The Yankees won their division in the 2011 season and failed to go past the first round, suffering a 3 to 2 game loss to the Detroit Tigers. Many critics say the Yankees need to build on their starting rotation this offseason. Last season's rotation consisted of Sabathia, Nova Garcia, Colon and Burnett. Only guy consistent was Sabathia. Nova who had a great season is young and therefore a little shaky to put at the 2 spot of the rotation. During this offseason the Yankees got cooking. Instead of going after pitchers CJ Wilson and Mark Buehrle, the Yankees pursued other options.

First was the trade for Pineda who pitches for the Seattle Mariners. Each team gave up a talented young player. The Mariners gave up Pineda and the Yankees gave up Montero. Jesus Montero has the potential of being a great hitter in the MLB, while Pineda has a chance to be a great pitcher in the MLB. However, the Yankees have tons of offense so losing Montero may not be that detrimental to the team. So let's take a look at Pineda. Pineda stands at 6 foot 7 inches and weighs in at 260 pounds. After a hot start in the first half of last season making the all star, he has then struggled to win. He finished with a 9 and 10 record with a ERA of 3.74. He could start at the second sport of the rotation and give Nova a more comfortable sport at the third spot of the rotation. The other acquisition for the Yankees was free agent Hiroki Kuroda. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Last season he was 13 and 16 with a ERA of 3.07. He is a great pitcher to have in the starting rotation and he will be a solid pick for either the third or fourth rotation spot, based on how the team wants to play it with Nova. With both pitchers Pineda and Kuroda, their records should be much better with the high powered Yankees offense.

Now with the four pitchers listed: Sabathia, Pineda, Nova and Kuroda, we now look to see who will fill that fifth spot. You got Garcia, Burnett and Hughes. Stats are pretty identical and you aren't losing much if you chooses one or the other. For me its Garcia. Hughes hasn't been able to step up as a starting pitcher consistently, he is better off as a bullpen guy. Burnett is inconsistent and can lose any game no matter the lead. Garcia may not be much better then these guys, but a lot was expected from him when you had Nova who was a rookie coming into last season, Burnett who was two-face, Colon who was nothing special and Hughes who is inconsistent. Garcia is now given the chance to start at the fifth spot and just maintain games. With Robertson, Soriano and River in your bullpen, you won't need to play too many innings.

With these new pitchers added, I believe they are a automatic contender for the World Series. The Yankees offense produces so many runs, that the pitchers only need to maintain the game. This will give them a great regular season record and they should win the division. Playoff wins rely heavily on pitching and good pitching at that. The Yankees didn't have that, so they would produce three or four runs, but their pitching would give up six to seven runs. With the Pineda and Kuroda, they should be able to keep games close, giving the Yankees a chance to capitalize. This season should be a bright one.