It’s been a difficult offseason for Yankee fans. Derek Jeter broke his ankle, but should return for Spring Training. Alex Rodriguez, who is undergoing hip surgery, will miss at least half of 2013. Nick Swisher, Russell Martin, Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez, and Andruw Jones, who combined to hit 94 home runs, signed elsewhere. Rafael Soriano, who saved 42 games, is also expected to sign elsewhere. For better or worse, the Yankees were not linked to any top free agents. The Yankee brass is committed to spending less than baseball’s $189 million luxury tax threshold by 2014, so free agent spending sprees are off the table.

Brian Cashman always emphasizes the importance of keeping his ‘core’ together, so four key pieces were re-signed to team friendly deals. Mariano Rivera, Andy Pettitte, and Hiroki Kuroda signed one-year deals while Ichrio Suzuki signed a two-year deal. These deals should help the Yankees win in 2013, but each player is over 40-years-old and adds little value to the future of the team.

The Yankees are one of the oldest teams in baseball, but still boast some of the game’s best players. Jeter and Ichiro will set the table for Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, and Curtis Granderson. CC Sabathia will be supported by Kuroda, Pettitte, and Phil Hughes in the starting rotation. Mariano Rivera and David Robertson will lock down the backend of the bullpen. This core won 95 games last season, so anything less will be a failure.

While the Yankees boast a strong core, many are questioning their complementary parts. As of today, the Yankees have not named a starting catcher or designated hitter. Cashman will not sign a free agent catcher, so expect a combination of Francisco Cervelli-Chris Stewart-Austin Romine to start. Kevin Youkilis will start at third base, but he was signed as A-Rod’s caddy. The Yankees will need Youkilis to play third base and DH, but he can’t seem to stay healthy. If Youkilis suffers another injury, will the team trust Eduardo Nunez to play third base? Nunez is currently the de-facto designated hitter, but Cashman always extends multiple Spring Training invites. The Yankees have a glutton of left handed hitters in its outfield, so expect a right handed bat to join this threesome. Remember, Marcus Thames and Raul Ibanez were signed late and played significant roles. Expect similar moves.

Going into 2013, the Yankees have a very small margin for error. The roster is primarily comprised of older players that may break down. Each AL East foe improved its roster and many are expecting the Toronto Blue Jays to win the division. However, the Yankees boasted baseball’s best run differential and have a roster full of players that have endured October battles. The Yankees continue to pour resources into scouting and player development, but don’t count them out. In terms of player development and a more cost conscious approach, the 2013 season may prove to be a transition year. That doesn’t mean the Yankees are incapable of raising another AL East flag.

The New York Yankees seem to go through a tough period every season, but eventually their talent comes through and they go on to win the division, change the MLB odds and play in the postseason anyway.

Well, they’ve been going through one of those rough spells recently, mainly because, as hard as it is to believe, they’ve been having serious problems scoring runs.

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Andy Pettitte makes pitching look so easy. As a spectator tonight, I watched Andy methodically work through 7+ innings. Andy scattered seven hits and one walk while striking out eight Royal hitters. Andy tiptoed his way in and out of danger, pacing the Yanks to a comfortable 8-3 win. Andy spent his evening nibbling corners and producing big outs in big spots. This was the type of start Yankee fans are accustomed to seeing from #46.

The Yankee offense, namely A-Rod, gave Andy some breathing room early on. A-Rod launched two long home runs in his first at-bats, silencing critics who claim his power is gone. The Grandy Man also cranked his 14th home run of the season and Derek Jeter collected three hits in five at-bats. 

The Yankees will utilize Thursday as a travel day as they head out West to take on the Oakland Athletics. 

Andy Pettitte absolutely delivered tonight during the Yanks’ 4-0 win over the Cincy Reds. Andy turned back the clock as he threw eight shutout innings and recorded his 241st career win. Andy’s cutter was sharp as he recorded eight strikeouts in his first five frames. Andy’s final line (8 IPs, 4 Hs, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 Ks) was easily the best performance by a Yankee SP this season. 

Side Note: I hate Interleague play, but Yankee fans need to see the Game’s best talent on display. Reds’ first baseman, Joey Votto, is one of the game’s best young talents. This is likely the only time we’ll see Votto in his prime at Yankee Stadium. Enjoy watching him play this weekend. 

The Yankees failed to sweep the Mariners, dropping the final game of this three-game set, 6-2. However, the story of this game was the return of Andrew Eugene Pettitte. After briefly retiring for a season, Pettitte took the ball and gave the Yanks 6 1/3 innings of four-run ball. Pettitte didn’t give up a hit through three innings, but gave up five hits in the sixth inning, including a two-run HR. Pettitte left in the seventh with the Yanks trailing, 4-1.

Overall, I really can’t be too upset with Andy’s return. Justin Smoak’s two-run homer in the fourth inning barely cleared the right field fence. Andy failed to cover first base on a grounder to Teix in the fifth, but was bailed out by Russell Martin, who nabbed the runner on a stolen base attempt. Casper Wells hit a home run off the right field foul pole in the sixth to increase the Mariner lead to three. Andy retired the first runner in the seventh before being lifted and receiving a standing ovation.

Andy’s fastball velocity was around 88-89 MPH while his slider and curve ball were consistently 81, 75 MPH, respectively. Pettitte gave up seven hits and walked three, but no one is expecting dominant outings from Pettitte. Andy gave the Yankees a chance to win this game and that’s all we can ask for. His next start will come on Friday against the Reds, so stayed tuned. 

Two years ago, Andy Pettitte decided to hang it up and head home to Texas. Two years later, Andy is dusting off the #46 and rejoining the Yankee rotation. Andy will make his 2012 Yankee debut on Sunday afternoon at home against the Mariners. Given the plethora of pitching injuries, his return couldn’t be better timed. Honestly, we all aren’t expecting dominance and we never really have from Andy. He’ll walk a few guys, scatter a bunch of runners, and pick a few guys off. At the end of the day, he’ll deliver quality starts and keep the Yankees in the game. Can’t really ask for much more. The Stadium will rocking this weekend and all eyes will be glued on #46. 

Entering this season, the Yankees had seven viable arms for only five rotation spots. After Michael Pineda’s injury, Freddy Garcia’s demotion, and the erratic pitching of Phil Hughes and Hiroki Kuroda, the Yankees have some serious questions. Outside of CC Sabathia and Ivan Nova, the Yankees don’t have any reliable options. Andy Pettitte is a week or so away from joining the rotation, but through 21 games, the Yankees’ pre-season strength has now become a concern. Entering Monday, the Yankees are 12-9 and current sit 1.5 games behind the Baltimore Orioles in the East. Granted, the Orioles seem to start strong every season, but Yanks need some quality starts this week. David Phelps is set to join the rotation and will make his first start on Thursday.  

With 141 games to go, the Yankees will find a happy medium with their rotation and the Yankee offense will help offset any poor starts. The Yankees are currently third in baseball with 112 runs scored and the offense will continue to be this team’s strength. We all know that championship aspirations live and die in the post-season and those post-season runs start and end with starting pitching. The Yankee rotation will take form as the season goes, but so far, this team’s strength is now an apparent weakness. 

We learned tonight that Michael Pineda will have surgery on his right shoulder and will miss the entire 2012 season. Pineda suffered an anterior labral tear and will undergo surgery next week. Luckily for the Yanks, neither Pineda’s rotator cuff nor capsule was comprised.  

Brian Cashman spent a copious amount of time with the media explaining the injury. Cashman’s vehemently stated that Pineda’s physical and injury history checked out before dealing slugger Jesus Montero to the Mariners. Seattle GM, Jack Zduriencik stated that he was ‘shocked’ to learn about Pineda’s injury. 

On the surface, I don’t believe Seattle traded the Yanks damaged goods. It’s been well-documented that despite an overall poor showing in the second half of last season, Pineda’s average fastball velocity never dipped below 94.2 MPH. However, Pineda was struggling to break 92 MPH this spring and now we know why. It doesn’t help either that Pineda showed up to camp twenty pounds overweight, causing an obvious setback in his development. 

It’s difficult to find a silver lining in this situation. If anything, Jose Campos, the second player the Yankees acquired in the deal, is 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in Single A Charleston. The 19-year-old is obviously years away from making the big team, but we’ve heard he has a lot of upside. As for Pineda, we can only hope he has a successful surgery and regains the All-Star talent he showed last season. 

For now, most of the naysayers will knock Cashman for giving up his prized prospect for the next ‘Mark Prior’. If anything, Cashman and the Yankees should have done their homework on Pineda’s workout habits. Showing up to camp overweight is never excusable and Pineda likely comprised his mechanics in order to generate more velocity. Now, the Yanks must move forward with their starting rotation and hope Andy Pettitte is ready to go. Speaking of Pettitte, he tossed six innings of three run ball tonight for the Trenton Thunder. Pettitte’s return will hopefully make Yankee fans forget about the failed Michael Pineda Year 1 experiment. 

Let me be the first stay, I can’t wait for Andy Pettitte to make his return to the Yankee rotation. I’ve watched Pettitte since his rookie season in 1995 and will always associate Andy with my youth. However, when it comes to fantasy baseball, Pettitte virtually has no value.  

When Pettitte vountarily retired after the 2010 season, he retired as an All-Star. Pettitte went 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 21 starts. Pettitte posted a 7.1 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 which weren’t vintage Pettitte numbers. However, Pettitte was sidelined for nearly two months with a groin injury. Pettitte dealt with various back and arm injuries throughout his career and given his age, we can’t discount another trip to the disabled list. Even worse, Pettitte may not be able to make a full return to the Yankees and hang it up for good. 

Pettitte has already indicated that he won’t be back before May and no one should expect him to be. If anything, we’ve learned from David Cone in 2003 that comebacks should be taken slowly. Pettitte will likely only give his owners 3/4 of a season and the numbers he posts won’t be good to justify any sort of fantasy value. Plus, there is no guarantee that Pettitte regains his signature stuff. 

For now, let Andy sit on the waiver wire and play the waiting game. If he comes back and delivers some vintage starts, quickly add him to your staff. For now, let Andy go and draft another pitcher who will start the year in his team’s rotation.

On Friday, we learned that Andy Pettitte would come out of retirement to join the 2012 Yankees. The Yankees and Pettitte agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million minor league deal. By definition, a minor league deal is essentially a risk-less ‘tryout’. However, the Yankees and Pettitte fully envision him being able to contribute by May or June. Granted, Pettitte, who has been throwing and working out, may decide that he just can’t do it anymore and stay retired. However, given Andy’s competitive nature, he wouldn’t waste anyone’s time if he didn’t think he could still play.

While having another arm is a great ‘problem’ to have, the Yankees are left with a bunch of arms and only a limited number of rotation spots. To start the year, Sabathia, Nova, and Kuroda will be in the rotation. By all accounts, Michael Pineda and Phil Hughes will be in there, too. Freddy Garcia is the odd man out and will likely take over long-relief duties. However, if all of these pitchers are performing well when Pettitte is ready, what will his role be?

Andy doesn’t have the makeup to be a reliever and wouldn’t come out of retirement to be one, either. Andy is a craftsman with the baseball. Runners will get on base, he’ll walk some hitters, he’ll pick some off, etc. Andy isn’t going to come out of the bullpen throwing 97+ MPH. He is and always will be a starting pitcher.

Emotional attachments aside, Andy has to prove to the Yankees that he still has it. When he retired after the 2010 season, he left on his own accord. He wasn’t Posada’ed out of the team. Coming back from a one-year layoff, the now 40-year-old Pettitte must prove he belongs in the Yankee rotation.

And by all accounts, I hope he is the Andy that we all know and love.