Quick thoughts

1. If a real starting 1b can't be acquired, I'd like to see a platoon of Duncan and Betemit. Good patience, good power, lefty/righty combo, young and not too bad on defense.

2. I predict Joba won't make his first ML start until at least May. He'll spend March and April working on his curve and changeup while keeping his innings in check. His curve is already solid, but to be a longterm starter he needs a solid changeup and they'll keep him in AAA to work on it before subjecting him to ML hitters.

3. Re-signing Mo is a higher priority than Posada, Pettitte and even Arod. Without him, who's the closer in 08? Farnsworth? Get real.

4. The only fulltime hitters who (historically statistically speaking) should improve are Melky and Cano. Every other hitter will likely decline (since they're all over 30). How will that lost offense be made up? Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter? Arod is a great cleanup hitter, but the Yanks really don't have another stud hitter (with the 2007 exception of Posada). Will Cano turn into that guy? It's possible. Can Tabata or AJax make an impact next year? Only if they tear up Trenton and Scranton first.

5. Good point by David Justice the other night. Arod most likely wont repeat this season's stats, and if he has an 0-10 slump with 8 Ks and 10 lob sometime next year, he'll probably get booed. He knows that and why would he want that? He might very well choose to opt-out for Anaheim, LA or Chicago. If so, what would the lineup look like:
1. Damon LF
2. Jeter SS
3. Cano 2b
4. Posada C
5. Abreu RF
6. Shelley 1b
7. Matsui/Giambi DH
8. Betemit 3b
9. Melky CF
Doesn't seem too bad, but it wouldn't be the best offfense in baseball anymore. Again, a lot depends on the improvements the young'ins make: Cano, Melky, Shelley, Betemit.

6. Sign Kerry Wood to short-term deal to be a reliever. I'd love to add an arm like his to replace some of what Joba did this year. Make it an incentive laden but lucrative contract. Ideally it would be one-year with an option, but there are other teams willing to do better, so more realistically it would be two-years with an option.

7. The longer the Torre situation continues, the higher the chances that he returns. You could do a lot worse than Joe, but at this point I feel the team needs something fresh, and Girardi and Mattingly are my top choices.

8. Speculation about a potential trade for 'the best pitcher in baseball,' Johan Santana. I've said before that I would not be willing to part with either Cano, Hughes or Joba to acquire him. That said, pretty much anyone else I'd make available. And I think it would take something like: Melky (grudgingly), Kennedy (again grudgingly) and Wang; OR, Melky, Kennedy, Horne and Tabata or AJax. But why trade prospects for the guy when if we the fans and Yankee management have enough patience to wait for him to hit free agency after 08? Why pay twice for the same guy?

9. For the next two weeks, Go Tribe!