With spring training opening next week, MLB Network analyst Al Leiter talks about the newly thrifty Yankees, their older players and the rest of the AL East with The Post’s Justin Terranova. The former Yankees and Mets lefty will be part of MLBN’s “30 clubs in 30 days” series which starts next week.
Q: Was this the new Yankees we saw this offseason with very little movement?
A: The Yankees are trying to get their payroll down and it was pretty evident based on their activity this winter. But the re-signing of Ichiro was a good one and knowing that there could be a problem with Alex Rodriguez, they signed (Kevin) Youkilis. They could catch lightning in a bottle with that one.
Q: Do you think there are more question marks than usual around this team?
A: Yeah, you look at the concerns with Derek (Jeter) and his ankle at 38 years old and Mariano (Rivera) as your closer coming off his ACL injury. Then there’s CC Sabathia for the first time in his career coming off the elbow cleanup. … As we sit here on paper, I’d say it’s going to be an interesting year with some concern.
Q: Do you think the Blue Jays’ flurry of moves instantly makes them contenders?
A: You add R.A. Dickey, I really like Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle is going to impart a lot of his experience and that will really help Ricky Romero. … When you look at the addition of (Jose) Reyes, a healthy (Jose) Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion those guys are going to thump. This is a good team, and they are going to compete.
Q: Do you expect the Red Sox to bounce back?
A: It’s going to be a hell of a lot better. I don’t think there’s going to be any sidebar messes. I really like the under-the-radar move bringing in (Joel) Hanrahan, which moves (Andrew) Bailey back to a setup man. That is one of the strongest bullpens in the American League. They should not have been a last-place team.
Q: Was it the right move for the Mets to trade Dickey?
A: Yes, the Mets aren’t in position to win for the next two or three years because of the makeup of their team and how good the Nationals are and are going to be. You sort of let it play out. It will be fun watching these prospects and seeing which ones become All-Stars.