Yankee Notes-November 19 edition

-Joel Sherman nails why the Yanks won’t go the extra mile to acquire a budding star like Justin Upton

It is tempting. Upton is just 23. He is locked into a reasonable contract (five years at $49.5 million left). But if the Yanks use prospect assets on Upton and there is a breakdown somewhere else would the Yanks beat themselves up for upgrading a relatively strong position and then not having the elements left to fix a weakness?

I would add that with the Yankee payroll becoming increasingly top heavy over the next few years, having good, cheap options to fill out the roster will become more valuable than ever. Trading off your high-end depth is something you’re likely to regret. We all love the stars, but you need most of the 40 man roster to get through a season. Given the age at some key spots, it’s even more of an imperative.

-WFAN’s Sweeney Murti discusses the ramifications of breaking the bank for Derek:

What if Jeter hits .250 next year and you’re locked into him for the next three years at $20 million a year? You’re talking about really hindering your ability to do things that would make the team better. It’s not like whatever the Yankees give Jeter is going to keep them from throwing tons of money at Cliff Lee. Where it usually hurts the Yankees is when they draw the line with some of their bench guys or relief pitchers. They think, “You know, I’m not ready to give a solid bench player or reliever $4 million when I can get a guy cheaper at $2 million,” even if the cheaper guy has lesser ability.

-Lou Pinella set to rejoin the Yanks, in a consultant capacity.

Piniella, a former Yankees manager and player, spent 30 minutes with Hank Steinbrenner, and the club’s co-chairman said that he’s sure Piniella will take part in the festivities, according to the report. Steinbrenner also said that he hopes Piniella will consider rejoining the organization in an advisory role and that the former Yankee will “always be a consultant for me.”

Don’t read too much into this. If you’ve watched any of his postgame press conferences where he’s discussed his future, he often mentioned his standing offer to return to the Yanks once his mangerial days are over. Lou has long been friends with the Steinbrenner family as a former player, Tampa native and horse racing enthusiast.

-Dream On, Dream On, Dream On, Dream until the dream come true

-JC Bradbury thinks Abert Pujols’ extension could approach 40 mil per year, and his  rationale helps explain why John Buck and Joakim Benoit got the contracts they did. The days of the 200 mil Yankee payroll will soon be coming an end, it’s going to be upwards of 250+ in a few years at these prices.