Bert Blyleven

The Yankees doled out $423 million this offseason on free agents CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. Tons of money well spent? Maybe, but coughing up all the cash does not make manager Joe Girardi’s club a lock to make the playoffs.

Remember that while some big names have been added, other players prominent to the Yankees’ success have left, most notably Mike Mussina, Bobby Abreu and Jason Giambi. Abreu batted .296 with 20 home runs and 100 RBI and Giambi had 32 home runs and 96 RBI.

Sabathia’s one of the best in the game, a true ace, but he has never won 20 games in a season. To be fair, he’s also never had the support of an offense as potent as the Yankees possess.

Burnett won 18 games in 2008 but he’s been injury-prone in his career. Before last year his high for wins in a season was 12, which he reached only twice, in 2005 and 2001. Burnett can be a solid No. 2 starter but not if he continues to be riddled by injuries.

Teixeira at first base can be counted on for at least 30 home runs, but he’ll need help from outfielders Xavier Nady and Nick Swisher (who might also DH some) to match the 52 home runs that Abreu and Giambi delivered.

What the Yankees lack is depth making it all important that the questions which surround some of their key players and positions get answered with positives and not negatives.

Let’s start with the rotation. Sabathia has to make the adjustment to New York. Shouldn’t be a problem, but he now faces not only the pressure of being the Yankees’ ace but also of living up to the high expectations created when he signed on in the Bronx for seven-years and $161 million.

Skeptics will say Burnett was motivated last season by free agency and so it’s not so surprising he won 18 games. Now in addition to the challenge of staying healthy, he must prove his $82.5 million, five-year deal was money well spent.

Chien-Ming Wang coming back healthy is a huge key. The 28-year-old was 8-2 with a 4.07 ERA before he tore a ligament in his right foot while running the bases in Houston on June 15. He missed the rest of the season but is expected to be at full strength for spring training. The Yankees need that as Wang has chalked up 46 wins in the last three seasons. That’s third most in the American League and eighth most in the majors. And over that span he has a .754 winning percentage, second only to Boston’s Jon Lester (27-8, .771).

Who will be the fourth and fifth starters? Joba Chamberlain is penciled in at No. 4. This is a move I disagree with. Chamberlain should stay in the role he has excelled in and that is the set-up man to closer Mariano Rivera. That’s Chamberlain’s greatest value to the team. He got a chance to start last season and he broke down with rotator cuff problems. There are also some that believe for him to be a top starter he needs to improve his secondary pitches in order to complement his overpowering fastball.

And at this point the top candidates for the fifth slot are Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Alfredo Aceves and Phil Coke could also figure into the mix. All are highly thought of but all are unproven at the major league level.

Hughes has a lot of potential but with the young right-hander it’s looking like a question of mentality rather than one of ability. In both 2007 and 2008, Hughes missed major time due to injury. The reasons for him being sidelined were reported to be a hamstring two seasons ago and a right oblique muscle strain last season.

I know injuries come into play and I’m not passing judgment on Hughes, but whether he has that higher pain tolerance that pitchers need is probably at this point in his career a legitimate question. To come into his own, he needs time on major-league mounds. His injuries have kept him off the big-league bump too much. If nothing else, his mission for next season should be to take his regular turn should he make the Yankees’ rotation or always be available if he ends up working out of the bullpen. Bottom line: he needs to get out there and pitch.

Rivera, who turned 39 on Nov. 29, has so far dodged Father Time. Last season he appeared in 64 games, picked up 39 saves and had an eye-popping 1.40 ERA. It not only takes tremendous talent but also incredible durability to get 482 career saves.

Rivera will have that durability and the velocity on his fastball tested this season as in early October he had surgery on his right shoulder to remove calcification from a joint, an issue he dealt with for much of last season. The Yankees are cautiously optimistic that he will be ready for the start of the 2009 schedule.

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The Yankees have tabbed Brian Bruney to take over Chamberlain’s eighth-inning role. How well he fares will have a major impact. Two other arms that should see plenty of relief work are Jose Veras and Damaso Marte.

Moving to the infield, the Yankees defense will improve with Teixeira at first base, Derek Jeter begins his 14th season at shortstop and Alex Rodriguez is at third. At second base Robinson Cano is the puzzle. After batting .342 in 2006 his average fell to .306 in 2007 and last season it dipped again to .271.

Kevin Long, the Yankees hitting coach, has paid an offseason visit to Cano. The feedback from Long has the club optimistic Cano will fare much better in 2009. He has dedicated himself to physical fitness and has also made a mechanical adjustment in his swing that Long reports is paying off. Cano still has to cut down on his errors and come to play every day – something he didn’t do at times last season prompting Girardi to bench him for not hustling. Cano’s work habits and overall focus need to improve.

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