Preview for the New York Yankees' 2009 Season

The MLB season is now less than four months away. With the Giants now out of the NFL playoffs, I'm ready for some baseball.

The Yankees' main additions this off-season include the signings of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, and Mark Teixeira. They now have the four highest paid players in baseball history (Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and C.C. Sabathia).

I now believe that the Yankees have the best lineup and rotation in the MLB. Therefore, I believe they have the best team in the MLB.

The Infield

Jorge Posada is the long time Yankee Catcher. He signed a big contract last off-season. He is now 37 years old, coming back from a shoulder surgery.

The catcher's position was a weak spot for the Yankees last season with Posada out for a good part of the season. They traded for Ivan Rodriguez at mid-season.

The Yankees have yet to sign Ivan Rodriguez for next season. I doubt they will, already having a good back-up on their roster in Jose Molina.

In all, I don't expect much from Posada this season. He battled a shoulder injury last season and didn't play like himself in the games he did play.

Moving on to first base. Over the off-season, the Yankees added 28-year-old slugger, Mark Teixeira. They also added Nick Swisher, who can play first base. This now gives the Yankees great depth.

They also may have Juan Miranda on their roster, who is 4-for-10 at the plate in his MLB career. Teixeira is a big upgrade from Jason Giambi last season.

Now over to second base where young Robinson Cano plays. It seemed as if Cano could not find his swing last season. His stats were way down from the year before. His BA was down 35 points from 2007 and 71 points from 2006.

Remember, Cano came very close to winning the batting title in 2006. His OBP was down 48 points from 2007. Cano needs to be more patient at the plate. He gets very few walks.

As a result, I expect a come-back year out of Cano. The Yankees also have Cody Ransom, who can play the infield.

On to the other side of second base, where we find the shortstop, Derek Jeter. Now 34 years old, the nine-time all-star's stats were down last year. He finished with the second lowest OBP and SLG of his 13-year career.

Jeter also finished with his lowest OPS ever. I do expect the captain to pick it up in 2009. You can always rely on him because he's so consistent.

At third base is the three-time MVP, Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod battled a quadricep injury last year, but still managed to have another stellar season.

A-Rod is the greatest player I've ever witnessed. I've gotten used to his production and expect it to continue into next season. Alex Rodriguez is now 33 years old, and with the Yankee lineup, I think he has a chance to get 150+ RBI's in the 2009 season.

The Outfield

Left field is the position Johnny Damon will probably play. Damon's SB, OBP, SLG, and OPS were all up last season from 2007. Although with Damon getting older and his weak arm, he will probably play more DH.

That will leave Melky Cabrera to play CF. Melky's numbers have been decreasing since 2006 pretty significantly. His OBP is down 51 points from 2006 and his OPS is down 108 points from 2006. He is still a young player though, and I think he has a lot of potential.

I see Nick Swisher playing in center field. The Yankees signed Swisher this off-season. He has previously played with the Athletics and the White Sox. Swisher, who is now 28, has watched his stats go down last season.

His OPS dropped 94 points. I don't really know what to expect from Swisher this season. He hasn't shown much during his MLB career.

Xavier Nady will most-likely play right field. Nady was traded from the Pirates to the Yankees last season. He played pretty well last season, better for the Pirates, but still pretty well with the Yankees.

I'd like to see Nady play as well as he did in the beginning of last season this season. If he doesn't he could be competing with Melky Cabrera for the starting RF spot. That is if Melky steps up this year.

The Starting Rotation

The big additions to the starting rotation this season are the signings of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett. The Yankees rotation now looks very solid, possibly the best rotation in the MLB.

Their pitching rotation includes Sabathia, Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain, Burnett, and probably Phil Hughes.

CC is coming off a great year. Wang is coming back from a foot injury. He did not play much last season. Joba is coming off a very good season in which he injured his shoulder. Burnett is coming off a fair season.

And finally Phil Hughes is coming off a pretty bad season in which he had a 6+ ERA. Assuming everyone stays healthy and plays to their full ability, this is a great rotation.

The Bullpen

This could be a weak spot for the Yankees. Mariano Rivera and Damaso Marte are pretty reliable especially Mariano Rivera.

Other than that, there really isn't much proven talent. Edwar Ramirez, Jonathan Albaladejo, Jose Veras, and Brian Bruney could be some other guys featured in the Yankees' bullpen.

Rivera had one of his best season last year. I look for him to have another great season. He's the strong part of the bullpen.

As a result, the Yankees look very good. The bullpen seems to be the only really significant problem. There will be a lot of pressure on the players and on Joe Girardi.

The Yankees spent a lot of money this off-season getting some of the best players, so they want a championship. If they don't get what they want, this could be Girardi's last season as the Yankees' manager. The Yankees' season should be interesting.