The 23-year-old phenom spent his rookie season playing for the small market Seattle Mariners, where he won nine games for a team that managed only 67 wins and finished dead last in the American League West division.

The biggest question for Pineda is if he'll be able to handle pitching on the brightest stage in professional sports.

While that question can't be answered until the end of April, the Dominican-born starter has proved his worth in the MLB.

At first glance his 9-10 record doesn't seem impressive, but when you consider who he played for and his other statistics, you can see the full potential of the Yankee's newest arm.

The 6-7, 260 lb. righty led all rookies last season in strikeouts with 173 in 171 innings of work, and also featured a 3.74 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. 

He also displayed his durability last season, as he started 28 games, which was tied for the second-most among all rookies. Also impressive is the fact that Pineda accumulated 3.4 wins above replacement, and the fact that opposing hitters averaged a mere .211 against him last season.

Pineda, who earned a spot on the AL All-Star team as a rookie, has already proven that he can pitch in the American League by earning victories against solid ball clubs.

On April 28, he earned a victory over the Detroit Tigers that saw him go six innings, surrendering just four hits and striking out nine.

On May 27, he earned a victory over the Yankees, throwing five solid innings of three-hit ball and striking out five, and he also was victorious over the Tampa Bay Rays on July 30, when he allowed just one hit and fanned 10 in 6.1 innings.

To put his season into perspective, only Brandon Morrow (10.19) struck out more batters in the AL per nine innings than Pineda (9.11). 

Only time will tell what Pineda can accomplish in New York.

But we do know one thing; if Pineda can overcome the lights of the big stage, he's poised for a successful career in the Big Apple.

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The woman with whom Cashman allegedly had an affair, Louise Neathway, has been charged with stalking and extortion as she reportedly was blackmailing Cashman for thousands of dollars in exchange for keeping the affair a secret.

The Associated Press is also reporting that Cashman and his wife have been separated and living apart for a year. With spring training quickly approaching, Cashman will need to find a way to put this situation behind him and focus on baseball.

Cashman has been the Yankees' GM since 1998 and has won four World Series during his time in that post. He has certainly come under fire at times since the only acceptable result in New York is winning it all, but he has been largely successful.

The Yankees' 2012 offseason started off quite slowly, but Cashman ultimately made it a good one. He dealt catcher prospect Jesus Montero to the Seattle Mariners for young fireballer Michael Pineda. On top of that, he inked Japanese starter Hiroki Kuroda to further bolster what once looked to be a weak starting rotation.

New York disappointed in the playoffs last year as it fell to the Detroit Tigers in five games in the American League Divisional Series. The Yanks last won a World Series in 2009, but thanks to a much-improved pitching staff and a great offense, New York will be one of the favorites in 2012.

The 44-year-old Cashman signed a three-year extension with the Yankees in November 2011, and there has been no indication that his current situation will have any effect on his job standing. Even so, this can't be the way Cashman wanted to start the season.

When it comes to athletes or those involved in sports having off-the-field issues, they usually go one of two ways. They either let their personal issues affect their job performance and fail, or they use their job as an outlet to escape and excel even more.

The Yankee organization is obviously hoping that Cashman will fit in with the latter group rather than the former. It isn't as if Cashman needed any more attention since he already works in the New York market, so this will certainly test his mettle in a lot of ways.

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Jeter hit .270/.330/.353 prior to the All Star break and was batting .257 with just two home runs on the day he collected his historic 3,000th hit.

He had a remarkable second half, however, hitting .327/.383/.428. He finished up the year with a respectable .297/.355/.388 line with six home runs and 61 RBI.

Jeter's second half resurgence shows that he still has a little something left in the tank. He is just three seasons removed from a third-place finish in the American League MVP voting, when he hit .334/.406/.465 with 18 home runs, 66 RBI and 30 stolen bases.

Although he's lost a step or two defensively, and despite what advanced statistics tell us, Jeter is still one of the better defending shortstops in the league. Sure, he may not get to as many balls as he used to, but he's relatively sure-handed on the balls he is able to reach.

I expect another good season from Jeter this year.

He will be hungry for a championship this season, possibly more so than ever before. He knows he may have only one more season with teammate Mariano Rivera, and after seeing Andy Pettitte and Jorge Posada retire in consecutive seasons, he knows that the clock's ticking.

Jeter will retain his No. 2 spot in the lineup in 2012, at least for one more season, and will help to set up the bigger bats in the lineup. He is still capable of scoring 90 to 100 runs, as well as collecting close to 200 hits.

A perennial .300 hitter every season, I think Jeter has one more left. He should hover around a line of .300/.360/.390 with 10 home runs and 60 RBI.

Even if Jeter produces the next two seasons, expect a retirement announcement from the Yankee Captain following the 2013 campaign. He's had a long, successful career, and deserves a happy retirement.

Should he retire after 2013, he'll be retiring just as his teammates, Pettitte and Posada, did—on top.

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The "experts" were certain that the Yankees would repeat as pennant winners for the next few years, but as is often the case, the experts were wrong.

It wasn't until 1936 that the Yankees returned to the World Series. The New York Giants stopped the Yankees' World Series winning streak with a convincing 6-1 victory in the opener at the Polo Grounds.

The Yankees won the 1936 Series in six games.

The next season, the Yankees and Giants met again, and once again the Yankees prevailed, this time in five games. The Yankees won the first three games, lost Game 4 and finished off the Giants in the fifth game.

The Yankees swept the Cubs for the second time in seven seasons in 1938. They followed that with a sweep of the Cincinnati Reds in 1939 to bring their World Series winning streak to nine game.

The Detroit Tigers won the 1940 pennant, but the Yankees came back with a vengeance in 1941 to win the pennant by 17 games over the Boston Red Sox. The Brooklyn Dodgers were the National League champions.

The Yankees won the Series opener to bring their streak to 10 consecutive World Series games, but Brooklyn won the second game to snap the streak.

Very few of us today saw those great Yankees teams, but most of us saw the team that was better than any of them. The 1996-99 Yankees were greater than the 1927-32 teams. It is impossible to determine that objectively, but that is the position here.

The earlier teams had two of the greatest stars ever, but the Yankees in the last years of the 20th century were a much more balanced team.

The Atlanta Braves, with a pitching staff led by Greg Maddux, John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mark Wohlers, beat the Yankees soundly in the first two games of the 1996 World Series.

The Yankees swept the next four games.

In 1998, the Yankees swept the San Diego Padres, and in 1999, they swept the Braves. The winning streak against the Braves, which is still in tact, was eight games.

The World Series winning streak of 12 games tied the Yankees' longest World Series winning streak.

The New York Mets, a Wild Card team, faced the Yankees in 2000. The Yankees won the first two games to stretch the streak to 14 games, but the Mets won Game 3 to snap the streak.

The longest regular season winning streak is 26 games set by the 1916 New York Giants. In 1947, the Yankees won 19 consecutive games, which is a team record.

For a team to win 26 consecutive games is a remarkable feat, but some of the teams the 1916 Giants played were weak sisters. Not taking anything away from the Giants, but the Yankees' 14-game World Series streak must be ranked as a more remarkable achievement.

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The title of best second baseman in team history most likely goes to the great Tony Lazzeri.

Lazzeri sports a career slash line of .293/.379/.467 with 169 home runs and 1,154 RBIs in 12 seasons wearing the pinstripes.

Cano, through seven seasons, owns a slash line of .308/.347/.496 with 144 home runs and 621 RBIs. 

Through his first seven seasons, Lazzeri posted a .306/.384/.487 with 96 home runs and 721 RBIs.

Comparatively, Cano seems to be on pace to exceed Lazzeri in nearly each major offensive category.

Ever since being called up to replace the struggling Tony Womack in 2005, Cano has displayed pure hitting ability unlike most others in the game. 

In just his second season in the league, Cano hit an astounding .342 in 122 games.

Cano improved in each of his first three seasons until 2008, when he had a very down year.  In 159 games, he hit .271/.305/.410 with 14 home runs and 72 RBIs.

He silenced any doubters he had in 2009, placing No. 17 in MVP voting with 25 home runs, 85 RBIs and a .320/.352/.520 slash line.  He was one of the main cogs in the Yankees' title run.

But Cano's best season to date came in 2010.  He posted a .319/.381/.534 line with a career-high 29 home runs and 109 RBIs. 

He also walked a career-high 57 times.  His great season resulted in a No. 3 finish in the MVP voting.

Last season, Cano saw similar success.  But after posting yet another great season, the question is this: Is this now Cano's team?

Simply put, the answer is yes.

And it should be a resounding "yes" after another strong performance in 2012, as Cano will prove that he's a better hitter than Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira and even Derek Jeter.

In no way am I hating on the aforementioned players.  They are all very important to the club.

That being said, Cano sports a skill set that sports fans haven't seen in quite some time; broadcaster Michael Kay constantly compares him to the great Rod Carew.

I predict that Cano will be the 2012 MVP, proving that he will be the premier player on the roster. Expect a season of .330/.375/.540 from Cano, with career highs in home runs (35) and RBIs (125).

The Bombers are now Cano's team, and pitchers around the league should take notice. 

If they don't, they'll be contributing to the immaculate legacy that is currently being sculpted by Cano.

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According to the website, Meanwell had a voicemail, a recorded phone conversation, a deposit slip and a recommendation letter on Yankees letterhead from Cashman.

According to the New York Post, Meanwell said that Cashman called her and visited about twice a week and gave her Yankees tickets. She also showed pajama pants and a toothbrush she claimed Cashman left at her apartment.

A few days ago, Meanwell allegedly called Cashman's wife, with whom he no longer lives, to inform her that she was the woman with whom Cashman was having an affair.

“I’m finished with him destroying my life and his family.”

What is of interest is that Cashman allegedly gave her $6,200 to help pay for the lease on her apartment. The $6,200 was an attempt by Cashman to extricate himself from the situation. Deadspin has an image of a deposit slip Meanwell says documents a payment from Cashman.

The reports state that Meanwell claims Cashman has given her about $20,000 during the course of their relationship.

It appears that Meanwell and Cashman agree that he provided the money. Cashman claims it was an extortion scheme, however, while Meanwell ways it was money for rent.

According to the reports, Meanwell was arrested outside of her apartment on Leonard Street in TriBeCa on Wednesday. She has been charged with grand larceny, attempted grand larceny, stalking and aggravated harassment.

The Post quoted Meanwell's lawyer, Stephen McCarthy, as saying the case is about “a married man having an inappropriate relationship that ended badly.”

He was confident that all charges against his client will be dropped. "We have dozens of witnesses who are prepared to place the DA’s case in complete jeopardy,” he said.

Only a fool would attempt to draw any conclusions. That is for a jury to decide unless a deal is struck.

Regardless of the truth, regardless of how the situation plays out and regardless of what one wants to believe, the entire affair (read that word any way you want) is a terrible distraction for the greatest organization in the history of sports.

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So when those players—who have produced expectations of glory, maybe through promising spring trainings or big contracts—fail to live up to the hype, it becomes a more painful reality fans have to live with.  

With enhanced scouting and outrageous contracts leading the way for major-league teams to improve, here are ten baseball fails to jog your memory.  Hopefully, it’s not too painful to remember.

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On the block are both A.J. Burnett and Phil Hughes.

Hughes is the more attractive piece of the two. He's a former top prospect of the Bombers and is only 26 years old with a small salary. Burnett, on the other hand, is a lot older and has had two very bad seasons in a row and costs much more than Hughes.

The only hope the Bombers have of moving Burnett is picking up more of his salary over the next two years of his current deal.

Putting the money aside, there are several teams out there who could use a starting pitcher and the Yanks have an extra few to spare. Here are 10 teams that fit that bill.

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Teixeira gave Yankees fans what they had been missing since the departure of Tino Martinez, an apt-fielding first baseman who could also be a force in the middle of the lineup.

Jason Giambi, the successor to Tino Martinez, was a more-than-capable bat in the middle of the lineup during his tenure in the Bronx, but his fielding left much to be desired. It was so bad that he actually finished up his Yankee career as the designated hitter.

All signs point to Teixeira staying there long-term, however, as his defensive prowess is known throughout the entire league.

His first season in pinstripes was a great success, as the Yankees defeated the Phillies in the 2009 World Series. Tex was arguably the Yankees' best player that season, hitting .292/.383/.565 with a league-leading 39 home runs and 122 RBI. He was an All-Star that season, a Silver Slugger recipient and Gold Glove Award winner.

Not to mention he finished second in the American League MVP voting.

Over the past two seasons, Teixeira has struggled at times with keeping his batting average up. His 2010 and 2011 seasons have resulted in a .252 average with an average of 36 home runs and 110 RBI. 

The .040 point dip in batting average is astonishing, as his lowest batting average over any other two-year span during his career was a .270 clip, which he had during his first two seasons in Texas.

Recently, Tex has gone on record saying that he will try to bunt a bit more in 2012 in hopes of beating the defensive shifts that managers across the league employ on him. He's said, "If they're playing a big shift, I might lay some bunts down this year...if i can beat the shift that way, that's important."

Tex has the right mindset coming into spring training this season. Always an optimistic guy, he realizes that both himself and the team will be better off if he lays down a bunt a week this season.

He knows quite well that he was signed to be a power bat in the middle of the lineup. He understands that the club still needs him to hit his share of home runs, but sacrificing a few of those deep fly balls for sure fire singles the other way would definitely be beneficial to the club.

If he does what he says he will, expect Teixeira's batting average and on-base percentage to rise a bit in 2012, possibly reaching .275 and .375, respectively. If that happens, we may see a drop in home runs, but not a large one. He'll still hit 35 home runs.

Heck, his run production might even be better given an increase in hits. He could possibly knock in around 120 runs, similar to his first season in pinstripes.

Although last season was a down season for Teixeira, it was still a productive one. Expect another productive season from the big first baseman in 2012, and don't be surprised if he gets a few bunt singles along the way.

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Ruth was convinced that his visit to Japan during the fall of 1934 had sealed the friendship between the Japanese and the Americans enough to forestall any war between them.

When the Japanese attacked the United States on Dec. 7, 1941, Ruth was in his apartment on Riverside Drive. He was absolutely furious.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was more than an attack on America. It was an attack on Babe Ruth. It was a personal betrayal.

Ruth stormed into the living room where there were souvenirs of the Japan trip. He opened the window that looked down on Riverside Drive, grabbed a vase and heaved it out the window to the street below. Other items followed.

Robert K. Fitts presents a magnificent account of the 1934 baseball tour of Japan headed by Babe Ruth in   Banzai Babe Ruth.  The primary goal was to use baseball to prevent a potential war.

Fitts weaves history, political intrigue and baseball together as he reveals insights into Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earl Averill, Moe Berg, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Gomez and Connie Mack. One of Mack's goals was to determine if Ruth had the discipline to manage his Philadelphia Athletics.

An incident involving Babe and Claire Ruth and Lou and Eleanor Gehrig on the cruise to Japan is revealing.

Fitts cites Eleanor Gehrig's My Luke and I in which she wrote that she saw Babe sitting alone in his cabin, surrounded by caviar and champagne. Eleanor joined Babe for about two hours.

Lou Gehrig was besides himself, He couldn't find his wife. Thoughts that she had fallen overboard filled his mind. He eventually organized the crew into search parties to search the boat and scan the ocean.

When Eleanor finally appeared Gehrig was overjoyed...until she revealed where she had been.

Eleanor told Lou that she had been in Babe's cabin because she loved fine food. Author Leigh Montville wrote that Ruth never had many platonic relationships.

Gehrig refused to speak with Eleanor for days.

The differences in the Japanese and American cultures, as well as the differences in attitudes toward how baseball should be approached, sheds light on how the game is radically different today in both countries compared to the first part of the 20th century.

The Japanese never went for the double play. With runners on first and second and no outs, they always took the force out at third on a ground ball hit to third instead of trying for an around-the-horn twin killing. They were fine pitchers but poor batters.

Japanese players from the 1930s would have been appalled at Barry Bonds remaining in the batter's box as he watched his deep drive to right field hit the top of the wall, start to run and get thrown out at third base.

Banzai Babe Ruth is a unique work that makes us examine the greatest player of all time, the greatest game of all time and the greatest country of all time.

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