Of course, that's not the case. The Yanks have re-signed Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and are waiting on word from Andy Pettitte. They also figure to continue a search for bench help and assistance for the bullpen in front of Rivera.
It's that final pursuit that remains intriguing, and could wind up with the club's biggest splash of the offseason, if and when they sign free agent Rafael Soriano.
As recently as Thursday, reports surfaced that New York was only interested in Soriano, the closer for the Tampa Bay Rays last year, if he came cheap. On Friday, general manager Brian Cashman essentially took his team out of the running for the reigning AL saves leader. A Scott Boras client, Soriano has every right to try to ride this winter's wave of long-term deals for relievers. In his case, that means three years at more than $10 million annually, as well as the valued draft choice that Cashman seems to want to keep.
Should the Yankees go that length for the top free agent remaining on the market? There are reasons to think so.
While waiting for Pettitte to make up his mind, New York is looking at two possible starting rotations, one with and one without the veteran lefty. Whether he is in the fold or not, the club is expressing confidence in Phil Hughes taking another step forward, CC Sabathia remaining a stalwart and A.J. Burnett rebounding from a putrid season. If all three scenarios take place, the rotation may be good enough to get by, especially with the organization's ability to go out and get someone at the trade deadline, if needed.
Even with some age issues among the position players, the Yanks should be just fine one through nine. They scored 41 more runs than anyone else in baseball. A slight drop-off would still yield a top-notch offense, and there may be no drop-off whatsoever if a few of the big guns (Jeter, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez) satisfy reasonable expectations for improved production.
The rotation and the offense/defense have every chance to be just fine, even by New York standards.
Where New York can still eye a significant gain, and with what the Red Sox did this offseason it might want to do so, is in front of Rivera. Current setup candidates Joba Chamberlain and Dave Robertson are good when good, but not always good. They have Pedro Feliciano to handle duties against lefties. By biting the bullet, giving Soriano his $35 million or so and the Rays a first-round draft pick, the Bronx Bombers could have a leg up on the Sox in at least one unit. Soriano before Rivera is downright lethal, and the long-term ramifications (Soriano replacing Rivera in 2013, Chamberlain as another option for the back end of the rotation) are also beneficial.
Soriano was not the top free agent when the offseason began. Lee, Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth topped that list, none of whom signed with New York. Now, he is, and now would be a good time for the Yankees to be who they are and live up to their offseason expectations.
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