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With the dust still settling on the 2011 World Series, the 2012 Major League Baseball season is still a long way off. However, in a few months, teams around the country will commence an annual ritual that enables managers, fans and journalists to gaze into the future in order to try and form a picture of what the upcoming season may be like. We're talking about spring training, of course, and for the Yankees it should end up being a means to establishing a good starting rotation. The Yankees are scheduled to kick off their spring training in early March, but New York Yankees Spring Training Tickets are already being buzzed about as the Yankees try to put together a team that can once again challenge for a World Series.  

2011 was a good season for the Yankees, though good doesn’t usually cut it in the Bronx.  Even though the Yankees were able to beat out the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox for the division title, they were eliminated from the playoffs by the Detroit Tigers and sent home a few wins shy of expectations.  With the Yankees clearly expected to challenge for a title again next year, baseball experts around the country know that they’ll have to do slightly better in their starting rotation if they’re expected to get the job done.

One name that is continually talked about in connection with the Yankees is that of Yu Darvish. The 25-year-old is a sensation in his native Japan where he plays for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. With several Major League Baseball teams scouting him out, Darvish is a hot prospect, and the Yanks will certainly have to splash the cash to get him into the pitching rotation along with their extensive current pitching roster.  Another Japanese pitcher who may be in Girardi's sights is Hiroki Kuroda.  Kuroda was released by the Dodgers at the end of the season and is currently a free agent. While the Yankees have publicly avoided any talk of the 36-year-old joining the roster, it is thought that there is interest behind the scenes, as the Yankees need to start filling in their rotation after the steady and reliable C.C. Sabathia.

 But if the Yankees have proven anything in recent years it’s that you never know what strings they’re going to pull.  Last season, it was forgotten veterans like Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon that ended up making a big impact on their starting rotation, though neither looks like a long-term solution to their inconsistency issues.  Though Sabathia has clearly been worth every penny that he’s received so far from the team, questions still swirl around A.J. Burnett, who still shows off the occasional transcendent talent that he possesses but has largely underachieved in Pinstripes.

And the pressure is also on, as for once the Yankees weren’t the team to make the biggest splash in free agency.  The Los Angeles Angels opened up the coffers to sign Albert Pujols, widely considered the best player in baseball, and they also tacked on C.J. Wilson to an already formidable starting rotation.  With the Yankees looking to get a starting rotation that can compete with the other top teams in the American League, spring training won’t be just exhibition baseball for the Pinstripes this season.