MLB

A-Rod determined to rebound for Yankees

They are the Yankees, so you learn never to say never. They U-turned last January to sign Rafael Soriano and launched February surprises in their recent past to obtain Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez.

Thus, if they make a huge signing or a big trade this winter, especially for a significant starter, no one would collapse in surprise.

Nevertheless, the likelihood remains that CC Sabathia was their killer move of the offseason. And because that was a retention and not an acquisition, well, what you see of the Yankees is what you pretty much get.

If the Yankees are to defend their AL East title, the improvements mainly have to come from within. Think Jesus Montero outperforming Jorge Posada. Or Phil Hughes leaning more toward his 2010 All-Star form rather than his 2011 disappointment. Or Soriano providing season-long excellence and Joba Chamberlain returning from Tommy John surgery in June to give the Yankees the game’s best lockdown bullpen.

But if you are looking for internal upgrades, then don’t overlook the obvious: the cleanup hitter. The most expensive guy on the roster.

For even Rodriguez thinks the key to Yankees self-improvement is not something general manager Brian Cashman can find in the marketplace.

“The Yankees made two big moves this offseason,” Rodriguez told The Post by phone. “Keeping CC, and I expect to be who I have been in the past.”

That is Rodriguez’s way of saying the Yankees are going to reacquire A-Rod, and not the 2011 version, which even Rodriguez could not sugarcoat much, calling it “close to embarrassing” and “the worst year of my career.”

No, Rodriguez is imagining being the 30-homer/100-RBI automaton he was the previous 14 seasons. He expects to be a cleanup hitter because he should be, not due to emeritus status. He envisions being a reason why the Yankees push forward in October and not — like in 2011 — a reason they do not.

“I know Yankees fans were disappointed last year, but [they] won’t be next year,” Rodriguez said.

To that end, what is going on in Miami is more vital to the Yankees than what is going on in The Bronx executive offices. Rodriguez has returned home to rebuild, refashion and rehabilitate himself. Both sickened and motivated by how 2011 played out (“There are nights I still have trouble sleeping — we could have been the St. Louis Cardinals.”), Rodriguez triggered his offseason workouts three weeks earlier than normal.

His initial program has been about strengthening and stabilizing a right knee that underwent surgery for a torn meniscus in mid-July. The knee never did seem right late in the year as Rodriguez lost his power stroke and endured the kind of pre-2009 postseason that made him again the enemy of the Yankees state. He kept refusing excuses, but it was clear that he was not 100 percent. He found the pride to get on the field, but could not revive enough of his skills to make his presence matter.

Rodriguez’s strategy is to lose at least five pounds and shake that robotic feeling that haunted him, particularly late in the 2011 campaign. The mantra is get lighter, more flexible, more agile. The term he repeats is “functional movement,” and he says this was his mindset and body condition in 2007-08, “which were the best years of my career.”

It also was when he was 31-32, and before his admittance of steroid use as a Ranger. Rodriguez will begin next season at 36, turn 37 in July. Maybe the knee healed so slowly because of the realities of the calendar. It is possible that all the “functional movement” in the world cannot defeat Father Time.

“There is no secret that I am getting older,” Rodriguez said. “But when I come in fit, ready and motivated, then age is just a number. … There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I will be myself, like always.”

It means, as usual, Rodriguez is fascinating. Is he conning even himself that he can defeat time or can he combine innate talent with a powerful work ethic to be a baseball-playing genius anew? Again, it really is the Yankees’ most crucial internal issue because of what it means if Rodriguez can thrive in the middle of the order, physically handle 140-ish games at third and prevent the six years at $143 million left on his deal from looking like the long-term blight it currently appears.

Derek Jeter went through something similar a year ago, producing his worst season in 2010 and working to recapture his prime for 2011. He was better last year, but not nearly at his best.

But here is Rodriguez — same age this year as Jeter last year — believing he can recapture his youth in full, make you forget 99 games and 16 homers and 62 RBIs, erase a 2-for-18 postseason without an extra-base hit. He has a sizeable ego and greatness ingrained in his memory database. So he will not give up the quest to be that man again — to be The Man.

So he is going to Dr. Marc Philippon in Colorado in the next three weeks to make sure the surgically repaired hip of 2009 looks as good as it feels. Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long is traveling to Miami for two weeks in the beginning of December for the duo’s annual one-on-one tutorials. And Rodriguez is thinking less weight, more nimble because he intends to be a full-time, defensive-asset third baseman next season and not a DH standing at the hot corner.

In fact, Rodriguez says he is looking forward to 2012 as much as any season ever, because he hated how matters went for him and the team in 2011 — feeling the interconnectedness of knowing that his shabby work in the cleanup role was a sabotage to the team’s championship dreams.

“I have no doubt in my mind,” Rodriguez said of coming all the way back. “The standard is always 30-100, and no question I can perform at a really high level. I am clear of my role and importance to the team and what I need to do to help us win.”

It will never appear on any transaction list or create the need for an introductory press conference, but the Yankees really do need to reacquire A-Rod this offseason.

joel.sherman@nypost.com