The Hot Stove has begun and one question lingers in the
minds of every Yankee supporter…who should we sign? Maybe the dangerous Matt
Holliday? Or the clutch Jason Bay?
Or possibly a contract extension for Hideki Matsui? Well, Vignesh and Mrinal
are going to break it down for you and give you a complete analysis of who the
Yanks should and should not sign.

Rick Ankiel-Though it is unlikely the Yankees will
pick up Rick Ankiel, there is a slim chance they may. He is a brilliant
fielder, known for his breath taking dives and jumps, and he will add a spark
to the Yankee outfield. Other than that though…there really is no other
reason for him to come to New York,
other than the fact that he is a handy utility man. In 2009, he could only
scrap together a .231 average, with 11 homers and 38 RBIs in quite a
dissapointing season. With the money and resources the Yankees have, you would
expect they would go after someone a bit more high-profile than Rick Ankiel.
But hey, you never know.

Jason Bay-The Yankees are likely to go after a big
hitting outfielder. There are 5 candidates for this position: Jermaine Dye,
Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui, Matt Holliday, and, the ex Red Sock, Jason
Bay. Bay enjoyed a fine 2009,
posting a .267 average with 36 homers and 119 RBIs, enough to earn him his
third All Star Game appearance and his first Silver Slugger. He is the type of
player the Yankees would pursue eagerly in order to fill that gap in the
outfield…the problem is, he was a Red Sock. Would he perform as well while
playing for his arch rivals? Would there be no grudges or ill wishes? These are
questions the Yankees must consider before they sign Jason
Bay.

Erik Bedard- The Yankees could use some starting
pitching. Their rotation consists of CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett,and Andy
Pettite…and that’s really where the quality dries up. Joba Chamberlain does
not belong in the rotation, a fact that was proved by his inflated 4.75 ERA in
2009. Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin are options but the Yankees would prefer a
more reliable player, like Bedard. In an injury sticken 2009, Bedard went 5-3
with a 2.82 ERA. Certainly better than Mitre and Gaudin will ever do, but there
is a problem: Bedard is plagued by injury. Over the pasts 2 seasons, Bedard has
managed a miniscule 15 starts apiece, and has only made more than 30 starts
once in his seven year career, back in 2006 with the Orioles. Though he is a
quality pitcher, he is a risky person to sign, and the Yankees will have to
think about his injury issues before giving him a conract. 

Adrian Beltre-There is close to zero chance the Yankees will sign
Beltre. They have one of the best third basemen in baseball in Alex Rodriguez,
and Beltre is not really a great player anymore, posting a .265 average with 8
home runs and 44 RBIs in an injury hit 2009. The only way Beltre would come to
the Yankees would be if A-Rod suffers a serious injury over the off
season…but otherwise, Beltre is not headed to New York. 

Rafael Betancourt -For most of the year, the Yankees
had a good, solid, reliable bullpen, and Rafael Betancourt would be an unneeded
luxury. The Yankees have Hughes as a good eigth inning specialist, Rivera as
the best closer in baseball, and Bruney, Coke, Aceves, and Marte as solid
pitchers who can keep the game tight. Betancourt is not required and there is a
low chance he will come to New York…but
the Yankees have plenty of money to spare and if Brian Cashman feels like he
needs some experience in the bullpen, Betancourt might be in pinstripes in
2010.

Johnny Damon-Will Johnny Damon wear pinstripes ever again? He had a fine season with the Yankees in 2009, putting up a .282 average with 24 home runs and 82 RBIs from the top of the order. Though his speed is no longer a threat, he remains a highly effective player who provides power at the front end of the lineup. He is the guy who can spark a rally, who can liven up a clubhouse, who can come through in the clutch. But the fact remains that he is aging and with so many other elusive outfielders on the market, Brian Cashman might be tempted to go after a younger, fitter player. But none of the other potential outfield candidates can bat at the top of the order like Damon can…Bay, Holliday, Matsui, and Dye are all middle order hitters, who are not capable of dropping down the odd bunt or beating out an infield single. So though Damon is getting older, there is a good chance he will be a Yankee once again.

Jermaine Dye-Out of the five in the running for a Yankee outfield position, Jaermaine Dye is the least likely to get the job. He is 35, slow as molasses, and his abilities are diminishing every year. In 2009, he only hit .250, with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs, all quite poor numbers for a man in the heart of the lineup. He has a cannon for an arm, but other than that, there really is no reason the Yankees would pick him up. As well as this, he is likely to demand an expensive and long contract, and it is doubtful whether the Yanks will give into that request. Bottom line: chances are close to nil that Jermaine Dye will wear pinstripes.

Chone Figgins-There is no reason in the world why the Yankees would pick up Chone Figgins, unless Alex Rodriguez suffers a serious injury. Figgins had a decent season, hitting .298, but was low on both the home run and RBI counts, with 5 and 54 respectively. He stole an impressive 42 bases, but his speed alone is not going to displace A-Rod from third base. The Yankees infield is simply too full to accomodate Figgins, and it will take a miracle to make him a Bronx Bomber.

Rich Harden-It is difficult to predict whether or not Rich Harden will become a Yankee, but we are leaning towards him not wearing pinstripes in 2009. He is very prone to injury first of all…in only one of his seasons has he passed 30 starts, and that was back in 2004. He was absolutely brilliant in 2008, going 10-2 with a 2.07 ERA in 25 starts, but in 2009, he disappointed, going 9-9 with a 4.09 ERA in 26 starts. On the other hand though, he is a young pitcher (only 28) who clearly has talent has potential that needs to be harnessed. He could fill that empty spot in the rotation for the Yankees, and he could prove to be a worthy acquisition. In the end though, he is just to risky to sign. What if he suffers a major injury that puts his career on hold, like Carl Pavano did? Then the Yankees will be stuck paying his medical bill and his high salary without receiving anything. We doubt the Yankees will take that risk and sign Harden, but the possibility of Harden coming to New York can not be entirely ruled out.

Matt Holliday-Of all the free agents on this list, this is the man I think has the best chance of going to New York. He’s only 29 and he had a fantastic season, batting .313 with 24 home runs and 109 RBIs with the Athletics and the Cardinals. He is worth the high contract he is sure to demand, and throughout the season, he has spoken of his interest in going to the Yankees. He has the ability to handle the pressures of New York, and he is a fine outfielder, with a good arm and decent speed (14 stolen bases in 2009). Brian Cashman will do everything in his power to bring Holliday to the Yankees. There is a problem though: Holliday was brilliant in St. Lousi during his brief stint with the Cardinals, and he might want the chance to bat behind Albert Pujols a bit more. But if the Yanks can dissuade him from staying a Cardinal, he is perfect for the Bronx Bombers, as he fills the gaping hole in the outfield, and he does everything well. This guy has a great chance of wearing pinstripes in 2010.

Orlando Hudson-It is extremely unlikely that Hudson will come to New York. The Yankees have found a fine second baseman in Robinson Cano who had a higher batting average than Hudson (.320 to .283), more homeruns (25 to 9), more RBIs (85 to 62), and at age 27, is 5 years younger than Hudson. Though Hudson had a nice season, it was nowhere as good as Cano’s, and unless Cano suffers a serious injury, Hudson won’t be wearing pinstripes anytime soon.

John Lackey-There is a good chance that the Angel’s ace of 2009 might be with the Yankees in 2010. The Yanks are looking for someone to fill a spot in the rotation, and Lackey might just be that person. In 2009, he was sub-par, going 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA, but Brian Cashman might consider him perfect to be the number four starter in the Yankee rotation (after Sabathia, Burnett, and Pettite). Lackey is 31, and still has a few years left in him…and he could give the lower part of the Yankee rotation strength, stability, and experience. At this point, he seems a perfect fit for the Yankees.

Hideki Matsui-Matsui had a successful 2009 with the Yankees, posting a .274 average with 28 homers and 90 RBIs and winning the World Series MVP. But it is quite unlikely that he will return to New York. His poor knees confine him to the DH role, which takes away from the flexibilty of the lineup for New York. He will not be able to participate in any games in National League stadiums and he will often have to be pinch run for. Take into consideration the fact that there are so many other elusive outfielders on the market, and you come to the conclusion that the 35 year old Matsui just finished his last season in New York.

Bengie Molina-We highly doubt the Bengie will be coming to the Yankees. First off, the Yanks have Posada, and Bengie will be forced to be a backup catcher, a position he is too good for and will not be happy playing. Second, Bengie is 35…the Yankees will be on the lookout for a young, talented catcher in order to replace Posada when he retires, and Bengie does not fit that description. Third, Bengie is not an exemplary hitter…he could only manage a .265 average with 20 homers and 80 RBIs during 2009. That’s decent, but probably not enough to convince the Yankees to sign Bengie. The only thing Molina has working for him is that he has a fantastic arm…but that alone will not be good enough to earn him a spot on the Yankee roster.

Placido Polanco-Polanco had a fine 2009, picking up his second Gold Glove while posting a .285 average with 10 homers and 72 RBIs, but it was simply not enough to displace Cano as the Yankee second baseman. We showed you Cano’s numbers earlier, and as well as beating Polanco in every catergory, Cano is seven year
s younger than the Detroit second baseman. So unless Cano suffers a serious injury, Polanco will not be coming to New York in 2010.

And that will wrap up our predictions for who the Yankees will sign this off season! Don’t forget to post your opinions! It is sure to be an exciting off season, and Yankeeholics will provide you with comprehensive coverage of it all.