Buster on the Yanks

Buster Olney, the ESPN baseball-do-it-all, had a dive into the Yanks offense today (Insider access required, sorry). I could copy/paste it all, but that's probably a no-no, so here are some of the most interesting things...

Ah, nothing says "showing up/getting in great shape" like a contract year:

This spring, Abreu and Jason Giambi have come into camp looking like linebackers, as each prepares for possible free agency in the fall; Abreu has been lifting weights at night, after working out in the mornings and playing in the afternoons, and has a .538 on-base percentage this spring. "The best I've ever seen him," said a longtime scout. "He looks more invested."

Buster played Q&A with Posada, who had these things to say:

• on Damon: "He's a guy that we need to have going, and he understands that. He's our sparkplug. If he has a year he's capable of having, he'll be the one who will make us win. He's more comfortable, being in left field, and he's going to DH a little bit. We just have to keep him healthy."
• on Jeter: "...I think [he'll have an MVP-type year] because of the way he worked in the offseason, the way he took care of his body and worked on trying to get jumps and [did] speed drills."
• on Cano: "He can be a batting title champion every year. He's going to hit .300 every year. He's learning to hit for power now, and he's only 25 years old. Last year, it took him a little while to get going, but he's learning."
• on Matsui: "He played last year hurt, the whole year. Now that he is healthy, having that knee fixed, he's going to be different."
• on Giambi: "He looks really healthy, and worked really hard during the offseason. He got in great shape."

Now, if Posada's right...AND their pitching develops/holds up... this team can be really good. But, if Ma and Pa (Mother Nature and Father Time) play hardball with this group, it could get ugly with Hank spouting off every 12 minutes. Let's hope not to hear from Hank much this year; that'd be a great sign.