The Yankees have re-signed manager Joe Girardi to a 3-year, $9 million dollar deal. Girardi led the Yankees to a 95-67 (58.6%) record during the regular season and they were 5-4 (55.6%) in the playoffs this year. He is now 287-199 (59.1%) during the regular season in three years with the Yankees and he is also 16-8 (66.7%) during the post season. I’m not a big Girardi fan as I think he gets outmanaged quite often. I think the Yankees could have gotten a better manager for the money they spent. After all, look at all the down years that Yankees’ players had in 2010.

UPDATE: (11/19/2010) - Joe Girardi finished 6th in the American League Manager of the Year voting.

The Yankees have declined options on 1B/DH Lance Berkman ($15 million bucks), 1B/DH Nick Johnson ($5.5 million bucks) and righty reliever Kerry Wood ($11 million bucks). This will give the Yankees a lot of room to sign a few quality free agents this winter if they choose to do so. I would think that they might like to have Wood back if he can’t find a job to close with another team. Berkman wants to still be a full time starter so I see him with another team next year. Nick Johnson is so injury prone the Yankees shouldn’t even consider bringing him back on a minor league deal.

35-year old lefty reliever Damaso Marte will be out until at least the 2011 All-Star Break due to surgery on his left labrum. Marte pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-0 with a 4.08 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He has been truly terrible since coming over in a deal with the Pirates three seasons ago. Marte has pitched in 76 games (0 starts) in parts of three years with the Yankees and he is 2-6 with a 6.02 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. One has to wonder if Marte can handle the pressure in New York because he still has good career numbers despite being terrible for the Yankees. Marte has pitched in 570 games (0 starts) in his 11 years in the majors and he is 23-27 with 36 saves, a 3.48 ERA and a 1.26 WHIP. Add a lefty reliever to the Yankees’ shopping list this winter because they won’t want to go into the 2011 season with only one healthy lefty in the pen (Boone Logan).

Back in the day, the late George Steinbrenner called Dave Winfield Mr. May. The Yankees only made the playoffs one time in Dave Winfield’s 9 seasons with the Yankees. It wasn’t his fault though as he was productive for them. Winfield played in 1,172 games in his 9 years with the Yankees and he was 1,300 of 4,485 (.290 avg, .851 OPS) with 722 runs scored, 205 homers, 818 RBIs and 76 stolen bases. In the year the Yankees did make the playoffs (1981), Winfield played in 14 games in which he was 10 of 55 (.182 avg) with 4 runs scored, 0 homers, 3 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Nick Swisher appears to be following down the same road as Dave Winfield. Swisher has played in 300 games in his first two years with the Yankees and he is 287 of 1,064 (.270 avg, .870 OPS) with 175 runs scored, 58 homers and 171 RBIs. So Swisher has done his part in helping the Yankees make the playoffs. But when they get there, Swisher has stunk it up. Swisher has played in 23 games in the post season for the Yankees and he is 12 of 81 (.148 avg) with 11 runs scored, 3 homers, 4 RBIs and a stunning 23 whiffs. He often looks helpless against teams’ better pitchers when the games really count.

The New York Yankees have 12 free agents heading into the winter and here’s how I would handle them if I were running the team:

Derek Jeter: Derek Jeter had an off year for the Yankees in 2009. He played in 157 games in which he was 179 of 663 (.270 avg, .710 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 10 homers, 67 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Jeter has now played in 2,295 games in his 16 years in pinstripes and he is 2,926 of 9,322 (.314 avg, .837 OPS) with 1,685 runs scored, 234 homers, 1,135 RBIs and 323 stolen bases. Despite having an off year, Jeter is still the best SS available in free agency. VERDICT: Jeter is a legacy and for that reason the Yankees should re-sign him. But only on a 2 or 3 year deal because he’s starting to slide a bit.

Mariano Rivera: 40-year old closer Mariano Rivera is also a Yankees’ legend, but unlike Jeter, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Rivera pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 3-3 with 33 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. He has now pitched in 978 games for the Yankees over 16 seasons and he is 74-55 with 559 saves, a 2.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. VERDICT: I would re-sign “The Sandman” to a 2 or 3 year deal just like Jeter.

Andy Pettitte: 38-year old lefty starting pitcher Andy Pettitte is still a solid pitcher when healthy. Pettitte pitched in 21 games (all starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Pettitte is also one of the better Yankee pitchers of all-time. VERDICT: I would give Pettitte another one year deal if he wants to keep pitching.

Kerry Wood: 33-year old righty reliever Kerry Wood was outstanding for the Yankees after coming over in a deal with the Indians. Wood pitched in 24 games (0 starts) for the Yankees this year and he was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Wood pitched in 47 games (0 starts) overall with the Indians & Yankees this year and he was 3-4 with 8 saves, a 3.13 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Wood has a club option worth $11 million bucks for 2011: VERDICT: I would decline Wood’s option and try to re-sign him for a $3-4 million dollar deal to work as Rivera’s set-up man.

Lance Berkman: 34-year old switch hitting 1B/DH Lance Berkman played well during the post season for the Yankees but he wasn’t too good for them during the regular season. Berkman played in 37 games for the Yankees after coming over in a deal with the Astros and he was 27 of 106 (.255 avg, .707 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. Berkman played in 122 games overall for the Astros & Yankees last season and he was 100 of 404 (.248 avg, .781 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Berkman has a $15 million dollar club option for 2011 or a $2 million dollar buyout. VERDICT: I would pay Berkman the $2 million bucks and let him walk. His struggles against lefty pitching screams platoon so I think I would go after a better DH.

Marcus Thames: 33-year old righty swinging OF/DH Marcus Thames played in 82 games for the Yankees last season and he was 61 for 212 (.288 avg, .841 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. He is a very productive hitter who crushes lefty pitching. VERDICT: I would definitely try to re-sign Thames on a 1 or 2 year deal.

Javier Vazquez: 34-year old starting pitcher Javier Vazquez was awful once again for the Yankees in 2010. He pitched in 31 games (26 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. For some reason Yankees’ GM has a man crush on Vazquez. VERDICT: He’s gone.

Nick Johnson: 31-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Nick Johnson is one of the most brittle players in the majors. He played in 24 games for the Yankees last season and he was 12 of 72 (.167 avg, .693 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. The Yankees can either pick up Johnson’s option for 2011 valued at $5.5 million bucks or they can buy him out for $250,000 bucks. VERDICT: He will be paid $250K on his way out the door.

Austin Kearns: 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Austin Kearns didn’t play too well for the Yankees. He played in 36 games for the Yankees and he was 24 of 102 (.235 avg, .668 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Kearns played in 120 games overall for the Indians & Yankees last season and he was 106 of 403 (.263 avg, .746 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 10 homers, 49 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. VERDICT: The Yankees can do better so I see them letting Kearns walk.

Chad Moeller: 35-year old righty swinging catcher Chad Moeller played in only 9 games for the Yankees last season and he was 3 for 14 (.214 avg, .695 OPS) with 2 runs scored. VERDICT: I would offer him a minor league deal with the idea of stashing him in AAA for another year.

Chad Gaudin: 27-year old righty reliever Chad Gaudin pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERAa and a 1.38 WHIP. He pitched in 42 games (0 starts) overall for the A’s & Yankees and he was 1-4 with a 5.65 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Sergio Mitre: 29-year old righty reliever/starter Sergio Mitre pitched in 27 games (3 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-3 with 1 save, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Don’t be fooled by those numbers as he is still Sergio Mitre: VERDICT: I would let him walk.

The Rangers jumped on the Yankees yesterday and they couldn’t come back. Phil Hughes got bombed again by the Rangers as he worked the first 4 2/3 innings of this game allowing 4 hits, 4 earned runs while walking 4 and whiffing 3. David Robertson had another bad night working 1/3 and giving up 2 hits and 1 earned run (on a solo homer by Nelson Cruz). Kerry Wood worked 2 innings allowing 1 hit, 1 earned run and he walked 2 batters (on Joe Girardi’s orders). Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless 8th inning to finish out the pitching for the Yankees. Alex Rodriguez (1 for 4 with 1 run scored), Lance Berkman (1 for 3) and Jorge Posada (1 for 3) were the extent of the offense for the Yankees last night. The Yankees’ season ends with a thud in Texas as the Rangers advance to their first World Series in team history as they Yankees lose 4-2.

The Yankees have sent 24-year old lefty swinging 2B/3B Matt Cusick and 24-year old reliever Andrew Shive to the Cleveland Indians to complete the Kerry Wood deal. Cusick played in 88 games in AA+AAA-ball last season and he was 69 of 284 (.243 avg, .659 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 3 homers, 35 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Shive pitched in 16 games (0 starts) in A-ball for the Yankees this year and he was 1-2 with a 4.56 ERA and a 1.73 WHIP. He had Tommy John Surgery in 2009 so the struggles in 2010 shouldn’t have surprised anyone. Shive pitched in 38 games (1 start) in two years in the minors for the Yankees and he was 10-4 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. This was a great deal for the Yankees as neither Cusick or Shive are considered good prospects. Kerry Wood pitched in 24 games (0 starts) during the regular season for the Yankees and he was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. He has also pitched in 6 games during the post season for the Yankees and he is 0-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP.

The Yankees jumped out to a quick lead in this game and the pitching made it stand up. Curtis Granderson was on fire with the bat last night as he was 3 for 4 with 1 run scored, a double, homer and 2 RBIs. Jorge Posada’s back woke up as he was 2 for 4 with 1 run scored, 1 double and 1 RBI. Nick Swisher (1 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI) and Robinson Cano (1 for 4 with 1 run scored and 1 RBI) each hit a solo homer in this game. C.C. Sabathia earned the win by pitching 6 innings in which he gave up 11 hits and 2 earned runs. He limited the damage by whiffing 7 batters and walking 0. Kerry Wood was awesome in working 2 shutout innings allowing only 1 hit while whiffing 3 batters. Mariano Rivera worked a scoreless 9th inning for the Yankees. The Rangers are up 3-2 in this series as it shifts back to Texas tomorrow night.

The Yankees will be without switch hitting starting 1B Mark Teixeira for the rest of the season after he suffered a Grade 2 right hamstring strain in last night’s game against the Rangers. Teixeira was 0 for 14 (.000 avg, .176 OPS) with 1 run scored in the A.L.C.S. He was 4 for 27 (.148 avg) in the playoffs for the Yankees this year with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. So maybe his injury will be a blessing in disguise. Switch hitting Lance Berkman will be the new Yankees’ starting 1B for the rest of the year. He has played in 2 games against the Rangers in the A.L.C.S. and he is 2 for 7 (.286 avg, .661 OPS) with 1 RBI. Berkman has now played in 3 games in the playoffs this year and he is 4 for 11 (.364 avg) with 2 run scored, 1 homer and 3 RBIs. The Yankees have activated 23-year old righty swinging rookie infielder Eduardo Nunez to replace Teixeira on the active roster. Nunez played in 30 games for the Yankees this year and he was 14 of 50 (.280 avg, .681 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 1 homer, 7 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.

Manager Joe Girardi deserves a lot of credit for this loss for starting A.J. Burnett in this game in the first place and then for leaving him in too long. Burnett pitched the first 6 innings last night allowing 6 hits and 5 earned runs while walking 3 batters and whiffing 4 others. He was the losing pitcher. David Robertson followed Burnett in this game and he was the only Yankees’ pitcher of the night not to allow any runs as he got both of the batters out that he faced, whiffing one of them. Boone Logan was a disaster as the only batter he faced was Josh Hamilton who whacked a solo homer off of him. Joba Chamberlain was up next and he was awful too working 1 inning allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run while walking 1 batter and whiffing 1. Sergio Mitre got bombed in the 9th inning of this game as he gave up 3 hits (2 of which were homers) and he walked a batter while giving up 3 earned runs. Deerk Jeter came to play last night was he was 2 for 5 with a double, triple and 1 run scored. Robinson Cano was 2 for 3 with a solo homer aided by a fan who grabbed Nelson Cruz’ mitt. Curtis Granderson (1 of 3 with 1 RBI) and Brett Gardner (1 for 4 with 1 RBI) also pitched in offensively for the Yankees last night. The Yankees are now down 3-1 in this series with Game #4 later today.