What Are The Yankees Going To Do With All Their Extra Cash?

The New York Yankees will pay C.C. Sabathia $23 million next year, and for at least the next two years after that.

The Yankees will pay A.J. Burnett $16.5 million per year for five years.

And they will pay Mark Teixeira $20 million for each of the next two seasons with the salary increasing in future years of the eight-year pact.  And they have added a $5 million signing bonus.

So for 2009 they have committed $41.5 million to these three players.

The question becomes: What are the Yankees going to do with all their extra money?

After all with the loss of contracts to Jason Giambi, Bobby Abreu, Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, Andy Pettitte, Ivan Rodriguez, and others, they are shedding about $90 million for their 2008 salary level.

So they have about $45 million left to spend.

General Manager Brian Cashman has said the Yankees are determined to bring the salary in lower than last year.

But they can still sign several major players or one really big one and still come in lower.

And when you consider getting rid of $13 million contracts to Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui after the '09 season will free up another $26 mil, surely they aren't done spending for this off season. 

So where will the Yankees look next with their checkbook?

This Yankee fan would still like to see them engage with Bobby Abreu.  The right fielder has produced amazingly for the Yankees in the two-plus seasons he has been in New York.

He earned $16 million in 2008 and is not worth that much, so he might come back to New York for less.

Abreu has publicly stated a desire to return to the Big Apple and a two-year contract at about $13 million per is not unreasonable.

Signing Abreu would give them more production and would also shore up what now looks to be a very shaky outfield.

Abreu could take over in right again, where he is a very good outfielder with a great arm.

That would allow Xavier Nady to stay in left and Damon could be used almost exclusively at DH.

The only other option for corner outfield presently is Nick Swisher.

Swisher hit .219 for Chicago last year and he would have to have a serious bounce back year to produce enough to satisfy Yankee fans who have grown used to folks like Paul O'Neill and Bobby Abreu in right field.

Center field is apparently going to be left open for a contest between last year's opening day starter, Melky Cabrera, and late season replacement, Brett Gardner.

Either of those will provide very good defense in the huge Yankee Stadium outfield.  And if Abreu is brought back you can get by with a little less offense in center.

If Damon is the DH for 140 games plus, Hideki Matsui is surplus. Coming off his second consecutive knee surgery, he has to be a big question mark anyway.

Only American League teams might be open to a trade for the 34-year old Japanese player who could still be productive on the right team.

The Yankees might have to absorb some of Matsui's remaining $13 million salary for '09 but they could possibly get some utility help for their infield or a better prospect at catcher than what they seem to have now.

Jorge Posada returns from season-ending shoulder surgery and he will turn 38 in August.  No one should expect him to catch as many as 100 games. 

Jose Molina is an upgrade over Posada behind the plate, but you will lose about 40 points in average and about 100 points in OBP when Molina takes over for Jorge.

The Yankees need some serious new talent at backstop and it may have to come from the trade route.  No name comes immediately to mind, but Posada's days are numbered.

With Damon leaving after 2009, expect Posada to become the full time DH for the '09 season. 

But the Yankees would do well to spend some of the money they have saved to bring some upgrades at corner outfield and catcher.