Tough Decisions Ahead for Yankees

By: Pete Caldera, The Record MCT
Posted In: Sports

NEW YORK – As they head up the Canyon of Heroes on Friday, at least one member of the Yankees’ World Championship party will be contemplating the route back in 2010.

“My work’s going to start again tomorrow,” general manager Brian Cashman said outside the home clubhouse early Thursday morning, while players and staff were still celebrating their World Series-clinching victory over Philadelphia in Game 6. “That’s the way it is in the front office.”

Cashman has seven free agents – including Johnny Damon, Andy Pettitte and World Series MVP Hideki Matsui – to wrestle over, and several more items to address before pitchers and catchers report in a little more than 100 days.

STARTING PITCHING: Cashman did all the heavy lifting last winter, importing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett as free agents to front the rotation. After that, it gets interesting.

Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain are expected to compete as starters next spring, with the idea that they’ll be the staff’s future anchors. Though both were used as setup men throughout the playoffs, their wish – and the organization’s desire – is to continue their development as starters. There’s room for Pettitte in this rotation, but the 37-year-old veteran lefty enters another off-season as an undecided free agent.

If Pettitte wants to pitch again, it almost certainly would be as a Yankee. But Pettitte might not settle for the incentive-laden contract that he signed before 2009, when he essentially was asked to prove his worth.

Rehabbing from shoulder surgery, Chien-Ming Wang can’t be expected to pay dividends until the second half, though he hopes to be pitching again by late spring.

Wang wants to remain as a Yankee, though the club is likely to non-tender him at the December deadline, which would make him a free agent. But after all the rehab time and their history together, Wang’s future seems to be in pinstripes.

Alfredo Aceves, Sergio Mitre and Ian Kennedy also are options as starters. Trade-wise, could anyone rule out the chance of the Yankees landing Roy Halladay as long as he lurks? And then there’s the free agent market.

John Lackey might be beyond the Yankees’ desire to spend this winter, but other possibilities include Jarrod Washburn, Brett Myers, Todd Wellemeyer, Jon Garland and Brad Penny.

And, you know, Pedro Martinez and Carl Pavano pitched well enough to sign … somewhere.

DAMON VS. MATSUI: Matsui’s historic World Series probably isn’t enough to change the Yankees’ desire of freeing up the designated hitter to better serve their expensive, aging lineup.

Flexibility is a huge issue, and Matsui isn’t an outfielder anymore. The Yankees would be more likely to bring Damon back as a part-time left fielder, part-time DH and spread out the rest of their DH at-bats to keep veteran hitters fresh and in the lineup – primarily Jorge Posada.

Posada still would do the bulk of the catching, but the Yankees must re-sign Jose Molina, their defensive-oriented free agent backup. If not, the role might go to Francisco Cervelli, who proved capable as a hitter and a receiver during fill-in work in the spring. But the primary issue here is Damon. His solid season – .282, 24, 82 – put him in position to score another multi-year deal, and his desire to remain a Yankee might be tested if he’s offered less than the market rate.

And if the Yankees keep Damon and bid farewell to Matsui, they must replace his 28 homers, 90 RBI and his thorough professionalism as a major run producer. That’s a heavy assignment.

If they wind up in the market for an outfielder with some pop, Mark DeRosa, Rick Ankiel and Mike Cameron are potential free agents.

Yankees outfielder Eric Hinske and utility man Jerry Hairston Jr. also are free agents, as is Xavier Nady – the Yanks’ 2009 opening-day right fielder – who had season-ending Tommy John surgery in July and hopes to return by spring.

THE BULLPEN: Hughes’ ascension as Mariano Rivera’s main setup man might have been the season’s biggest turning point. But with Hughes and Chamberlain in the 2010 rotation, the eighth-inning job again is up for grabs.

The hard-throwing David Robertson might be next in line for that role, and he could be pushed in spring training by Mark Melancon. Also in the system are right-hander Jonathan Albaladejo and the promising lefty Mike Dunn.

And on the veteran side, a potential free agent such as Matt Herges, or Brandon Lyon or Brendan Donnelly, might be an appealing target. Whatever new parts Cashman gathers for 2010, it’s likely that he’ll pattern it after the blend of 2009.

“I think you saw with this team you had major league free agents that cost a lot of money, you had (less costly) free agents sprinkled in,” Cashman said.

“Then you had a lot of homegrown guys, old and new, that led us here.”