BALTIMORE — The Steinbrenner family gave Brian Cashman an ocean of money to make sure 2009 doesn’t end like 2008 — with the Yankees out of the playoffs.
The Yankees general manager used the long green to land CC Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Mark Teixeira. Now, after a winter of anticipation and expectations piercing the clouds, the Yankees will begin to find out if the money was spent wisely. Early indications are that it was, but that is based on spring training which means nothing compared to today’s Opening Day at Camden Yards against the Orioles.
Weather permitting, the left-handed Sabathia will make his Yankees debut against righty Jeremy Guthrie.
“It’s here,” Sabathia said of his long-awaited first chance to show everybody the Yankees were smart to drop seven years and $161 million on his 28-year-old left arm and 6-foot-7, 300-pound body. “I will be ready to do whatever I can to help us win.”
Teixeira, who took down $180 million of Steinbrenner’s money, will be asked to anchor the lineup from the third hole until cleanup hitter Alex Rodriguez returns from hip surgery.
Burnett, a comparative pauper at a mere $82.5 million, will start Thursday against the Orioles.
Manager Joe Girardi held a brief meeting yesterday with the team that Las Vegas has installed as the favorite to win the AL East.
“I told them to keep doing what you are doing. I loved the way we played in spring training,” Girardi said. “The fundamentals, the pitchers throwing strikes, baserunning and getting guys over. I thought we played very well in spring training.”
The little things are important but there are too many stars — even without Rodriguez — for people not to expect sizzle.
Including the players.
Asked if this is the best Yankees team of his four years here, Johnny Damon didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“We have a number of go-to guys,” Damon said about Sabathia and Burnett joining holdovers Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte in the rotation. “They can shut down other teams.”
Derek Jeter understands the games are played for a reason but he is impressed by the collection of talent assembled.
“On paper, we have pretty good starters,” Jeter said. “They can dominate people.”
Sabathia has pitched in Cleveland and Milwaukee and worked the postseason in each place. However, even if Opening Day is away from the new Yankee Stadium, it’s a huge day for Yankees fans.
“This is the biggest stage in baseball,” said Sabathia, who admitted that if he isn’t nervous before a start he usually pitches poorly. “I had a sense of that before (signing). Hopefully this is one of the best teams in baseball.”
Cody Ransom, a minor league journeyman, will replace Rodriguez at third. Brett Gardner is a big league neophyte in center. The bullpen doesn’t have much experience in front of Mariano Rivera. So, there are questions. But there are far more positive answers.
“We are going to be competitive for a long time,” said Teixeira, who will learn that competitive isn’t good enough for this team. A slow start could cost Girardi his job and turn a fickle fan base ugly despite the new billion-dollar Stadium.
Starting today, the Yankees have a chance to rinse their mouths of last year’s rancid taste. Based on what they did in the offseason, they had better.