The 133rd season of Major League Baseball is upon us. Over the next month and half, we will be taking a look at each ball club, leading up to the Expert Predictions of the esteemed staff at Sparty & Friends. We will be previewing each team, from worst to first. Today, we all bow our heads in reverence to the awesome power of the almighty dollar.

I cannot even begin to express how much I wanted to write a two-word preview for the Yankees’ 2009 campaign. Or maybe some reference to the sexual preferences of the left side of the New York infield. Or even a long dissertation on the necessity of a salary cap (and floor) in Major League Baseball. But considering how much I actually enjoy writing here, I figured such an act of defiance would lead to at least a ban by our esteemed editor in chief until NFL Training Camps, maybe longer. Probably a bad idea. So instead, I’m going to just stick to the facts, and try to be as impartial as I can. And I won’t even mention purple lip gloss…

Last Season: 89-73 (3rd place in the AL East)

Who’s Gone: P Mike Mussina (Retirement), 1B/DH Jason Giambi (FA), P Carl Pavano (FA), OF Bobby Abreu (FA), C Chad Moeller (FA), P Sidney Ponson (FA), C Ivan Rodriguez (FA)

Who’s New: P CC Sabathia (FA), P AJ Burnett (FA), 1B Mark Teixeira (FA), P Andy Pettite (Re-Signed), P Damaso Marte (Re-Signed), P Jason Johnson (FA), C Kevin Cash (FA), SS Angel Berroa (FA)

Projected Lineup (for most of the 2009 season):

OF/DH Johnny Damon

SS Derek Jeter

OF Xavier Nady

3B Alex Rodriguez

1B Mark Teixeira

OF/DH Hideki Matsui

C/DH Jorge Posada

2B Robison Cano

OF Brett Gardner

Projected Rotation:

LHP CC Sabathia

RHP AJ Burnett

RHP Chien-Ming Wang

LHP Andy Pettite

RHP Joba Chamberlain

CL Mariano Rivera

Key Bench Players:

Nick Swisher (OF/INF)

Cody Ransom (INF)

Javier Molina (C)

Manager: Joe Girardi

Lineup Outlook – Look at that lineup. Let’s play “One of these things is not like the others…” How often do you think the other players stick Brett Gardner with the tab when they go out to dinner? Anyway… for most teams, losing Jason Giambi, Mike Mussina, Bobby Abreu and whatever was left of Ivan Rodriguez in the same offseason would be the definition of a “rebuilding year”. For the Yankees, it just gives them a reason to single-handedly try to jumpstart the economy.

Injuries aside, this team could put up 1000+ runs this year. Seriously. Or, old age could catch up with them and they struggle to hit the 500 run plateau. I’d expect something between the two, probably about 680-750 runs. Last year’s 789 runs were only good enough for third place in the division (…stifling giggles…). With this year’s recommitment to pitching, it might put them over the top.

Of course, you can’t put injuries aside and look at the “what if’s” with a 162 game season. The Karma Gods were swift this year, swinging their big stick of retribution in A-Rod’s direction a lot sooner than anybody expected. Though, if you think about it, every other team has gotten better with Rodriguez out of the lineup… wouldn’t it be something to see New York jump out to a 12-game lead in the first eight weeks while Alex is recovering? I’d love to see that happen, just to watch the media frenzy when the lead drops to six games less than a month later…

Starting Rotation – “Crispy Cream” Sabathia* and AJ Burnett are going to cost the Yankees $240M over the next seven years. And if there’s one thing the Yankees have proven is that they’re willing to pay for anything that might help them fix a perceived weakness. With a below average staff that lost Mike Mussina to retirement, the rotation was the crack that needed to be filled. Enter two gigantic free agents (one literally, one figuratively) to help heal the problem. And while AJ Burnett had time in the AL East to get used to the lineups he’s going to deal with, CC Sabathia… well… just look at the numbers. Sabathia owns the Orioles (really, who doesn’t?) and has good numbers against the Rays and Blue Jays. In the past, the Yankees have obliterated him, but he doesn’t have to deal with them anymore. But Boston… well, a sub-4.00 ERA ain’t bad, but the 2-4 record in seven career starts… Let’s see him do it before we start handing him another Cy Young. I mean, I know the man is a finely tuned athlete and all, but I want to see him in a full season, in the pressure of New York before I say his signing is a win.

Bullpen – Mariano Rivera is the best closer ever. Period. I know the numbers say Trevor Hoffman has the most saves ever, but he got to do it in almost complete obscurity. Mo has the bright lights of the big city to contend with, not to mention the psyche of the Steinbrenners, the drama of the clubhouse, and every other distraction known to man. And yet he’s good to go every year, and can be depended on for his 30+ saves and sub-2.00 ERA. He’s a machine. As long as Joe Girardi finds a reliable way to get him the ball in the 9th, he’s reliable for the save.

Prediction – Did the Yankees buy another pennant with all of their offseason acquisitions? Will A-Rod overcome his distractions and use them as motivation? Or will they become an excuse to fail in a clutch situation one more time? Will the ghosts of The Stadium move across the street? Or will 2009 go down into the record books as yet another colossal $200 Million failure? Here’s the deal: The Yankees have the most all-around talented team in the majors. But in their own division, they’ve got two very, very good teams that will beat up on them all year. New York might win 120 games. They might win 85. But in the AL East, they’re going to need at least 97, and I don’t know if they’ve got that in them. I’m putting them down for 91-94 wins and a Wild Card berth.

*Believe me – if there’s one writer on the S & F staff that knows how to spell Krispy Kreme, it’s me. Unfortunately, his name isn’t KK Sabathia. Work with me here.

Pretty cool camera phone video of the last great Yankees playoff win:

Big D is a Senior Writer at Sparty and Friends. If he is not currently drunk & penniless in a Las Vegas gutter, he can be reached at bigd@spartyandfriends.com

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