What percentage of New York's payroll covers AARP membership?

When spring training hits, the Bombers will hardly look like spring chickens, and that's not even accounting for Alex Rodriguez (hip), who may not play at all in 2012.

Besides the two staples, Ichiro Suzuki (39 years old) and Kevin Youkilis (34 in March) occupy prominent lineup places, and majority DH work will go to Travis Hafner (36 in June). Hiroki Kuroda (38th birthday coming this Sunday) and Andy Pettitte (41 in June) hope to be the fine wines of the rotation.

Ichiroll with the Punch and Judy?

Luckily, the House that George Built aids the preservation of bat skills even as bodies wear down. The Ichiroll that took place last summer was exaggerated but not a fluke; a similar steals- and clip-leaning line has a better chance of sticking now that he calls the Bronx home. There's little to gain, however, for paying full price for a repeat that won't be much better than his last two seasonal lines.

The newly shorn Youkilis has tweaked his swing a bit, but he's more known of late for his pattern of dings that have kept him below 450 at-bats in every season since 2009. His brief revival with the Chicago White Sox says he can be productive again as long as you temper his expected at-bat yield and pay accordingly.

Speaking of damaged goods, the Hafner inking could pay off because of his left-handed power that seems like a perfect weapon for this park. Unfortunately, he'll somehow have to steal time versus southpaws - and stay off the DL - to be worth anything more than a mixed rental in most cases. His walk and strikeout rates improved last year, though, so maybe he has one more noteworthy year left in there.

The sinker-balling Kuroda boasts the necessary components to combat his age and his rough home ambience and will be bought accordingly in most rooms. He's not an ace, but he's a stable roto complement.

Pettitte probably made the right decision in declining a World Baseball Classic invitation; they want to handle him gently as he tries to sustain at least part of his brief but brilliant 2012. He's worked with gaudy left-on-base percentages before, but the 80.2 he produced last year will come down. And it's always hard to bank on over-the-hill finesse pitchers repeating nearly elite K levels.