Where Do We Go From Here?

Besides the almost certain turnover in manager and coaches, there a bunch of player personnel decisions to be made over the winter. We'll take a look at who should stay, who should (must) go, and what options might be out there.

First and foremost, pitching must be addressed. The Yankees MUST convince Andy Pettitte to return for 1 more season. They need his veteran presence to build off of.

Time for Roger Clemens and all his millions to hang it up.

Don't be surprised if the Yankees turn to Joba Chamberlain if Mariano Rivera walks. Brian Cashman can talk all he wants about Joba starting in '08, but without a viable successor, the Yankees could very well go the same route the Red Sox did with Jon Papelbon.

Re-tool the pen. Find a viable lefty through free agency or a trade. It's possible that no one in the current bullpen will be here next year. The Yankees MUST sign Mariano to a new deal. Russ Ohlendorf and Jose Veras will get shots as set up and middle men. Now that Torre blew out Luis Vizcaino, they'll let him walk. No more Sean Henn or Jeff Karstens or Brian Bruney or Ron Villone or Matt DeSalvo.

Chien-Ming Wang had a horrendous series, but he pitched well in the 2005 and 2006 post-season. He never seemed to be the same this season after the pounding he took in Toronto in mid-August. But the man won 38 games the last 2 years and he'll be fine.

Mike Mussina bounced back in September and pitched fairly well last night. If Pettitte returns, I would try to move Mussina in the off-season, rather than make him the #5 guy. Even if Pettitte goes, I would still try to move him. Moose's arm just isn't up to the grind any more.

Ian Kennedy should get a real shot to be a regular in the rotation, joining Phil Hughes, Wang, Pettitte, and, if he's not in the pen, Joba.

The Yankees need to bring both of their catchers back. Jose Molina is the kind of back up the Yankees have been looking for. Solid defensively, and a little pop with his bat. And of course there's Jorgie. You don't find catchers at Posada's age doing what he does. Replacing his offense behind the plate would be nearly impossible. If he does walk, it wouldn't be surprising if the Yankees went after soon to be free agent (ugh) Ivan Rodriguez.

At 1st base I envision a platoon between Wilson Betemit and Andy Phillips. Doug Mientkiewicz's play over the final month is not likely to convince the brass to bring him back. Shelley Duncan is not going to be a 30 HR, 90 RBI guy. We all love him, and he'll be a nice player off the bench, but he's not a regular.

Robinson Cano at 2nd Base. A nice thought to keep you warm over the winter. Now he needs to learn how to have a fully consistant year and continue to improve his fundamentals.

The Captain. A very bad post-season for a guy who has shone many times in October (and November). The Yankees need to start grooming a successor for the day when Jeter moves to 1st Base or the outfield. His range isn't going to get better. But he'll still be in the pinstripes when he gets that 3,000 hit.

Wilson Betemit. Remember that name if you want Alex Rodriguez to walk. Because that's the option right now and its not a pretty one. The Yankees will most certainly make an eye popping offer to A-Rod before he has the chance to opt out. Unless he truly wants to stay here, he'll say no thanks and he Scott Boras will try to rob Ft. Knox a second time. The Yankees need to offer an extension somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7 years, and $30 million per year. Remember, they have a new stadium to fill in 2009.

Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui. Someone has to go. Giambi makes $21 million next year, the final year of his contract. Damon still has 2 years at 13 per on his deal, and Matsui is locked up thru 2009 as well. The most logical move would be to make Damon the every day left fielder and Matsui the standard at DH. Eat half of Giambi's salary and deal him. Somewhere. Anywhere. Giambi is still an on-base machine when healthy and going good, but those times are less and less.

Pick up the one year option on Bobby Abreu. It's a $16 million deal. Learn from the Jon Lieber mistake. And do NOT sign Abreu to a new deal. Let him earn it.

Let Melky Cabrera continue to learn and grow in center field. Throwing money at Torii Hunter or Andruw Jones is not only fiscally irresponsible, but amazingly stupid in a baseball sense.

There will most certainly be overtures for Johann Santana this off-season. But why throw away young talent for a guy that has free agency coming up soon. Of course, that decision may be out of Brian Cashman's hands.

Well there you have it. A quick look at the present and future. We'll go more in depth as the days turn to hockey and basketball. Sigh.