After adding a real everyday center-fielder to their lineup for the first time since 2006, the Yankees then went out and picked up a left-handed designated hitter and added a No. 4 starter with No. 1 stuff.
The additions of Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson over the last two weeks helped shore up the Yankees' defense and outfield, at the same time improving what was already the No. 1 offense in baseball. But Tuesday's trade that brought Javier Vazquez back to the Bronx gives the Yankees the rotation depth they desperately needed, and it's arguably their most significant move of the offseason.
With the large workloads of CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Andy Pettitte throughout the 2009 season causing concern in the Yankees front office for 2010, it was necessary for the Yankees to add another arm to their rotation. After a 177-game season that started April 6 and didn't end until Nov. 4, starting pitching became a potential weakness for the Yankees in 2010, especially after they were forced to use a three-man rotation in October and November.
The only time the Yankees have missed out on the postseason since 1993 was in 2008, when then-22-year-old Phil Hughes and 23-year-old Ian Kennedy made up 40 percent of Brian Cashman's rotation. After the failed experiment cost the Yankees a trip to October, Cashman wasn't about to take another chance with a similar philosophy. He wasn't keen on the prospect of letting Hughes and Joba Chamberlain make up the back end of his rotation, especially given that neither of the two has a history of being an innings eater.
Reports had the Yankees talking with Jason Marquis and Randy Wolf about the No. 4 spot in their rotation, but in the end, the Yankees decided a trade involving a one-year deal made more sense, and it does.
Vazquez and Pettitte are both working with just one year remaining on their contracts, which means over $23 million will be coming off the books for the Yankees before the coveted free-agent class of next offseason hits the market. Joe Mauer, Carl Crawford, Cliff Lee and Brandon Webb are all scheduled to be part of one of the deepest markets in recent years, not to mention that the Yankees will need to work out a new deal with Derek Jeter and, most likely, Mariano Rivera as well.
In Vazquez, the Yankees get a right-handed power arm with 10 consecutive 10-plus-win seasons in exchange for Melky Cabrera, who has been in and out of their starting lineup since becoming a regular major leaguer in 2006. Coming off a 15-10 season in Atlanta in which he posted a 2.87 ERA, Vazquez will be handed the ball every fifth day and will be expected to perform at a comparable level.
The only hole still yet to be filled on the Yankees is in left field, where Cabrera would have started the season had he not been dealt to the Braves. But if the Yankees stay true to their word and cut down on payroll for 2010, they'll have roughly $5-6 million to spend on left field, which would rule out a Johnny Damon return or the signing of Jason Bay or Matt Holliday. That could leave Mark DeRosa and Marlon Byrd as the favorites to plug the last hole in the starting lineup, since the Bombers aren't likely to give Brett Gardner the job for Opening Day.
In a two-week span, the Yankees changed the landscape of their outfield, their lineup, their rotation and their bullpen, all while barely changing their payroll and limiting the damage done to their minor league system. With just one spot left to fill, the Yankees are nearly set for next season. And it's frightening to consider, but they might be better constructed than they were this year.
