Grandy A Yankee, Andy Too

As the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis come to a close, Brian Cashman boards the flight back to New York with a couple of souvenirs in tow.

The Yankees' roster had two major concerns going into this Hot Stove season: Starting pitching depth, behind CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, and an incomplete outfield.

Cashman addressed both issues while in the Hoosier State.

The re-signing of Andy Pettitte was inevitable once the 37-year-old lefty decided he was to pitch another season.

The money is a bit higher than the Yankees would have liked, but a Steinbrenner will always shell out an extra million bucks or two to get the man he wants.

The Yanks dodged a bullet in '08 with Burnett not once landing on the DL and needed someone who can step into the No. 2 starter role should A.J.'s slate not be as clean next season.

Pettitte is a proven playoff commodity who has the veteran guile it takes to get it done should his aging arm misbehave.

In a three-way trade with the Tigers and Diamondbacks, the Yankees solved the outfield dilemma acquiring Curtis Granderson while not relinquishing much in terms of major league-ready talent.

Grandy is one of baseball's good guys as well as one of the game's top athletes.

Cashman and the Yankees have put a premium on good attitude after seeing the results of ignoring demeanor early this decade. (Randy Johnson, Gary Sheffield.)

Departing New York in return for Granderson: Phil Coke, a solid lefty reliever who found his way into Joe Girardi's doghouse in the postseason, Ian Kennedy, who has shown nothing more than back of the rotation potential when given a major league opportunity, and Austin Jackson, a 22-year-old athletic center fielder whom many Yankees fans began penciling into the 2011 starting lineup prematurely.

Coke's replacement, Damason Marte, is already on the roster. Kennedy is a 25-year-old coming off an aneurysm. Jackson's upside is fairly similar to what Granderson has already developed into -- though flip-flop Austin's batting average with Curtis's power.

Coming off a down season, as is Granderson, is when quality players are available for cheap. Had this trade taken place in the off-season following Granderson's 2007 MVP-type season, the Yankees would have had to depart with Phil Hughes or Joba Chamberlain.

With his batting average below .250 in 2009 and erratic fielding, the 28-year-old (he'll be 29 by Opening Day) is by no means the perfect center fielder. However, the Yanks can rely on a power bat (19 plus homers each of the past four seasons).

The arrival of Granderson in the Bronx also gives the Yankees leverage in negotiating with Johnny Damon.

Nick Swisher in right field, Grandy in left and a platoon of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner in center improves the outfield and only slight downgrades the lineup compared to the 2009 championship club.

If Damon does agree to a reasonable contract -- by Cashman's definition -- the Bombers have upgraded the only weak everyday position.

A meager .183 average vs. lefties has been a point of contention against importing Granderson.

However, in reality, less than one-third of an everyday player's at-bats come against southpaws. The number figures to be even lower if Granderson is sandwiched between Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira -- his projected lineup spot should Damon not return -- because of the duos prowess against left-handed hurlers.

Rumors will continue to swirl as to the landing spots of Roy Halladay, John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay. But, Cashman can sit back, content that the two biggest voids in the Bombers' roster were filled.

Of course, if the Red Sox make a run at any of those four, don't count the Yankees out -- as we learned last year with Teixeira.