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As we creep our way to the start of Spring Training for the 2011 MLB season, we begin to see teams take the forms of the finished products we will see on opening day.

There is of course still time for moves to be made as a handful of impact free agents remain. However for the most part these are the teams we will be seeing on Opening Day 2011.

This means that we can begin to imagine what some of the more important matchups throughout this upcoming season will look at. For now, we will compare the Yankees’ lineup, defense, pitching and intangibles against the top competition in the American League.

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After getting spurned by top free agents from Cliff Lee to Carl Crawford and failing to make a trade for an impact arm such as Zack Greinke, the New York Yankees currently sit as a team that is certainly no better than last year’s version, and may be even worse.

If the Yankees cannot entice longtime great Andy Pettitte out of retirement, the rotation could feature multiple minor leaguers and castaways.

Because of this, it is likely that the Yankees will need to make a move for an impact arm. Although a move may have to wait until during the season, in honor of the holidays, here is a Yankee wish list of top arms they will look to acquire.

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Throughout the years, the Yankees have established themselves as the most successful franchise in all of sports. Along with this winning attitude has come a slight air of arrogance among the front office.

The Yankees have made a habit of mistreating their loyal stars when it comes to the end of their careers and possibly their last contracts. Although baseball is a business and they will argue that it is nothing personal, it is concerning that we seem to see this again and again.

Once again, we are seeing this take place with the current Yankee captain, Derek Jeter. Let’s take a look at Jeter’s situation and some other Yankees that have gone through a similar experience.

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As baseball’s offseason heats up, one of the more intriguing names on the market is former No. 1 overall pick and current Arizona Diamondback outfielder, Justin Upton.

Numerous teams are interested in the very young and talented outfielder and, as usual, one of the teams to make an inquiry is the New York Yankees. Although the Yankees do not have Upton at the top of their wish list, he could certainly become an option.

For the right price, this could be a great move for the Yankees in both the short term and the long term. Here are the top 10 reasons the Yankees should make this deal.

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The Yankees have many things on the to-do list this offseason, including re-signing a pair of legends in Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.

On top of this, the Yankees need to replenish a roster that came up well short of their championship goals. For now let’s look at 10 players the Yankees should target this offseason.

This list includes players on the team last year that the Yankees need to bring back and free agents or trade possibilities they should take a look at.

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So far in the 2010 NLDS we have seen one dominating sweep from a team seeking their third straight World Series appearance and another series go back and forth with three thrilling games so far.

The Phillies have already clinched their spot in the NLCS with an easy three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds, including a no-hitter from Roy Halladay.

In the other series we have seen some dominating pitching along with some late inning heroics throughout the first three games. Right now the Giants lead the series 2-1 but honestly it could have gone in any number of directions.

So what have we learned from these two drastically different series? 

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The New York Yankees are riding a wave of momentum heading back home up two games to zero over the Minnesota Twins. After relying on veterans CC Sabathia and Andy Pettitte the first two games, the Yankees will be throwing 24-year-old Phil Hughes in hopes of closing out the series.

Hughes had an up and down year in 2010, although his statistics may indicate a more successful season. He finished the season 18-8 with a 4.19 ERA in 176.1 innings.

The win-loss record jumps out first as 18 wins had him among the league leaders in the AL. However, Hughes benefited greatly from the Yankees offense and was able to win many games despite not having great outings.

Hughes began the year showing all the promise in the world as he carried a sub-three ERA into mid-June. After that his performance began to level off, whether it was a result of fatigue or adjustments made by opponents.

The Yankees were careful to watch his innings limit in his first full season as a starter. In April the Yankees certainly would have hoped to not use Hughes in the playoffs, instead opting for AJ Burnett or Javier Vazquez in this third starter role.

Unfortunately the poor performances by both of those players forced manager Joe Girardi to go with the young Hughes in the playoffs. I give Girardi a lot of credit for forgoing the veteran options and going with the pitcher who truly gives the team the best chance.

Now the pressure is on, Yankee Stadium in October and a spot in the ALCS on the line. For a young guy like Hughes the key will be his ability to control the emotions of the moment and focus them into his pitching. His fastball and curveball command must be spot on as the Twins hitters will no doubt be looking to take advantage of the friendly dimensions of Yankee Stadium.

Hughes is known as very laid back and that demeanor should help him here. There have been moments in the past where Hughes has seemed to be a little too amped up and he has lost control of the zone. In addition Hughes’ performance as a reliever in last year’s playoffs were shaky at best.

A good sign for Yankee fans may be Hughes’ last start against the Red Sox where he matched Daisuke Matsuzaka inning for inning in probably his biggest start of the year.

If Hughes can build on his last start and find his command early the Twins may be looking at another sweep at the hands of the Yankees.

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As we near the start of 2010 MLB Playoffs the first round matchups offer us plenty of excitement across the board.

Young teams with much to prove enter their first real October test. Teams that have fallen short in the past look for a shot at redemption and the defending champs look to protect their crown.

No matter who you’re rooting for, playoff baseball is undeniably magical. Another playoffs full of these magical moments surely awaits past the divisional round. 

This of course begs the question, which second round matchups do we most want to see?

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Even as the defending champion Yankees finish a season that will see them win well over 90 games and possibly a division title, this team is hardly invincible and cannot even be considered on the same level as last year’s juggernaut.

The first and most glaring difference between this team and last is a serious lack of depth in the rotation.

While CC Sabathia has had a Cy Young-quality season, he has been without any support in the rotation for months with no real signs of a turnaround out there.

The pressure on CC to win his starts will only increase, as he will be matched up with the likes of Cliff Lee, David Price, and Roy Halladay throughout the playoffs.

After CC is where the questions begin. Without sugarcoating it, A.J. Burnett has been a shell of what he was in the playoffs last year, as start after start he has slung the ball to home plate seemingly with no idea where it is going. It’s questionable whether Joe Girardi is going to trust A.J. enough to give him the ball and doubtful whether the Yankees or their fans will have any faith in him to deliver.

From here the questions become even more complicated. Andy Pettitte had a fantastic year going before an injury sidelined him for a month. Since coming off the DL Pettitte has been up and down in two starts. If Pettitte can regain the form he had before the injury, the Yankees can count on having two solid pitchers heading into the playoffs.

However, it is likely that the Yankees will need Pettitte to pitch on three days’ rest like in last year’s playoffs, and with his age and injuries we’ll see how long he can hold up.

It seems unlikely that the Yankees will be able to rely on just these three pitchers like they did last year, but the options after them are quite limited. Phil Hughes has had a fantastic year despite being jerked around because of an innings limit, but it seems unlikely that the Yankees will rely on him as a starter after he has already reached his supposed limit.

Hughes may be destined for the bullpen, and if they move him there for the ALDS, there would be no looking back and starting him if he were needed in the ALCS or World Series. This would leave Girardi with the pu pu platter of fourth starter options that include Ivan Nova, Javier Vazquez’s “tired arm,” Dustin Moseley, and the incomparable Chad Gaudin.

So the Yankees’ pitching may not be where it was last year, but who cares, right? This is a team built around a powerful lineup headlined by All-Stars and MVPs. Certainly they can carry them to another championship.

If you believe this, you clearly were hibernating during the Yankees’ abbreviated playoff runs between 2004-2007.

Those lineups too featured a bevy of All-Star sluggers but ultimately fell short around rotations featuring the likes of Kevin Brown, Shawn Chacon, and our familiar friend Javier Vazquez. Perhaps this lineup is good enough to make up for our flaws, but those who have watched championship runs before know that good pitching always beats good hitting.

Could this version of the Yankees defy logic and win with one legitimate starter? Completely. Would I bet on it? Absolutely not. For Yankees nation, I hope I’m wrong.

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