Beyond emerging ace Chien-Ming Wang, there is Mike Mussina, whose $17-million option isn’t expected to be picked up, but who must be re-signed. But when two of your top three pitchers are a combined 80 years old, there has to be another proven No. 1-2-type starter to go with Wang, leaving top prospect Phil Hughes time to properly develop.

Then there is Alex Rodriguez, who is digging a post-season hole so deep, it may take him the rest of his Hall of Fame career to work his way out. Three more hitless at-bats in Game 4 left him at 1-for-14 (.071) in the series and 4-for-43 over his last 13 post-season games. It got so bad that he was dropped to eighth in the batting order for Game 4 — Eight-Rod, if you will. And his error with two outs and nobody on in the third inning led to an unearned run.

Rodriguez thought the trials and tribulations of his regular season would better prepare him for October, but not so. And so the rumblings persist about his possible departure. But rest assured, that’s not what he’s thinking at this point.

“I’m 100 percent committed to being here,’’ he said. “I want to be a Yankee. Unless (the club) is dying to get me out of here — I hope not.

“I sense maybe you guys (media) want me out of here, but I don’t want to leave. I know I’m part of the solution. I don’t want out. I hope that’s not the case because I don’t want to go anywhere. Maybe the good Lord says it’s not time for me yet, but I’m not giving up. I have to look in the mirror and make some adjustments.’’

Told of Rodriguez’s words, Cashman responded: “I expect him to be here, too, and to try to find a way to make this work. There’s not just one player you can point the finger at. We earned our ticket home as a team.’’

That said, the distraction that is A-Rod, and the fans’ and media’s magnification of his every foible, too often overshadows the team’s results. In fact, when manager Joe Torre met with the media before Game 4 to explain his starting lineup decisions, the first question was about Rodriguez being dropped to eighth rather than about Jason Giambi’s absence. The manager responded:

“Caught you guys. You found that A-Rod hitting eighth is more important than Giambi not playing. See, that’s not fair. That’s not fair. I think the first question should have been, why isn’t Giambi playing.”

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Then there is Torre, with one year and $7 million left on his contract. There was no hint of potential change from either Cashman or his manager Saturday, although the New York Daily News reported that Torre would be out if he didn't resign. When asked about what his team faces this off-season, Torre said: “That’s something for Cash and I and other people to talk about.’’

It’s true, Torre’s hitters did nothing in this series. But his lineup decisions were no better. He pulled clutch hitter Gary Sheffield in Game 3 for Bernie Williams based on Williams’ success against Rogers, but this is a Bernie Williams who is a 36-year-old part-time player. And Rodriguez did nothing in the sixth spot in the lineup earlier in the series, but he was moved up to fourth for Game 3.

Nine consecutive division titles notwithstanding, the postseason is where the Yankees judge their seasons, and the last three have been brutal disappointments.