Yankees severely overlooked and underrated

The Yankees biggest signing of the 2011 offseason was signing captain Derek Jeter to a 4-year/$56 million deal

The Yankees for once didn't sign Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford, the two best free agents on the market, like many expected them too.  Therefore, the offseason is being looked at as a big disappointment and 2011 looks like a lost season.  I'm saying think again.

No, they did not sign Lee or Crawford, and to make matters worse, Crawford went to the ever-hated rivals Boston Red Sox.  But what the Yankees were able to do I still felt outweighed what the Yankees weren't able to do over the offseason.

The biggest moves were retaining Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.  Both older guys, who might not be the same guys they once were, but their biggest value comes with what they bring to the clubhouse as the main leaders in there, with Jeter of course being the captain.  There is no doubt that there is overwhelming respect for these two guys, and their departures would be near cancerous for the Yankee clubhouse.  Jorge Posada even came out and said over the offseason that signing Jeter and Rivera should be a bigger priority than signing Lee and Crawford.  That sums it all up.

Moving on to the guys that were brought into the Bronx, the biggest help comes in the 7th and 8th innings, as they signed setup men Rafael Soriano and Pedro Feliciano.  Soriano is coming off a career year with the Rays, saving a league-leading 45 games to go along with a 1.43 ERA and a .802 WHIP, all contributing factors to Soriano winning the 2010 Rolaids Relief Award.  Feliciano has spent his whole career across town with the Mets, and has led the league in appearances each of the last 3 years, and since 2006 has made 408 appearances with a 3.09 ERA and a 2.24 K/BB ratio.  They also signed catcher Russell Martin, who has been one of the better defensive catchers in the game in his years with the Dodgers, and will certainly be an upgrade from Jorge Posada.  His offensive numbers, which have not been good over the past couple years, should benefit by playing most of his games in Yankee Stadium as opposed to Dodger Stadium.

Looking at the team in 2011, there certainly is no reason to think they won't be right there in the mix.  Of course the first thing you notice is the infield, which at this point has three hall of fame caliber players in A-Rod, Jeter, and Teixiera to go along with emerging superstar Robinson Cano at second.  In the outfield, there are no hall of famers, but there is Brett Gardner, who plays exceptional defense and is the Yankee's biggest threat on the basepaths (47 steals in 2010); Curtis Granderson, who had a strong second half after struggling through much of last season with injuries; and Nick Swisher, who was one of the most valuable players on the team last year, hitting .288 with 29 HR and 89 RBI.

Of course the main cause for concern is the rotation, which behind CC Sabathia, has alot of uncertainty around it, after AJ Burnett and Phil Hughes has dismal second halfs last year.  As for the 4-5 combo, it is a big unknown, whether it is Mitre, Nova, Colon, Garcia, or anyone else there.

Despite all the uncertainty that seems to be surrounding the team going into the season, they're going to be fine.  The offense is good enough where they will be able to bail out the rotation most nights if it struggles.  The chances of the Yankees being there in September, is much better than the chances of them not.