What once would've been an easy pick for the AL East crown has now become a long shot for the New York Yankees. With Toronto and Tampa Bay surging within the division, coupled with Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez recovering from injury, the once juggernaut Yankees are now in a position they are not used to: being an underdog. The Yankees did have a decent offseason in bringing Kevin Youkilis in to help replace Alex Rodriguez while he recovers, but other than that it wasn't the typical high dollar offseason most Yankee fans are used to. This team has the payroll to be a contender in the AL East, but until this roster gets healthy and can perform at 100 percent, this year will be nothing more than a mediocre season for the most iconic team in Major League Baseball.
Potential Opening Day Lineup 1) Ichiro Suzuki OF 2) Derek Jeter SS 3) Robinson Cano 2B 4) Mar Teixeira 1B 5) Kevin Youkilis 3B 6) Travis Hafner DH 7) Juan Rivera OF 8) Brett Gardner OF 9) Chris Stewart C | Potential Opening Rotation 1) C.C. Sabathia 2) Hiroki Kuroda 3) Andy Pettitte 4) Ivan Nova 5) Phil Hughes |