Spring Training is underway and nowhere is the spotlight bigger than in the home of the New York Yankees<\/strong> who will have their share of intriguing storylines as we head into the season. A-Rod, CC Sabathia and Carlos Beltran are all examples of aging veterans that could be a huge difference maker for this team \u2013 good or bad! <\/p>\n [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n AL East<\/strong>: +400 The New York Yankees had a lot of holes to fill \u2013 Derek Jeter retired, Hiroki Kuroda stayed in Japan, CC Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka are coming off injuries and a good chunk of their bull-pen studs left via free agency \u2013 namely David Robertson. The Yankees have a whole lot of question marks heading into the season \u2013 not exactly what they have become accustomed to.<\/p>\n On paper the batting order look OK. Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann, Mark Teixeira, Chase Headley and Stephen Drew look formidable. Add in Alex Rodriguez and the Yanks could score some runs this year. But this is a team that has been outscored the last two seasons and did little to rectify that problem this offseason.<\/p>\n [dfads params=’groups=63744&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n Another big question is whether or not the position players can stay healthy, can defy Father Time and bounce back to keep up with the other solid lineups that the AL East in particular possess. There are a lot of skeptics out there, me included, that thinks that until the Yanks can bring in some young talent, their aging veterans will fade down the stretch and have a difficult time with the intense grind of a 162 game season. Thoughts?<\/p>\n An even bigger question for the Yanks will be pitching! The team lost Hiroki Kuroda, Brandon McCarthy, David Phelps, and Shane Greene in the offseason \u2013 a quartet of pitchers that combined to make 77 starts for New York last year while posting a 3.68 ERA. Can Masahiro Tanaka, CC Sabathia and Michael Pineda who combined for just 41 starts last year stay healthy to give the Yankees enough innings this year? <\/p>\n [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n Are Chris Capuano and Nathan Eovaldi good enough to anchor the back end of what looks like a shaky rotation?<\/p>\n The common answer is a resounding \u2013 NO on all fronts. Tanaka was sensational before his injury \u2013 if he can return to anywhere close to his 2014 form he is an automatic ace. But Sabathia and Pineda just haven\u2019t shown all that much the last couple of years to sell me on the notion that they will be effective #2 and #3 starters.<\/p>\n New York is thin in starting pitching \u2013 everything has to go just perfectly this year for this team to be competitive.<\/p>\n The Yankees really didn\u2019t do anything in the offseason to improve themselves \u2013 that\u2019s a problem. Although the AL East looks up for grabs once again, expect the Yanks to finish about where they did last year. <\/p>\n [dfads params=’groups=63745&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/p>\n A look at their rivals shows that they made strides to better themselves in the offseason \u2013 the Yanks fell behind in that regard. The Yankees won 84 games last season \u2013 I see similar numbers this year. <\/p>\n Tanaka, Sabathia and Pineda should be worth a few wins \u2013 IF THEY STAY HEALTHY but the fact that the Yanks have been outscored the last two seasons and did nothing to rectify that issue is a huge red flag.<\/p>\n\n
MLB Lines & Matchup Insight<\/h3>\n
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2015 MLB Team Previews – New York Yankees<\/h3>\n
\nAmerican League<\/strong>: 14\/1
\nWorld Series<\/strong>: 33\/1<\/p>\n2015 New York Yankees Season Predictions:<\/h3>\n