posted March 7, 2008 at 18:50 EST in MLB Articles

Although Johan Santana was on the table, the New York Yankees opted to have a relatively quiet winter and instead chose to build from within.

Their starting rotation projects to have Andy Pettitte and Chien-Ming Wang at the top, and a number of question marks filling the last three voids.

Burgeoning prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy will be counted on greatly this year, particularly Hughes. Joba Chamerlain, who ate up critical innings in a setup role last year, will now move into the starting rotation as an experiment. At age 39, Mike Mussina is still buzzing around but expectations are low for him at this point.

Without an ace and a youth movement being employed, it looks like the Yanks will count on their bats yet again.

Relief Pitching:

Mariano Rivera isn’t getting any younger and while the plan is to limit his work solely to the ninth inning, with Joba Chamberlain moving to the starting rotation, a new setup man has to emerge or Rivera will once again be entering in the eighth inning.

The other looming concern is that there is no lefty in the bullpen.

Kyle Farnsworth, Brian Bruney and LaTroy Hawkins are veteran arms who can chew up some innings but usually not very effectively. Again, the like the rotation, the hope is that some youngsters like Jose Veras and Ross Ohlendorf step up.

Batting Lineup:

Melky Cabrera is a solid up and comer while Robinson Cano could be a 30-home run hitter. The fact that those two guys will be batting eight and ninth in the Yankees lineup gives you an idea how potent their lineup is.

With Hideki Matsui moving to full-time DH, Jorge Posada off a career-year and Alex Rodriguez cleaning up, the Yankees are packed with power all the way through.

There are a lot of lefties in this lineup, which might make them susceptible to easier pitching matchups late in games.

Regular Season Wins: 94.5

The Yankees are thick on hitting and thin on pitching – sound familiar?

They didn’t splurge in free agency to fill a specific void in the bullpen or rotation and are planning to build from within.

While they continue to rely on the bats, a number of things concern me. Posada isn’t likely to repeat the monster season he posted and neither should A-Rod. He was in a contract year last year and traditionally, an athlete’s production drops in the first year of a big contract.

Johnny Damon isn’t particularly reliable and neither is Jason Giambi. There are chinks in the armor and a lot of things have to fall in place for a team to get to 95 wins. This win total is based more on their reputation.

MLB Free Picks: Under 94.5 Wins

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!