Where Do The Yankees Go From Here??

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By Mark C. Rinaldi

If you’re from the Bronx then you probably think that baseball has been over for two weeks now. If you’re from Queens, baseball has been over for two months… or two years, depending on who you ask. But believe it or not, the Major League Baseball season just ended this weekend.

Now the question needs to be asked “What do the New York Yankees do next?” The AL East is only going to get more competitive; Tampa Bay will continue to rise, even if that rise includes a different location. Toronto will continue to hit well and spend just enough to be a thorn in everyone’s side. Boston will completely overhaul their team, and will come back with a chip on their shoulders next April.  Even the Orioles should get better.  If the Yankees want to win the World Series or even the East in 2012, then they will need some cosmetic surgery.

The Yankees offseason has already started, as they recently picked up the options on Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano. One of those was a great move, the other a bit of a head scratcher.

First move is simple… Sign C.C. If the big guy demands another 8-10 year deal then it could eventually kill the Yankees, but right now they need him more then Matt Barnes needs Gloria Govan or Eva Longoria to stay relevant.

Next the Yanks need to find C.C. some help. Last year they figured Rafael Soriano would help the team and that one jumped back and bit them in the back side. New York needs another starting pitcher. The easy answer is C.J. Wilson, who would be a great fit after C.C. but he seems very happy in Texas and I can’t see the Rangers losing the ace of their staff for the second straight year. Other ageing pitchers like Mark Buehrle, Roy Oswalt, or Ryan Dempster may find themselves in New York for some extended time, but I would like to see Brian Cashman (or whoever is the GM this year) revisit acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez or Zach Grienke. Do we really want another pitcher from the far east to come play for the Yanks? Having another Kei Igawa find himself in pinstripes may be the most scary thing to happen ever on Halloween.

Offensively the Yankees are out of sync and old. Short of finding a time machine, there is nothing the Yankees can do for their infield. Russell Martin is a free agent, and it seems like a no brainer to bring him back. I would like to see Swisher shipped out for a middle reliever,  utility infielder, ANYTHING. He now suffers from Kris Benson syndrome which means if your wife is more famous then you when you play in New York then you probably aren’t too good in October. And by the way, he isn’t.

The Yankees need to fill their bench with younger, hungrier players this season. Hopefully they can find a super utility player like 2004’s Chone Figgans to start 4-5 games a week and give the elder statesmen in New York a break every few days. Sounds like a good move to give Nunez a shot at that job.

Ideally the Yankees will unload some of their older players with bloated contracts, like Swisher and Burnett, and replace them with better “team first” type guys. Posada should retire and the Yankees should give him a day and retire his number to thank him for all his past accomplishments… but he should have NO place in the franchise’s 2012 plans.

Jesus Montero should become the every day DH this season. Maybe he can catch once a week, or we can give him a first basemen’s glove, but the kid proved he can hit.

As of right now the Yankees need to find starting pitching. Not the biggest name, but the best available pitcher and hope Nova, Chamberlin and Hughes can all pitch well at the same time… How many more days till pitchers and catchers report?

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Tags: 2012, baseball offseason, new york yankees, Yankees