I know the World Series just ended and most people aren't looking ahead quite yet, but I am already looking forward to next year and wondering if the Yankees have what it takes to repeat as World Champions in 2010

There are a lot of questions about how the Yankees roster will look next year. Will free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui return? Will Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite retire? Can Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes stay in the rotation? Will Chien-Ming Wang return to form? Will time finally catch up to all the aging stars?

Lets tackle these questions one at a time.

First, Will free agents Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui return? Odds are that only one of these players will be back next year. If I had to bet , I would say that Damon comes back and Matsui is allowed to leave via free agency. I know Matsui won the World Series MVP, but Godzilla has two bad knees and can no longer play the field, making him expendable. The Yankees could choose to bring in a younger player to fill in as DH and part time left fielder.

Next question: Will Mariano Rivera and Andy Pettite retire? Anytime players reach the age of these two and have accomplished what these two have accomplished this question will arise each and every off season no matter how well they preformed the previous year. Rivera will turn 40 at the end of this month. He had another great season but one has to wonder if he does come back will he still be as effective. Sooner or later time will catch up with him. I suspect he will return because he knows this team has a great chance to get back to the series next year and he can taste his 6th ring already. If he does return we should know pretty quickly whether or not he still has it, because when it comes to pitchers, age rarely sneaks up on them. If a pitcher has lost "it" the opposing batters will let you know. Pettite is not as old as Mo but he is no spring chicken himself. He has won five rings and is the most prolific pitcher in post season history. The question is, what does he have left to prove? The answer is absolutely nothing. But knowing his competitive fire I would imagine that he will forgo retirement and return for at least one more season. The question with Pettite is the same one as with Rivera, will his arm hold up over a long season and playoffs for the second straight year? We will find out.

Next question: Can Joba Chamberlain and Phil Hughes stay in the Rotation? The answer to this question better be yes or the Yankees are in a world of trouble. The plan all along has been to get these two in the starting rotation and keep them there for years to come. The only problem is, neither of them can but together two consecutive solid starts. If Pettite isn't as strong next year and Wong struggles again it will be up to Hughes and Chamberlain to pick up the slack. So far neither has proven they can be counted on. Time is running out on both of these young pitchers. The Yankees have never had the patience to let pitchers develop and if they struggle again early next year look for one of them to be traded and the other put in the bullpen on a permanent basis.

Next question: Will Chien-Ming Wang return to form? The Yankees better hope so. A couple of years ago Wang was the Yankees ace. He had consecutive 19 win seasons and looked to be a solid starter for the next decade. But, after getting hurt during inter-league play two years ago, he has yet to come close to what he once was and now he can't even stay healthy. If Wong can stay healthy and re-gain his touch the Yankees could have the best rotation in baseball next year.

Last question; Will time finally catch up to all the aging stars? You have to wonder how much longer players like Jorge Posada, Derek Jeter, Damon, Pettite, Rivera and others can stay on the top of their games. The Yankees have to start thinking about getting younger while these players are still here and not wait until their age shows. This off-season should give us some insight into whether or not Brian Cashman agrees and is ready to start making that transition, which is admittingly a couple years away still, but better to start now then to wait until that time arrives. Bringing in younger players now and letting them sit the bench and fill in while learning from these great players will help ease the transition down the road.

With the age of most of the stars on this team and the questions concerning the rotation, repeating is no sure thing, but then again it never is. If the team can avoid injuries and figure out it's rotation then the Yankees have a good chance to get back to the Fall Classic....and possibly a rematch with the Phillies? We will find out soon enough.