As this series comes to an end, we take a look at the defending champion New York Yankees, who seem poised to make another run at the World Series.

Offense

For the past decade (and even longer) the Yankees have had the most feared offense in the majors. What makes this Yankee team particularly scary is that this offense is not only more balanced, but it is also backed up by a legitimate starting rotation.

At the top of the order is none other than Derek Jeter, already hitting .324 for the season.

In 2009, at 35 years old, Jeter led off the best offense in baseball to the tune of a .324 average, 18 home runs, 66 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. As good as Jeter was statistically, his real value lies in the intangibles. His ability to get the bat on the ball in clutch situations is legendary; time and again he has been the savior of the Yankees when batters such as Alex Rodriguez or Mark Teixeira were waiting in the wings.

Rodriguez finally has the monkey off his back.

After having one of the most impressive postseason runs ever (where he hit .500), Rodriguez has finally beaten the rap that he could not perform in the postseason. With such pressures off his plate, he needs to return to being the dominant regular season batter that we have grown accustomed to.

While in 2009 he did hit 30 home runs and drive in 100 RBIs, we are fully aware that he could hit 50 and drive in 150 in any given year.

Look for his numbers to improve this season.

After just barely losing out in the MVP race last season, Mark Teixeira is looking to have a repeat year in his second in New York.

Never scared by the lure of New York or the weight of his enormous contract, Teixeira came out swinging and hit 39 home runs with 122 RBIs while batting close to .300. He is even more valuable when you consider that Tex is the game’s best defensive first baseman, rarely letting a ground ball get by him.

While he has started slowly, look for his stellar play to continue into 2010.

Robinson Cano will be an All-Star this year.

The now 27-year-old second baseman has spent five years in the majors, slowly improving each summer. After hitting 25 home runs and driving in 85 RBIs last season (.with a .320 average), Cano has finally shed the malaise that kept him from being one of the best in the game. Look for him to hit 30 home runs and drive in 100, and make his first of many starts as an All-Star.

The guy with the most to gain and/or prove is Curtis Granderson.

Brought in to replace both Johnny Damon and Austin Jackson, Granderson is hoping to solidify an outfield that is flanked by Nick Swisher and Brett Gardner (mere mortals by Yankee standards). Granderson is off to a good start this season and hit 30 home runs last summer.

Look for him to replace Damon’s numbers from last year while improving the defense in the outfield.

Pitching

After spending a quarter-billion dollars on two pitchers last season, the Yankees have put together a rotation good enough to make sure that all the runs scored by their potent offense will not go to waste.

C.C. Sabathia is the Yankees’ ace, a workhorse who won 19 games, struck out 200, and pitched in 230 innings last season. Sabathia was even better in the postseason, winning game after game and setting the tone for the Yankees’ eventual World Series run.

Look for him to go after another Cy Young award this season.

A.J. Burnett, who started slowly in his first season with the Yankees but managed to win 13 games and strike out 195, redeemed himself with some strong play in the postseason. Now that he has settled into New York he should be more comfortable and return to the form that won him 18 games in 2008. Look for a bounce back year for Burnett.

Javier Vasquez, in his second stint with the Yankees, will be the third starter in the rotation, with Andy Petitte looking for one more ring in the fourth spot, and Phil Hughes pitching fifth.

The great Mariano Rivera — the Sandman — continues as the Yankees closer.

Prediction

New York is the clear-cut favorite to win the whole thing once again this season.

Their perfect combination of batting and pitching makes them a tough out for any team, especially in a long playoff series.

But what made this Yankee team so good last season was, for the first time since they won in 2000, a sense of unity. They were not just a group of all-stars being paid by the game guy; they were a scrappy team that played the game as it should be. Few distractions moved them off their goal, and as a result they won the whole thing.

Complacency is the only factor that could stop the Yanks from making another run, but the coaching of Joe Girardi and the teamwork that led to last years run will continue into this season.

Look for the Yankees to win the AL East, en route to their first back-to-back titles since the turn of the century.