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Yankees Offseason Moves

here's looking fwd to offseason issues (in some order of importance):

starting pitching
despite faltering in his lone start in the playoffs this yr, RJ is still the ace of this staff. his health will obviously be a concern, but the yanks brought him here to be the #1 starter and so he will remain the #1.

moose is also not getting any younger. health will also be a concern, but they will keep him thru next yr for sure as it is the last yr of his contract. they should not extend the contract beyond this upcoming yr until the end of next season.

pavano needs to step up and prove that he can pitch among the elite in the AL. chacon was great down the stretch and in the playoffs; he should obviously stay. i expect good things from wang again next yr- gotta love a sinkerball pitcher like him. gets in there, throws strikes, comes quick to the plate, keeps the defense involved in the game. i think Small was your typical 1-yr wonder, who is worth giving a shot to next season as a spot starter/long reliever.

al leiter and kevin brown should be gone. no reason to think about bringing either back. dont think there is any real big name that is worth going after at this time on the free agent market. the rotation seems like its rather locked in.

bullpen
rivera, despite the fact that he will be 36 next yr, is still an elite closer. embree should not be brought back, neither should sturtze or gordon. gordon has proved that he doesnt have the stomach for pitching in big games (literally & figuratively.) the yanks MUST sign BJ Ryan. he was nasty this yr (70 IP, 100K, 36 SV, 2.43 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .208 opp BA). he's the lefty stopper the yanks have desperately missed since mike stanton's heyday. i'd like to see him come in and split some of the closing duties with mariano. they sure could use a young 29yr old live arm out in the pen.

outfield
bernie should not be brought back. there i said it. he had a great career, but he's obviously lost more than just a step. he looked completely overmatched in the alds. the yanks need a fast, pesky, CF'er who will get on base and wreak some havoc on the basepaths ahead of the big hitters. i do not want to see johnny damon in pinstripes (which is the latest rumor that is swirling around). i dont think he would be a good fit in ny. and i dont think the nyy are a good fit for his personality. there will be too many distractions for him in nyc for him to be as productive as possible.

matsui should be re-signed. he's proved that hes a solid player day-in & day-out, despite having a poor performance in the alds. he plays a solid LF and is a consummate professional. ive also heard of rumors of bringing in manny. while intriguing, there is really no room for him and it doesnt make much sense to bring him to ny. giambi would be forced to play the field much more as manny would surely take up the DH spot. he'd be a great addition, but def not a priority.

coaching
torre will be back. he has too much $$ left on his contract for them to not bring him back ($13mil for 2 yrs). stottlemyre should get the boot tho. somebody has to go, and it should prob be him. while he did get the best out of chacon, small, & wang ... brown, pavano, & wright completely crapped out - and he needs to take some accountability for that.

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the core of this team should remain unchanged. jeter, arod, sheffield, giambi, posada, cano will obviously return. cashman is probably gone (for the same reasons that mel stottlemyre will also be shown the door.)

should be an interesting few months ... let the countdown to spring training commence