In my mind the Yankees are going to go off at the trade deadline. They need a starting pitcher (preferably a lefty), some bullpen help and a legit DH (sorry Jorge). I see the Yankees trying to find teams that want to save some money and that’s the teams they will try to deal with. I could see package deals with the Pirates (Garrett Jones, Paul Maholm and Joe Beimel), Cubs (Alfonso Soriano, Kerry Wood and Carlos Zambrano or Ryan Dempster), Mets (Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez and Chris Capuano) or the Astros (Brett Myers or Wandy Rodriguez and Carlos Lee). I could also see the Yankees going after Francisco Liriano, Erik Bedard, Ted Lilly or Hiroki Kuroda. With the Astros desperate for a catcher, I see them being the best fit for the Yankees if they are going to make a big deal at the trade deadline. The Yankees aren’t good enough to win the A.L. East with the roster they have right now, so look for them to get some reinforcements next month.

The New York Yankees have 12 free agents heading into the winter and here’s how I would handle them if I were running the team:

Derek Jeter: Derek Jeter had an off year for the Yankees in 2009. He played in 157 games in which he was 179 of 663 (.270 avg, .710 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 10 homers, 67 RBIs and 18 stolen bases. Jeter has now played in 2,295 games in his 16 years in pinstripes and he is 2,926 of 9,322 (.314 avg, .837 OPS) with 1,685 runs scored, 234 homers, 1,135 RBIs and 323 stolen bases. Despite having an off year, Jeter is still the best SS available in free agency. VERDICT: Jeter is a legacy and for that reason the Yankees should re-sign him. But only on a 2 or 3 year deal because he’s starting to slide a bit.

Mariano Rivera: 40-year old closer Mariano Rivera is also a Yankees’ legend, but unlike Jeter, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Rivera pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 3-3 with 33 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 0.83 WHIP. He has now pitched in 978 games for the Yankees over 16 seasons and he is 74-55 with 559 saves, a 2.23 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. VERDICT: I would re-sign “The Sandman” to a 2 or 3 year deal just like Jeter.

Andy Pettitte: 38-year old lefty starting pitcher Andy Pettitte is still a solid pitcher when healthy. Pettitte pitched in 21 games (all starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. Pettitte is also one of the better Yankee pitchers of all-time. VERDICT: I would give Pettitte another one year deal if he wants to keep pitching.

Kerry Wood: 33-year old righty reliever Kerry Wood was outstanding for the Yankees after coming over in a deal with the Indians. Wood pitched in 24 games (0 starts) for the Yankees this year and he was 2-0 with a 0.69 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Wood pitched in 47 games (0 starts) overall with the Indians & Yankees this year and he was 3-4 with 8 saves, a 3.13 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. Wood has a club option worth $11 million bucks for 2011: VERDICT: I would decline Wood’s option and try to re-sign him for a $3-4 million dollar deal to work as Rivera’s set-up man.

Lance Berkman: 34-year old switch hitting 1B/DH Lance Berkman played well during the post season for the Yankees but he wasn’t too good for them during the regular season. Berkman played in 37 games for the Yankees after coming over in a deal with the Astros and he was 27 of 106 (.255 avg, .707 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. Berkman played in 122 games overall for the Astros & Yankees last season and he was 100 of 404 (.248 avg, .781 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Berkman has a $15 million dollar club option for 2011 or a $2 million dollar buyout. VERDICT: I would pay Berkman the $2 million bucks and let him walk. His struggles against lefty pitching screams platoon so I think I would go after a better DH.

Marcus Thames: 33-year old righty swinging OF/DH Marcus Thames played in 82 games for the Yankees last season and he was 61 for 212 (.288 avg, .841 OPS) with 22 runs scored, 12 homers and 33 RBIs. He is a very productive hitter who crushes lefty pitching. VERDICT: I would definitely try to re-sign Thames on a 1 or 2 year deal.

Javier Vazquez: 34-year old starting pitcher Javier Vazquez was awful once again for the Yankees in 2010. He pitched in 31 games (26 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. For some reason Yankees’ GM has a man crush on Vazquez. VERDICT: He’s gone.

Nick Johnson: 31-year old lefty swinging 1B/DH Nick Johnson is one of the most brittle players in the majors. He played in 24 games for the Yankees last season and he was 12 of 72 (.167 avg, .693 OPS) with 12 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. The Yankees can either pick up Johnson’s option for 2011 valued at $5.5 million bucks or they can buy him out for $250,000 bucks. VERDICT: He will be paid $250K on his way out the door.

Austin Kearns: 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Austin Kearns didn’t play too well for the Yankees. He played in 36 games for the Yankees and he was 24 of 102 (.235 avg, .668 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. Kearns played in 120 games overall for the Indians & Yankees last season and he was 106 of 403 (.263 avg, .746 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 10 homers, 49 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. VERDICT: The Yankees can do better so I see them letting Kearns walk.

Chad Moeller: 35-year old righty swinging catcher Chad Moeller played in only 9 games for the Yankees last season and he was 3 for 14 (.214 avg, .695 OPS) with 2 runs scored. VERDICT: I would offer him a minor league deal with the idea of stashing him in AAA for another year.

Chad Gaudin: 27-year old righty reliever Chad Gaudin pitched in 30 games (0 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 1-2 with a 4.50 ERAa and a 1.38 WHIP. He pitched in 42 games (0 starts) overall for the A’s & Yankees and he was 1-4 with a 5.65 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. VERDICT: I would let him walk.

Sergio Mitre: 29-year old righty reliever/starter Sergio Mitre pitched in 27 games (3 starts) for the Yankees last season and he was 0-3 with 1 save, a 3.33 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. Don’t be fooled by those numbers as he is still Sergio Mitre: VERDICT: I would let him walk.

With the Rays and Red Sox hanging around in the division I would go for the kill shot if I were the GM of the Yankees. I would throw caution to the wind and make two trades in typical Yankees’ fashion ransacking the minors to help the major league team. First off I would call the Milwaukee Brewers up and offer them a nice package of catcher Jesus Montero, 2B/3B David Adams, 1B Juan Miranda and righty starting pitcher Zach McAllister and Ivan Nova for 1B/DH Prince Fielder, IF Craig Counsell and righty starting pitcher Dave Bush. Fielder would be the starting DH putting up monster numbers aiming at the RF porch in Yankees’ Stadium. Counsell would fill a utility role in the infield for the Yanks and Dave Bush would replace Andy Pettitte until he comes back. Then I would get on the phone and call the Marlins up. I would offer them something along the lines of righty reliever Mark Melancon, outfielder Colin Curtis and infielder Ramiro Pena for righty relievers Leo Nunez and Brian Sanches. If the Yankees made those two moves they would put immense pressure on the other teams in the A.L. East.

The Yankees are 51-31 right now which has them 2 games up on the Rays in the A.L. East. I don’t see too many cracks on the Yankees’ roster right now. They need some help in the bullpen and on the bench. I wouldn’t rule the Yankees out as far as trading for one more big bat if it comes available either. A lot on infielders make sense for the Yankees to check in on. John McDonald, Julio Lugo, Willie Bloomquist, Adam Kennedy, Craig Counsell, Mike Fontenot, Geoff Blum, Jeff Keppinger, Ronny Cedeno and Bobby Crosby are the likely infield targets if the Yankees are looking small. If they want to take it up a notch Ty Wigginton, Mike Aviles, Mark Ellis or Jack Wilson could be had by the Yankees. There are a lot of relievers on the trade market so the Yankees can probably pick and choose. From the right side Jason Frasor, Kerry Wood, Brad Ziegler, Mike Wuertz, Matt Lindstrom, Brandon Lyon, Octavio Dotel and Chad Qualls make sense. From the left side Scott Downs, Will Ohman, Rafael Perez or Jerry Blevins make sense. Still the Yankees always like to make a big splash as the end of July so don’t be surprised if they add a bat who could DH. Luke Scott, Jose Guillen, Jack Cust, Lance Berkman and Adam LaRoche all make sense. The big fish in the pond is Prince Fielder and don’t be surprised if the Yankees make a play for him.

The Yankees have a few needs and they will likely get involved in the trade market to fill them. The Yankees have needs at DH and in the bullpen. The perfect matchup to fill both needs would be a trade with the Orioles. Luke Scott has the perfect swing for Yankee Stadium and they could use either Mark Hendrickson or Will Ohman. I think the Yankees could definitely get that for Juan Miranda and either Mark Melcanon or Ivan Nova. I think the other team that matches up very well with the Yankees is the Astros. Lance Berkman would definitely help out the Yankees. I think the Yankees could definitely get their hands on Lance Berkman and either Brandon Lyon or Matt Lindstrom. The Astros would probably prefer to move Lyon because of his contract. For Lyon and Berkman I could see the Yankees trading Juan Miranda, Mark Melcanon, David Robertson and Ivan Nova. That would give the Yankees what they need while giving the Astros some nice chips to rebuild with. The Yankees could also give the Royals or Indians a call. Jose Guillen and Kyle Farnsworth could likely be had for Mark Melcanon and Ivan Nova. The Indians would likely trade DH Travis Hafner for Nova, David Robertson or Mark Melcanon. The Yankees look like they are going to have to add some pieces to catch up to the Tampa Bay Rays who look pretty darn good.