Yanks: Old and shot or merely struggling?

BALTIMORE

An AL scout who watched the Yankees a handful of times during the Grapefruit League season stood by the elevator at Steinbrenner Field after a game toward the end of spring training.

"You know what your biggest worry is?" he asked a reporter.

"Everyone talks about the rotation, but these guys will always be able to go out and get someone," the scout said. "But what do things look like if everyone gets old at the same time?"

That was a reference to Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera.

Never did some form of that question get more discussion -- Rivera, of course, was exempt -- than during the Yankees' recent six-game losing streak, one that exposed the simmering discord between some of those aging stars, most notably Posada and Jeter, and the front office.

The Yankees rebounded to win their next two heading into Thursday night's game against the Orioles. But the question remains: Was the streak a product of what manager Joe Girardi and general manager Brian Cashman contended -- that the Rays and Red Sox went through early difficulties and that this was the Yankees' turn? Or are the Yankees old and slow, with undefeated Father Time exacting his toll all at once?

"Tampa went through their struggles, as well as Boston, and obviously now they've come through it," Cashman said before Sunday night's game against Boston, the Yankees' fifth straight loss. "It appears it's our turn to struggle. It's not something you want but it's something that happens."

One opposing scout said this week he thinks Posada is "done," Jeter is "close to done" and A-Rod "is the only one of the three that still scares you" but that the slugger "obviously" is not what he once was.

Rivera, the scout quickly added, remains "a marvel."

Another talent evaluator wasn't as harsh. First, he had his own question: "Tell me who is hitting in that lineup?"

Certainly, it isn't only A-Rod, Jeter and Posada who have looked bad. Nick Swisher's early-season slump has continued; Mark Teixeira and even Robinson Cano at times haven't hit.

Speaking of Rodriguez, Jeter and Posada, the talent evaluator said: "These guys are top athletes with track records. You don't throw that away because of a bad first two months."

The area most mentioned as the team's greatest weakness leaving camp -- the rotation -- to this point has been the most consistent part of the team. The bullpen, touted as the best in baseball by many in spring training, has been inconsistent. The $35-million setup man just landed on the disabled list.

All of that said, entering Thursday night, the Yankees were 22-19, two games behind first-place Tampa Bay and a half-game ahead of Boston. Last-place Baltimore entered the night only three games under .500.

"What does that tell you about the division?" one scout said. "The Rays lost their entire bullpen, first baseman [Carlos Peña] and leftfielder [Carl Crawford] and are still in first."

The Yankees have problems, the scout said, but "everyone in the division does."

Barring a slew of injuries, he said, "I believe they're still going to be in [the race] till the end."