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What do the years 2001, 2003 and 2010 all have in common? They all involve deep playoff runs and subsequent disappointing playoff exits for the New York Yankees.

Following the 2001 and 2003 seasons, the Yankees acquired a dynamic hitter and veteran pitcher in each offseason, Jason Giambi and Mike Mussina after ’01 and Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Brown following ’03, and now it is very possible 2010 will also share that distinct similarity.

Don’t get me wrong, every postseason that doesn’t end with a World Series title is a disappointment to the Yankees and Yankees fans, but the 2001 World Series was a huge letdown and the 2003 loss was the official end to that Yankee dynasty.

2010 wasn’t a World Series loss, but an ALCS exit where the Yankees were truly over-matched and could not perform in the clutch was still hard to watch.

So who might the Yankees be targeting this offseason? Well, the popular pick is Cliff Lee and I think (hope) that he will be in pinstripes next season, after what he has done to the Yankees in the past, just signing him and keeping him away from other teams would be a bonus.

By the time it is all said and done he very well could be the highest paid pitcher in baseball history, because a bidding war is certainly going to take place between Texas and New York, along with whoever else is interested in him.

As for the bat, that remains to be seen, but some two of the most talked about hitters out there on the market are Adrian Beltre and Adam Dunn.

Beltre is coming off of a fantastic year in Boston hitting .321 with 28 home runs and 102 RBI, along with 49 doubles to lead the league. He also has a two Gold Gloves at third base.

Dunn is a much more one-dimensional player being a typical middle-of-the-order power bat, having not hit fewer than 38 home runs since 2003. His defense is nothing to brag about, but he can play first base and the corner outfield spots.

Both players would make the Yankees lineup even more stacked than it already is, but there would be one problem with signing either one of these All-Star caliber players. The DH spot would be jammed.

Beltre could play third base and A-Rod could move to the DH, but with an aging catcher, I have a feeling Jorge Posada is going to be the everyday DH next year, which brings me to my next point.

The Yankees don’t really need to sign either of these expensive free agents, because they have the young phenom catcher Jesus Montero waiting for his opportunity and next year the starting catching job could be his.

This is a player the Yankees have been high since they signed him as a 17-year-old. Now at age 20, he has shown at every level of the minors that he has a major league ready bat, having hit 21 home runs and knocked in 75 RBI this year at triple-A Scranton, while hitting .289. His defense was a concern but it is reportedly improved this year.

I have no doubt that by the end of next year, that Montero is the Yankees starting catcher and is an impact bat in the lineup, maybe not to the degree of Dunn or Beltre yet, but he certainly looks like he has the potential to hit 30 home runs in a season. And obviously, he is a much cheaper option than most free agents out there.

So maybe the Yankees just sign Cliff Lee and a few lesser free agents, possibly Johnny Damon, and go with Montero as their new starting catcher. Either way, if history repeats itself, the Yankees are going to have some new faces around in 2011.

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The first week of July the New York Yankees nearly landed Cliff Lee in a deal with the Mariners in exchange for a package surrounding top prospect Jesus Montero.

The Yankees were aggressive in trying to land Lee because despite the fact that they had five starting pitchers, a few of them were question marks and they thought adding Lee would have settled some of those questions.

Two months later, Montero had an amazing finish in the minor leagues, and Lee is a huge question mark for the Texas Rangers heading into the playoffs.

Montero hit .342 with a 1.072 OPS and five home runs during the month of July, .330 with a .985 OPS, and seven home runs in August, and a .370 average, a 1.222 OPS, and three home runs in just six games in September.

There are still questions surrounding Montero’s defense, but at this point he looks like he’ll be an extremely solid offensive major league player.

Lee has been on the exact opposite track.

He has pitched in 11 games since joining the Rangers with a 2-5 record and a 4.69 ERA. The team’s record during his starts, 3-8. He’s also missed one start and is questionable going forward.

Now all of this could change if Lee rights himself and pitches well in the playoffs.

And if he had been traded to the Yankees and contributed in a big way to them winning the World Series than the trade could have been worth it, but that is far from guaranteed right now.

Lee has pitched very poorly against possible playoff opponents like the Yankees, Rays, and Twins, allowing at least four earned runs in each start and only making it out of the seventh once.

Some scouts and front office executives have called Montero’s bat generational, as in he could end up being very good.

It sure wouldn’t have been worth it to trade him away for yet another question mark in the starting rotation. That non-trade could be the best thing that has happened to the Yankees since last October.

Related Stories

• June 9, 2010—Yankees Trade Rumors: M’s Anticipate Dealing Lee to Yanks
• September 9, 2010—What Happens in the Playoffs if Posada Goes on the DL?
• September 9, 2010—Yankees Notes: Streaks, Montero, and MiLB Playoffs
• September 8, 2010—Jorge Posada Day-to-Day with Concussion Symptoms

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There seems to be quite a bit of panic since the Yankees made the announcement yesterday that Jorge Posada was suffering from concussion symptoms. What happens if his concussion lingers and the Yankees are forced to use Francisco Cervelli and Chad Moeller?

Well, the sky will fall. Or will it?

The playoff roster eligibility rules state that the Yankees are only allowed to use players in the playoffs that were on the 25-man roster as of midnight August 31 ,with the exception of players on the DL, on the bereavement list, and suspended players.

There is another exception that would allow the Yankees to call-up Jesus Montero and use him in the playoffs if Posada lands on the DL.

The rules state that if a player goes on the DL, a team is allowed to use any player in their system. That goes for players in the minor leagues, including those not on the 40-man roster. So, in the unlikely scenario, Montero could be activated and play in October.

Obviously the Yankees don’t want to do this for two reasons. The first is that they would prefer a healthy Posada. Say what you will about his defense, but in the playoffs, his experience outweighs anything Montero could do for you. Montero is shaky defensively to start, and if he’s thrust into the pressure of the playoffs, he’s prone to a rookie mistake that could end up costing the Yankees everything they’ve worked for.

Also, the Yankees want to keep Montero off the 40-man roster. The reason for this is because they have a lot of players that need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft this offseason.

Montero doesn’t have enough service time in the minors, so he is automatically protected. Putting him on the 40-man now would mean that there would be one more player susceptible to being plucked by another team.

Those are the biggest reasons. There are others, but keeping Montero out of a big spot where his defense could be exploited and keeping him off the 40-man roster are the two biggest.

Still, if needed, the Yankees could turn to him instead of being forced to go with a Cervelli/Moeller combo in October.

(Thanks to The Detroit Tigers Weblog for help with this post).

Related Stories

• September 8, 2010 — Jorge Posada Day-to-Day with Concussion Symptoms
• August 11, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Posada’s Shoulder, Montero, Aceves
• June 4, 2010 — With Johnson’s Return in Doubt Keep an Eye on Jesus Montero
• March 14, 2010 — Montero Follow-Up

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The Yankees were facing the Royals with CC Sabathia on the mound, so you knew it was going to be a good night, and it was, as the Yankees got a good start and just enough offense to win 4-3.

Here are some notes:

• Curtis Granderson went 2-for-3 on his first day back since restructuring his swing.
• Austin Kearns hit his first homer as a Yankee and his ninth of the season.
• This is the first time Sabathia picked up 15 wins by his 25th start in his career. He’s going for 20.
• Nick Swisher went 3-for-4, but had to be lifted late in the game because of the extreme heat.
• Jesus Montero was named Triple-A International League Player of the Month for July. His numbers: 23 G, .342 BA, .441 OBP, 1.072 OPS, and five HR.
• So far, Montero’s August has been even better: nine G, .441 BA, .513 OBP, 1.307 OPS, and three HR.
• Melky Mesa, High-A OF, won Player of the Week honors.

With a good start to the series last night, I’d really like to see the Yankees sweep what should be an easy series. They have Dustin Moseley (2-1, 3.86) going against Kyle Davies (5-7, 5.21). Moseley has been good, but hopefully the offense shows up to help him out tonight.

Related Stories

• April 11, 2010 — Yankees Giving Fans Reasons to Get Excited Early
• July 2, 2010 — Yankees Notes: Recap, Moseley, Oppenheimer, Montero, Burnett
• June 21, 2010 — Updated AL All-Star Ballot: Jeter and Cano Still Ahead
• May 19, 2010 — The Yankees Long List of Injuries, Updated

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The Yankees had to overcome a five run deficit last night to beat the Texas Rangers after Javier Vazquez’s poor start, a start he shouldn’t have even made.

Javy’s pitches topped out at about 85 mph last night, which is not good enough to get major league hitters out, let alone the heavy hitting Texas Rangers.

Apparently he has a case of dead arm, which is slowing his pitches down to nearly Tim Wakefied speeds. The only problem is Javy doesn’t throw a knuckle ball.

I give Javy a lot of credit for going out there and making his scheduled start, but I feel that a stint on the 15-day DL would do him and the team more good than having him out there every five days throwing a 68 mph curve or a 85 mph fastball.

But Javy is not the only concern right now for the Yankees. Surprisingly, it’s the offense that has let them down recently.

With Jorge Posada, Francisco Cervelli, Curtis Granderson, Nick Swisher, Brett Gardner, and Lance Berkman all going through varying degrees of slumps right now, that mighty Yankee lineup isn’t looking so mighty anymore.

So what options do the Yankees have to help get them through the playoff push?

For the pitching, they have an excellent live arm in the minors by the name of Ivan Nova.

The ace of the staff for the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Yankees is putting up numbers that the Yankee front office can’t ignore.

Nova is 10-3 with an ERA of 3.02 in 21 games started this year. He also has struck out an even 100 batters, while walking 43 in 131 innings, and has only given up 10 home runs all year.

He’s got a flame thrower of an arm, even rumored to have thrown a 100 mph fastball earlier this year, which could prove to be just what the Yankees need to get them through September and into the playoffs.

Any way you look at it, Nova has got to be better than dead arm Javy.

As for the offense, it has to be Jesus Montero.

With both Posada and Cervelli struggling at the plate right now, I think it might be time to call upon the top prospect in the organization.

Montero got off to a very slow start this year, but has bounced back and is one of the hotter hitters in the minors now. He’s coming into today with a .287 average, and leads the team with 14 home runs, 53 RBI, and 52 runs scored.

The man can hit, plain and simple.

The Yankees carried three catchers last year, and might just do so again this year as they head down the stretch.

In my mind, Nova and Montero would be a shot in the arm that the Yankees desperately need to have with the Rays and the Red Sox nipping at their heels for the AL East crown.

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The Yankees got seven innings out of their starter A.J. Burnett, but once again the offense failed to make much noise as Mariano Rivera let the game slip away in the 10th inning causing the Yankees to lose to the Texas Rangers 4-3 in 10 innings.

Here are some notes:

• That was an impressive performance by Burnett, if he could have avoided a sixth inning two-run homer by David Murphy it would have been a great performance.
• Francisco Cervelli came up in a big spot in the eighth inning yesterday, but the Yankees couldn’t pinch hit for him because Jorge Posada‘s surgically repaired shoulder was giving him fits.
• Posada is not starting tonight, mostly because of the fact that Javier Vazquez is on the mound and Cervelli has handled him most of this season.
• The Yankees aren’t likely to call up Jesus Montero unless he can play everyday, but if Posada is still dealing with this many aches and pains in September (his knees, foot, and now shoulder have been bothering him) then the Yankees are going to have to seriously consider giving him a call-up.
• Speaking of Montero, he’s been a one-man wrecking crew down in Triple-A after a slow start. His OPS in April and May were a disappointing .696 and .635 respectively. Since then: .829 in June, 1.072 in July, and a 1.363 so far in August. His bat is ready.
• Alfredo Aceves threw 0.2 innings last night in Triple-A Scranton, depending on how his back feels today he’s next step is to throw  two innings on Friday. If that goes well he could be activated after that.

This Posada issue could really bite the Yankees in the ass. He’s hitting a pathetically low .192 with a .493 OPS since May 25. During that time he only has three multi-hit games. That’s about as close to an automatic out as it gets. Some pitchers are more of a treat at the plate. If Posada is going to continue to be the walking wounded then a third catcher would be nice, especially one who could occasionally pinch hit late in games. Like I said, the Yankees aren’t likely to call-up Montero unless he’s playing everyday, but once the minor league season ends hopefully they’ll make the right choice.

Related Stories

• June 4, 2010—With Johnson’s Return in Doubt Keep an Eye on Jesus Montero
• March 14, 2010—Montero Follow-Up
• February 14, 2010—Catching Up on Montero
• August 6, 2010—Yankees Notes: Pettitte, Posada, Aceves, Guillen, Redding, and More

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Teams have needs. The Red Sox, Yankees, and Rays in the AL East. The White Sox, Twins, and Tigers in the AL Central. The Rangers and Angels in the AL West. The Braves, Phillies, and Mets in the NL East. The Cardinals and Reds in the NL Central. The Padres, Giants, Dodgers, and Rockies in the NL West.

Teams have needs, but some are too protective of their best prospects to ship them for a deadline deal.

The MLB-controlled Rangers weren’t. They dealt Justin Smoak for Cliff Lee.

The Angels tip-toed around the issue somewhat by sending Joe Saunders, Patrick Corbin, Rafael Rodriguez, and Tyler Skaggs to Arizona to acquire Dan Haren. What the Angels didn’t do was trade any of their prospects listed by Baseball America as some of the Top 100 in the nation: C Hank Conger, OF Mike Trout, or OF Peter Bourjos.

Among the remaining teams contending for a divisional title or a wild-card berth, many have similar prospects they are highly hesitant to deal.

Some are still pure prospects, and some have already cracked the majors for a prolonged cup of coffee, but they are all highly touted by their current ownership and highly coveted by the competition.

Here are some of the top prospects around who might be so protected by their current teams they’ll block a major deadline deal.

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According to Alex Speier of WEEI.com , the Blue Jays intend to get a good return for reliever Scott Downs and will ask for one of each interested club’s top prospects in return.

Here is more from Speier:

“The Jays can aim high on Downs in part because he likely will be a Type A free agent following this season, meaning that he could net two draft picks should he reject an arbitration offer and sign elsewhere in free agency, just as was the case with the Sox and Wagner a year ago. Even so, to date, the Sox and other clubs have balked at parting with a top prospect for a middle reliever, leading the source to conclude that any deal involving Downs seems unlikely “until just before the deadline if at all.”

The Yankees top prospects are probably catchers Jesus Montero , Austin Romine, and pitcher Manny Banuelos .

If they are set on getting a top organizational pick, then dealing either pitcher Ivan Nova or Zach McAllister might be an option.

We found out earlier in the day that the Yankees have “dangled” Montero for Joakim Soria and that the Royals turned the offer down.

After Soria there probably is no real No. 2 target, but Downs is one of the more talented relievers on the market. Downs has a combined ERA-plus of 182 over the past three seasons.

Related Stories

• July 25, 2010—Yankees Trade Rumors: Favorites for Scott Downs? (1)
• July 21, 2010—Yankees Rumor Roundup: Cervelli, Downs, Heredia, Maya (0)
• July 18, 2010—10 Potential Relief Trade Candidates for Yankees (3)

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According to Jayson Stark of ESPN , the Royals don’t seem like they are going to part with their closer, Joakim Soria , and they have even turned down an offer by the Yankees that included their top prospect, catcher Jesus Montero .

Here’s more from Stark:

“Lots of Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria rumors flying in Kansas City. But teams we’ve surveyed say they see no sign that either is going anywhere. The Yankees just made another run at Soria, as first reported by SI.com —even dangling Jesus Montero. But the Royals weren’t interested.”

The Yankees haven’t been impressed with the relievers available on the trade market, so it seems like they are going for the big fish rather than give up prospects for mediocre players.

They might eventually settle on some less than spectacular relievers, but not until they make sure they haven’t passed up a chance to get a Soria-caliber player.

The Yankees must have been serious about trying to land Soria, though. Up until this point, the Yankees have only offered Montero in deals that included Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee .

Related Stories

• July 17, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: Yanks Like Dunn and Soria (0)
• July 25, 2010 — Yankees Trade Rumors: Soria, Dunn, Haren, Oswalt, Wigginton, Peralta, Ross (0)
• July 22, 2010 — Stats: Jesus Montero Is So Hot Right Now (2)
• July 18, 2010 — 10 Potential Relief Trade Candidates for Yankees (3)

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The Yankees brass were pretty hanked off after they thought they had a deal for the Mariners’ Cliff Lee, centered around 20-year-old catcher Jesus Montero. But the M’s went ahead and sent Lee to Texas for a package centered around first baseman Justin Smoak. 

The Mariners may have done the Yankees an enormous favor.

In his last 10 games, Montero is hitting .484 (15 for 31) at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre with four doubles and four home runs.  Montero now has the 12th highest OPS (.821) in the International League. 

There aren’t many 20-year-old catchers you can say that about.

River Avenue Blues says the Yankees should consider calling up Montero right now to fill the hole the Yankees have at DH since the injury (who could have seen it coming?) to Nick Johnson. 

They have a point: Montero is arguably ready for prime time.

One thing is certain, however.  There is absolutely no reason at this moment to think that Montero would not be a worthy successor to Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.

Posada has one year after this one on his current contract, which is approximately the amount of time (the 2011 season) for Montero to serve as the Yankees’ back-up catcher and learn at the master’s hand.

The Yankees absolutely need to develop at least a few of their stars in-house.  Even with all the money the Yankees have, it’s not unlimited, and they have an enormous amount of future salary commitments to players in their decline phase.

As fangraphs.com’s Dave Cameron notes, the Yankees have $174 million committed to Alex Rodriguez over the next seven years, and A-Rod’s having the worst season of his major league career (currently an .827 OPS). A-Rod has better years ahead of this one, but I don’t think he’ll have more than three such seasons in the next seven.

ARod turns 35 next Tuesday, and with Vitamin S out the game, we aren’t going to see any more Barry Bonds like players defying the immutable hand of time.

The Yankees have $115 million committed to CC Sabathia over the next five seasons, and $135 million committed to Mark Teixeira over the next six.  Both of them are now over age 30.

Derek Jeter, 36, is also likely to get a juicy extension, although his poor (for him) 2010 season is likely to save the Yankees a load of money.

The Yankees have to continue developing at least a few of their own stars, like Robinson Cano, Phil Hughes, and Joba Chamberlain, if they want to continue winning into the 2010s. 

Jesus Montero really looks like a player just too good to use as a trade chip solely to win in 2010.

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