In 2009 the Yankees opened a new stadium, won 103 games in the regular season, and won their 27th World Series championship. The season’s success was a team effort as much as any of the Yankees’ championships, as eight of the nine regulars in the starting lineup posted an OPS+ of 118 or better on the season.
With such remarkable depth in the lineup, one would assume that re-tooling heading into 2010 wouldn’t be necessary. The issue, however, was that the one regular who wasn’t quite meeting expectations was center fielder Melky Cabrera. Looking to upgrade the center field position, the Yankees took part in a three-team deal that a Venn diagram would be required to clearly detail.