2008 Record: 89-73 2008 Team OPS: .769 (8th) 2008 Starters ERA: 4.58 (19th) 2008 Relievers ERA: 3.79 (7th) 2008 HOR Leader: Alex Rodriguez, 13.1%, 14th 2009 Projected Team OPS: .837 2009 Projected Starters ERA: 3.50 2009 Projected Relievers ERA: 3.80 *2009 Projected Record: 94-68 * Projected Record is a formula that takes projected team OPS, starters ERA and relievers ERA into account in order to get a projected runs scored and runs allowed per game. Those figures are then inserted into the Pythagorean record formula. Recent Opsera History 2008: 13th, 3.41 2007: 2nd, 3.80 2006: 2nd, 3.83 2005: 10th, 3.53 2004: 13th, 3.42 2003: 2nd, 4.08 2002: 3rd, 4.22 2001: 7th, 3.67 - Opsera is a stat I created that ranks team based on OPS minus ERA. Click here to view the full Yankees Opsera history Rating The Offseason The Yankees used a familiar strategy in acquiring high-priced free agents, but instead of the half-measures of Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright, they went in big with CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett. I would probably have Johan Santana for a little less money, but at least Sabathia only costs draft picks instead of young prospects that are nearly ready for the bigs. The signing of Teixeira initially appeared to be a cherry on top, but given all that has happened with A-Rod over the past few weeks, his importance is tantamount. They also acquired Nick Swisher for Wilson Betemit, Jhonny Nunez and Jeff Marquez, which was pre-Tex insurance for first base. No Dumb Questions 1. Will CC, Joba, Wang and AJ each make 30+ starts to give the Yankees their best rotation since the late 90s? 2. How will Robinson Cano and Jorge Posada rebound from slump and injury respectively? 3. Can Brett Gardner/Melky Cabrera and Cody Ransom perform on an everyday basis? 4. Will the Yankees finally approach adequacy defensively? 5. How much time will A-Rod miss due to the hip and how will he perform post-PED disclosure? Maximizing Potential The Yankees scored 968 runs in 2007 and just 789 last season, which is an extremely rare and frighteningly severe dip. Was this a sign of an aging offensive core or simply a collection of off seasons and injuries? It was probably a bit of both and they addressed their age problem by trading out Jason Giambi and Bobby Abreu for Teixeira and Xavier Nady. I fully expect Cano to rebound from his miserable 2008 and I don't think this will be the season in which Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui fall off dramatically. But the Yankees have done enough remodeling on the mound to offset an offense that scores maybe 830 runs instead of 950. Sabathia, Joba Chamberlain, Chien-Ming Wang, Burenett and Andy Pettitte can easily combine for a 3.60 ERA should they all stay healthy. What Will Likely Happen The Yankees have been suffering from a bad dose of Murphy's Law ever since Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS and with the various things involving Alex Rodriguez, particularly over the past few weeks, the correlation is easy to manufacture or believe. He has been a distraction in numerous ways, but distractions aren't as big of a deal in New York as they might be in Arlington and is simply a cost of doing business when you're the Yankee brand. It is unclear when he will return and what version of himself he will play at, he's too corporate not to perform, but I think the Yankees will be fine without him. They will play a slightly different brand of baseball where they manufacture runs and rely on their pitching. Sabathia is unlikely to be quite as good as he has been over the past two seasons and Mo Rivera isn't immortal, but both of those pitchers must have excellent seasons, because they are the starting points on the mound for the rotation and bullpen respectively. Their performances allow everyone else not to press and that is what they're both paid and asked to do. The Red Sox and Rays are both too good to make the playoffs a certainty, but if things go even 75% right for the Yankees, they will return to October baseball after a one year intermission. What Do They Have In The Pipeline The Yankees seem to have a swing for the fences mentality when it comes to building a farm system. Given their resources and expectations they place on their major league talent, it is really the only strategy worth using. Mediocre talent will never really get a chance to play in the big leagues because they will instead find All-Star caliber talent via free agency to fill their positions of need. The strategy has paid off with Joba Chamberlain and I would also throw Robinson Cano into that category, but this version of the Yankees has decidedly been built via free agency and trades. Nobody has given up on Philip Hughes and there are several high ceiling prospects that can change that course. Click here to view full reports on their top-five prospects. Predicting Their Season With A Movie Trailer For me, the theme of the Yankees offseason was Aggressive Expansion from 'The Dark Knight', but Rodriguez took a lot of that momentum away. A-Rod is in a situation right now that is similar to when Batman was driving his Batmobile in the movie below, but the Penguin was actually controlling it and running into absolutely everything. At least A-Rod has very nearly reached a point of saturation, between his cousin, the Details kissing himself picture, the stripper in Toronto, his hip, Madonna, Selena Roberts and the call girls at the Four Seasons to be bulletproof. He is so scandal-ridden that anything short of legal incarceration can't really hurt him too badly. Maybe that will be a liberating feeling for him when he returns and that could be a liberation which will alter his playoff fortunes. - Chris Reina is the executive editor of RealGM.com