The biggest news of the day is that the team has decided to let go of pitching coach Dave Eiland. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com tweeted:

Girardi spoke about how Andy Pettitte wasn’t fully healthy during the postseason and that played a role in why Girardi pitched him in Game 3 of the ALCS instead of Game 2. Pettitte’s back “locked up” and he couldn’t pitch Game 2.

The Yankees and Girardi are on the fast-track to a new contract. Both sides need each other since there aren’t good alternatives for either.

The Yankees still view Joba Chamberlain as a back-of-the-rotation guy.

Cashman still thinks highly of Derek Jeter and expects him back. Mariano Rivera is expected to be back as well.

May we see Jesus Montero’s big league career begin in 2011?

Cashman admitted that last off-season wasn’t his best. He also said that Nick Johnson was “plan c” behind Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui.

From all indications, the Yankees want manager Joe Girardi back and it would only make sense for both sides to want to work together on a new deal. The Yankees won’t find a better fit for the position than Girardi and Girardi won’t find a better team to coach.

As for the players, it starts with Derek Jeter. There is no doubt in my mind that Jeter will remain a Yankee. For how long and at what price is the real question.

Mariano Rivera, like Jeter, isn’t going anywhere. I would suggest a two-year deal for the soon to be 41-year old or go by a year-to-year basis with one-year deals until he decides to hang up his cleats.

I’m sure the Yankees would like Andy Pettitte back, at a reasonable salary, but it’s uncertain whether Pettitte wants to pitch another season or retire. If he does want to keep playing, he’ll be playing in pinstripes.

Don’t expect Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns, Lance Berkman or Javier Vazquez to be Yankees in 2011. Do expect the Yankees to try to sign Kerry Wood and use him in the setup role which he had success in during 2010. Also expect the Yankees to try to re-sign Marcus Thames.

As for non-Yankee free agents, the first name to mention has to be Cliff Lee. Putting Lee at the top of the rotation with CC Sabathia will only make this team harder to beat come postseason. Imagine having to face those two guys two times each in a seven game series? Wow.

The first position player to mention is left fielder Carl Crawford. He would be a great table setter at the top of the Yankees order. With his speed and base-stealing ability, he will easily score 120+ runs atop that Yankees lineup with guys like Mark Teixeira, A-Rod and Robinson Cano batting behind him.

With the spending the Yankees are going to have to do for Jeter and Mariano, I don’t think the team dishes out big bucks for both Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford (but they are the Yankees so you never know). Expect the Yankees’ number one target to be Cliff Lee. If they can’t get Lee, I could see the Yankees going after other free agents starters like Justin Duchscherer, Rich Harden or Brandon Webb, who will all cheaper alternatives, but nowhere near the pitcher Lee is. There is only one Cliff Lee in this free agent class, so if he decides to sign with another team, the Yankees could still use another starter, and those three guys are capable of being good middle of the rotation guys. I’d be stunned if the Yankees didn’t add at least one starting pitcher.

One other free agent to mention as a possibility for the Yankees to look at is designated hitter and first baseman Adam Dunn.

The Yankees are going to be active this winter and it all starts with pitching. They can’t go into 2011 with AJ Burnett as anything but their number four of five starter until he proves to them that 2010 was an anomaly. Adding Cliff Lee is the number one goal, but there are other decent starters out there that can help this starting rotation.

Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenXMFOX) of Fox Sports Radio tweeted, “Yankees making hard run at Ted Lilly of the Cubs and Scott Downs of the Blue Jays…and have had conversation with HOU on Berkman.”

Richard Justice (@richardjustice) of the Houston Chronicle tweeted, “Seems to be decent chance Lance Berkman gets traded this afternoon. Yanks seem be leader, but Rays, others interested.”

Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) of the NY Post goes further and tweets, “Yankees are definitely in for Lance Berkman, considering him seriously.”

Numerous media outlets suggest the Yankees are out of the running for Adam Dunn.

If I had to guess, I’d say the Yankees will be making a move before Saturday’s trade deadline.

I rarely view personnel decisions that Yankees make negatively, but over the winter I was adamantly against the signing of Nick Johnson as the DH over Hideki Matsui.

What was the response I heard? Johnson is an upgrade over Matsui due to his OBP and Matsui is getting old and who knows how long he can stay healthy for.

What was my response to that? Johnson is made of glass. I’d rather have Matsui’s power numbers.

For what it’s worth, Matsui hasn’t done much this year, but Johnson has done less. Without going further into numbers, Johnson is doing no good for the team being on the DL and with expected surgery he won’t be returning until July. Say all you want about how the difference in age between Johnson and Matsui means that Johnson is expected to be more productive. I didn’t listen to it then because age doesn’t matter when you’re dealing with a guy that has annual stints on the DL. Matsui hasn’t been great this year so far, but he’s healthy and Johnson isn’t. Say all you want about Nick Johnson’s OBP and Matsui struggles thus far, but Matsui is healthy and can help his team while Johnson is over on the bench with an injury.

By no means am I trying to say that Matsui has been incredibly productive this season and he would have been a huge help for the Yankees. I’m saying that maybe the bashing I took over the winter was premature, just as this post may be. Nick Johnson may come back from injury in July and tear it up. But he’ll be gone for a good portion of the first half of the season and he hasn’t been a major contributor to the 2010 Yankees.

I’m not asking for sympathy, folks, I’m just asking that before you post comments about how you’re right and I’m wrong, wait until things pan out a while before you go blog bashing. My opinions on New York sports aren’t always right or in the majority, but that’s what why we do this and you read this – to spark discussion and get us all excited. Be respectful though, because nobody is always right.

The Yankees will be losing some power, but they hope the jet stream to right field will help Nick Johnson hit more home runs. What Johnson lacks in power he makes up with patience at the plate. He has a .400+ career OBP and he’ll be given a lot of fastballs to feast on which should drive his average up. Pitchers will be less inclined to walk him knowing Teixeira and A-Rod loom on deck. It would be quite a feat if Johnson walked more than 90 times this season. He walked 99 times last year. 

Granderson, who hit 30 home runs last year, will hover around the same mark in 2010. He’ll fill some of the power void left by Matsui. Although he doesn’t hit well against lefties, he should improve with some tutelage from hitting coach Kevin Long. 

The Yankees lose veteran and post season experience but they get younger and by not giving in to Damon’s demands, they save some money which can be spent on a pitcher to help solidify their rotation.

Here is the Yankees potential lineup (although the 6-7-8 hitters may be switched depending on the pitcher):
SS Derek Jeter
DH Nick Johnson
1B Mark Teixeira
3B Alex Rodriguez
C Jorge Posada
2B Robinson Cano
CF Curtis Granderson
RF Nick Swisher
LF Melky Cabrera

Of course the Yankees could make other moves and the Nick Johnson signing is not official yet. Consider this; Damon had a .365 OBP in 2009 and scored 107 runs. Nick Johnson had a .426 OBP and has a .402 career OBP. Although he doesn’t have Damon’s speed, Johnson will score over 100 runs hitting in this lineup coupled with his high OBP.

The Yankees will potentially have two “Nicks” who work walks and get on base a lot. Nick Swisher walked 97 times last year and Nick Johnson walked 99 times last year.