Granted, the addition of Sabathia would give the Yankees one of the game's top rotations in 2009, presuming that Chien-Ming Wang, Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes came back healthy, and that Mike Mussina and/or Andy Pettitte returned.

Likewise, the addition of Teixeira would give the Yankees a younger, more productive offensive player than Jason Giambi, not to mention a far superior defender. The Yankees' dirty little secret this season is that their defense ranks among the worst in the majors, and Giambi is one of their many culprits.

Still, even if the Yankees landed Sabathia and Teixeira, they would be stuck with the same questionable group of young starting pitchers and many of the same underperforming hitters. The Yankees greatly overestimated both sets of players this season. Who's to say they won't make the same mistakes again?

Remember, the Yankees spent heavily last offseason — $275 million for third baseman Alex Rodriguez, $52.4 million for catcher Jorge Posada, $45 million for closer Mariano Rivera, $16 million each for Pettitte and right fielder Bobby Abreu. Those were all players who had proven they could play in New York. And yet, here are the Yankees, on track to miss the postseason for the first time since 1993.

Yes, they have been ravaged by injuries — particularly those to Wang and Chamberlain, their top two starters. However, physical breakdowns by 30-something veterans such as catcher Jorge Posada and left fielder Hideki Matsui should not come as surprises. Besides, with an Opening Day payroll of $209 million — by far the highest in the majors — no one wants to hear the Yankees' laments.

General manager Brian Cashman, in the final year of his contract, seemed to have the right idea when he committed to young pitching. The Yankees' offense, which was supposed to cover for any pitching shortcomings, might simply be in a one-year funk, the way the White Sox's attack was last season. But several of Cashman's decisions have yet to be validated, including the hiring of manager Joe Girardi, who still must prove that he can motivate a veteran club.

Cashman could have:

Instead, many of the Yankees' questions remain unanswered. We still don't know if Chamberlain can stay healthy or if Hughes can be a top- of-the-rotation starter. We do know that the Yankees' older players are not about to start trending upward. They are either in decline (hello, Derek Jeter) or a year closer to it (yes, even you, A-Rod).

Jeter is a particularly vexing subject. In the mind's eye of many fans, he is still 24. In reality, he is 34 and showing it. His defense at shortstop has improved slightly this season — Jeter ranks 23rd among qualifying major-league shortstops according to the Bill James Online plus-minus system, up from 31st in each of the previous two seasons. But he's still below-average defensively and little more than a singles hitter offensively; Jeter's on-base/slugging percentage is nearly 100 points lower than Jose Reyes' and nearly 200 points lower than Hanley Ramirez's.

At some point soon, the Yankees will need to move Jeter off short, but to where? Center field is the most obvious spot — Jeter's bat would be inadequate at first base — but the Yankees do not have a glaring need at the position. Cabrera, 24, could bounce back from his recent demotion to be least a plus defender and league-average hitter in center. If that doesn't happen, the Yankees eventually could turn to their top position prospect, Class AA outfielder Austin Jackson.

Here's the scary part: Jeter, according to the plus-minus defensive rating system, isn't even the Yankees' worst fielder relative to his peers. Giambi ranks 29th among first basemen, Cano 29th among second basemen, Bobby Abreu 33rd among right fielders. A-Rod is 16th among third basemen — just average.

The Yankees' defensive shortcomings are one reason they should refrain from re-signing Giambi or pursuing Manny Ramirez; the departures of Giambi and Abreu alone would help the defense. Frankly, the Yankees need to continue parlaying some of their young pitching into younger, more athletic position players — the way Cashman did when he traded for outfielder Xavier Nady, 29.

Other general managers wish they had the Yankees' resources, but for all of Cashman's advantages, he also faces unique challenges.

Rebuilding is not an option for the Yankees, and the ability to bestow lavish contracts is a blessing as well as a curse. Both Sabathia and Teixeira, for example, are 28, much younger than Posada, Rivera and A-Rod were when they re-signed with the Yankees last off-season. Still, a six-year commitment to Sabathia would not necessarily be prudent. Nor would an eight- to 10-year commitment to Teixeira.

From the Yankees' perspective, such concerns ultimately might prove irrelevant. They simply aren't developing players as effectively as the Red Sox, whose homegrown talents include left-hander Jon Lester and closer Jonathan Papelbon, plus first baseman Kevin Youkilis, second baseman Dustin Pedroia, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury and now shortstop Jed Lowrie.

Rest assured, the Yankees will make headlines with their offseason moves. Rest assured, they will be in the same uncomfortable position next Opening Day.