You can let Posada DH sometimes to give him a rest, but why not just let Matsui DH and give Posada a full day off? Besides, if you do need to PH for Cervelli you’re better off having Posada come off the bench to do that, so he can catch. If he’s DH and you PH Matsui for Cervelli, you lose the DH when Posada goes to catcher. That may seem minor, but if Posada DH’s 40 or so times it’s going to come up.

I love Damon, but he doesn’t fit with a smart plan. A-Jax is going to be up with the big league club, platooning in LF/CF, at least. Guys like Marlon Byrd and David DeJesus are going to be available for sale or trade. Matt Holliday won’t be worth the money he gets, but he’s on the market. The 2009 Yankees were great, but the team needs to get younger. Damon is not a part-time DH/pinch hitter and he doesn’t fit with the OF plans for the future. Matsui, on the other hand, is a great fit.

Argument #1. The Yanks need to get younger and more athletic.

Answer: Um, the Yanks want to win, right? You win by being better than your competition. That’s not necessarily the same thing as being “younger and more athletic.” If the Yankees had a young, up-and-coming star who was ready to take Matsui’s place, then, sure, it might make sense to replace him. But neither Austin Jackson nor Jesus Montero is going to replace Matsui in 2010, and neither is anyone else in the Yankees’ farm system ready to do it.

As for replacing Matsui through free agency, Matt Holiday and Jason Bay are going to want long-term, expensive deals. And do the Yanks really want to court the backlash that will develop if they sign the highest priced free agent(s) each and every off-season?? As for Chone Figgins … please! I hate it when the Yanks face Figgins, he’s a pest. But I want my outfielders or DH’s to have at least a modicum of power. Power hitters produce more runs than speedsters. That’s just a fact. Figgins is a significant drop-off from Matsui as a run producer and clutch hitter.

Argument #2. Matsui clogs up the DH position, and the Yankees would like Posada to DH more often and would like to rotate other players (like A-Rod) through DH.

Answer: Replacing Matsui with Posada as DH really means replacing Mastui’s bat with Cervelli’s in 2010. That is a major reduction in offensive potential, any way you look at it. As for getting other guys a turn at DH, well, maybe you sit Matsui from time to time. The Yankees seemed to manage the situation just fine this year.

Now that David Ortiz seems to have dropped to earth, Matsui is the best DH in the American League. Any time he is not DH’ing the Yanks have a weakness somewhere else in their lineup.

Bottom Line: I think the Yankees should bring Matsui back, although I would prefer to make it just a one-year contract. Let’s remember the guy is the same age as Jeter (born the same month in 1974), and one year older than Alex Rodriguez. He’s not exactly “old.” What he is is a thoroughly professional hitter, who hits with power, hits lefties, and hits in tough situations. He is also, with Ichiro, one of the two top Japanese hitters in the major leagues, and he is still very good for the Yankees’ brand in Japan.

But the principal reason to bring Matsui back is simply that the Yankees have no real replacement for his bat. He remains an upper echelon hitter. If Matsui leaves, the Yankees are instantly a weaker offensive team. That is not how you stay ahead of your competition.

Posada has never been a great defensive catcher. But he is as good now as he ever was, and the guy now owns four World Series rings (98, 99, 00, and 09). Offensively, he continues to be one of the best hitting catchers in the majors. Posada stays. So should Matsui.