The Yankees spent the big bucks on 28-year old switch hitting 1B Mark Teixeira this winter. He played in 157 games for the Braves & Angels last season in which he was 177 for 574 (.308 avg, .962 OPS) with 102 runs scored, 33 homers and 121 RBIs. He is also a good defensive player making on 5 errors in 153 games at 1B last season and that should make Robinson Cano, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez happy. Teixeira has averaged 94.3 runs scored, 33.8 homers and 112.7 RBIs per season in his career and he’s never been around a supporting cast like he will have in 2009.

25-year old lefty swinging Juan Miranda is a pretty good prospect. He played in 99 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 102 for 356 (.287 avg, .833 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 12 homers and 52 RBIs. He also played in 5 games for the Yanks last season in which he was 4 for 10 (.400 avg, 1.000 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Miranda didn’t make any errors last season in 5 games at 1B for the Yanks in 2008. Miranda will be prime trade bait for the Yankees if he gets off to a good start in AAA this season.

29-year old righty swinging Shelley Duncan had a poor year in 2008. He played in 23 games for the Yanks last season in which he was 10 for 57 (.175 avg, .543 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 6 RBIs. Duncan also has a iron glove at 1B as he made 3 errors in 16 games there for the Yanks in 2008. Duncan also played in 60 games in Rookie+AAA ball last season in which he was 49 for 212 (.231 avg, .825 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 12 homers and 44 RBIs. He must have a good spring to get back into the good graces of the Yanks.

Nick Swisher would likely play some 1B if Mark Teixeira were injured.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: A

The Yankees are hoping that 37-year old switch hitting Jorge Posada is ready to resume his role as the starting catcher in 2009. Posada played in only 51 games for the Yankees last season and he was 45 for 168 (.268 avg, .775 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers and 22 RBIs. The Yankees hope that Posada can produce his career norms with the bat as he has played in 1,483 games in his major league career and he has a batting average of .277 with a .857 OPS. Posada only threw out 3 of 37 (8%) basestealers last season and Yanks’ pitchers had a 4.65 ERA with him behind the plate.

The Yankees can cover for Posada if he can’t go because of the awesome offense they have assembled. 33-year old righty swinging Jose Molina is nowhere near Posada’s class as a hitter but he is a outstanding defensive catcher. He threw out 32 of 74 (43%) basestealers last season and pitchers had a 3.69 ERA with him behind the plate. But, his hitting needs help. He played in 100 games for the Yankees last season in which he was 58 for 268 (.216 avg, .579 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 3 homers and 18 RBIs. Don’t expect much more than that with the bat in his hands in 2009.

The Yankees also signed 31-year old righty swinging Kevin Cash over the winter. He played in 61 games for the rival Red Sox last season and he was 32 for 142 (.225 avg, .647 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers and 15 RBIs. Cash threw out 14 of 52 (27%) basestealers last season, but, Red Sox pitchers had a 4.81 ERA with him behind the plate. Cash will likely start the season in AAA-ball unless Posada or Molina are injured in spring training.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

The Yankees have signed 35-year old righty starter/reliever Brett Tomko to a minor league deal. Tomko pitched in 16 games (10 starts) with the Royals and Padres last season in which he was 2-7 with a 6.30 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. He has now pitched in 368 games (260 starts) in his major league career in which he is 95-99 with 2 saves, a 4.68 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Tomko will likely have a shot in spring training to make the Yankees as a long reliever/spot starter.

You just knew the Yankees were going to spend a lot of cash on players heading into the 2009 season and that they did. Mark Teixeira was signed and he will provide big time power to the middle of a already very strong batting order. Nick Swisher was brought in with a trade with the White Sox and he will be in the starting outfield unless he’s traded before the season starts. Look for him to rebound in 2009. But the area in which the Yankees improved the most was in the starting rotation. C.C. Sabathia and A.J. Burnett will give the Yankees big time talents at the top of the starting rotation. The Yankees also won the game of chicken with Andy Pettitte getting him to sign for $4.5 million dollars less then they offered him before Teixeira signed.

OFF SEASON GRADE FOR THE YANKEES: A

The Yankees had designated 25-year old lefty starting pitcher Chase Wright for assignment so it was surprising that they got some value for him in 23-year old righty swinging outfielder Eric Fryer. Wright pitched in 24 games (22 starts) in Rookie+AA+AAA ball last season and he was 10-3 with 1 save, a 2.72 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. Wright has also pitched in 3 games (2 starts) in his career with the Yankees in which he was 2-0 with a 7.20 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. Fryer played in 104 games in A-ball last season and he was 129 for 385 (.335 avg, .913 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 10 homers, 63 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. This could wind up being a good trade for both teams down the road.

36-year old lefty starting pitcher Andy Pettitte has signed a 1-year, $5.5 million dollar contract. He played chicken with the Yankees and lost as they offered him $10 million bucks for one year earlier in the off-season and he turned it down. Pettitte pitched in 33 games (all starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 14-14 with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He has now pitched in 436 games (426 starts) in his major league career and he is 215-127 with a 3.89 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. This makes the starting rotation very, very deep for the Yankees as Andy Pettitte will likely be the best #5 starting pitcher in all of baseball.