Struggling to Plug the Holes: Bench

Although the holes in the Yankees bench will be put on the back burner until the more important issues in center and the bullpen are resolved, there are some pretty interesting options facing the Yankees bench in 2006.

First Base. Tino Martinez will not be back, in fact he'll probably retire. He won't be able to get more than a defensive replacement job from anyone else and he sees no point in taking such a job from anyone other than the Yankees. Brian Cashman sounds completely ready to have Giambi play first most of the time, and hand the backup job to Andy Phillips. The Yanks have expended all their minor league options on Phillips (just like they have with Crosby) and will be forced to either keep him on the ML roster or trade/release him. That, and a desire to cut spending, are big reasons for the Yankees decision to give the job to Phillips, a 28-year old near rookie who's never inspired enough confidence offensively to be considered more than an emergency infielder. But like Crosby, he's young(er), cheap, and has the support of the coaching staff (especially Torre & Mattingly).

Catcher. Contractual obligations will play a large role in who the Yankees get to back up Jorge Posada. They are not looking for another year of John Flaherty, despite his work with Randy Johnson. If Posada catches 81 games in 2006, it will make the 2007 team option ($12 million) a guaranteed year, and add a 2008 player option. Basically, if Posada catches 81 games in 2006, they will be stuck with an aging catcher deep in decline for three more years, and they'll be paying him as much as Matsui. As such, they'll be looking for a backup who is capable of starting games. Bengie Molina might be asking too much, but a likely answer is Todd Pratt, or acquiring someone in a trade.

Designated Hitter. The DH spot will likely be a bit of a revolving door for the 2006 Yankees. Giambi will certainly get his share of DH at-bats, likely against good lefties where Phillips will be more apt to get starts. Lefties could also force Bubba Crosby out of the lineup, especially if the Yankees can get a capable bat to play center on occasion (Giles, Encarnacion, J. Jones, J. Michaels). Should they get one of those, the "normal" lineup could then allow Sheffield, Matsui, and possibly Posada to rotate in the DH spot, while Giles/Enc/Michaels man rightfield with Bubba in center. The Yankees could also re-sign Bernie Williams to take some DH at-bats while serving as a reserve outfielder.

Reserve Infield/Outfield. Tony Womack's offensive performance was so bad last year that he will have to keep his pinch-runner status because he can't be traded - no one wants him. He could also serve as a backup to Robinson Cano or return to the outfield in an emergency. If Cashman's All-Columbus bench trend continues, look for Felix Escalona to see some time as a backup to Jeter and A-Rod. Columbus lacks a serious contender for reserve outfield work, unless Melky Cabrera, Kevin Thompson, Bronson Sardinha, or Kevin Reese suddenly become MLB-ready by March. The free agent market also lacks a cheap-but-effective OF/DH type that the Yankees have had in Ruben Sierra. The hope here is that Bernie finishes his career in pinstripes, playing the Ruben role for the next few years.