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New York Yankees
By James Quintong, CNNSI.com George Steinbrenner wasn't pleased after coming up short in the World Series. And when the Boss isn't happy, heads roll and the team increases payroll to improve an already stacked lineup. Hitting coach Gary Denbo gets fired, Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius retire, David Justice gets traded, and Chuck Knoblauch and Tino Martinez aren't brought back. Big losses? Big deal. The Yankees broke the bank to the tune of $120 million to sign Jason Giambi, the biggest prize in the free-agent pool. Expect Giambi to take advantage of the short right-field porch at Yankee Stadium and be the big bopper in the middle of the lineup. They took a risk on outfielder Rondell White, who has spent as much time on the DL as he has in the lineup. They brought in Robin Ventura, who still flashes some power (45 homers the past two seasons) but may hit his weight. John Vander Wal also heads to the Bronx to fill O'Neill's shoes in a platoon with Shane Spencer. Despite the changes, the heart of the Yankees stays stable up the middle. Bernie Williams can become more of a run producer instead of the main power guy with Giambi hitting ahead of him in the lineup. Derek Jeter will set the table as the leadoff hitter, something he's very capable of doing (.333 career hitter as a leadoff hitter). Jeter's ability to get on base will be crucial for the rest of the lineup to flourish. Alfonso Soriano was a pleasant surprise last year, stealing 43 bases and providing solid defense at second. However, he slumped at times and his lack of patience at the plate (29 walks to 125 strikeouts) could be magnified if he hits at the top of the order. Jorge Posada, who signed a five-year, $50 million deal, set a career high in RBIs last season but could use a little backup as he's caught 273 games the past two seasons. The Yankees pitching staff is still one of the most loaded in the majors and added some depth in the offseason. David Wells will compete against Sterling Hitchcock and Orlando Hernandez for a spot in the rotation. Steve Karsay adds another quality setup man in the bullpen with Mike Stanton and Ramiro Mendoza. With the Yankees able to spend tons of money on players, thanks in part to starting their own cable network, the lineup will always stay loaded. But with Joe Torre on board to keep everyone in line, it's pretty easy to consider them World Series favorites yet again. Up for grabs: The Yankees have three veterans vying for the final two spots in the rotation. The incumbents are lefty Sterling Hitchcock, who went 4-4 with a 6.49 ERA after being acquired by San Diego last summer; and Orlando Hernandez, who slumped to a 4-7 record in an injury plagued 2001 season. The real wild card is David Wells, who returns to the Bronx after a bitter season with the White Sox. Wells went 34-14 in two seasons with the Yankees, but he's coming off back surgery, making his health and durability huge question marks. Spring chicken: Nick Johnson lost out on a chance to start at first base when the Yankees picked up Jason Giambi, but the long-touted successor to Tino Martinez still has a chance at becoming the full-time DH. At this point, Johnson is very much Giambi light as he can hit for average and for decent power, plus he has great patience at the plate with an on-base percentage over .400 in the minors last year. Johnson actually is better defensively than Giambi, but he may not get many chances to show off the glove.
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