Kuzul

As pitchers and catchers are filing into camp, the New York Yankees have several issues to attend to this spring, one of the foremost being the competition between the veteran offseason pickup Russell Martin and the top catching prospect in the game today, Jesus Montero.

Montero has risen through the Yankees farm system very quickly, much in thanks to his power and run production at each level of the minors. Now with the starting catcher spot vacated by Jorge Posada in New York, the young super prospect has a chance to make his mark and live up to all the hype in the Bronx this year.

Martin is the new-comer to the Yankees and is coming off knee surgery, plus his 2010 season was cut short by a broken hip and torn shoulder in August. But he is a two time All Star as well as the owner of a gold glove and silver slugger, and at age 27, he is the veteran and considered probably the favorite to start on opening day.

If Martin is 100 percent healthy by the end of spring training, it would be hard to argue with him as the choice if the Yankees go with him. But Montero has proven that he can hit at every level thus far and by all scouting accounts he would succeed in the Majors as well. So who should it be?

In 2010, Montero got off to a slow start at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but after a strong second half of the season his overall numbers were good, he hit 21 home runs with 75 RBIs and a .289 batting average. The average was down compared to his previous performances and he did strikeout 91 times in 453 at bats. So there are holes in his game, but at just 21 years old he is very advanced.

His defense has been called into question in the past, but last year he seemed to rededicate himself to improving his fielding capability behind the plate and did do a better job. Is he ever going to be a gold glove catcher in the majors, no probably not, but neither was the guy he’s trying to replace, Jorge Posada.

Plus, there is really no where for him to go. Sure you could send him back to the minors for another year, but that would only take another year off of his potential career lifespan, which as a catcher is probably shorter than most. That would be a complete waste of time, since it appears he is ready for the big leagues.

Martin has the experience as the veteran, but with all of his recent injury history and self admittedly not 100 percent healthy yet, I have to go with Montero. He is a bigger offensive weapon in the already stacked Yankees lineup, which the Yanks are going to have to rely heavily on this year thanks to their failed pursuit of Cliff Lee and Andy Pettitte retiring, leaving the starting rotation considerably weaker.

So Montero is the man for the job in my opinion.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees made their first “big splash” in the free agent market yesterday, signing former Rays’ closer Rafael Soriano to a three year deal worth $35 million, which does include an opt out clause after each of the first two seasons.

Now obviously, Soriano will not be the closer for the Yankees this year or in 2012. I think Mariano Rivera will probably get the job done, just a hunch though. So that means the Yanks are paying a lot of money and giving up a first round draft pick for a setup man, but I still think it is a good move.

The Yankees for years have searched for a consistent bridge to Mariano in the ninth inning, and they have finally found their man with Soriano, who had an outstanding year in 2010.

Not only did he lead the league in saves, but he had a very impressive 1.73 ERA and a 0.802 WHIP over 62 innings pitched. He also had 57 strikeouts compared to his 14 walks.

The only question I have is will he lose any psychological edge by moving from the closer to the setup man role. We have seen time and time again that when closers are brought in during non-save situations, they tend to get hit around a little more. We will see how that works out.

But if Soriano remains true to form, then the Yankees have made a great signing, because this move takes some of the pressure off of their weaker starting rotation by shortening games. Joe Girardi is going to have no problem pulling A.J. Burnett in the sixth inning and handing the ball to his suddenly strong bullpen.

Now that Soriano is in the mix, the Yankees may have the best bullpen in all of baseball. They added Pedro Feliciano earlier this offseason, teaming him up with Boone Logan to give them two solid left handers in the ‘pen. Plus, they still have Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson, oh, and Mariano Rivera too.

Overall, a great signing in my opinion, and the Yankees still have about $20 million left in their so called “budget” to sign an extra outfielder and likely a cheap, low-risk, high-reward starting pitcher.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Yankees didn’t get their man this winter, but who might be heading to the Bronx next offseason?

Cliff Lee is a great pitcher and makes the Phillies the clear cut favorite to win it all next season in my opinion, but the Yankees are still a very talented team, and if they can swing a few trades here and there, they could easily wind up right in the middle of the playoff picture.

But as for next offseason, the Yankees should be major players for the top free agents out there, and here are the potential big names out there.

Not to pick on the St. Louis Cardinals, but they have two players in particular that GM Brian Cashman will have his eye on.

The first one you probably know, and that would be three time MVP Albert Pujols. Providing he doesn’t agree to a contract extension with the Cardinals, who I think won’t be able to afford him, he will be a free agent and will be looking for A-Rod money at the least.

Pujols could play first base and Mark Teixeira could slide into the DH role with Jorge Posada out of the picture after next season, or Pujols could be the primary DH. Pujols has also had playing time in the outfield and with Nick Swisher’s contract set to expire, right field might be another possibility.

The other potential free agent from St. Louis is pitcher Adam Wainwright, who has quietly emerged into one of the best starters in the NL. He is 39-19 with a 2.53 ERA over the last two seasons. He has also struck out 425 while walking only 122 batters in those seasons.

Wainwright would certainly be a major upgrade to the Yankees’ rotation, but he has a $10 million vesting option for 2012. I believe he would elect free agency over a return to St. Louis. The Cardinals would like to sign both Pujols and Wainwright, but I don’t see them being able to afford both of them, so that means one will for sure be out there, plus Chris Carpenter is a free agent as well.

As I mentioned before, Nick Swisher’s contract is up after the 2011 season, and if he has a bad year and the Yankees don’t bring him back, then Jose Bautista is a viable option.

He slugged 54 home runs in 2010, by far the best in the league, and also drove in 124 runs. I certainly don’t expect him to continue at that pace, but if he has a good season and hits 35-45 homers with 100 or so RBIs, I think he would be a great fit in right field for the Yankees.

Like Pujols, another prominent NL first baseman that is a free agent next offseason is Prince Fielder, who is almost certainly out of the Brewers’ price range to retain him and he could be on the move this year at the trade deadline.

Fielder would be an exclusive DH for the Yanks and almost every other AL team, so that might be a little bit of a concern, especially if you’re going to invest 20+ million dollars in him. But with him being a left handed bat, one can only imagine the amount of home runs he would hit well past that short right field wall at Yankee Stadium.

Roy Oswalt has a mutual option with the Phillies after next season, but he is certainly a pitcher that the Yankees might want to look at if he is available. He pitched extremely well in Philadelphia for the final two months of 2010 and if he has a good year in 2011, then I would think that Cashman would consider him, even at age 34.

Remember that these are all potential free agents, and could get contract extensions with their current teams or sign an extension with a team they might be traded to in the near future.

But those would be the stars of next year’s free agent market and the Yankees look like they will have plenty of money to spend, and I think you all know what that means.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The waiting game continues as the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers hold their collective breaths in the wake of Cliff Lee’s looming decision over where he will play for the next six or seven years.

Both teams know that Lee is a difference maker and will be paid accordingly.

According to SI’s Jon Heyman, the Yankees have a big advantage in terms of money and also have a seventh year. But he is also quick to point out that the Rangers, despite offering less money and only six years, do play just four hours away from Lee’s home in Arkansas.

Lee has known about these offers for a few days now, and has had a short time to decide where he will take his services next year and beyond. But the longer it takes, the more it seems to me that he is leaning towards Texas.

Of course that is just my opinion, and it goes against everything we’ve heard about Lee just wanting to go to the highest bidder.

But if he were to return to the Rangers, it would hurt the Yankees in several ways.

The first one is the most obvious. The Red Sox have upgraded their offense in a big way by signing Carl Crawford and trading for Adrian Gonzalez, while the Yankees have basically the same team as last year.

So if Lee doesn’t sign with the Yankees, they will have missed out on pretty much all the big name free agents while the Sox will look a lot better on paper as they head into the season.

Another aspect that has been overlooked by many is Andy Pettitte. All he cares about is winning another ring and he likely would not return for money or personal stats. If he feels the Yankees don’t have a good enough team to win the World Series, then I believe he will retire.

Signing Lee would certainly put the Yankees in a better position to win it all, and I think that Pettitte would come back if they were able to sign Lee. If they don’t get Pettitte or Lee, then the Yankees are kind of in a bind, suddenly needing to find two starting pitchers for next year.

Any way you slice the pie, it’s plain and simple—Lee or bust.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

So many question marks remain for the Yankees this off-season.

Will Cliff Lee go for the money in the Bronx, or will he stay close to home and return to Texas? Will Derek Jeter be in a different uniform next season, and if so who is the starting shortstop for the Yankees? Is Andy Pettitte coming back for one last title run? Will Posada, Montero or Cervelli be the starting catcher? What is the bullpen going to look like?

Those are the hot topics around the Yankees camp this winter, and who knows how they will all turn out?

This is how I see things stacking up for the Yankees when they face the Detroit Tigers on March 31, 2011.

Starting Lineup

1. LF Brett Gardner: Takes over lead-off spot in the lineup after proving his ability to hit consistently in the big leagues last year. Adds a ton of speed and athleticism.

2. SS Derek Jeter: Coming off of his worst year offensively, Joe Girardi will move him back to his traditional two-hole in the lineup, hoping the Captain can bounce back and turn in a solid performance. He is also looking for his 3,000th career hit.

3. 2B Robinson Cano: He gets a promotion to number three in the lineup after posting MVP caliber numbers last year behind Mark Teixeira and A-Rod, plus his higher batting average and on-base percentage fits the spot better than Teixeira.

4. 3B Alex Rodriguez: A-Rod remains the cleanup man after leading the team in RBI last year, and should do the same in 2011.                             

5. 1B Mark Teixeira: Perhaps one of the players happiest to begin a new season, because 2010 was dreadful. He got off to a terrible start, couldn’t rebound and finished with his career-worst BA of .256, certainly not good enough to remain in the three-hole.

6. RF Nick Swisher: Coming off the best season of his career, Swish will look to continue his success at the plate and cash in on it, because 2011 is a contract year for him.      

7. DH Jorge Posada: The change had to be made at some point, and Jorge might as well ride out his last season in comfort, taking over as the primary DH.

8. C Jesus Montero: The star prospect that we have all been hearing about and waiting for will get his chance to live up to all the hype and show his true potential on the brightest stage in all of baseball, Yankee Stadium.

9. CF Curtis Granderson: Curtis revamped his swing and finally warmed up to the pinstripes at the end of last year, and I expect a big season out of him in 2011. His combination of speed and power could land him in the leadoff spot if Gardner can’t handle it.

Starting Rotation

1. CC Sabathia: He’s the ace of the staff and arguably the MVP of the Yankees last year, being the one constant in the starting rotation all year.

2. Cliff Lee: The Yankees have the most money and that’s what Lee wants, so I believe he will be in pinstripes next season. If he is, the Yankees certainly have the best one-two punch in baseball, which always helps in the postseason.

3. Phil Hughes: Coming off an 18-win season in 2010, look for him to improve in 2011 without the innings limit.

4. Andy Pettitte: You can’t say enough about his performance last year when he was healthy. An unfortunate groin injury halted the best start to a season in his career, and Cliff Lee out-dueled him in the ALCS, but that just might drive him to give it one more shot in 2011.

5. A.J. Burnett: A repeat of 2010 simply cannot happen for A.J. The Yankees can’t afford to drop him from the starting rotation or trade him away due to his $16 million salary. Larry Rothschild thought Carlos Zambrano was a hard case. Wait until he gets a load of this guy.

Good luck, Larry.

Bullpen

CL Mariano Rivera: The Sandman will be back and probably just as good as always, looking to join Trevor Hoffman in the 600 saves club.

David Robertson: With Kerry Wood likely gone, Robertson will look to fill the void with his high strikeout ratio.

Joba Chamberlain: He was the eighth inning man last year, but too many blowouts quickly dropped him from that role. The Yankees have not given up completely on him and still feel he has value, so we shall see what happens next year but he could be on the move at the trade deadline.

Boone Logan: The lefty specialist was probably the best part of the Javier Vazquez trade last off-season, and he looks to carry over his success from 2010 to 2011.

Alfredo Aceves: He wasn’t much of a factor last season, having been injured early but according to recent reports he is healthy and expected back in 2011. He played a big role in 2009 and is vital to the bullpen’s success.

Bench

IF Eduardo Nunez: Has a solid bat and can play the infield and possibly the corner outfield positions if needed.

C Francisco Cervelli: Doesn’t add much with the bat, but is full of energy behind the plate and pitchers seem to feel comfortable with him. However, with Montero the starting catcher and Posada the DH, Cervelli might see his playing time severely reduced if Posada fills in for Montero.

OF Colin Curtis: Has some pop with the bat, but will be used primarily as a late defensive substitution.

IF Brandon Laird: A big run producer in the minors and could add a strong bat to the big league bench, but he certainly doesn’t have the versatility of Ramiro Pena.

That’s what my 2011 opening day Yankees lineup look like, but obviously March 31 is a long ways away and much could change between now and then.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Former Yankees manager Casey Stengel was photographed holding a baseball and gazing at it, as if it were a crystal ball, right after he was hired in 1949. Many Yankee staffers winced when they saw the pictures, but whatever he saw, it must have been good, because not only did he win the World Series his first year on the job, but he won the next four after that.

Stengel would win a total of seven World Series titles in his 12 years with the Yankees.

If it worked for Stengel then it could work for Brian Cashman now, who is about to embark upon what could be the most tumultuous offseason he has ever experienced. Three of the core four Yankees have expiring contracts, and Cashman must decide for how long and how much he is going to bring them back for, while keeping in mind that all three of them growing older by the day. He also has a manager to re-sign.

After the in-house duties are done, he must turn his attention to improving his team in the free agent and trade market, where Cy Young award winners Cliff Lee and Zack Greinke both await, along with Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn, Adrain Beltre and Jayson Werth.

After all of that, he has some more tough decisions to make regarding the starting catching job, with Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli and Jesus Montero all viable candidates.

He certainly has a lot on his plate and after gazing into a crystal ball, this is what he should see happen in the coming months.

Begin Slideshow

What do the years 2001, 2003 and 2010 all have in common? They all involve deep playoff runs and subsequent disappointing playoff exits for the New York Yankees.

Following the 2001 and 2003 seasons, the Yankees acquired a dynamic hitter and veteran pitcher in each offseason, Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina after ’01 and Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Brown following ’03, and now it is very possible 2010 will also share that distinct similarity.

Don’t get me wrong, every postseason that doesn’t end with a World Series title is a disappointment to the Yankees and Yankees fans, but the 2001 World Series was a huge letdown and the 2003 loss was the official end to that Yankee dynasty.

2010 wasn’t a World Series loss, but an ALCS exit where the Yankees were truly over-matched and could not perform in the clutch was still hard to watch.

So who might the Yankees be targeting this offseason? Well, the popular pick is Cliff Lee and I think (hope) that he will be in pinstripes next season, after what he has done to the Yankees in the past, just signing him and keeping him away from other teams would be a bonus.

By the time it is all said and done he very well could be the highest paid pitcher in baseball history, because a bidding war is certainly going to take place between Texas and New York, along with whoever else is interested in him.

As for the bat, that remains to be seen, but some two of the most talked about hitters out there on the market are Adrian Beltre and Adam Dunn.

Beltre is coming off of a fantastic year in Boston hitting .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBI, along with 49 doubles to lead the league. He also has a two Gold Gloves at third base.

Dunn is a much more one-dimensional player being a typical middle-of-the-order power bat, having not hit fewer than 38 home runs since 2003. His defense is nothing to brag about, but he can play first base and the corner outfield spots.

Both players would make the Yankees lineup even more stacked than it already is, but there would be one problem with signing either one of these All-Star caliber players. The DH spot would be jammed.

Beltre could play third base and A-Rod could move to the DH, but with an aging catcher, I have a feeling Jorge Posada is going to be the everyday DH next year, which brings me to my next point.

The Yankees don’t really need to sign either of these expensive free agents, because they have the young phenom catcher Jesus Montero waiting for his opportunity and next year the starting catching job could be his.

This is a player the Yankees have been high since they signed him as a 17-year-old. Now at age 20, he has shown at every level of the minors that he has a major league ready bat, having hit 21 home runs and knocked in 75 RBI this year at triple-A Scranton, while hitting .289. His defense was a concern but it is reportedly improved this year.

I have no doubt that by the end of next year, that Montero is the Yankees starting catcher and is an impact bat in the lineup, maybe not to the degree of Dunn or Beltre yet, but he certainly looks like he has the potential to hit 30 home runs in a season. And obviously, he is a much cheaper option than most free agents out there.

So maybe the Yankees just sign Cliff Lee and a few lesser free agents, possibly Johnny Damon, and go with Montero as their new starting catcher. Either way, if history repeats itself, the Yankees are going to have some new faces around in 2011.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

For the second year in a row, the New York Yankees swept aside the Minnesota Twins in the first round of the playoffs and are once again headed back to the ALCS.

Many questions surrounded the Yankees as they entered the postseason for only the 14th time in 15 years, but it is safe to say now that the Bombers are a legitimate threat.

Being the Wild Card team, everybody wondered if they could win without home field advantage? Well, they can, and did, overcoming two leads by the Twins and rallied behind starters CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte to win the first two games of the series at Target Field. Or much simply put: they came, they saw, they conquered.

Phil Hughes making his first postseason start in game 3 was the next big question, would he be able to bounce back from a rather ugly 2009 postseason campaign where he gave up six runs in just six innings pitched? He too, answered the call and fired seven strong innings, allowing only four hits and no runs, and thus completing the sweep and moving the Yankees one step closer to their goal at the beginning of every season.

The Yankees made it clear to everybody that they are for real once again this October and any questions of their starting pitching have been answered after several strong pitching performances.

Realistically they could have the best starting rotation in the playoffs right now, that is if they continue with their three man rotation, which they most certainly should.

CC Sabathia, surprisingly, had the worst start between the three starters, allowing four runs on five hits through six innings.

Not enough can be said about how Andy Pettitte, at age 38, came out and shut down the Twins offense in game two, giving up just two runs on five hits over seven solid innings, earning his unprecedented 19th postseason victory in his career.

You already know about Phil Hughes and how he dominated in the clinching game three, so the Yankees top three starters are looking pretty scary and are certainly the best in the American League right now.

If you combine the rotation with the always dangerous offense, along with the best relief pitcher in the history of the game who only gets better in October, Mariano Rivera, and added rest before the ALCS, the Bronx Bombers are looking sharp as they continue their quest for title number 28.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Phillip Joseph Hughes, better known simply as Phil Hughes, has had a very tumultuous career thus far and has hurdled many challenges on his way to his postseason starting debut tonight in the Bronx.

In high school, Hughes was a first team All-American pitcher, while posting a combined 21-1 record between his junior and senior years, including a perfect game.

Using their first draft pick in 2004, the Yankees selected Hughes 23rd overall out of Foothill High School in Santa Ana, California.

Coincidentally, New York was awarded the 23rd pick in that draft after losing Andy Pettitte to the Houston Astros, six years later and both pitchers make up two-thirds of the Yankees three man rotation in the playoffs. Personally, I think Houston got hosed on the whole deal.

In 2005, his first full year as a professional, he split the season between Class A Charleston and Advanced A Tampa, posting a 9-2 record with a 1.24 ERA, certainly showing the Yankees that they might have something special there.

In November of 2006, after another strong year in the minors in which he nearly threw two no-hitters, Hughes was ranked as the Yankees No. 1 prospect by Baseball America, calling him “arguably the best pitching prospect in the minors”.

Hughes was invited to Major League spring training camp with the Yankees in 2007, and after starting the season in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, he was called up to the majors and made his debut on April 26 in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

However, he would bounce back from his first career loss with a strong outing at Texas, where he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, but was removed after pulling his hamstring with one out and two strikes on future teammate Mark Teixeira.

2007 also marked his first taste of postseason baseball, where he threw 3.2 scoreless innings in an emotional game, relieving Roger Clemens, who walked off a major league mound for the last time in his storied and controversial career.

After Brian Cashman refused to trade him and Joba Chamberlain for Johan Santana in the off-season, injuries plagued Hughes for much of 2008 and he spent most of the year rehabbing in the minors and Arizona Fall league to increase his innings total.

Hughes started a hand-full of games in 2009 before being temporarily moved to the bullpen, where he flourished and remained for the rest of the season, becoming the 8th inning man setting it up for Mariano Rivera.

Despite his struggles in the 2009 postseason, he got his first World Series ring as the Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in the fall classic.

Heading into 2010 the Yankees needed a fifth starter to slot in behind CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte, A.J. Burnett, and Javy Vazquez. Hughes and Joba Chamberlain were the two most likely candidates for the job, and whoever pitched the best in spring training would get the job.

Causing much debate amongst Yankees fans as to who should be the fifth starter in the weeks leading up to the season, the competition was rather one sided. It was clear that Hughes had out pitched Joba and was named the starter by Joe Girardi.

After being named to the starting rotation, Hughes never looked back, going 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA and legitimizing his ability to be a starting pitcher in the big leagues.

Along the way, Hughes has benefited from playing alongside some of the best in the pitching business. His cutter has matured to become his most reliable pitch, no doubt a result of a few side sessions with Mariano Rivera in the bullpen during 2009.

His knuckle-curve is also a deadly pitch for opposing batters, certainly something he may have worked on with Mike Mussina early in his career.

Now at age 24 and six years since being drafted, Hughes has become a complete pitcher and is set to make his first career start in the bright lights of the postseason, as the Yankees look to sweep the Minnesota Twins in the Bronx tonight and pack their bags for the ALCS against Texas or Tampa Bay.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

You could make a case for CC Sabathia and possibly Mariano Rivera, but it is clear that Robinson Cano is and has been the MVP of the New York Yankees all year, but will his success at the plate continue when it counts the most, the postseason?

Cano has always been a highly praised prospect and player in the Yankees organization, with even Don Mattingly predicting that he would win a batting title at some point in his career. He was even used as trade bait when the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez from the Rangers. Luckily Texas chose Joaquin Arias to go along with Alfonso Soriano, instead of Cano.

Since his impressive rookie campaign in 2005, Cano has evolved into one of the best, if not the best second basemen in the Majors, both at the plate and with the leather.

I always like to compare how he plays the game to how Mariano Rivera pitches; it just seems so effortless. Mo looks like he’s just lobbing the ball to the plate and it ends up as a 93-MPH cutter. It’s the same with Cano and his side-arm bullets to first base, or how he makes over-the-shoulder catches so easily.

And also like Rivera, he has the numbers to back it all up. Cano has only made three errors all season, which gives him a .996 fielding percentage, and puts him in line for his first gold glove. He also has a .314 batting average with 28 home runs and 106 RBI—both career highs.

It is obvious that he will get some major consideration for AL MVP, but will he be able to replicate his regular season success in the month that means the most to Yankees fans

Statistically speaking, he has been very disappointing in the postseason for his career, and last season was no exception. He went 11-for-57 in the 2009 postseason, with no home runs and six RBI, while striking out 15 times. Certainly, the playoffs are an area in which Cano can improve.

After watching teammate Alex Rodriguez put up monster numbers last year in the playoffs and getting the monkey of his back, it is time for Cano to do the same. No, I’m not asking or expecting a six-home run, 18-RBI postseason from Cano, but the Yankees are going to need him to come through more than he has in the past.

If the Yankees are going to repeat as World Series Champions, the offense is going to have to do some major damage to pick up their starting pitching, which remains a mess after CC Sabathia. So it’s time for Cano to get the monkey off his back and earn his real Yankee Pinstripes.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com