So I actually thought that New York baseball was dead. Ok, maybe not dead, but definitely in decline. The New York Yankees were letting go of most of their high priced free agents walk. They were loading up on younger talent like Xavier Nady and veterans like Nick Swisher. These players were going to help with a few wins, but the big spending days with star-studded lineups were over.

The Mets were the Mets. They may have big bats with David Wright, Carlos Delgado, and Carlos Beltran and they may even have a Cy Young-caliber pitcher in Johan Santana, but they play in Shea and that seemed like it was enough to keep them out of the playoffs.

Then it happened. The offseason action started to pick up and both teams made impressive moves. The Yankees are on their way to signing C.C. Sabathia. They lost out to the Milwaukee Brewers when the Cleveland Indians put his name on the market in midseason. The Yankees did not have the prospects to seriously interest the Indians, but in the offseason they have the dollar to draw the top tier free agents.

Sabathia will reportedly sign a seven year, $160 million deal. This gives the Yankees a remarkable 1-2 combination in the starting rotation. Chien-Ming Wang has been an excellent starter when healthy and was to be the ace of the staff until this signing. Phil Hughes, Alfredo Aceves, and Dan Giese do not really offer much pizzazz throughout the remainder of the rotation, but it is still early and there are still moves to make.

It seemed like last season Mets tickets were good until the 7th inning, when the bullpen would give away the hard fought win. Well, the team signed K-Rod to a three-year deal to stop the perceived relief leak. Francisco Rodriguez is coming off a MLB-record save season with the Angels and has found a $37 million reward to bring him to New York.

The Mets starters were quite good and the offense was quite prolific last season. The second place finish was a result of the Philadelphia Phillies and a number of bullpen breakdowns. Rodriguez will replace Billy Wagner and should be able to preserve those leads through the season.

The Yankees will still have a difficult time contending with the Red Sox and perhaps the Rays (if last season was not a fluke). The Mets were already very close to the Phillies last season in one of the best pennant races in the National League. The addition to both pitching staffs should make them instant contenders once the writers start fantasizing about the season come spring.