This is only a draft so things might not go exactly according to plan. When that happens it is all Brian Cashman’s fault for not doing his job well enough.
Infield
1B – Mark Teixeira
2B – Mark DeRosa
3B – Alex Rodriguez
SS – Derek Jeter
C – Jorge Posada
C – Francisco Cervelli
UTIL – Ramiro Pena
UTIL – Jerry Hairston Jr.
Now is the time to sell high on Robinson Cano. There are plenty of people available on the free agent market who can replicate his skill set, and I think that Mark DeRosa is the best fit. He’s played in tough baseball markets before and can give the Yankees consistency that Cano doesn’t offer.
Outfield
RF – Nick Swisher
CF – Grady Sizemore
LF – Melky Cabrera
OF – Brett Gardner
OF – Marlon Byrd
Matt Kemp is the popular trade target choice these days but I think Grady Sizemore is a better value because of the amount of female fans he brings in. I don’t think it’ll take much more than say, Robinson Cano and a B/B+ prospect to get him for next year.
Starting Rotation
SP1 – CC Sabathia
SP2 – AJ Burnett
SP3 – Matt Cain
SP4 – Jair Jurrjens
SP5 – Andy Pettitte
I think the Yankees have the pieces in their minor league system to pick up a young arm or two and if you’re going to go for it, you should aim high. Since they re-signed Tim Hudson for three years undermarket, Atlanta specifically has a surplus of pitching so the Yankees should take advantage of that.
Roy Halladay is going to be a free agent after the season so they can worry about him later.
Relief Pitching Corps
CL – Mariano Rivera
SU – Phil Hughes
RP1 – Joba Chamberlain
RP2 – Phil Coke
RP3 – Damaso Marte
RP4 – David Robertson
RP5 – Chad Gaudin
RP6 – Rafael Soriano
The bullpen can stay mostly as is, but they should probably add in an extra arm to really solidify it. Rafael Soriano is just my preferred target out of the group available, Jose Valverde would also be acceptable.
I didn’t set up a spot specifically for DH because with a good bench you can just rotate it and keep everyone fresh.
Windy with a chance of dingers.
You forgot Pujols! Tex for Pujols straight up. Of course, in the AL, Pujols is probably barely a 4th outfielder, so we’re actually getting ripped off there.
You are forgetting about Wang. He should be back in the starting rotation next year. Whether his arm is as good as it was 3 years ago, no one knows.