Submitted by Ed, Aug 14, 2008 14:11

One big difference between now and the past, Tim, is the Yankees will actually have a number of key contributors next year making something near the minimum. Let's take as a given that the following players will cost $123 million, and even that Posada can't catch every day. That means that before free agency, they have: Molina- C Cano - 2B Jeter - SS A Rod - 3B Posada - DH Matsui - LF Damon - CF Nady - RF Betemit - Utility INF Melky - 4th OF.

So on position players, all that's needed is an every day first basemen and a couple backups. Or you can play Posada at 1B, DH Matsui, move Damon to left and get a centerfielder to keep the seat warm for Jackson. On pitching, you have: Wang, Joba and 3 starter openings Rivera Edwar Melancon Veras Robertson 2 openings (8th inning guy and long man) So for about $125 mm you get 17 players, leaving openings for 3 starters, 2 relievers, and 3 position players.

Say the Yankees sign Tex for $20mm per, CC for $25 mm, Marte for $6, Moose for $12, and Pettitte for $16. That brings you to $204 mm, with openings for 1 reliever and 2 backup position players. Hughes (or Giese) could be the long man at league minimum. Shelley Duncan could be a back up first baseman/corner outfielder, and they could have a 3rd catcher (say Moeller for about minimum) giving a 25 man roster at about $205mm, and that's without backloading any of Sabathia or Tex's money (which of course they could do because Damon, Matsui, Pettitte, and Moose would come off at the end of 2009) or doing anything particularly creative (e.g. putting Hughes in the rotation and trading Wang for a first baseman and stopgap CF instead of getting Tex, or trading Cano to LA for Kemp and signing Orlando Hudson). I don't see the problem you see.

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