Via Cot's.
The Yankees' Financial Commitments
Giambi: $21 million dollars/ 1 years (+$22/1 or $5 buyout).
Jeter: $61/3
Abreu: $16/1
Rivera: $45/3
Posada: 52.4/4
Damon: 26/2
Matsui: 26/2
Mussina: 11/1
Farnsworth: 10.75/2
Igawa: 16/4
Last Year's Major Offseason Trades
Sheffield (13/1) for Sanchez AAA, Whelan A+, Claggett A-).
Garcia (10/1) for Gavin Floyd AAA, Gonzalez AA.
McCarthy (min) for Johnny Danks AAA, Rasner A-, Masset MLB
The first thing that jumps out at me is pfisty's Kenny Williams comments, since Kenny was involved in 2 of these trades.
The second thing (and the more important observation) is that all three of last year's big moves involved team unloading a player who was viewed as an extra part for a combination of MLB-ready talent (Floyd, Danks, Masset) and high projection players (Sanchez, Whelan, Gonzelz, Rasner).
The third point, as has been noted elsewhere, is that with salaries for aged but decent players rising exorbitantly the Yankees have several players who have greater value on the auction block than they have on the field (Damon, Matsui, Farnsworth).
Looking at the Yankees' commitments, what kind of return would you expect?