MLB

. . . BUT REHABBING MO & POSADA ARE REAL KEYS TO RESURGENCE IN ‘09

Better? You bet.

Good enough to pass the Red Sox and Rays? Don’t bet on it.

The Yankees open spring training this week in Tampa panting to unveil their $423.5 million acquisitions CC Sabathia, Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett.

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Though those additions certainly improve the Yankees, they don’t guarantee an October return after sitting out last year’s playoffs.

Remember, this isn’t the first time in recent history the Yankees have used big money to plug huge holes. Alex Rodriguez, Jason Giambi, Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano, Gary Sheffield, Hideki Matsui and Johnny Damon took the money, arrived and . . .

And before you put much emphasis on the Yankees stealing Teixeira (eight years; $180 million) away from the Red Sox, remember this: The Red Sox wanted Rodriguez and didn’t get him before the 2004 season. Since then the Red Sox are leading the Yankees, 2-0, in World Championships.

So, with pitchers and catchers ready to grunt and groan under the Florida sun this week, here are the five major issues facing the Yankees. And Joe Torre’s book isn’t on the radar.

1. Important right shoulders recovering from surgery.

“The catcher’s shoulder and the closer’s shoulder,” GM Brian Cashman said without hesitation when asked to list the biggest question going into camp.

That would be the right arms belonging to Jorge Posada and Mariano Rivera, who underwent surgery last year.

Posada has been throwing lightly in Tampa and Rivera started tossing this past week at an indoor facility in Westchester. Neither is a lock to be ready by Opening Day.

The Yankees need them from the start to contend. Jose Molina is a fine backup but wears down when asked to play regularly. Posada has to catch 120 games, throw well and hit .280 with 25 homers and 90 RBIs. With Joba Chamberlain in the rotation, there isn’t anybody to take Rivera’s place.

Of the two surgeries, Rivera’s was supposed to be more routine. But he is 39, an age where nothing is guaranteed.

2. What effect will the A-Rod steroid allegations have?

Distractions haven’t bothered Rodriguez in the past – from his stripper scandal to Madonna to a very public divorce. But this issue is more serious and will garner much more attention. The Yankees need him to return to his MVP status of ’07. How he and the team handle the oncoming storm will be a major factor in this season’s success.

3. Who is the center fielder?

Barring a trade for Milwaukee’s Mike Cameron, Cashman says it’s a two-horse race.

“Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner – it’s wide open,” Cashman said. “Both are capable of playing every day.”

Cabrera is coming off a disappointing 2008 when he was sent to the minors. Gardner has to prove he can hit enough to stay in the lineup.

Of course, Cameron can surface. The Brewers and Yankees came close to making the deal (Cabrera to Milwaukee) in December and easily could revisit it.

4. Will the Yankees’ spending spree on pitching enough?

“Chien-Ming Wang is a question mark still because he never got back to the mound,” Cashman said of the right-hander who missed the second half of last year because of a foot injury.

And there are others. Is Burnett ready to become an elite hurler or replace Carl Pavano as a more expensive “American Idle?” What about Andy Pettitte’s mindset after costing himself $4.5 million? And how will he handle being dragged through another round of being involved in the Roger Clemens saga?

Then there is Chamberlain. Many believe he is more valuable in the bullpen than the rotation. But before the argument is settled, there are lingering questions about his DUI last October. Was it an act of immaturity or is alcohol a problem?

5. Will Robinson Cano bounce back from an awful season?

When the Yankees dropped $30 million on the left-handed-hitting second baseman before the 2008 season, they believed they locked up a .300 hitter with 25-home-run potential. Instead, he batted .271 and found his name linked to a trade with the Dodgers.

His backers believe Cano will bounce back. He had better.

george.king@nypost.com