With spring training around the corner, let's see how they've done so far. This is what was said then (by Sherman), and my comments are in italics:
1) When you can get a prime-aged ace, move heaven, earth, and -- certainly -- Phil Hughes to get him: My biggest reason for advocating the acquisition of Johan Santana has not changed since the offseason. The Yanks had been looking for just this kind of No. 1 starter. They had gone exotic (Hideki Irabu, Jose Contreras), old (Kevin Brown, Roger Clemens, Randy Johnson), and on belief they could grow one in their lab (Jeff Weaver, Javier Vasquez, Carl Pavano). Aside from Clemens in his first Yankees incarnation, these were pretty much expensive busts.
The Yankees took care of this by signing CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett to fill the void in the rotation. With the tandem of Sabathia, Burnett, and Wang, the Yankees are looking at three aces to lead the rotation. Throw in Joba Chamberlain and Andy Pettitte and the Yanks are good to go.
2) The prospects you have to know the best are your own: There are many reasons the Yankees recently had a dynasty. But right atop the list was that one-time GM Gene Michael did a great job of separating the keepers (Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada) from the disposable. Joe Girardi, Tino Martinez, Jeff Nelson, Paul O'Neill, and David Cone were among the key pieces to the dynasty that were obtained by dealing farmhands. Believe it or not, the people who ran the Yankees farm system in 1995 were as obsessed with not trading top pitching prospect Marty Janzen as any Yankees official was in keeping Hughes out of a Santana trade last offseason. If you are asking, Marty who? Exactly.
The Yankees have held on to their top prospects, which include Austin Jackson, Jesus Montero, and a wealth of others. The beauty of the free agent market is that the only compensation is draft picks, not current players.
3) These are the Yankees; earn your way into a significant role: Hughes and Kennedy had not done enough to earn no-questions-asked roles in the 2008 rotation, and the bigger mistake was believing not one, but two neophytes could step right into action.
For the most part, all of the positions are set for the Yanks. The only question marks are in the outfield. Brett Gardner, Melky Cabrera, and Nick Swisher will fight for the center field spot, while Nady, Swisher, Damon, and Matsui will fight for the corner outfield and DH spots. This year, unlike last year, the Yankees are not relying on young, inexperienced players in important spots.
4) Long-term contracts go only to those who play hard and concentrate fully: Again, why did the Yanks not know Cano better? They had seen him wander mentally for three seasons in the majors and several years in the minors before investing long-term in him.
The Yankees gave away long-term contracts to three players this offseason (Sabathia, Burnett, Teixeira). All three certainly earned them, but it will be important for them to hold up their end of the deal.
5) How do you de-emphasize the highest-paid, biggest star on your team?: It was nice mythology built around how Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees decided to come back together last offseason. And, yes, the word is "mythology." Mainly because Rodriguez claimed he returned only because what he wanted most was to be a Yankee. The reality -- besides money and the trappings of fame -- is that A-Rod has no idea what he wants. The true Yankee did not stick around for either the Home Run Derby or the whole All-Star game at Yankee Stadium, go to Bobby Murcer's memorial in Oklahoma City (like Jeter and Pettitte did), or show up at a reasonable time for Old-Timer's Day.
After recent events, here is how I answer the question: you can't. You just can't.