With $35 Million to Spend, Yankees Will Not Stand Pat

by

Nov 9, 2009

With $35 Million to Spend, Yankees Will Not Stand Pat One winter of glory in the Bronx is not enough. George Steinbrenner’s celebratory comments and Joe Girardi’s petition to increase his jersey number were only the beginning — the hunt for No. 28 is already under way.

Despite having built a roster that won 103 regular-season games and cruised through the playoffs, general manager Brian Cashman may once again be one of the busiest executives in the major leagues this offseason. He has three key free agents to attend to and a significant wad of cash at his disposal.

Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui are set to hit the open market and Andy Pettitte — who has announced that he will either pitch in pinstripes or retire to his Texas home — is waiting to hear from the Yankees about his future.

New York, which operated with a payroll of $201.4 million in 2009, has $35 million coming off the books including that trio of free agents. The Steinbrenners are committed to $166.3 million for the 2010 roster at the outset of the offseason, and Melky Cabrera, Brian Bruney and Chien-Ming Wang are due modest raises. That should still leave Cashman with $30 million to work with, assuming the Yankees are willing to maintain their gaudy budget.

In a perfect world, Wang will overcome the foot and shoulder woes that plagued him during the past season. The right-hander’s return, assuming the Yankees don’t opt to non-tender him, would add flexibility to the pitching staff, enabling Girardi to employ Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes as he sees fit. They could form a dominant setup duo, make a formidable pair at the back of the rotation or be split up again, depending on the team’s needs.

As of right now, New York’s rotation consists of CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, with three open slots behind them. If Pettitte opts to return, he would fill one of them, for a salary in the neighborhood of the $5.5 million he earned in 2009. A healthy Wang would take care of another, and either Chamberlain or  Hughes likely would round out the staff. Such a plan would minimize existing payroll, but the potential for at least one vacancy remains.

Meanwhile, the Yankees’ lineup is set with the exception of left field and the designated hitter role. Keeping Damon would fill one of them for about $10 million annually, while the World Series hero Matsui figures to command two-thirds of that. It’s unlikely that both of them will be wearing pinstripes next spring, but bringing back one of them would make sense given the shallow pool of free agents available this winter.

On the bench, the Yankees will need to either retain or replace backup catcher Jose Molina, utility man Jerry Hairston Jr., and outfielders Xavier Nady and Eric Hinske. Molina’s rapport with the pitching staff makes him a good bet to remain in the Bronx, while Ramiro Pena should be ready to handle super-sub duties. Rounding out the replacements should be neither challenging nor pricey.

Finally, Girardi’s bullpen appears fairly set, with Mariano Rivera as its anchor. There may be an addition or two, but nothing that should significantly alter Cashman’s financial plans. The one exception to that would be if both Hughes and Chamberlain wind up in the starting rotation. Under that scenario, the Yankees would have a right-handed setup man near the top of their shopping list, as the bridge to Rivera remains perhaps the most glaring question mark on the roster.

Regardless, it’s safe to assume that Cashman will have no less than $15-20 million to spend. And that means the path of any free agent goes through the offices at 161st Street and River Avenue.

Sabathia, Burnett and Mark Teixeira were the treasures of the last offseason, and they all found their way into the Steinbrenners’ chest. Matt Holliday, Jason Bay, John Lackey and Chone Figgins headline the 2010 class, and the Yankees should yet again have their pick of the litter.

Cashman can afford to reel in one of those superstars, or perhaps even two, and still keep his payroll around the $200 million mark. Adding Lackey would give the Yankees one of the best starting fives in recent memory, while either Holliday or Bay would bolster their already potent offense .

Time will tell which route Cashman chooses.

But one thing is certain: The defending champs will not stand pat.

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