Put The Money In The Bank

The 2004 Red Sox, fresh off their first franchise title in 86 years, decided to let big names go elsewhere in the offseason following their title. Pedro Martinez, Orlando Cabrera, Derek Lowe, there are a few others. What happened, they didn't win that year, or the year after. I hate making comparisons with the Red Sox, but the Yankees should learn from this. They should resign guys from this year that meant a lot to their title team, and look for what's going on the next year. Here's what I mean (Player and Position, Expected Contract Details, Whether or not it makes sense for the Yankees):
FAs Available and of Interest to Yankees, 2009-2010 Offseason:
Johnny Damon- OF, 2 years $16-20 million. Yes, this makes sense for the Yankees. Keep a guy that's been on the team, still can produce, and for a cheap price.

Hideki Matsui- DH, 1 year $7-11 million. Yes, Matsui is fresh off a season in which he showed he can still produce in a great way, even if only at DH. If you want someone else for OF or DH, still resign Matsui, use him off the bench.

Andy Pettitte- LHP, 1-2 years $12 mil/yr. Yes, the guy can still pitch, and how can you let one of the Core Four go after a title?

Matt Holliday- OF, 8 years, $130-165 million. No. The guy has shown he can't hit in the AL like he can in the NL, and he's been in markets that are nothing compared to NY. He'd basically be giving you an overpaid Matsui that can play the field.

John Lackey- RHP, 4-6 years, $15-17 mil/yr. Not at this Price. If he drops his asking price to about $10-13 mil/year, then I could see the Yanks going after him.

Jason Bay- OF, 5-8 years, $15-18 mil/yr. Maybe, if the Yankees feel that Matsui isn't sufficient enough to win again, then this could make sense. But this could put them out of it for some of the guys next year.

Mike Cameron- OF, 1-4 years, $5-9 mil/yr. Possibly, but the Yankees want to get younger, so this wouldn't be a great fit. But still, he can really field still, and he's got some pop left.

These seem like the most relevant big names for the Yankees now, but next offseason there's a TON of guys waiting to test the waters...
FAs Available and of Interest to Yankees, 2010-2011 Offseason:
Derek Jeter- SS, 3-5 years, $17+ mil/yr. Ummm, yeah, it might seem redundant to put him on this list, but you never know. Yanks better not screw it up with him.

Joe Mauer- C, 7-10 years, $17-21 mil/yr. A ton of sense, yes. Posada's getting old, this guy's the best pure hitter the bigs right now. If the Yanks get a shot at him, they should definitely go all out.

Carl Crawford- OF, 6-8 years, $12-14 mil/yr. Possibly, he fits into their plans of youth and athleticism, but it all depends on what they do with Damon, Matsui, Bay, and Holliday this year.

Mariano Rivera- RHP, 2-4 years, $14-16 mil/yr. Yes, obviously. He'll resign, for the same amount of money, and keep doing what he does.

Roy Halladay- RHP, 4-6 years, $18-20 mil/yr. It could, depends if the BoSox go after him. It would be another boatload of money if they tried to get Halladay and Mauer in the same offseason, but if anything, they need to run up the price on the Red Sox.

Matt Cain- RHP, 5-8 years, $13-17 mil/yr. Yes, he's a relatively unknown name to a lot of people, but he's really good. All-star this year, if he had an offense behind him, he'd be in the Cy Young discussion every year. He's young, and would be a great fit in NY.

Brad Hawpe- OF, 3-6 years, $8-13 mil/yr. Yes, as we saw this year, you can never have enough outfielders, and if they can't get Crawford, or don't want to, Hawpe would be a great fit.

Cliff Lee- LHP, 4-7 years, $18-21 mil/yr. Not really, and he'll most likely be back in Philly, but as the Yankees are great at, lurking in the weeds, and running up the price. They're always in back of every GMs mind.

Jon Garland- RHP, 2-3 years, $7-9 mil/yr. Maybe, signing Jon Garland, one of the most consistent pitchers in the majors, would depend on what happens with Pettitte, Wang, Halladay, Hughes and Joba. If Pettitte is done after 2010, then Garland could fit. If Halladay doesn't sign, if Joba goes to the 'pen... There are a ton of IFs, but he's out there.

As you can see, there's a lot more talent out there next year, I personally think the Yankees should resign their guys for this year, maybe get a Justin Duscherer type-guy in a trade, help the rotation, and then go out and bolster the bench. Save money, then go after the real big guns next year. What do you guys think? Who should they get?

UPDATED: For a list of potential free agents, click here, I'm not sure, but it might update daily.