Can Girardi make the right moves?

I hope Joe Girardi had a good rest this offseason. He's going to need it. Three months after winning his first World Series title as a manager, the pressure to win another will be tremendous. And it starts as soon as he steps off the plane in Florida for spring training.

There are two major baseball decisions he will need to make. The first and most important is deciding who will be the fifth starter for the New York Yankees. The competition is mostly between Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes, with Alfredo Aceves, Chad Gaudin and Sergio Mitre in the mix. This won't be Girardi's decision alone as Brian Cashman & Co. will weigh in. But Girardi is going to be closest to the action so he may cast the deciding vote.

The Yankees manager will also have to settle who plays center field and who plays left. Given Girardi is a pitching and defense guy, my money is on Brett Gardner in center with Curtis Granderson in left.

Girardi made some good moves in spring training last year that helped the Yankees win, namely flipping Derek Jeter and Johnny Damon in the lineup. Can Girardi find that Midas touch again? We'll know soon.

Thanks to Keith Allison via Wikipedia for the photo.