Yankees Look Ready for Prime Time

While many thought the New York Yankees would have a slow Summer, they were not correct.  The Yankees seemingly filled their needs all in one night.  They signed two big starting pitchers in youngster Michael Pineda and veteran Hiroki Kuroda.  These two could be huge anchors in a Yankee rotation that now seems to be locked and loaded.

The Yankees also added two potential role players who could play a vital role in the stretch run when this team needs reinforcements/back-ups.  The Yankees signed veteran Raul Ibanez to add some flexibility to their hitting situation.  The deal was a 1 year contract worth $1.1 Million.  He has the ability to make up to $4 Million in incentives. 

The other big Yankees signing was veteran right-handed reliever David Aardsma.  Aardsma is coming off of Tommy John surgery and will start the season on the DL.  He will be a great addition to the bullpen if he does heal.  The deal was worth $500,000 and is a great high-risk, high-reward signing.  Aardsma has been a closer as recent as the 2010 season and is a reliable arm to pitch in clutch late-inning situations.

Yankees.com produced an article stating that the Yankees seem quite impressed with Michael Pineda and what is not to love about the flamethrower.  Russell Martin seemed surprised with their first bullpen session with one another.  "He was a little erratic that game and got himself in trouble walking guys, so I was expecting to see a guy that didn't have great command," Martin said after catching Pineda in the bullpen. "But I was wrong."

Many of the parts to this team seem to be falling into place, we will see how sharp this team looks in the Spring.  The Yankees start up on March 2nd vs the University of South Florida Bulls.