UKAmericanSportsFans.com brings you previews of all 30 MLB sides, in just 30 days, from our team of Jonathan Northall, Callum Carson, and Max Whittle.

New York Yankees

2012 – Finished first in AL East

Record: 95-67

The Yankees won their division last season and reached the AL Championship game, but at that point they lost shortstop Derek Jeter to a broken ankle and got swept by the Tigers. Since then it has been a quiet period for the Bronx Bombers, who are trying to get under the luxury tax threshold for 2014.

Last year may be their last division crown for some time, with the Blue Jays spending big and other teams coming back into the fore.
It has been a relatively quiet offseason for Joe Girardi’s men as the front office plans to cut the payroll from $211million to less than $190million by the aforementioned year. To do that they allowed a lot of names to walk away via free agency while adding several small pieces to try and at least compete.

This is a team perhaps for the first time suffering from a veteran-dominated lineup; Jeter will be ready for Opening Day but has been recovering from his ankle break since October while the best closer in baseball history – Mariano Rivera – is coming off an injury-plagued season where he missed the majority through knee problems. This will be Rivera’s last season in baseball – he announced this a few weeks ago – and New York also has the Alex Rodriguez issue; that is, a guy coming off another hip surgery and another allegation into steroid use this summer.

All in all, it figures to be a tough season for the Bombers, and they may have one of their worst lineups, on paper, in some time.

INCOMINGS

IF Kevin Youkilis
OF Matt Diaz, Juan Rivera
DH Travis Hafner

OUTGOINGS

P Rafael Soriano, Freddy Garcia
UT Nick Swisher, Raul Ibanez, Eric Chavez
OF Andruw Jones
C Russell Martin

The Yankees have finished first or second in the AL East in every season but one since 1993 but with their level of talent on the wane and other teams spending big around them, this could well be the year that the Yankees have a taste of their own medicine.

Outfielders

Ichiro Suzuki is a perfect example of the aging Yankees. He has signed a two-year deal with the team but after batting .331 from 2001 to 2010, he has batted just .277 since. After being traded from the Mariners last year, he did have a mini resurgence, batting .322 with 14 steals in 67 games but he will be hard pushed to do that over a full season in the Bronx. Curtis Granderson is out for some time so Brett Gardner will fill in at centre and though he played just 16 games last season, he is only a season removed from his league-leading 49 stolen bases and will in 2013 play a big role with the Yankees.

The 29-year-old is a lifetime .266 hitter but has the ability to score 90+ runs and steal 45 bases. Juan Rivera and Matt Diaz will be relied upon to get New York through the early part of the season with Granderson out, and while Rivera can be expected to have a line like this – .250, 10 home runs, 60 RBIs, Diaz is a 35-year-old on the decline.

Infielders

I haven’t forgotten, first baseman Mark Teixeira has also picked up an injury during spring training – his a wrist injury – so the Yankees have problems in the infield too. Teixeira will hope to return in May but he will find it harder this year having had his least productive season in 2012. He missed over 35 games last year with a calf injury and at 32 he is starting to show signs of decline. 24 home runs and 84 RBIs last year were career lows. At second base the Yankees have their best player in Robinson Cano, who is entering his contract year and ready to put up big numbers. Over the last three seasons Cano is batting .311 with 30 home runs, 107 RBIs and 104 runs while averaging 45 doubles per season. Shortstop Jeter had a huge resurgence last season, leading the league in hits with 216 while batting .316 with 15 home runs, 58 RBIs and a .791 OPS. How can he continue to play at this level, in this position, at age 38? No one knows, but you would put all your money on Jeter being the ever-present if his return from injury goes smoothly. A-Rod will be out until at least the All Star break so former Red Sox Kevin Youkilis will play third base every day. Over his last two seasons, Youkilis has played just 242 games while batting .246 with 18 home runs and 70 RBIs. Yankees fans will hope to see the Youkilis of old at the Stadium.

Catchers

Russell Martin is now in Pittsburgh and will be sorely missed when Chris Stewart, the owner of a .217 career hitter takes over behind the plate. Stewart has played for five different teams in six seasons and he probably won’t get 100 starts this year. It is baffling to imagine a team like the Yankees with such poor personnel at a vital position. Francisco Cervelli will split the role after missing all of last season through injury. Both will compete for the starting role.

Starters

C.C. Sabathia made 28 starts last year and still pitched 200 innings, and has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the league since 2006. He isn’t showing any sign of decline and has averaged 17 wins since that year, and if healthy he should surpass that number in 2013 atop the Yankees rotation. Below that is where things get a little bit shaky. This isn’t a great staff when you consider Hiroki Kuroda – plaudits to him for never having an ERA higher than 3.76 in the United States – is your number two starter. The Yankee stalwart Andy Pettite will throw at number three and if you have any doubt about his age and questionable performance, he proved all his doubters wrong last season when he came back from a broken ankle at age 40. Phil Hughes – entering his final arbitration year, Ivan Nova – 5.02 ERA in 2012, and David Phelps – 4-4 in his rookie season last year, are all competing for the final two spots.

Relievers

43-year-old Rivera returns from a torn ACL in 2012, while Joba Chamberlain will again be trying to prove his worth. David Robertson established himself as an excellent set-up man though his 2.67 ERA is nothing close to his 1.08 the year before.