It is difficult to find a season that ended with a division title disappointing, but if you play baseball for the most historic organization in professional sports, then anything less than a World Series title is about as fulfilling as kissing your sister. Following a season full of injuries to an aging pitching staff and an overall underachieving team, the New York Yankees enter the 2006 season with one of the best offensive lineups in Major League Baseball history. The question won’t be whether the latest edition of the Bronx Bombers can produce runs, but whether they can actually keep the opposing team from scoring more.

There were three major holes that were necessary to fill in the offseason for the Yankees. Relief pitching and centerfield were lacking for the men in pinstripes last season, and both were addressed in a strong fashion over the winter. The third and easily most important hole for the 2005 Yankees was their starting pitching. Aging and injury prone, the starting pitching was the Achilles heel of one of the most intimidating lineups in baseball last season, something that could conceivably stay true to form in the upcoming season.
   
Relief pitching, while solid in the later innings, was extremely lacking when needed for long periods of time. Add to that the loss of All-Star setup man Tom “Flash” Gordon, and General Manager Brian Cashman had some shopping to do. Offseason pickups Kyle Farnsworth, Mike Myers, Ron Villone, and Octavio Dotel should bolster a bullpen that was often suspect in the 2005 season. While at times erratic and overly emotional, there is no denying that Farnsworth possesses electric stuff. Myers and Villone bring two quality lefty arms to the pen, something that will only be a benefit late in the season when situational pitching becomes increasingly important. Dotel is coming off of season-ending Tommy John surgery, but has proven that he is not only an effective reliever, but also a quality closer in his time with Oakland and Houston.

Of course a closer is not much of a need for the Yankees, who will once again hand the ball to the man with the most devastating cut-fastball in the game, Mariano Rivera. Though he turned 35 in November, Rivera showed little signs of age catching up with him with a microscopic 1.38 era, 43 saves, and more splintered wood than a clumsy carpenter.

If there is one area of the map the Yankees had no need to address, it was their offense. Arguably the most impressive collection of offensive players in league history, the 2006 lineup literally contains All-Stars at every single position but one. That one position? Second base, where 23-year-old Robinson Cano came out of Triple-A in May of 2005 to put up one of the most impressive offensive seasons by an American League rookie.

The remainder of the infield fills out like a virtual who’s who of the American League All-Star Team over the last decade with a resurgent Jason Giambi at first, captain and Gold Glover Derek Jeter at short, and reigning MVP and home run champ Alex Rodriguez manning the hot corner.

Perhaps no player in the American League had a better story than Giambi in 2005. As of May 9, Giambi was hitting a feeble .195 with just three home runs, six RBI, and the threat of a demotion to the Columbus Clippers. From that point on, the first baseman mashed 29 home runs and drove in 81 runs to finish with respectable numbers and win the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.

While Giambi is severely lacking as a defensive first baseman and Cano has questionable hands at second, the other side of the infield is just as spectacular defensively as offensively. Derek Jeter plays shortstop with the fluidity of a figure skater and after two seasons at the hot corner Alex Rodriguez is quickly becoming the American League's best at the position. Offensively, the numbers speak for themselves. Jeter batted .309 and 202 hits. A-Rod hit .321 en route to the MVP, belting 48 home runs and driving in 130 runs. His 48 dingers were the most ever by a Yankee right-handed hitter, surpassing the previous mark held by Joe DiMaggio.

Prolific is just one of about 50 adjectives you could use to describe the Yankee outfield. The addition of All-Star centerfielder Johnny Damon to Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield makes the trio by far the strongest in the league. Sheffield brings by far the quickest hands most violent swing in the game and Matsui has consistently been one of the best run producers in the bigs. Add the run-scoring machine that is Damon to the top of the lineup and the Yankees suddenly have leadoff spark that they haven’t had since the days of Chuck Knoblauch. Jeter did an admirable job for the past few seasons, but he is a much better fit for the second spot and should perform very impressively there in ’06.

A suspect Yankee bench is still a concern, with Miguel Cairo being the most notable player coming off the pine late in games. The addition of Damon makes it possible for both Bubba Crosby and Bernie Williams to come off the bench in games when neither is in the lineup as the designated hitter. With Williams being one of the most seasoned switch hitters in the game, this is an extremely valuable asset; having him come of the bench late in games can only be seen as a huge advantage for New York.

The weakest part of the recent New York squads has been the starting pitching. Inexplicably, the situation was not even addressed in the off season. In a rotation full of marquee names in the latter stages of their careers, health is the major concern.

As pitchers who have been mainstays in the elite category over the years, Randy Johnson and Mike Mussina will look to recover from relatively subpar seasons by their standards. Johnson’s intimidating height and powerful fastball combine to automatically keep the Yankees in every game he pitches, but if he is able to recover the ferocious snap on his slider he might be making his ninth All-Star game come July. Mussina’s command and bulldog mentality are an asset to any staff, but he regain his consistency to continue to be a top of the rotation starter.

Unlike in previous years there is depth behind the top two starters. Don’t forget about right-handers Jaret Wright and Carl Pavano, who were the Yankees “premiere” offseason pickups last year, but combined for just nine wins in 2005. If healthy, the two offer the possibility of double digit wins, but history shows that staying off the disabled list is something of a rarity with these two.

While probably needing to vacate the C.C. Sabathia school of fashion (witness his tilted brim and baggy pants), righty Shawn Chacon may end up being the most valuable cog in the Yankees mound machine this season. An immensely valuable stretch-run pickup from the Colorado Rockies last season, Chacon experienced a complete 180 when he put on the pinstripes, as he went from a 1-7 record in 12 starts with the Rockies to a 7-3 record in 12 starts with the Yankees. His performance will be hugely important in a rotation in desperate need of youth.

Aaron Small might lack the polish of a big-time starter, but there is no denying that his 10-0 record after being rescued from the scrap heap was a major reason the Yankees were able to win the American League East last season. While another undefeated season is improbable, Small and sophomore starter Chien-Ming Wang must combine to eat innings and keep opponents from putting up big numbers for the Yankees to have any chance at keeping their aging staff healthy.

While probably not the trendiest pick in the league, the Yankees should, if healthy, represent the American League in the World Series this fall. A roster filled with 10 All-Stars and one future All-Star in Cano should go into every series the favorite. The X-factor is the pitching, and if the young arms are able to combine with a few healthy aging ones, there is reason to believe the Yankees will be on the verge of their 27th World Series title come late October.

Phil Mattingly can be reached via email at phil.mattingly@atomicsportsmedia.com