Fixing the New York Yankees

For the first time in as long as I can remember, I'm watching the postseason without baseball's most historic franchise. There is no denying that the New York Yankees are in a transitional phase, going into their new stadium. 

But do not worry Yankees fans, the club won 88 games this season, despite losing Chien-Ming Wang very early, Jorge Posada going down early, Alex Rodriguez for a month, Phil Hughes/Ian Kennedy going a combined (0-8), Robinson Cano sleep walking through the season, and all of their offseason distractions. 

The Yankees are not far off from being a postseason team once again. The Yankees have roughly $80 million coming off their payroll (Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Ivan Rodriguez, Carl Pavano among others).

So, the Yankees will have plenty of money to spend in a free-agent market that is dominated by starting pitchers. Expect the Yankees to take the money coming off their payroll, as well as the expected revenue coming in from Yankee Stadium 2.0, to make a big splash. 

I mean, let's face it, Hank Steinbrenner missed the playoffs in his first season as the Boss, so you can expect him to try and fix things. Here's what the 2009 Yankees should look like from each position.

Catcher

The Yankees' best player in 2007, Jorge Posada, failed to have the same kind of year he did before, with a .268/22/69 year. But Posada is under contract for the next three seasons, and he insists he will be back to normal come Spring Training, so you can bet on the Yankees starting with Posada behind the plate. 

Expect the Yankees to retain Molina as a backup next season because of his strong defensive presence and consistency, despite his poor hitting performances. 

However, if Posada fails to regain his 2007 form, expect the Yankees to make a trade for a catcher. Until then, it's Jorge Posada behind the plate. 

First Base

Jason Giambi will not be playing first base for the Yankees next season, that's for sure. 

The big question here is Mark Teixeira. He consistently posts 30+ homers, 100+ RBI with high average, OBP, and slugging. He’s also a renowned clutch performer, batting .324 and slugging .618 for his career with runners in scoring position. This is unquestionably a characteristic sorely lacking in the Yankees current lineup. 

If all that isn’t enough to convince you, he’s also a slick, Gold-Glove level first baseman. He’s a perfect fit that fills several different holes for the Yanks. He's a perfect fit, right? Well, his agent is Scott Boras. 

The infamous Boras will undoubtedly looking for a 10-year, $200 million contract for Teixeira when his market value is probably $120-160 million. The Yankees' organization is keeping quiet on Teixeira because they do not want to give Boras any leverage. If the Yankees can get him for seven or eight years and $160 million, they'll sign him in a heartbeat. 

I think the Yankees will end up with Teixeira. Abreu will be gone, and the Yankees will be looking for a hitter in the three spot. The Yankees can outbid anyone else for him, and there isn't a better option at first base.  

Second Base

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