The Yankees have been really quiet since the 2012 season ended with a thud against the Tigers in the playoffs. The Yankees did pick up options for Robinson Cano and Curtis Granderson, which were smart moves. But, neither of them are likely to sign a long term deal with the Yankees with them pinching pennies all of a sudden. Position player wise the Yankees still need a catcher, 3B, RF and a DH for next season. They are reluctant to give anyone more than a 1-year deal, which means that they are going to have to grossly overpay if they decide to fill those holes in free agency. On the pitching side of things, the Yankees did re-sign Mariano Rivera, Hiroki Kuroda and Andy Pettitte to 1-year deals. The pitching staff is in pretty good shape right now. The Yankees might have to go the trade route to fill some of their needs, but they just might open new ones with Curtis Granderson, Ivan Nova and Phil Hughes all on the trading block. The Steinbrenner’s who are in charge now are business men looking to make the most money they can. With that in mind, the Yankees could take a step back in 2013 and beyond.

I’m not so sure that Eric Chavez’ back is going to hold up if he has an increased workload the rest of the season. With that in mind, the Yankees need to see what’s available on the trade market. They don’t need a big name like Aramis Ramirez or Chase Headley. I suggest that they look for a smaller name like Jeff Baker (Cubs), Greg Dobbs (Marlins) or Ty Wigginton (Phillies). They were rebuffed about Wigginton earlier this week, but the Phillies might change their mind if they have a bad weekend. Other than a little help at 3B, the Yankees are pretty much set for a division title run and more in 2012.

The Yankees are sitting at 44-28 on the season which has them in first place in the A.L. East, 3 games ahead of the Orioles, 4.5 games ahead of the Rays and 6.5 games ahead of the Red Sox. That being said, the Yankees are not a team without weaknesses. I would suggest they fix them now before the price goes up. With that in mind, I would deal with the Twins…..offering a so-so prospect for Alexi Casilla or Jamey Carroll. They are both utility type players who could give Derek Jeter or Robinson Cano a day off or a DH day once in a while. The Chicago Cubs are definitely going to have a fire sale and I would go after outfielder Reed Johnson. He can play all three outfield spots and he’s a righty swinger, who excels off the bench.

I’m not buying the idea of Clay Rapada being the Yanks’ #2 lefty in the bullpen. With that in mind, I think the Yankees should go out and try to make a deal. With the Nationals currently desperate for a catcher, I like the idea of the Yankees offering Francisco Cervelli to the Nationals for lefty reliever Tom Gorzelanny and cash. Cervelli would share time behind the plate for the Nationals with Jesus Flores and the Yankees would get a decent lefty reliever. This almost makes too much sense to actually happen.

The Yankees will be looking for help in free agency and I think I have found the three guys who would be good fits for them. Here is a look at who I think they should go after:

1. C.J. Wilson - Lefty starting pitcher C.J. Wilson would slot #2 in the Yankees’ rotation between C.C. Sabathia and Ivan Nova. The only thing that would concern me about Wilson and the Yankees, is that he hasn’t had a lot of success thus far in the post-season.

2. Paul Maholm - Lefty starting pitcher Paul Maholm would be a decent pitcher for the Yankees as their stadium favors lefty pitchers. He might not know what to do with all of the run support he would be getting in the Bronx.

3. Rick Ankiel - Lefty swinging outfielder Rick Ankiel can play all three outfield spots and he has a lot of power in his stick.

I think the Yankees will be hunting for a starting pitcher to slot at the back end of the starting rotation. Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon are ancient and can break down at any time now, but they have pitched well this year. Phil Hughes has been awful this year and he can’t be counted on. Now, the Yankees have Ivan Nova stashed at AAA, but they might need another starter. I think the Yankees should be thinking about a lefty starter as they might be able to get one cheap. Bruce Chen (Royals), Jeff Francis (Royals), Erik Bedard (Mariners), Jason Vargas (Mariners) and Ted Lilly (Dodgers) all would make sense. Lilly makes a lot of cash so he might not make the most sense here. Bedard is brittle, so I don’t think I would go with him either. That leaves Vargas, Chen and Francis. Vargas would be the most expensive prospect wise, but he’s probably the best of this bunch. I do think Bruce Chen would be a solid fit for the Yankees and he would only cost them a pitching prospect or two. I think the Yankees could use another lefty for the rotation to negate lefty swingers at Yankee Stadium.

It’s time for the Yankees to get a real DH instead of using Jorge Posada there. Posada has played in 80 games for the Yankees so far this year and he is 56 for 250 (.224 avg, .683 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 9 homers and 29 RBIs. I look for the Yankees to be in for big bats like Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Pena, Ryan Ludwick and Josh Willingham. With the Cubs likely picking up most if not all of Soriano’s remaining contract, he might make the most sense. The Cubs would probably jump at an offer of a minor prospect plus Hector Noesi for Soriano…it that’s the case….the Yankees should bring him back to the Bronx. The price is going to be much higher for Pena, Ludwick or Willingham. Willingham has a huge injury history (his back), so the Yanks should be careful with him. The price for Ludwick will be high as he is ripping the ball playing his home games in a terrible park for hitters. Carlos Pena’s swing would be perfect for Yankee Stadium but the price would be high for him unless the Yankees picked up the tab. Jorge Posada just can’t cut it anymore and Soriano, Willingham, Ludwick or Pena would be a huge upgrade on him.

The New York Yankees would like to add a starting pitcher, a lefty reliever and a big bat before the trade deadline. I think that they aren’t going to want to pay the price for a starting pitcher as the price is very high on them right now. With that in mind, I would call up the Chicago Cubs as they are ready to have a firesale. If the Yankees offered rookie 2B David Adams, infielder Ramiro Pena and righty reliever Lance Pendleton to the Cubs for lefty swinging 1B Carlos Pena, lefty reliever John Grabow and cash….I think a deal would get done between the two teams. For not giving up any top prospects (Adams is a decent one), I think the Yankees would have to pay most of the salary of Pena. Pena’s bat is perfect for Yankees’ stadium as he is a big time pull hitter. He would replace Jorge Posada as the full-time DH. Grabow would give the Yankees a situational lefty to work in front of Boone Logan. The Cubs would be able to shed some payroll, so this deal works for both teams.

In my mind the Yankees are going to go off at the trade deadline. They need a starting pitcher (preferably a lefty), some bullpen help and a legit DH (sorry Jorge). I see the Yankees trying to find teams that want to save some money and that’s the teams they will try to deal with. I could see package deals with the Pirates (Garrett Jones, Paul Maholm and Joe Beimel), Cubs (Alfonso Soriano, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano or Ryan Dempster), Mets (Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez and Chris Capuano) or the Astros (Brett Myers or Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee). I could also see the Yankees going after Francisco Liriano, Erik Bedard, Ted Lilly or Hiroki Kuroda. With the Astros desperate for a catcher, I see them being the best fit for the Yankees if they are going to make a big deal at the trade deadline. The Yankees aren’t good enough to win the A.L. East with the roster they have right now, so look for them to get some reinforcements next month.

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.