Barry--a few months ago I was pretty pessimistic about the team the Yankees would field in '14, but they have done a good job coming up with what could be a very competitive squad. Consider this projected starting lineup and rotation.
Ellsbury. OF
Jeter. SS
Beltran. OF
Teixeira. 1B
McCann C
Soriano DH
Johnson 3B
Roberts 2B
Gardner OF
Sabathia
Tanaka
Kuroda
Nova
Phelps
Pineda (yes, he does exist)
There are some questions regarding players coming off injuries, but if they have recovered and can revert to somewhere near their pre-injury form, the everyday players should be solid. To me the key is Sabathia. He has been going down hill for the last several years. Any decline from here and he is a sub-500 pitcher and that would be bad. I think having Kuroda on the team helps Tanaka, and I expect both to pitch well. Nova is a good fourth starter and Phelps is pretty solid. Pineda is a wild card. If he can regain his Seattle form he could be a real plus.
With Mo gone, I think the Yankees could make Robertson the closer. It won't be close to the same, but he can get the job done. The Yankees usually do a good job cobbling together a bullpen, and I would think this year will be no different.
On paper, they're not among the strongest teams in the league, but they have the potential to make some noise.
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