In an age where multi-tasking has gone from a buzz-word to a way of life, the 2007 Yankees were a perfect example of a team trying to do more than one thing simultaneously. Sure, the Yankees had their mission plan of winning a World Championship title in place -- life around the Bronx would be topsy-turvy if the home team wasn't annually trying to advance their title tally. But at the same time, behind the curtain, the Yankees were quietly trying to rebuild and redevelop a once-beleaguered farm system. Certain aspects of that process, like right-hander Phil Hughes, were summoned to the big league level sooner than expected and flourished. At age 21 and projected with a world of potential, it was Hughes' 3 2/3 innings of winning relief in American League Division Series Game 3 that helped save the Yankees' season for another day. Others, like right-hander Joba Chamberlain, burst upon the scene and were dominant. Still more players -- Tyler Clippard, Jeff Karstens, Darrell Rasner, Chase Wright among them -- showed flashes of future promise, but held with them the old Saturday Night Live mentality: not ready for prime time. With all that in tow, the question is: Where do the Yankees go from here? Even with their dual goals in place, the Yankees finished second in the AL East with 94 victories, though they most certainly did not make it look easy. Now, they face an offseason rife with possible change, starting with the top: Manager Joe Torre and probable AL MVP Alex Rodriguez, both important to the club's personality but neither a lock to return in 2008. When George Steinbrenner answered his hotel room telephone before Game 3 of the ALDS, he put Torre's job status on the line -- explaining that Torre is baseball's highest-paid manager (earning $7 million this year) and that the Yankees have not advanced past the first round since 2004, Steinbrenner told the Bergen Record that "I don't think we'd take him back if we don't win this series." They didn't win, and that makes Torre the first stumbling point in a winter that general manager Brian Cashman agrees will be "interesting" for idle observers to watch. Cashman doesn't have the luxury of a wide perspective, though; at some point in the very near future, the Yankees brass will convene and begin to hammer out a mission plan for October, November and onward. Chances are, much like the 2007 season was an exercise in juggling, the Yankees will have to try to accomplish more than one thing at once. Some of the key issues to be addressed will include:
Joe Torre: The 67-year-old manager made the playoffs in each of his 12 seasons at the helm, but hasn't guided the Yankees to a World Series title since 2000. They haven't participated in a Fall Classic since 2003, and the last time they moved past the first round, they blew a 3-0 lead to the Red Sox in the AL Championship Series. That may be unfair given the crapshoot nature of the postseason setup, but rings are the thing in the Bronx. After Game 4, Torre spoke of his tenure in the past tense, saying, "This has been a great 12 years. Whatever the hell happens from here on out, I'll look back on these 12 years with great, great pleasure." If Torre isn't the man for 2008, who is? Early names being floated include internal candidate Don Mattingly, plus outsiders Joe Girardi, Tony La Russa and Bobby Valentine. Mattingly admits that whoever follows Torre has his work cut out. "It's like following John Wooden," the former Yankee captain said.
Alex Rodriguez: The owner of baseball's most celebrated opt-out clause, great riches almost certainly await A-Rod if he pulls the trigger and becomes a free agent, especially after establishing career highs with 143 runs and 156 RBIs while hitting .314 with 54 home runs. The caveat: Cashman insists that if Rodriguez opts out, the Yankees will not pursue him, meaning that A-Rod's next contract would be coming from outside New York. The 32-year-old Rodriguez insists that he loves New York now that he's learned to handle it, but with Scott Boras as his agent, that may be put to the test. For $30 million per season -- the amount Boras is floating -- Rodriguez may be able to love a lot of places. The one thing people haven't been mentioning -- even if A-Rod doesn't opt out this year, his contract allows him to travel this same path after the 2008 season.
Jorge Posada: It is rare for a catcher at age 36 to hit over .330 and hit the benchmarks of 40 doubles, 20 homers and 90 RBI. How rare? Well, now that Posada (.338, 42 doubles, 20 HR, 90 RBIs) has done it, he stands alone as the only catcher in big league history to do so. It's difficult to imagine Posada in any other uniform, having played in New York since the days when he served as Joe Girardi's backup in the mid 1990s. But Posada's late entry into catching may help his case toward a multi-year contract; Posada has played in 140 or more games in three consecutive seasons and remained productive even through nagging injuries in 2007. Posada had a special relationship with Torre that could play into any decision. On the season's final day, Torre selected Posada to serve as the defacto manager at Camden Yards -- an honor usually reserved for outgoing players; Bernie Williams filled the duties in 2006. The Yankees will try to buck that trend this winter.
Mariano Rivera: Maybe Rivera is bluffing when he says that he doesn't know if returning to the Yankees is his first choice. Can they take that chance? The closer, surely destined for the Hall of Fame, said that he intends to test the free agent market, explaining that the Yankees had their chance to lock him up with a Spring Training contract extension and declined. Rivera, 37, was 3-4 with a 3.15 ERA and 30 saves in 67 relief appearances for the Yankees in 2007, and even though he may no longer be the same dominant force that Torre enjoyed during the Yankees' run of four titles in five years, he's still well above a league-average closer. The one wrinkle is, strangely enough, Chamberlain. For years, people have asked who could ever replace Rivera in New York. Finally, the Yankees have a name that potentially could, even though they envision Chamberlain as a starting pitcher going forward.
The $16 million men: Andy Pettitte (15-9, 4.05 ERA) will return home to Houston and contemplate whether he sees himself revving up the surprisingly healthy left elbow for one more go-round. If he does, there's a $16 million player option on the table for him. The Yankees are the ones holding the cards on Bobby Abreu's $16 million option for 2008, and though it looked early like a foregone conclusion they'd let the 33-year-old right fielder go, that doesn't seem like such an easy call anymore. Abreu hit .283 with 16 homers and 101 RBIs in 158 games, and A-Rod credited his patient presence as one factor in his remarkable season. Abreu has said that he wants to come back, and with good reason.
Other free agents: Roger Clemens may have thrown his last Major League pitch, a 92 mph fastball past Victor Martinez in Game 3. Even if not, he isn't likely to be re-signed, not at a hefty price tag and after breaking down late in the season with the elbow problems he'd avoided for so long. Doug Mientkiewicz, Jose Molina, Ron Villone and Luis Vizcaino are the Yankees' other free agents. All have said they want to return, but all understand that Cashman will have bigger fish to fry before getting to their individual cases. Mientkiewicz cracked that he selfishly wants A-Rod, his good friend, to come back because he believes it helps his own case.
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