1. The Yankees have some problems.  Their starting rotation has Sidney Ponson and Darrell Rasner in it.  Two of their outfielders (Gardner and Cabrera) can't hit the ball out of a little league field.  Derek Jeter is having an off year.  Robinson Cano's OBP is under .300.  Damon and Matsui are on the DL.  Wang and Hughes might not be back this season.  And I had an affair with Alex Rodriguez.

By all reports, the Yankees front office is not going to make any major trades, and instead, will try to patch the leaks before the dam completely bursts.  Are the Yankees correct in pursuing this type of strategy?

I certainly wouldn't presume to know what's "correct". But I think what they're doing -- or rather, what they're expected to -- is certainly "defensible". I wouldn't discount the possibility of a small move here or there to bolster the bench or the bullpen, but before the season this looked like a 92-win team, and -- with the exception of Wang's absence -- not all that much has changed since then.
 

2. Rich Harden was just traded to the Cubs for not much of a haul. Are you surprised that Beane made this deal? Should the Yankees have made a move, or would the price have been higher considering they are an AL foe?

Seems like a pretty good haul to me. The A's got Matt Murton -- a solid fourth outfielder, at worst -- plus three of the Cubs' dozen or so best prospects. One of those prospects is Sean Gallagher, who I believe is good enough right now to start for most major-league teams. So no, in retrospect I'm not surprised, and we should also remember that that the A's know more about Harden than we (or the Cubs) do. As I said in my analysis for ESPN.com immediately after hearing about the deal, I won't be surprised if Gallagher wins more games than Harden over the next two or three seasons.
 

3. The Yankees have a big chunk of money coming off the books at the end of the season: Giambi, Mussina, Abreu, Pettitte, Farnsworth, Pavano, and Hawkins.  Assuming that they'll be major players for Sabathia (and maybe Teixiera and/or Ben Sheets) and knowing what players will remain and who they have in their farm system, where do you see the Yankees placing in the AL East over the next few years?

I see them entering next season as co-favorites with the Red Sox and the Rays ... and while things always change in baseball sooner than we expect, it's hard to see one of those teams separating itself from the
others anytime soon.
 

4. Which would be more important to the Yankees: acquiring CC Sabathia or acquiring Mark Teixiera?

I still believe that Hughes or Kennedy -- or for that matter, Alan Horne -- is going to develop, though considering the vintages of Mike Mussina and Andy Pettitte, it's not like the Yankees have too many young
starters. I tend to lean toward everyday players, and I'll note that the Rays and the Diamondbacks both traded for excellent young starting pitchers last winter. Also, is there any reason to think the Yanks can't afford
Sabathia and Teixeira?
 

5. At the time, did you think the Yankees should have made the move for Johan Santana, even if it meant losing Phil Hughes?  Has your opinion changed since then?

I didn't think the Yankees should have paid whatever it cost for Santana.  Obviously, today it's easy to second-guess their decision. But considering everything -- including the size of Santana's new contract, the luxury-tax implications, and his performance this season -- I still believe the Yankees did the right thing.
 

6. Based on your observations, what is the biggest surprise about this current Yankee season?

Oh, that's easy: Robinson Cano. One thing I just noticed ... In addition to all of his good things -- singles, doubles, triples, homers, walks -- being down this season, his strikeouts are way down, too. That's odd, isn't it?  This is little but rank speculation, but might Cano have changed his general approach this season? And if so, shouldn't he revert to his old approach?
 

7. Over the last couple seasons, we've seen your opinion change on Melky Cabrera. At first, he was a 4th OF. Then, after he experienced some success at a young age, you stated that he'll be a quality player for a long time.  So far this season, he's been a disappointment at the plate. What do you think of him now?

I still like him, as it's incredibly rare for a player to peak (statistically) at 21. It does happen, though. Look up Rick Manning.
 

8. In our recent interview with Tyler Kepner, he indicated that Jorge Posada will have labrum surgery at the end of the season.  How do you see Posada serving out the last 3 years of his deal?

The contract didn't look good for the Yankees when Posada signed it, and it looks worse now. Of course, they do have to spend all that money somewhere, and they might reasonably have guessed that Posada would play well for at least a couple of seasons. It just won't work out that way, probably.
 

9. At NoMaas, we've been pushing for the front office to sign Barry Bonds, especially since his agent announced he'd be willing to play for the pro-rated minimum. As unfeasible as that may be with the New York media, why has nobody signed this guy? He'd be huge bat to add to any lineup.

There are legitimate questions about his defense, his durability, his hitting (considering the long layoff), and his impact on team chemistry. One or two of these, in isolation, would make a poor argument against signing him. But you add them all up and I simply can't fault a team for demurring.
 

10. Yes or no: Do the Yankees make the playoffs this season?

No. I don't mean to discount their chances, and I do believe they'll still be playing important games in September. But the Red Sox and the Rays look awfully strong right now. And I'm guessing the A's and/or the Tigers will be fighting for the Wild Card, too.
 

11. Tell us what's going in the world of Rob Neyer.  Any new projects we should be aware of, besides your latest book, Big Book of Baseball Legends?

Nope. I'm afraid blogging's a full-time job (just ask my wife). What little spare computer time I do have, I've been devoting to helping other people with various book projects. I've had a lot of help writing my books over the years, and it's time for me to return the favor. At least during this summer. Next winter I'll probably return to a few book ideas that I've been kicking around, but I have no idea if anything will come of them.