New York Yankees News and Updates

Roger Clemens posed for photographs with more than 400 fans Sunday at a fund-raiser for a New Jersey organization that assists people with disabilities. He was even gracious when approached by two Daily News reporters.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?i=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:7Q72WNTAKBA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:l6gmwiTKsz0"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=l6gmwiTKsz0" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?i=aVEs6NSPVt0:ptWNMf61-0k:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees/~4/aVEs6NSPVt0" height="1" width="1"/

The Yankees open their title defense without some of the folks who helped earn it but remain optimistic they have made the right moves. While they could miss the veteran presence of Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui as well as the clutch, carefree vibe Melky Cabrera added, the Yankees improved their starting pitching dramatically with Javier Vazquez and added some impressive bats in Curtis Granderson and Nick Johnson. It will be important for the newcomers to get acclimated in spring training, much like last year's free agent stars did, so manager Joe Girardi might want to consider another pool tournament or a trip to a bowling alley. ARRIVALS: RHP Javier Vazquez (trade with Braves), DH Nick Johnson (free agent from Marlins), CF Curtis Granderson (trade with Tigers), OF Randy Winn (free agent from Giants), OF Marcus Thames (minor league free agent from Tigers), C Mike Rivera (minor league free agent from Brewers), RHP Dustin Moseley (minor league free agent from Angels), RHP Chan Ho Park (free agent from Phillies, pending physical). DEPARTURES: OF Melky Cabrera (traded to Braves), RHP Ian Kennedy (traded to Diamondbacks), LHP Phil Coke (traded to Tigers), OF Austin Jackson (traded to Tigers), RHP Brian Bruney (traded to Nationals), RHP Josh Towers (free agent, signed minor league deal with Dodgers), DH Hideki Matsui (free agent, signed with Angels), INF/OF Eric Hinske (free agent, signed with Braves), INF/OF Jerry Hairston Jr. (free agent, signed with Padres), RF Xavier Nady (free agent, signed with Cubs), OF Freddy Guzman (released, signed minor league deal with Phillies), LF Johnny Damon (free agent, signed with Tigers), C Jose Molina (free agent, signed with Blue Jays), RHP Chien-Ming Wang (free agent, signed with Nationals). SPRING FOCUS: The Yankees don't have a lot of glaring holes, but the most interesting battle will be between Phil Hughes and Joba Chamberlain for the No. 5 spot in the rotation; the loser is likely to be the setup man for Mariano Rivera. The other main competition will be in the outfield, where Marcus Thames, Randy Winn and Jamie Hoffmann will battle to form a right-handed platoon with LF Brett Gardner or offer an impressive enough display to somehow win the job outright. PROJECTED ROTATION: 1. LHP CC Sabathia 2. RHP A.J. Burnett 3. LHP Andy Pettitte 4. RHP Javier Vazquez 5. RHP Phil Hughes or RHP Joba Chamberlain The Yankees were operating from strength but not depth in the rotation last year, and the addition of Vazquez adds both. He should be an impressive No. 4 starter and take the pressure off of whoever wins the battle between Hughes and Chamberlain. The club also has some options in case of injury with RHP Chad Gaudin, RHP Alfredo Aceves and RHP Sergio Mitre. As impressive as the bottom end is, the Yankees' top is even better with Sabathia coming off of an impressive postseason that should only boost the ace's confidence even more. PROJECTED BULLPEN: RHP Mariano Rivera (closer) RHP Joba Chamberlain or RHP Phil Hughes RHP Dave Robertson LHP Damaso Marte LHP Boone Logan RHP Alfredo Aceves RHP Chad Gaudin The Yankees bullpen grew as the season wore on last year and should be stocked in 2010. With Rivera facing a contract year and knowing he'll once again have to show he can defy his age, he should have a typically dominant season. The loser of the Chamberlain-Hughes battle for the rotation should make for an impressive setup man, though Robertson could surprise if someone struggles. Marte showed in the postseason he could be trusted as the top lefty out of the bullpen, and Aceves and Gaudin will give the club a strong middle relief base from which to work. Logan, who came over from Atlanta, will have to impress in spring training to ensure his spot as a second lefty and stave off other relief candidates, such as Sergio Mitre. PROJECTED LINEUP: 1. SS Derek Jeter 2. DH Nick Johnson 3. 1B Mark Teixeira 4. 3B Alex Rodriguez 5. C Jorge Posada 6. CF Curtis Granderson 7. 2B Robinson Cano 8. RF Nick Swisher 9. LF Brett Gardner The Yankees lose a little versatility with Johnson in the No. 2 spot instead of the speedy Johnny Damon and have to hope that Granderson can get his strikeouts under control and find a little more success against lefties than he had with Detroit. But it's an impressive lineup, and manager Joe Girardi will have some options to play with at times. He can flip Granderson and Posada or even move Granderson to the No. 2 spot against lefties. He also could move up Cano depending on who has the hot hand. The 3-4 combination of Teixeira and Rodriguez could be the most potent in the league. PROJECTED RESERVES: INF Ramiro Pena C Francisco Cervelli or C Mike Rivera OF Randy Winn OF Marcus Thames or OF Jamie Hoffmann Pena and Cervelli are expected to graduate to full-time reserve duty thanks to their impressive stints as rookie fill-ins last year. Cervelli has been praised for his work behind the plate, and Pena is an excellent defensive infielder but would probably not be used as a primary sub in the event of a long absence by a starter. Also in the mix at catcher is Mike Rivera, signed as a minor league free agent. Winn should have a spot on the roster after signing a one-year deal, leaving minor league invite Thames and Rule 5 draftee Hoffmann to likely battle for a spot depending on how many pitchers the club carries. TOP ROOKIES: OF Jamie Hoffmann figures to be given every chance to succeed since he is a Rule 5 draftee; if the Yankees do not keep him on the big-league roster they will have to return him to the Dodgers. C Francisco Cervelli impressed the Yankees enough during his brief stint that the club let veteran backup C Jose Molina go. At times, Cervelli was considered the best signal-caller on the roster. MEDICAL WATCH: Unlike last season, when the Yankees had a multitude of injuries to overcome, the team does not have any major concerns heading into camp. With a roster full of veteran players, that could change as the season goes on, of course.br clear=both style=clear: both;/ br clear=both style=clear: both;/ a href=http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=bb511716859a02a152222eb89c941c60p=1img alt= style=border: 0; border=0 src=http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?s=bb511716859a02a152222eb89c941c60p=1//a img alt= height=0 width=0 border=0 style=display:none src=http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2224/

Alex Rodriguez can't explain how he went from the most disgraced player in baseball to a World Series champion. "I have no idea how I got from here to here," the Yankees superstar third baseman said today at spring training, according to USA Today. Last February, Rodriguez suffered through...

TAMPA -- Mark Teixeira believes the defending World Series champion Yankees are the favorites again this season. The first baseman says that complacency won’t be an issue “because we’re the Yankees” and that winning a championship “just makes you want it even more.” “Once you taste that victory...

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- David Ortiz was in no mood to chat after the worst game of his worst season with Boston. The struggling slugger had just gone 0 for 7 and stranded 12 runners in a 5-4 loss to the Los Angeles Angels last May 14. His batting average...

TAMPA -- George Steinbrenner didn't have a lot to say upon entering George M. Steinbrenner Field yesterday to watch his grandson Robert Molloy play first base for Tampa Prep against Berkeley Prep. Nevertheless, it was more than his son, Hal, had to offer. The Boss arrived at George M...

After all the championships and all the accolades, Derek Jeter's status as a Yankee icon was forged long ago, his No. 2 jersey just waiting to be retired. It would've been so easy for him to be complacent.div class="feedflare" a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:yIl2AUoC8zA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:V_sGLiPBpWU"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?i=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:V_sGLiPBpWU" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:7Q72WNTAKBA"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=7Q72WNTAKBA" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:l6gmwiTKsz0"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?d=l6gmwiTKsz0" border="0"/img/a a href="http://feeds.nydailynews.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?a=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:gIN9vFwOqvQ"img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees?i=HXFV8PKWhTw:WBSUVQg9zps:gIN9vFwOqvQ" border="0"/img/a /divimg src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/nydnrss/sports/baseball/yankees/~4/HXFV8PKWhTw" height="1" width="1"/