Moves the Yankees need to make in 2012

The 2011 season will be remembered as a season that has left many New York Yankee fans scratching their heads. The Yankees had a very productive regular season, finishing at the top of the crop in an ever competitive American League East. The Yanks went 97-65 and boasted a .599 win percentage, giving them a healthy six game lead over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. It wasn’t until October; however, that the Bronx Bombers’ weaknesses were brutally exposed by the Detroit Tigers in the American League Divisional Series.

This off season, the Yankees will look to add much needed depth to their rotation, and possibly acquire a catcher or a versatile utility player that could give senior players like Alex Rodriguez or Derek Jeter a rest once in a while. As always, money will not be an issue for the Yankees this off season and they should have the financial muscle to outbid any team in the majors. There are three pitchers that the Yankees have been linked to during the course of this offseason that they would be smart to acquire, Mark Buehrle, Yu Darvish and CJ Wilson. Although a catcher and a utility player would certainly prove useful for next season, at this point the main priority should be pitching. The Yankees need an ace that could ease the pressure off of CC Sabathia. The Yanks also have a great number two in Ivan Nova, who will only improve after his extraordinary season. Freddy Garcia will also prove his worth next season, as he is a very calm pitcher and should be able to get at least ten wins under his belt. However, the Yanks need to replace A.J. Burnett if they want to improve on their 97 wins during the regular season, as he has proven that he just can’t cut it in New York. This leaves the Yankees with CC Sabathia, Ivan Nova, Freddy Garcia and Phil Hughes. The Yankees have to do their best to acquire one of either CJ Wilson, Mark Buehrle or Yu Darvish

Out of the four listed above, Mark Buehrle seems to be the most likely to sign. He is a free agent, and has been a very consistent and reliable pitcher for the past decade. Buehrle has not been hit by any major injuries and has consistently played over 200 innings a year. Buehrle has a career ERA of 3.83, and although he is 32, he should be able to give the Yankees a solid thee to four seasons of consistency on the mound He is also a lefty which is always a plus.

Another free agent the Yanks have been linked to is CJ Wilson. Wilson is a young pitcher who has been a consistent starter for the Texas Rangers for the past three seasons. The Yankees should stay away from Wilson, as he is very unproven in the post season with a 2-4 record in the Rangers run in the post season, and has not done anything spectacular to earn him the 120 million dollar contract he is looking for. Wilson is a quality pitcher, and may even be worth the gamble, but I think its best if the Yankees stay away from him.

This leaves us with Yu Darvish, the Japanese ace that has MLB teams scrambling for his signature. Darvish has impressed many with his 1.32 ERA in the Japanese league, and also showcasing his talent for Japan at the World Baseball Classic. He has been phenomenal in the Japanese league and the switch to the majors may be a tough one, but I think if the Yankees take the gamble it will pay off big time.

New York Yankees 2011 season preview

Derek Jeter / Chris Ptacek

 The 2011 Major League Baseball season is among us and the Yankees have already played three games here in New York. The "Bronx Bombers" kicked off their first series against the Detroit Tigers. They are off to a great start considering all of the speculation about their potential. In a recent article, The Detroit Press even considered the Yankees as underdogs this season. One of the main factors that could hinder the Yankee's success is the correlation between age and skill among the players they heavily rely on the most such as Derek Jeter. Last year Jeter faced troublesome contract negotiations with the Yankees; however, manager Joe Girardi said, "I really believe he's going to have a good year," when referring to this season.

Many critics argue that Jeter is losing his ability to play at peak performance as he will turn 37 this June. When playing against the Tigers recently, the shortstop showed some trouble reacting to balls hit to either side of him. Last season, Jeter's batting average sunk to .270, marking his first time going below .300 since 2004. In fact, this year he was bumped to number two on the hitting lineup after Brett Gardner took the top spot. Gardner serves well as a leadoff hitter since he has managed to yield a stable .379 on base average since 2009. It will take the right collaboration between returning stars and new talent in the Yankees roster to create an effective hitting line up this year.

On the other hand, the Yankees must also keep into account their pitching rotation since they were not able to make key acquisitions. Earlier in February 2011, we witnessed the retirement of pitcher Andy Pettitte after several months of public speculation. This event followed an earlier disappointment in December of 2010, when the Yankees failed to sign star pitcher Cliff Lee. The Yankees will have to make good use of relief pitcher Rafael Soriano and starter C.C. Sabathia. Manager Joe Girardi realizes Sabathia's worth and plans not to overwork him after Tuesday night's impressive performance against the Minnesota Twins. After seven innings, the pitcher had allowed only two hits and left the Twins scoreless until Soriano took over. Tonight's game against the Twins; however, proved to be a different story, as Soriano did not allow a single run in the eight inning. Only time will tell whether the Yankees will indeed play the underdog card or find themselves heading straight towards their 28th World Series Title.