both Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes in the starting rotation next season, even though Hughes was a revelation as an effective late-inning reliever and Chamberlain seemed to finally find his fastball again, only after going back to the bullpen for the postseason.

Perhaps influencing this decision is the status of Andy Pettitte. You have to figure he'll be back for another year, but late in the season he expressed how difficult it was for him after his wife and kids had returned to Houston because school had started.

"My oldest boy is in high school now and I want to be there to see him play ball and everything," Pettitte said. "It's a hard thing for me to deal with, and the decision gets more difficult for me every year."

Chances are he'll be influenced by his postseason success and the possibility of becoming a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate, but you never know. Who really believed Mike Mussina would retire a year ago after a 20-win season?

In any case, if Pettitte returns and Chien-Ming Wang is making progress returning from shoulder surgery, the Yankees will have flexibility to consider where Chamberlain and Hughes best benefit the team.

If both of them do start, who fills that important set-up role? Was Damaso Marte's rather stunning postseason a sign that he can be counted on consistently? Is David Robertson ready for more responsibility? Is Mark Melancon ready to fulfill the organization's belief he will be a late-inning fixture eventually?

With such issues in mind, it won't be a quiet offseason - they're the Yankees, aren't they? But going in it appears it will be more about changing the oil and tuning the engine than shopping for the hottest new ride on the market.

With such parameters in mind, we offer thoughts on the best way for the Yankees to put themselves in position to repeat, breaking the decision-making that lies ahead into 10 categories:

1. THE MVP DILEMMA
Were the Yankees swayed by Hideki Matsui's clutch hitting in the postseason, not to mention his six-RBI performance to put away the Phillies in the clinching Game 6?

As much as the Yankees could benefit from opening the DH spot for Jorge Posada and others, I'd try to bring Matsui back on a one-year deal, even if Johnny Damon returns as well, hoping his desire to remain in pinstripes would sway him.

It's worth remembering that once Alex Rodriguez came back from hip surgery, the Yankees lost very few games to injury among their regulars. Considering their age, they may not be as lucky next season. A couple of injuries after a departure by Matsui, and suddenly they'd be desperate for offense.

2. BRING BACK DAMON
Matsui and Damon each proved they still have tremendous value, but if I had to choose I'd have to take Damon because he still can play an adequate left field. He's a home-run hitter in the new Yankee Stadiium, and he can still run.

It just can't be more than a two-year deal. If Damon wants to stay as much as he has said, he needs to be reasonable at the negotiating table. If Scott Boras talks him into demanding a three-year deal, the Yankees should sign Chone Figgins and shift him to left field. Figgins has played just 12 games in the outfield the last three years, but has the speed to move back to it.

3. NO MORE JOBA DEBATE
It's still hard to know exactly what to make of Joba Chamberlain as a starter after his season was disrupted by the Joba Rules. But in the postseason he answered the question of whether he could still throw smoke as a reliever, and beyond that, he just looked more comfortable coming out of the pen again.

Though he gave up a big home run to Pedro Feliz, the Yankees to a man were raving about how electric his fastball was against the Phillies.

It will be intriguing to see him return to the rotation without limitations next season, which appears to be the Yankees' plan, but more than ever it appears he has the mentality of a reliever.

4. AS FOR HUGHES?
Phil Hughes lost his confidence in the postseason but let's not forget that he changed Yankees' season by moving into the bullpen and dominating in the setup role. If he takes that same attacking style back to the starting rotation, where he too is apparently ticketed, Hughes should still develop into a dependable starter.

The problem is that the Yankees may well have their own Hughes Rules for him next season, with the same intent of limiting his innings because he only pitched 90 innings between Triple-A and the majors in 2009. If so, you would hope the Yanks learned from screwing up Chamberlain's season, and will have Hughes build toward a limits-free stretch run.

5. PETTITTE PLAN
Andy Pettitte's ongoing pull toward his family, as well as his desire to pitch only for the Yankees, makes life easy for Cashman, enabling him to continue signing the lefthander to one-year deals.

Pettitte's strong season and clutch postseason make re-signing him practically a must for the Yankees, adding a needed level of certainty if they are determined to put both Chamberlain and Hughes back into the rotation.

Ideally, they'd be better off putting Chamberlain - or Hughes - in the bullpen and signing a free agent such as Randy Wolf as a back-end starter. Chad Gaudin and Ian Kennedy could provide depth, while a successful comeback by Chien-Ming Wang from shoulder surgery by May or June would be a luxury.

6. BEHIND THE PLATE
Jorge Posada's defense is an issue that's not going away, especially as he turns 39 next year. Joe Girardi's willingness to let Jose Molina catch A.J. Burnett in the playoffs was an indication of his feelings about the importance of defense behind the plate, and if Matsui is not re-signed, Girardi is likely to ease Posada into more of a DH role.

In that case, they need to re-sign Molina. He's such a brilliant defensive catcher that the Yankees can carry his bat in the lineup for, say, 80 games. They like young Francisco Cervelli behind the plate as well, and they believe 20-year-old Jesus Montero will be a star, ready to take over in a couple of seasons.

7. HOW MUCH FOR JETER?
Derek Jeter's strong season with the bat and the glove at age 35 puts off for awhile any serious discussion about how long he can play shortstop, but the Yankees have to decide about a new contract for their captain.

They are fortunate that Jeter, ever the team guy, doesn't seem inclined to make getting it done now an issue. His leverage probably will never be higher than it is right now, and he could surely use public pressure to force a new deal.

If he's content to wait, the Yankees would be smart to use the time to see if he maintains the same high level next season. Even so, they're going to have to overpay for all he's done and means to the Yankees, perhaps four years for $90 million, and then figure out a way to gracefully move him to left field when he's 38 or 39.

8. CONTENT WITH CANO?
Robinson Cano's abysmal postseason confirmed what scouts say about him, that he's an undisciplined free swinger who is always going to put up numbers during the season against a lot of mediocre pitching, but should be an easy out on a big stage against elite pitching.

It doesn't mean the Yankees should trade him. Indeed, he improved his focus in 2009 after his late-season benching in 2008, and for the most part played a brilliant second base. But it does mean the Yankees shouldn't rule it out, in case some team sees him as their No. 3 hitter and is willing to give up a golden arm for him.

9. WHAT'S ON THE STOVE?
The Yankees won't spend $423.5 million on free agents this winter, but surely they'll make at least one splash. If Damon goes elsewhere, they'll likely get involved with Jason Bay and Matt Holliday, although there is talk they'd prefer to sign Figgins and move him to left. If the price is right they might do that even if Damon stays, figuring they can rotate Damon as a DH and use Figgins to spell Alex Rodriguez at third base as well.

It's not likely the Yankees will overpay for John Lackey, this offseason's top free-agent pitcher. Cashman wants his young pitchers in the mix, and would likely be interested only in a short-term deal for a veteran, such as Randy Wolf.

One thing for sure, the Yankees will be in the hunt for 20-year-old Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, the lefty who throws 100 mph. They'll probably have to outbid the Red Sox to get him.

10. WHO'S IN CENTER?
Melky Cabrera proved he can be a solid center fielder, which is plenty on a team with so many offensive stars. The Yankees can live with him and Brett Gardner holding down the position, especially since they have high hopes that Austin Jackson, who had a solid season at Triple-A, will eventually be good enough to take over.