The Yankees stayed quiet in advance of the MLB lockout, even as other teams spent like drunken sailors on elite, top-of-the-market talent. As a result, the club that emerges from the work stoppage will look remarkably similar to the one that stumbled its way to a 92-win season and an early postseason exit at the hands of the hated Red Sox.
There are reasons to be optimistic that the pieces already in place can perform at a level that enables the Yankees to return to the top of the American League. Unfortunately, there are equally strong reasons to be pessimistic that New York will do any better than last season.