With the Major League Baseball season set to begin in just over a month, spring training is in full swing for the New York Yankees. The team is in Tampa, Fla. making preparations for the 2011 season.
The Yankees went through their fair share of offseason drama, which is nothing new to the franchise. The biggest conflict revolved around shortstop Derek Jeter’s contract. The negotiations were often tense, mainly due to Jeter’s age and decrease in production last season. The potential loss of the team captain proved too much for the team to bear as Jeter was resigned to a three-year contract worth more than $50 million.
Adding to the offseason drama was team owner Hank Steinbrenner’s recent claims that last year’s team lacked focus and instead concentrated on simply celebrating the 2009 World Series title.
On the positive side of the Yankees’ offseason, the team appears to be mostly healthy.
The question mark that seems to revolve around the Yankees every year is their pitching staff. The loss of longtime pitcher Andy Pettitte to retirement will definitely impact the team’s starting rotation. It also takes away experience, especially in the postseason. Pettitte’s retirement leaves CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes as three of the definite starters in the rotation. The inability of Joba Chamberlain to pitch consistently well has once again left him out of the starting rotation.
However, the team will continue to be strong in closing situations as Mariano Rivera was signed to a two-year contract in December.
The Yankees’ offensive production looks promising, especially with second baseman Robinson Cano, who is coming off one of his best seasons with 29 home runs and 109 RBI’s in 2010. Cano was just one part of the offense that, according to ESPN, ranked first in runs and on-base percentage.
The Yankees will definitely face competition in the AL East. The biggest challenge will be rival Boston Red Sox, who signed star Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez during the offseason.
The Yankees began their spring training schedule Saturday against the Philadelphia Phillies and kick off the regular season on March 31 against the Detroit Tigers.
