WHY THE YANKEES OFF-SEASON IS ABOUT TO GET GOOD

The GM Meetings are happening in Milwaukee and it was confirmed that Brian Cashman met with the agent of Roy Oswalt and CJ Wilson yesterday, Bob Garber. Read HERE. The Yankees haven't offered any contracts yet, but let's face facts, things will come soon. Remember Brian Cashman and "Patience?"

The Yankees are about to embark on an important off-season filled with rumors and patience and no one is more ready than Brian Cashman. We need to trust him Ladies and Gentlemen. There are three pieces of business that Cash needs to address now that CC Monster is safe and staying in the Bronx. Starting pitching, lefty relief and extra pop off of the bench.

Starting Pitching: All the names are out there, but after combing through the notes and the demands and the talent, who will be the fish that the Yankees will catch? No doubt pitchers like CJ Wilson likes pitching against the Yankees, but can he pitch FOR them and handle the Bronx spotlight? And, not to sound like a tight wad, but at what price? We need to pay CJ Wilson what he’s worth, no more. Plus, believe it or not, you really need to factor in his not-so-great playoff run this season. It may not be important to you, but it’s important to me. If you can’t pitch in the playoffs, you can’t be here. You also have trade options like Gio Gonzalez and John Danks and at the right exchange, I see someone like Gio really delivering in the Bronx. Not sure why, but I almost feel like comparing he and CJ Wilson, there’s a difference in dynamic. CJ Wilson confidence comes off as arrogance and God forbid he blows up after a game in pinstripes, I see him getting defensive. Gio comes off as confident and if he were to blow a game, he would say it’s “on him.” Look, this is purely speculation, I don’t know any of this to be true, for all I know CJ Wilson's a swell guy and my speculation is probably unfair, but I do know this, I see players a mile away that understand the “Yankee way” and Gio looks like he gets it.

On the other end of the coin, you really can't leave Roy Oswalt out of the mix. Yes, he has back issues but he can also be a very solid pitcher if he's able to stay healthy. Roy Oswalt wants a multi-year deal (read HERE), but there is no way the Yankees would do that unless they have some bill of health that Oswalt is not a waste of money. For the right price, I like the idea of an Oswalt in the rotation. It's funny, with the Phillies, he was considered another amazing part of the Phillies rotation, but for some reason, he's trouble when connected to the Yankees. We shall see.

Lefty Relief: We here at Bleeding Yankee Blue found a diamond in the rough in Glen Perkins of the Minnesota Twins and we believe that getting someone like him, a former starter turned reliever in the Yankee mix with Boone Logan could be a great combination of lefty teamwork when it comes to matching up in late innings. You also know my fondness of Raul Valdes and Lord knows I’d like to add him to the collection, but time will tell and to be honest, while starting pitching is a top priority for the Yankees, an extra lefty reliever isn’t, not yet anyway, but something we need to address eventually.

Bench help: I’d be perfectly fine with signing Eric Chavez and Andruw Jones and calling it a day. But, the Yankees have been connected to Grady Sizemore the past few days. I have to tell you, if it was 2006, I'd jump at signing Sizemore. These days, he's just another outfielder, not a superstar. Yes, he's 29 and yes, having Sizemore could be a good option for a 4th outfielder, but we'll have to keep an eye on it for you. Read about the rumor HERE.

There is always that outside chance that Yoennis Cespedes, the Cuban Defector could be in the mix. The Yankees did in fact give him a private workout and he’s no joke, but at the price he’ll most likely demand, between $30 and $45 million, he’s no bench player, unless he trains in AAA and eventually comes up mid-summer if the Yankees to say unload Nick Swisher by the trade deadline. There are options there, but I don’t see how it will work out with Cespedes... yet anyway. Maybe having Cespedes competing for an outfield spot would light a fire under Swisher’s ass. Who knows, This is all speculation and it’s fun to think about.

The Yankees off-season is about to get fun and it’s one of my favorite times of year, no doubt about it.

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